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should i use insulin

fats1964

Active Member
Messages
41
I have been seriously overweight for years with type 2 diabetes, and for various reasons i am unable to control my diet, whether its stress, depression, or my past which was not good and emotional difficulties, i am 6 stone lighter than 2 years ago but stuck at 21 + stone

i was supposed to have an operation but got cancelled today it was for a circumcision and i was told to sort out my sugar levels etc, i was really looking forward to the op to try and get my sex life back on track among other things.......a while ago i was told i would have to go on insulin if i didnt sort myself out and to be honest its not going to happen

so if i do go on insulin, will it help with my sugar levels, extreme tiredness, and other diabetic related problems, such as body repair,

i know what needs doing like getting fit and dieting etc, but its not really going to happen, with work and kids and food everywhere and working away etc

so basically can i take more control and improve things if on insulin my sugar levels are usually up to 20
 
Insulin can put weight on you, I asked about it but that put me off. I'm managing a low-carb diet. For the first time in my life I've overpowered (at least for now) my food addiction. I'm amazed on how far I can get on what - for me - are really small meals - I've always been able to eat for England. It took me a week or so to stop from feeling ill, hungry, headachy and so, so wanting food, but now I'm fine.

I'm on metformin - which is supposedly good for weight loss - but because of the diets I've been on over the years - my metabolism is shot. I can maintain my weight on 1000 calories - and have hypos mid-morning and mid-afternoon - but this low-carb - while I'm not losing much in the way of weight - in all about 1lb in the last month - my blood glucose is great, between 4 & 6.

This works for me - it may not for you - but could be worth a try.

Good luck

Ailz
 
welcome to the forum,
firstly I have no experience of insulin as I take oral medication, insulin should help with you sugar level and gaining better control but it also might make you gain even more weight which you state is an issue for you.
however only you and your gp, dsn can decide what is the best course of action and medication for you, however if I were in your in your situation I would look at my diet and excercise and try harder to improve upon this before resigning myself to insulin.
discuss this matter with you hcp.
 
bearing in mind i love my food and the wrong stuff and lovely bacardi and pepsi max

what diets do people recommend and a way of monitoring my exercise and plan to get fitter and lose weight, and if i got my weight off would need a tummy tuck, i may even use the forum to report back, listing what ive eaten and done and what i was eating previously
 
This is very useful information that was written by two former moderators here
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17088
I also agree with Louise, this is a matter you need to discuss with your GP or diabetic nurse. I have just started on insulin, i've mainly been put on it as i have been ill with high blood sugar levels and have high blood pressure as well. It doesn't mean that i can eat and drink whatever i like though or do no exercise.
 
i have thought for a long time if i went really strict, how soon would i start seeing a difference in energy, tiredness, and feeling better, its a very long time since i could wake up in a morning and not feel knackered and have some energy, and feel like i have had a good rest

i will start looking for foods i might like that are low carb, but i love my bread, etc

mind you it might make it easier to say to my partner, that i have to not go out for as many meals

its too expensive anyway
 
Insulin really only put's weight on individual if it's out of kilter either the appitte it's being asked to match is larger than the individuals requirements to maintain an healthy weight or if you are inadvertantly feeding the insulin, where by your actual doses is more than what is required so you eat more carbs to soak it up, rather than dropping to does to suit the carb level!

It maybe that it might be best for you to use insulin to control your blood glucose while you work towards addressing the other problems you have but as said we really can't say either way this has to be discussed with your medical team as they have your full medical history to help determine the best move forward for you..
 
Hi Fats,
As you realise your glucose levels are very high. Going back to looking at your diet may help You have already been sucessful at losing lots of weight so you know that you can do it
At the same time it might be worth asking if you could be referred to a specialist,
I'm not a T2, and have no expert knowledge but I do know from reading around that there are alternative drug therapies to insulin.
Some more modern drug therapies such as Byetta and Victoza,( there are threads on them on this forum) can work well for some people. As a side effect they may also help with weight loss. However, they are not necessarily suitable for everyone, and insulin or something else may indeed be a better for you..
It would be good if you were able to discuss the pros and cons of the various options with someone who knows your medical history and is in the position to give qualified advice .
 
All this was a year ago, & it seems your approach to food hasn't changed.

Insulin is not a good answer in your situation - only a radical change of lifestyle can make a difference.

What are your blood test results - ask for a printout & note particularly HbA1c which is the figure the medics go on for prescription.
 
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