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Type 2 to Type 1
- Thread starter EVANS1969
- Start Date
Hi Glenn,
From my own personal experience, i haven't had any apart from a little itching around my injection sites very occasionally
I am using Novorapid and Humulin I (Which has recently been changed from Lantus)
I think the only other possible side effects are swelling and redness to the injection sites too.
Also occasionally i believe there could be weight gain and increase in appetite ... but again, i haven't had these.
Hope this helps,
Cara
From my own personal experience, i haven't had any apart from a little itching around my injection sites very occasionally
I am using Novorapid and Humulin I (Which has recently been changed from Lantus)
I think the only other possible side effects are swelling and redness to the injection sites too.
Also occasionally i believe there could be weight gain and increase in appetite ... but again, i haven't had these.
Hope this helps,
Cara
EVANS1969 said:
Unless you've been mis-diagnosed you will still be a type 2 diabetic but one that uses insulin rather than oral medication. Using insulin doesn't change the type of diabetes you have
There are tests that can be done to determine what type of diabetes you have if you feel that you've been mis-diagnosed. Have you tried a lower carb diet to see if that helps?The major side effect to using insulin is that you can get hypoglycemia (hypo) if the dose of insulin is not exactly correct. Using insulin will also mean that you need to test blood glucose more frequently and you'd need to look into driving rules as if you experience a hypo whilst driving you could be charged with driving under the influence of drugs. If you can control your diabetes with oral medication and diet I would strongly advise you to do that rather than using insulin as it's not an easy option. If you are a type 1 diabetic and have been mis-diagnosed as type 2 then oral medication won't be enough and you do need insulin. I would speak with your diabetic consultant to get further advice if you feel that you've been mis-diagnosed.
Should you not have your HbA1c reading checked?
Having just started taking insulin as a type 2 it's not quite painful as you would expect although I didn't get on too well with Novorapid and swapped to Humalog. Not noticed any side effects and as I am one of these people that is always hungry, not increased my appetite either! Did initially put on 2lb but lost that over the next 2 weeks.
Having just started taking insulin as a type 2 it's not quite painful as you would expect although I didn't get on too well with Novorapid and swapped to Humalog. Not noticed any side effects and as I am one of these people that is always hungry, not increased my appetite either! Did initially put on 2lb but lost that over the next 2 weeks.
xyzzy
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Hi Glenn and welcome to the forum.
Being Type 2 and then going on insulin doesn't make you Type1 just means you are Type 2 on insulin. The two drugs you are on are brand names for the two commonest Type 2 drugs Metformin and Gliclazide (Glic). Metformin works by trying to stop your blood take up sugar and Glic works by stimulating your pancreas to produce more insulin. The fact you are on Glic and getting levels between 12 and 20 suggests you do produce some insulin. If you were Type 1 and produced no insulin at all the the Glic would have no effect and your levels would go far higher than 20.
Going on insulin has advantages and disadvantages. It will let you eat a pretty normal set of foods but you should be aware it can make you gain weight unless you adopt a nice healthy diet. You shouldn't treat it as an excuse to just eat anything as that can quickly lead to gaining weight, heart disease and strokes etc. You also have the risk of hypos with insulin and will by law have to report you are on insulin to the DVLA. If you then have bad hypos you then run a high chance of losing your driving licence.
Before deciding on insulin have a go at just changing what you eat. The problem is in this country we get rubbish advice as to what is safe to eat as T2's and in many cases it's that rubbish advice that is causing your levels to stick high rather than anything else. Loads of us have found that to be the case. If you get your diet right then I would say it's ten times better at reducing levels than any diabetic drug. Here's what I did so hope this will help. I was diagnosed in December last year and using the advice I found on this site I got my blood sugar levels back to normal within around a couple of months or so and I have also normalised my cholesterol levels and blood pressure as well. I have now lost over 3 stone in weight too. My doctor is very pleased how I am getting on and has advised me to keep doing what I have been doing since it's obviously working really well. Not a cure as I still have to be very careful what I eat but I feel loads better than I did.
Diet wise its really easy. Just drastically cut down or better cut out all things with plain sugar, so biscuits, cakes, sugar in tea and coffee, pure fruit juices, non diet versions of soft drinks. Next and really importantly try halving starchy foods like rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, cereals and any other flour based products. Replace what's now missing with extra meat, fish, eggs, cheese and especially vegetables. Vegetables that grow above ground are best although most of us find carrots fine. Things like yoghurt are fine as is a small amount of fresh fruit. I find the ones that end in "berry" are the best. If you don't mind artificial sweeteners things like Diet Coke are fine to drink. On the starchy foods that are left swap try brown basmati rice instead of white and brown or tri-colour pasta. The bread that most recommend is actually Bergen soya bread but some do ok with wholemeal as well.
