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type 2,DR saying I need insulin
- Thread starter dethleff
- Start Date
IanD
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 2,429
- Location
- Peterchurch, Hereford
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Carbohydrates
Hi Stan,
Welcome to the forum. I've been on oral treatment for 12 years & am 73. I am free from complications & have good control.
I followed the NHS/DUK high carb diet for 7-8 years & was suffering serious complications - particularly debilitating muscle pain, chronic tiredness & the beginning of retinopathy.
Then I discovered this forum, & took the advice to cut down on carbs very seriously. After 3 months I was out of pain & playing tennis again. 4 years on I am fit & well - & still low-carbing.
What do you eat? What is your HbA1c? What are your measurements? And what are the problems that lead you to considering insulin? Insulin may be the right move for you, but the experience of many, including insulin users, is that low carb reduces the need for medication.
Welcome to the forum. I've been on oral treatment for 12 years & am 73. I am free from complications & have good control.
I followed the NHS/DUK high carb diet for 7-8 years & was suffering serious complications - particularly debilitating muscle pain, chronic tiredness & the beginning of retinopathy.
Then I discovered this forum, & took the advice to cut down on carbs very seriously. After 3 months I was out of pain & playing tennis again. 4 years on I am fit & well - & still low-carbing.
What do you eat? What is your HbA1c? What are your measurements? And what are the problems that lead you to considering insulin? Insulin may be the right move for you, but the experience of many, including insulin users, is that low carb reduces the need for medication.
I was put on insulin for what they thought was Type 2, it was later revealed it was Type 1.5 (slow onset type 1).
However, as I am fairly new to it still, I thought I would tell you what it was like for me when I first started back in April.
I was put in hospital as I was poorly with very high blood sugars. Probably you wouldn't need to go there.
A nurse showed me how to inject. She let me try on a little foam star. I was told how the insulin pen I was meant to use worked, was told how many units I needed to take and then I was meant to inject in my tummy. I couldn't. She said don't worry and did it for me. Next time, I really wanted to overcome that barrier of injecting, so I sat there for a while, sweating and trying to pull myself together. Eventually, I did it. The next time, it still took me a few minutes to find the guts, but then after that, it quickly became routine.
Finding the right type and dose of insulin took a few weeks. I was on a premixed version - it provides you with some long-acting insulin to take care of basic body functions and then it has a bit of shorter acting insulin to cover the carbohydrates you take in at meals - rice, bread, fruit, potatoes etc. I found this premix a bit difficult to manage as I am young and very active, so I would have the short acting send me a bit low when I was exercising.
I was then put on basal (long acting) and bolus (meal time insulin) seperately, and I have been very happy with that. It allows me to look at any meal and work out how much carbohydrate I am about to eat, then inject to match. This is very flexible.
I think often, type 2s who are a bit older are only put on basal insulin to begin with. That would help lower your over-all blood sugar during the day and night, but allow your own insulin to work for meals. My grandmother is on this type of insulin and it seems to work fine for her. She has hers injected by a community nurse as she is blind.
It takes a little bit of getting used to, and you will have to use a glucose meter to determine your glucose levels, especially in the beginning while the dose is being adjusted. If you have more insulin than you need, you can get a hypo which will make you dizzy, feeble and might make you pass out. This is a real emergency if it isn't fixed (by having something sugary) but normally, they will carefully start you on a low dose and then increase.
You need to ask the questions that make you understand what the insulin does and how you should keep an eye on your blood sugars and what to do if the results are not in range (normally that is above 4 mmol and below 9 mmol, preferably 4.5-7 range).
I am sure it will be fine, and it isn't too hard to get used to - at least it wasn't for me. Bit bumpy at first, but as you get to know your own reaction and the right dose is found, it's just a little jab a few times a day.
Good luck with it.
However, as I am fairly new to it still, I thought I would tell you what it was like for me when I first started back in April.
I was put in hospital as I was poorly with very high blood sugars. Probably you wouldn't need to go there.
A nurse showed me how to inject. She let me try on a little foam star. I was told how the insulin pen I was meant to use worked, was told how many units I needed to take and then I was meant to inject in my tummy. I couldn't. She said don't worry and did it for me. Next time, I really wanted to overcome that barrier of injecting, so I sat there for a while, sweating and trying to pull myself together. Eventually, I did it. The next time, it still took me a few minutes to find the guts, but then after that, it quickly became routine.
