Stopped taking insulin - blood sugars fine. Advice!!

Very interesting thread - I have been on a very low carb diet myself now for about a month. I have reduced my novorapid insulin to 2.5 units am and 2.5 units again at teatime. I am still taking my usual dose of levemir, which is low anyway (5 units) morning and night.
I have found that I am feeling much better in myself. I use to have daily hypos, even though I carb count. I still have 30 gms carbs at breakfast time, this gives me energy for the day, and at other meal times just have cheese, nuts, meat and vegetables for lunch and dinner. I did go off the diet when away at a wedding and found that my stomach was heavy and bloated, on going back to the low carb diet I felt much much better and have been cycling and exercising without hypos.

I felt that this was a last resort because I was so fed up with hypos - this has been the best way for me to manage my general health. I didn't want to totally give up carbs because I knew I wouldn't be able to stick to such a rigid diet, but on consuming very slow acting carbs in the form of proteins and vegetables I feel that I can still have pleasure in eating but without the boosts of injected insulin in larger quantities. I would advise, as others have done so, to take some insulin and keep monitoring b/s. I have been told that I am probably still producing some insulin naturally???, and if this is true then it sounds as though you are too as you also need very low doses of insulin.
Good luck and keep well.

Sorry to digress off topic, but Geri, how do you give yourself half unit increments of Novorapid? What pen do you use? I use Novorapid and have tried to get pens that do 0.5 units, but can't find any.

Hi, its a Novopen Junior, the diabetes nurse gave it to me, normally used for kids to manage their insulin more tightly. Hope you find one.

Hi Samjb,

I got a demi pen ( gives insulin in increments of 1/2 units ) Just asked my nurse for one.

Lucy xxx

That's brilliant, I'll make an appointment to see if I can get one of those options. What's a demi pen Lucy? Can you put novorapid in it? Thanks guys!

Hi Sam,

Its a version of a novo pen just delivers in 1/2 increments so can give 1/2 doses. I use novorapid in it. just the same as other novopens

Lucy xxx

Hi,

I stopped taking insulin for a few years, just survived on a few units of background when I felt ill, and would not recommend it.

3 years since then, I'm only 26 and have retinopathy, kidney problems, loss of feeling in my left leg and various other things. Even though I felt ok at the time and my sugars were 6-9 most times.

It's basic science that we need the insulin for far more than just the BG reading and as diabetics I think a lot of us take a good BG as a sign that we are well overall.

Check with your nurse and if you truly do feel well with no insulin or ketones, ask to have yourself tested for MODY diabetes, you never know....