Hello, Just been told I have to use Insulin from now on

Hi and welcome.
Have you modified your diet at all? A lot of us have found that by lowering our carbohydrate intake (drastically for some of us) we can manage with no medication. Not all (few) doctors are aware of this.

Hi @1066boy ,

Welcome to the forum.

Sounds like you've a good relationship with your Doctor!

I'll tag in @daisy1 . & @Daibell

Hi
Ive been on Glic for the last 21 years and have experienced several times when control has got harder and extra drugs / higher doses of Glic suggested.
We are all different as are our iterations of diabetes, but I have managed to avoid any drug escalations by adjusting my diet and aggressivly monitoring / tweaking each time control has become more difficult
I was first diagnosed as insulin dependent and taught some bits about carb counting before my diagnosis was changed to one of non insulin dependent diabetes and I was put on Glic- from that initial information I found that around 40/45g carbs a meal worked well with my meds - nowadays that is closer to my total daily tolerance.
I dont see insulin or any other medication as a sign of failure rather as a tool to be worked with - taking the useful bits and ditching the rest - I would try and look at any course offered in the same way

For me the only time I lost weight was many years prior to diagnosis with diabetes when I was tested and then treated for food intolerances - after steady weight gain throughout the first 24 years of my life with no success from weight loss attempts, I lost 61/2 stone in 6 months and ended up with a 10 stone loss. Food intolerances might be worth thinking about
There is a theory that one reason lc works for weight loss, is that by default it excludes foods to which many are intolerant ( grains in particular) and one of the reasons it doesnt work for others is that it fails to exclude other foods that are common for people to be intolerant to ( particular eggs and dairy

1066boy said:

I try to limit the intake of carbohydrates and try to eat a balanced diet these days. I have tried various things over the years. At one point I even went on a carrots and celery only diet (for 4 months until I became ill) as I wasn't getting the essentials nutrition for life. It didn't seem to have any affect to my diabetes and readings were still high.

I could try cutting carbs out altogether, it is a thought I've considered myself. Along with cutting out any fat and sticking to chicken, fish and vegetables. I've got a very strong will, so can suffer most things. But nothing has seemed to work thus far.

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that's not how to do the lchf diet study it could well save you going onto insulin but not always. the advantage of the diet is you lose weight as a side effect.

@1066boy Fat is actually good, not bad.
LCHF is 80% fat, 15% protein and 5% carbohydrates and can help to reduce weight and reduce BG levels. Everyone is different, though.
Insulin isn't a thing for life, if you are T2 and a bit over weight.
There are several posters here who changed their eating plan and lowered their blood glucose levels and came off drugs.
So perhaps it is a sensible thing to start on the insulin for your own health - poor BG control can do bad things - and then work on changing what you eat so that over time you reduce your weight and reduce youe dependence on drugs.
Extreme or fad diets, such as carrots and celery, are not a long term way of eating. You need to eat normal everyday foods in the correct balance.
Everyone is different so eat what suits you, and test, test, test. Eat to your meter. That way you know what foods are best for your body.

1066boy
Sorry to hear that you are now going on insulin. You have tolerated T2 for a considerable time but you still have your independence. That you haven't lost. I'm a bit like you. I am not "like someone else". I am me.
Your Doc may well be right that it is not your diet. But you can adjust your diet it if you want to in many different ways. There are so many ways you can do this because of the huge variety of foods available. Be your own boss, (as you would,) and make a hobby of it.
You can also exercise in many ways and still be you. One of the best forms of exercise is walking. This does not make you less independent. You can do it alone or in company. As much or as little as you like. But do it if you can.
Do keep following this forum as you can get so much from it

Hi. Do you consider yourself overweight or not. If you feel that you do have some excess weight then do continue with a low-carb diet but don't worry too much about fats and proteins as carbs are the villain in all of this. Excess weight can go together with insulin resistance and then most meds won't do enough. The insulin may help but bear in mind it can end up fighting insulin resistance so the low-carb diet remains so important in trying to reduce that. See how you go with the insulin and come back with any more questions.

1066boy said:

I try to limit the intake of carbohydrates and try to eat a balanced diet these days. I have tried various things over the years. At one point I even went on a carrots and celery only diet (for 4 months until I became ill) as I wasn't getting the essentials nutrition for life. It didn't seem to have any affect to my diabetes and readings were still high.

I could try cutting carbs out altogether, it is a thought I've considered myself. Along with cutting out any fat and sticking to chicken, fish and vegetables. I've got a very strong will, so can suffer most things. But nothing has seemed to work thus far.

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Please don't cut out the fat .. it provides satiety and if you are cutting carbs dramatically then you need fat and protein for fuel. I would seriously recommend trying it for a month or two and seeing how your bloods go. I went from 23 stone to just over 15 stone doing it.. the first 6 stone pretty effortlessly with not a single calorie counted. Obviously you'll need to monitor your bloods closely as your meds can cause hypos.

1066boy said:

Hi everyone,

I've had Type 2 Diabetes for many years, but today, the doctor said he has made an appointment at the hospital as I need to use insulin from now on.

I suffered Metformin for many years (made me extremely tired) and then was put on Gliclazide and Sitagliptin. But, they are no longer affective, so need to use Insulin.

I'm a bit scared, not so much of the injections, but the possibility of being put on a course (Ester). I don't like the idea of having to be in a group (I'm a bit of a independent person and don't like sharing information that way). Have thoughts it will be like attending an AA clinic "Hi, I'm 1066boy, I'm a Type 2 diabetic who injects twice a week".

Yes, I am a large person (19st) and I am not happy with the stigma/label of being a Type 2 diabetic. It seems that most people these days think it is some failure on my part for not controlling my body weight, not having enough exercise and eating the wrong types foods. This has led me to try to battle this alone.

The doctor was reassuring, he said the move to insulin was not due to poorly managing my diet, but as I have got older, the medications are less affective.

Anyway, this is my first post to say hi to everyone.

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Hi, welcome, well done for writing, you'll be magic with everything. Getting the insulin in was one of my fears... it's OK, a tiny prick. I don't know about the meetings but the unknown is usually more scary than the reality. Virtual hug. You'll be fine

@1066boy

Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.



BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

dont wait there is no need.