Finding the right type and dose of insulin took a few weeks. I was on a premixed version - it provides you with some long-acting insulin to take care of basic body functions and then it has a bit of shorter acting insulin to cover the carbohydrates you take in at meals - rice, bread, fruit, potatoes etc. I found this premix a bit difficult to manage as I am young and very active, so I would have the short acting send me a bit low when I was exercising.
I was then put on basal (long acting) and bolus (meal time insulin) seperately, and I have been very happy with that. It allows me to look at any meal and work out how much carbohydrate I am about to eat, then inject to match. This is very flexible.
I think often, type 2s who are a bit older are only put on basal insulin to begin with. That would help lower your over-all blood sugar during the day and night, but allow your own insulin to work for meals. My grandmother is on this type of insulin and it seems to work fine for her. She has hers injected by a community nurse as she is blind.
It takes a little bit of getting used to, and you will have to use a glucose meter to determine your glucose levels, especially in the beginning while the dose is being adjusted. If you have more insulin than you need, you can get a hypo which will make you dizzy, feeble and might make you pass out. This is a real emergency if it isn't fixed (by having something sugary) but normally, they will carefully start you on a low dose and then increase.
You need to ask the questions that make you understand what the insulin does and how you should keep an eye on your blood sugars and what to do if the results are not in range (normally that is above 4 mmol and below 9 mmol, preferably 4.5-7 range).
I am sure it will be fine, and it isn't too hard to get used to - at least it wasn't for me. Bit bumpy at first, but as you get to know your own reaction and the right dose is found, it's just a little jab a few times a day.
Good luck with it.
Spirit of Eden
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 50
Stan,
After nearly 5 years on oral meds, I have moved to insulin only. Like you I didn't like the idea of it but it gives you a lot of control to really keep you numbers in check. I actually now prefer it to oral medication.
After nearly 5 years on oral meds, I have moved to insulin only. Like you I didn't like the idea of it but it gives you a lot of control to really keep you numbers in check. I actually now prefer it to oral medication.
robertconroy
Well-Known Member
I'm not a doctor and I don't diagnose but:
Did your doctor chech you insulin level? Did he perform a C-Peptide test to see if your beta cells are functioning? If you already have high insulin levels, adding insulin may just make your insulin resistance worse, requiring more and more insulin to lower your blood sugars. I'd try a low glycemic load diet and exercise first. If you donj't feed it the carbs., your blood sugar can't go up. Grains are the worst of commonly eaten foods, especially wheat (Wheat GI=72, Table sugar GI=59). Wheat, potatoes, rice, all starches are the enemy when it comes to lowering your blood sugar and insulin levels. What about whole grains? Nobody eats whole grains. When you grind them into flour, they become super high glycemic, even more than pure table sugar. The real paleo diet was 70% meat and no grains, with a little fruit, nuts, seeds. This is what we ate when our DNA was developing. Hint - the obesity and diabetes epidemic started with the low fat foods craze. We replaced fat with carbohydrates, not a good move. High insulin is responsible for most all major chronic diseases and it causes atherosclerosis directly by high blood levels of insulin. Type 2 diabetes is usually not a disease of insulin insuficiency like type 1, it's a disease caused by too much insulin creating insulin resistance. If your body is not lacking insulin, then best advice is to make it more sensitive to insulin again by eating low glycemic and exercising. Try diet and exercise if it's too high, add insulin if it's too low.
Did your doctor chech you insulin level? Did he perform a C-Peptide test to see if your beta cells are functioning? If you already have high insulin levels, adding insulin may just make your insulin resistance worse, requiring more and more insulin to lower your blood sugars. I'd try a low glycemic load diet and exercise first. If you donj't feed it the carbs., your blood sugar can't go up. Grains are the worst of commonly eaten foods, especially wheat (Wheat GI=72, Table sugar GI=59). Wheat, potatoes, rice, all starches are the enemy when it comes to lowering your blood sugar and insulin levels. What about whole grains? Nobody eats whole grains. When you grind them into flour, they become super high glycemic, even more than pure table sugar. The real paleo diet was 70% meat and no grains, with a little fruit, nuts, seeds. This is what we ate when our DNA was developing. Hint - the obesity and diabetes epidemic started with the low fat foods craze. We replaced fat with carbohydrates, not a good move. High insulin is responsible for most all major chronic diseases and it causes atherosclerosis directly by high blood levels of insulin. Type 2 diabetes is usually not a disease of insulin insuficiency like type 1, it's a disease caused by too much insulin creating insulin resistance. If your body is not lacking insulin, then best advice is to make it more sensitive to insulin again by eating low glycemic and exercising. Try diet and exercise if it's too high, add insulin if it's too low.
