Help with insulin please

EllieM said:

Hi @mrsportion, two thoughts from this T1 insulin user

1) some people are allergic to the preservatives in insulin brands, though I believe it to be extremely rare, so most likely to be something else.

2) As for the weight gain, are you on fixed dosed (so you have to eat enough to cover your insulin) ? If you are allowed to adjust your insulin to match your carbs, I suspect that weight gain is much less likely. As a long term insulin user (albeit T1 not T2 so am cross posting) I find low carb plus exercise is finally allowing me to lose weight.

Congrats on the improved hba1c.

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Daibell said:

Hi. Are you still following the low-carb diet?

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Marie 2 said:

Skin problems can be common with diabetics, it's common in higher blood sugars and/or lack of skin hydration that can help cause it. But you could be allergic too. Allergies are weird and sometimes rashes only show up in an isolated area. You could try to research different insulins for one that has different ingredients. Switching brands works for a lot. There are a few people that have had significant problems. Some go back to the old animal insulins because of it. But it's harder to get and more difficult to use so you don't want to if you have a choice.

Weight gain with starting insulin is unfortunately common. All of a sudden you have this hormone in your body all the time. As a type 2 using insulin, maybe you have the same issue as a type 1 who starts using insulin. All of a sudden you can utilize all the food you eat because you have the insulin to do so. With a type 1 they have a tendency to eat more food than they needed before insulin because they can't actually utilize the food right. Hence weight gain when they get insulin and can.

It usually can be managed by making sure you are taking the insulin you need at the right time, instead of taking insulin and then eating extra so you don't drop too low. They like to start someone in the US on a long acting first as a type 2, it's safer and easier to use. It gives you a low rate all day/night to try to have your levels not go too high. But it's easier with a fast acting added because you can adjust the amount you actually need. It's best to get the long acting dosing right first before you add a fast acting. The long acting is considered a basal insulin and in a type 1 it's to cover what your liver makes in glucose all day. With a type 2 I think they use it to commonly cover some food too.

I also wonder is if you could be a type 1. After 10 years if you were still following your low carb diet that was a high A1c level. An LADA/Type 1 makes some insulin for years, 8 years or more. Following a low carb diet is theorized it might let your pancreas hold out for longer. Plus with a long acting you didn't come down enough. Although that could be because they have a tendency to start you out at a low dose to be safe and slowly increase it. I'm not saying you are, but you need to keep it in mind. 35% of us are misdiagnosed as a type 2 before we finally get the right diagnosis. I was misdiagnosed for over 8 years, although I was put on insulin after about 5 years, but that was because the drugs they kept trying made me sick. They were going to keep trying drugs. It wasn't until I switched doctors that I was tested and diagnosed right.

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Antje77 said:

And in addition to that, there is a watch/unwatch button at the top of every thread.
If you use it you'll get a notification if someone posts on a thread, even if you've never posted on that thread yourself, very useful when you find something interesting.

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