Type 2 , Just been put on insulin ,Scared

[noidea21]

Hi I have been struggling so long on all tablets for my type 2, this morning the specialist nurse has said I have to go on insulin as none of the tablets are bringing sugar levels down , I have always worried if I went on insulin ,now I am terrified, I will be starting in the next five days .. Am I being foolish to be so scared ? x Thank you

 

[asparagusp]

Yes it's a little hurdle to overcome but even me was able to jump it over a year ago. If you are phobic about needles then you can use Autoshield BD ones where the needle is hidden. I think insulin is safer in the long run than the pills. However you might need both. I do.

 

[noidea21]

Thank you for reply.. My fear is if I have hypo on insulin just so worried ..

 

[mist]

Try not to fret about it. You'll be fine, your a winner!

 

[noidea21]

Try not to fret about it. You'll be fine, your a winner!

Thank you ..

 

[mist]

If you have a hypo, have a wine gum! Custard creams are my go to snack when it happens..lol

 

[asparagusp]

Yes, look on it as a time to treat yourself! lol I'm sure I can do better than a glucose tablet!

 

[slip]

Please don't take this the wrong way!

Have you been testing your blood at home and if so what sort of numbers have you been getting? Have you tried controlling your diabetes with diet/exercise/weight loss?

The NHS is so good at telling people they have T2D, take some tablets, carry on eating as you are and then find it's not under control and so prescribe more pills until they deem it necessary to use insulin or it's too late and complications have set in.

 

[GrantGam]

Please don't take this the wrong way!

Have you been testing your blood at home and if so what sort of numbers have you been getting? Have you tried controlling your diabetes with diet/exercise/weight loss?

The NHS is so good at telling people they have T2D, take some tablets, carry on eating as you are and then find it's not under control and so prescribe more pills until they deem it necessary to use insulin or it's too late and complications have set in.

Last night I watched an episode of 'GPs: Behind Closed Doors'. I was shocked to see a DSN congratulating a fairly recent T2D who's A1c had come down to 84. Fair enough, he had made an "improvement" - but instead of explaining that it should be as low as possible or at least below 48mmol/mol, it was simply a case of: "Good work and I'll see you again in 6 months". There was no referral to a dietician or even a basic dialogue highlighting the importance of weight loss, diet and exercise. I can confidently say that there would definitely have been no mention of testing BG in this instance.

The poor guy probably left thinking that he'd done everything he had to and could continue perfectly fine the way he was. And as you've said @slip, complications will take hold - especially when sitting up at those numbers. It's not the diabetic's fault; they are blissfully ignorant when not fed the correct information.

 

[azure]

@noidea21 If you do need to go onto insulin, don't be scared. It's all very strange to start with, but the injection pens are simple to use.

Hypos can usually be spotted before they happen because you can see your blood sugar getting low, and so stop the hypo. Even if you do have one, it's probably not going to be anything like as bad as you're imagining

 

[noblehead]

Last night I watched an episode of 'GPs: Behind Closed Doors'. I was shocked to see a DSN congratulating a fairly recent T2D who's A1c had come down to 84. Fair enough, he had made an "improvement" - but instead of explaining that it should be as low as possible or at least below 48mmol/mol, it was simply a case of: "Good work and I'll see you again in 6 months". There was no referral to a dietician or even a basic dialogue highlighting the importance of weight loss, diet and exercise. I can confidently say that there would definitely have been no mention of testing BG in this instance.

Watch GP's Behind Closed Doors every week, haven't seen last nights and will likely watch it tonight.

Like a lot of these documentary series the filming is edited due to time restraints, so we really don't know if more was said about lowering bg levels further or if weight, diet and exercise were mentioned in the consultation.

@noidea21 , your not foolish to be scared, who wouldn't be but with the right support and advice you should be fine.

 

[GrantGam]

Watch GP's Behind Closed Doors every week, haven't seen last nights and will likely watch it tonight.

Like a lot of these documentary series the filming is edited due to time restraints, so we really don't know if more was said about lowering bg levels further or if weight, diet and exercise were mentioned in the consultation.

@noidea21 , your not foolish to be scared, who wouldn't be but with the right support and advice you should be fine.

You're right enough @noblehead, there was a few diabetes related consults crammed into a small part of the episode - so it's possible it was missed. It's also possible I missed it, as I was dosing off during the show

There is still too much of "here's the tablets, that'll fix it". I appear to be extremely lucky with my health care team, they've been nothing but helpful and thorough with everything relating to my diabetes. I wish it were the same for everyone throughout the UK.

 

[noidea21]

Please don't take this the wrong way!

