New to insulin

Hello,

What insulins are you prescribed. I'll tag in @Antje77 too..

Maybe change your profile status from T2?

Hi. I suspect you may have been prescribed a small dose of long acting insulin such as Levemir or Lantus. This will help but may not be enough. LADAs typically have a slowly diminishing insulin output so you may have a fast acting insulin added if the current one doesn't help enough. My DN prescribed just the slow but based on the results I gave her within 1 month she added the fast acting (called Basal/Bolus regime or MDI). Insulins work within a day or so overall so you should know how well the current one is helping very quickly. Note that the dosage can also be changed by the DN.

Hi @Don66. I'll tag in @Rachox who may be able to help you change your status

Don66 said:

Hi im on lantus . Not sure how to change status on here. I was initially told i was type 2 but other tests confirmed lada

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Go into "personal details" on your profile then in "type of diabetes," you will find a drop down menu. Scoll & find LADA.

Thanks for the tag, @Jaylee

Don66 said:

Any help and tips would be great x

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My main tip would be: test a lot and nag your consultant for a change in dose if your numbers don't change as quick as you'd like them.
Nag your consultant as well if you find your numbers are fine when not eating or eating very few carbs, but you can't keep them in check after meals. That would suggest it may be time for mealtime insulin. It seems some LADA's can go for years on a low dose of basal and a low carb diet, some will need mealtime insulin pretty quick. Your meter will give you clues, accompanied by a food diary.

Don66 said:

How long until i start feeling better ?

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Depends on how soon you can get your numbers in check. Which will depend on you, your willingness and ability to learn, the way your consultant works, and most important, on if your diabetes more or less cooperates. Totally unfair.

Last tip: read and learn as much as you can, starting with @daisy1 's basic information about diabetes.
Stop reading and learning for a while before you see double and go out to the beach to empty your head.

Good luck and let us know how you get on!

@Don66
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 need to and someone will 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.
  

Hello @Don66

You sound about where I was a few weeks back. I was given a small dose of Lantus (10 units) and I have worked my way up to 36 units a day on the advice of the DN. My numbers are a lot better (i.e. going from 13s in the morning to 6s and 7s) and I have to say I feel a lot better in myself as the awful carb 'fug' seems to have gone too. Are you keeping in touch with the DN?

I think I may ask for a small dose of fast-acting because occasionally my numbers are a bit higher, but all in all, am feeling a lot better and I am sure that you will soon. It was soul-destroying trying to manage on medication but I have now got a measure of control back.

Take care and I will keep an eye out for you here. The people like @Daibell and @Antje77 and others have lots of advice and info.

P62

Don66 said:

Thanks you have given me previous helpful info on here when i thought i was type 2

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Thanks. You are lucky as I'm a LADA (by my own research) but still listed as T2 as my GP didn't understand diabetes. Fortunately I was finally given insulin which was the right solution.

Hello @Don66 Welcome to the world of LADA.

Also diagnosed T2 to start, then got a LADA diagnosis nearly three years later.

It took about a month for my body to get used to the insulin - but I had levels of ketones which had the clinic nurses in hysterics when I presented myself for my referral appointment. I was, however, put on both slow-acting and fast-acting immediately.

I was testing loads, and made sure I had hypo fixes readily to hand for the moment when it did suddenly all drop to my target range and below!

Don66 said:

Hi im on lantus . Not sure how to change status on here. I was initially told i was type 2 but other tests confirmed lada

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Lantus in my experience does not keep you steady over a 24 hour period. So once you have worked out the right amount for you, I suspect you'll need to take twice a day and it's improtant to take at the same times. I set an alarm on my phone to take my does at 9am and 9pm....took a while to get the dose right, but worth the hassle. It's a slow process to getting these things right. If you can, get on a DAFNE course at your local hospital. It's the best week you'll go on as you'll be in a room with other diabetics and have a specialist team there to help you.