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Starting insulin for type two

Failte

Newbie
Messages
4
Location
Wales
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Anyone anxious about starting on Insulin like I am?
My main anxiety is gaining weight.I managed to lose 2 stone .Now I am not able to maintain a good BG level,my ow fault,lack motivation.

I know when I have next HbA1C it will be high- so Insulin will be discussed.I really don’t want to start.I feel I have failed myself.

I eat a low carb diet most of time but I press the self destruct button and eat ****, and my motivation hits rock bottom as well as my self worth.
My BG hits 11 fasting in morning and can go down to 7 by pm.( this is when I binge)
When I try to eat well it 9 fasting and 6.5 ish later on.
Thank you for reading.Hope I am not alone.
I would really like to stay off insulin.
 
You usually start insulin when your blood starts to resemble honey! The insulin will allow your body to absorb it from your blood. The problem is you may put on weight because you are becoming healthier!

You can always post a message if motivation flies out the window.
 
PS I forgot to add; its a lot easier to stay motivated and positive if your feeling healthy
 
There have been a couple of occasions when my brother (Type 2) has been worried that he would be going onto insulin but he was given different drugs instead. He was once referred to hospital and was given yet another drug which gave good results. This was one which takes sugar from blood and it ends up in the urine (Forxiga???) The only problem he had with that was that he lost weight (he wasn't overweight in the first place!)

It could be that insulin will be mentioned at your next appointment but they'll try different medication instead.
 
Hi @Failte I think your motivation must surely be:
If I can get my HbA1C down, I am more likely to avoid insulin. In the days when I was Type 1, if I was at normal range but still hungry, I would stock up on bacon, sardines, avocado, and even Brussels sprouts (on their own!). I would certainly try to find anything - cheese? - for you to do this as I can fully understand your anxiety. I was on insulin for 54 years and have been off it for 4.5 years. Good luck
 
The simple answer from the old school is stop eating rubbish then. The educated position is that if it were that easy you would have done this already. Sounds like you might need to see a specialist like a behavioural scientist, or a health care professional who either understands food abdication and or phychology. Some of us can just do what is required, whilst some require a helping hand. Your Doctor can help with a refferal for such help.

You could start by ridding your home of all temptations without exemption. If you have a significant other, you could be open with them and get their buyin to help. You could try some association, e.g if your vice is rice crispies you could get a picture of this item and then also put next to it something you really dislike.
 

Hope this helps
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb
 
I didn't think it was possible to reverse type 1. I'd love to know how if it's true
 
SueJB said:
I didn't think it was possible to reverse type 1. I'd love to know how if it's true
Click to expand...
Hi @SueJB I had many of the complications from Type 1, the first being kidey function at the age of 15, having had it for just over 14 years. Eventually in 2013 I was given a kidney/pancreas transplant at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge and thus have not needed insulin injections for 52 months. The trouble is you have to be diabetically speaking very unwell before such an operation is considered. Even at the age of nearly 55 I had to go through several stringent tests to see whether I would be fit enough to proceed. Interestingly, on the Home Page, under Most Popular, item 5 explains why they don't class a pancreas transplant as a cure. Maybe it isn't but I think both of us would see it differently. Although I shall never know what a "normal life" is, so much anxiety and problems have vanished, even though the side-effects of the immuno-suppressants have caused tremors in my hands - a bind for a keyboard player! However, I cannot believe my fortune. I'm just grateful to be able to face the future. I don't know how long you have been Type 1, but hope that it has been during an infinitely more advanced treatment than even 40 years ago, let alone nearly 60! I would put my money on research, which progresses at a rate unthinkable during my formative years. I can only hope you reach the end of the tunnel soon. Good luck
 
Thank you so much for sharing this. An amazing story. Like you,I do so hope that research will continue and be a benefit, if not for present type 1 diabetics but definitely for the future. For info, I was diagnosed as type 1 Aug 2017 aged 64 and it came as a huge shock. Good luck back to you.
 
Also an amazing story - I'm not surprised you were shocked. I was luckier in the sense that I was too young to be shocked!
 
OMG I could have been reading about my self here! How are you now? I am suffering like you
 
Hi, I am T2DM for a couple of years.
I started using insulin early January. I inject Humulin I, a medium/long term insulin, once a day. I started on 10 units, increasing by 1 unit every 3rd day, until my fasting BG first thing in the morning was down to 5.0. I now take 20 units a day and the difference in my BG control is amazing. On a day that I play golf i reduce my dose to 15 units as I burn glucose over the 4 hours I’m on the golf course. I have a Lilly Savvi Humapen which makes injecting very easy and pain free. Please do not worry about injecting, its painless. Doing a finger prick is more painful. Weight gain has not been a particular problem, that is dependant upon the insulin used, so discuss your concerns with your DSN. Give it a try, you might be surprised. All the best.
Geoff
 
Within a few days I felt so much better. Apparently most new insulin users say how much better they feel. Injecting Humulin is just part of my daily routine now. Until I reached a fasting BG of 5.0, I tested my BG 4 times a day. That is before each meal and bedtime. I only test twice a day now, before breakfast and before bedtime. The first two months are trial and error but I soon found my level. I had an HbA1c of 8.9 before Humulin. I have my next HbA1c next week. I use an iPhone App to record my BG readings and Humulin dose. It is predicting my HbA1c is now 6.4. Let’s hope so.

Sorry for such a technical response, I am a retired Biomefical Research Scientist. My diabetes was caused by taking corticosteroids for a autoimmune disease I inherited from my mother.

Cheers Geoff
 
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