Have you been testing your blood at home and if so what sort of numbers have you been getting? Have you tried controlling your diabetes with diet/exercise/weight loss?

The NHS is so good at telling people they have T2D, take some tablets, carry on eating as you are and then find it's not under control and so prescribe more pills until they deem it necessary to use insulin or it's too late and complications have set in.

Hi thank you so much for reply,,
Yes I test 5 times a day, I am very limited with food as I have allergies, my diet mainly consist of Salmon, Veg, if any potatoes it is one small new potato. I have been on tablets for the last 7 years which have constantly added on to by other tablets, I see the consultant every12 weeks and nurses plus doctor in-between, My weight has not been a problem , as my calorie intake is very low.. I have always said I did not want insulin and was told don't worry there are plenty of meds to go with but unfortunately it has not helped so today was my final day , the nurse said my bloods had gone down from 87 to 76 , I have no idea what that means , but the insulin has been ordered and I will have to start it next Wednesday .. Sorry this is so long ,,Thanks so much ...

 

[noidea21]

Hi thank you so much for reply,,
Yes I test 5 times a day, I am very limited with food as I have allergies, my diet mainly consist of Salmon, Veg, if any potatoes it is one small new potato. I have been on tablets for the last 7 years which have constantly added on to by other tablets, I see the consultant every12 weeks and nurses plus doctor in-between, My weight has not been a problem , as my calorie intake is very low.. I have always said I did not want insulin and was told don't worry there are plenty of meds to go with but unfortunately it has not helped so today was my final day , the nurse said my bloods had gone down from 87 to 76 , I have no idea what that means , but the insulin has been ordered and I will have to start it next Wednesday .. Sorry this is so long ,,Thanks so much ...

Sorry my numbers range from 10 to 19

 

[noidea21]

Watch GP's Behind Closed Doors every week, haven't seen last nights and will likely watch it tonight.

Like a lot of these documentary series the filming is edited due to time restraints, so we really don't know if more was said about lowering bg levels further or if weight, diet and exercise were mentioned in the consultation.

@noidea21 , your not foolish to be scared, who wouldn't be but with the right support and advice you should be fine.

Thank you ,, I am seeing a lot of support on here

 

[noidea21]

@noidea21 If you do need to go onto insulin, don't be scared. It's all very strange to start with, but the injection pens are simple to use.

Hypos can usually be spotted before they happen because you can see your blood sugar getting low, and so stop the hypo. Even if you do have one, it's probably not going to be anything like as bad as you're imagining

.. Thank you for the reply .. I fear hypo's so much I think that is my main reason of the fear of insulin, I have seen members of family sadly lose there life's , although they was very ill it ended up they went in to coma's ..

 

[asparagusp]

Hopefully you have support around you.

 

[azure]

.. Thank you for the reply .. I fear hypo's so much I think that is my main reason of the fear of insulin, I have seen members of family sadly lose there life's , although they was very ill it ended up they went in to coma's ..

Do talk to your nurse and explain your fears. Hopefully, they'll be able to relieve your concerns a little more and give you advice tailored to your personal situation.

Let us know how you get on

 

[Topbanana30]

I completely understand where your coming from. Ive been injecting Victoza ( a non insulin ) and taking tablets for a few yrs and despite eating very little - low carbs no sugar etc i was put on insulin a few days ago. I was really upset as ive been trying so hard. Its been absolutely fine. At the end of the day your doctor will support you and if it brings down your sugar levels that can only be a good thing. I hope it all goes well.

 

[uart]

, the nurse said my bloods had gone down from 87 to 76 , I have no idea what that means

Sorry my numbers range from 10 to 19

The first numbers you quoted are your HbA1C levels (IFCC mmol/mole). These relate to you average blood glucose levels over the past few months. 87 corresponds roughly to 13.5 mmol/L and 76 to about 12 mmol/L average. So yes, this seems to be in line with the 10 to 19 (mmol/L) readings that you are getting at home with your meter.

There is a useful conversion page here that will help you make sense of those different measures: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-to-blood-sugar-level-converter.html

.. Thank you for the reply .. I fear hypo's so much I think that is my main reason of the fear of insulin, I have seen members of family sadly lose there life's , although they was very ill it ended up they went in to coma's ..

If you can stick to a low carb diet (or even better a low carb and relatively high fat diet) then you may find that you need very little fast acting insulin and can rely on mostly slow acting (or basal) dosage. This can greatly reduce your chance of experiencing dangerous hypos.

Another tip is to try to finish your evening meal fairly early and make sure that your BGLs are well stabilized before bed time. Avoid late night snacks that may require an insulin dose just before bedtime.