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Pro's and Con's of injecting?

B

Blip

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My diabetic nurse is pressing me to switch from metformin and gliclazide to injections.

Can those with knowledge please help me make a decision by telling me the pro's and con's?

I am a 56 year old male with type 2 which is proving hard to control even if I eat sensibly.

I am resisting the change, probably a man thing as I see it as an admission that I am seriously ill, but I am thinking about giving in.
 
Hi Blip. Firstly, don't think of injections as a failure or something just inevitable. It's just a different way of getting medication into your body. I'm on injections with each meal and it soon becomes the norm. Pro's- tighter control over your BG levels. You inject so many units for so many carbs. This for me is a huge advantage. Con's- some people don't like injecting in public, takes a little while to get used to if you are going to adjust amount injected to carb intake.
You can try it and see how you get on. If you really can't get on with it, ask to go back to oral meds. Good luck.
 
Hi. I went over to insulin 8 months ago and wouldn't go back. I'm on the Basal/Bolus regime which means both long-acting and rapid-acting. Like mo1905 I adjust the rapid-acting for the carbs in each meal (carb-counting). If you can't control your blood sugar with tablets then do go for the insulin. You might initially be put on just long-acting once or twice a day. For me this wasn't adequate so my lovely DN offered to add the Bolus (rapid) which gives total control. I inject into the stomach and most times are painless as my needles are only 4mm long and fine. If I'm with friends dining out I will inject quietly at the table just before the meal. If you are overweight then I would recommend getting your weight down to 'normal' as insulin resistance will conflict with the injected insulin as you will already have too much in the blood. Do ask any more questions but it really isn't a problem with today's pens and needles.
 
I saw my diabetic nurse this afternoon and raised the subject and said I was willing to give it a try.

I was shocked when she turned round and said that I am not at a position where I need to inject yet.

This is a complete U-turn from her position on my last visit a couple of weeks ago. She even offered a meeting with others who had recently changed to injections to talk to me about their experiences to persuade me to start injections.

So I shall just forget about it until perhaps one day I really need to make the change.
 
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