The above diet is close to one you would be one recommended to try by the Swedish Health service. It was introduced in that country last year and the American health service and several other countries health services recommend something very similar for Type 2 diabetics. In the UK the diet guidelines are now over 30 years old and are only gradually being updated. As the UK is lagging behind you have already seen what I and other forum members recommend is different to what your are told is a good diet for you follow.
If your doctor is prescribing you a meter and strips then that's great as you are one of the lucky ones. The reason testing is important is you should try and keep your blood sugars below 8ish two hours after eating any meal. Above the 8 value is where the dangers of complications do begin to occur according to diabetic experts. So if you can't test how will you now if what you are eating is keeping you safe? The problem is every diabetic is different so my earlier advice to halve starchy foods is just a rough guide. You may find you need to eat less than half (like me) or that you can eat more than half like others.
As you get into it all and read around the forum you may see people talking about carb counting. If you want to understand what that is just ask. It is a powerful weapon that a diabetic can use to control their condition and one that many of us use to great effect.
Good luck and keep asking questions.
Regards
Steve
PS Here's two good links about what's good to eat.
First is the lady doctor who's low carb / low GI recommendations seem to form the basis of what's recommended in Sweden
http://blogg.passagen.se/dahlqvistannika/?anchor=my_lowcarb_dietary_programe_in
Second is a good beginners guide to low carb regimes that are excellent for reducing blood sugar levels and losing weight.
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
Being Type 2 and then going on insulin doesn't make you Type1 just means you are Type 2 on insulin. The two drugs you are on are brand names for the two commonest Type 2 drugs Metformin and Gliclazide (Glic). Metformin works by trying to stop your blood take up sugar and Glic works by stimulating your pancreas to produce more insulin. The fact you are on Glic and getting levels between 12 and 20 suggests you do produce some insulin. If you were Type 1 and produced no insulin at all the the Glic would have no effect and your levels would go far higher than 20.
Going on insulin has advantages and disadvantages. It will let you eat a pretty normal set of foods but you should be aware it can make you gain weight unless you adopt a nice healthy diet. You shouldn't treat it as an excuse to just eat anything as that can quickly lead to gaining weight, heart disease and strokes etc. You also have the risk of hypos with insulin and will by law have to report you are on insulin to the DVLA. If you then have bad hypos you then run a high chance of losing your driving licence.
Before deciding on insulin have a go at just changing what you eat. The problem is in this country we get rubbish advice as to what is safe to eat as T2's and in many cases it's that rubbish advice that is causing your levels to stick high rather than anything else. Loads of us have found that to be the case. If you get your diet right then I would say it's ten times better at reducing levels than any diabetic drug. Here's what I did so hope this will help. I was diagnosed in December last year and using the advice I found on this site I got my blood sugar levels back to normal within around a couple of months or so and I have also normalised my cholesterol levels and blood pressure as well. I have now lost over 3 stone in weight too. My doctor is very pleased how I am getting on and has advised me to keep doing what I have been doing since it's obviously working really well. Not a cure as I still have to be very careful what I eat but I feel loads better than I did.
Diet wise its really easy. Just drastically cut down or better cut out all things with plain sugar, so biscuits, cakes, sugar in tea and coffee, pure fruit juices, non diet versions of soft drinks. Next and really importantly try halving starchy foods like rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, cereals and any other flour based products. Replace what's now missing with extra meat, fish, eggs, cheese and especially vegetables. Vegetables that grow above ground are best although most of us find carrots fine. Things like yoghurt are fine as is a small amount of fresh fruit. I find the ones that end in "berry" are the best. If you don't mind artificial sweeteners things like Diet Coke are fine to drink. On the starchy foods that are left swap try brown basmati rice instead of white and brown or tri-colour pasta. The bread that most recommend is actually Bergen soya bread but some do ok with wholemeal as well.
The above diet is close to one you would be one recommended to try by the Swedish Health service. It was introduced in that country last year and the American health service and several other countries health services recommend something very similar for Type 2 diabetics. In the UK the diet guidelines are now over 30 years old and are only gradually being updated. As the UK is lagging behind you have already seen what I and other forum members recommend is different to what your are told is a good diet for you follow.
If your doctor is prescribing you a meter and strips then that's great as you are one of the lucky ones. The reason testing is important is you should try and keep your blood sugars below 8ish two hours after eating any meal. Above the 8 value is where the dangers of complications do begin to occur according to diabetic experts. So if you can't test how will you now if what you are eating is keeping you safe? The problem is every diabetic is different so my earlier advice to halve starchy foods is just a rough guide. You may find you need to eat less than half (like me) or that you can eat more than half like others.
As you get into it all and read around the forum you may see people talking about carb counting. If you want to understand what that is just ask. It is a powerful weapon that a diabetic can use to control their condition and one that many of us use to great effect.
Good luck and keep asking questions.
Regards
Steve
PS Here's two good links about what's good to eat.
First is the lady doctor who's low carb / low GI recommendations seem to form the basis of what's recommended in Sweden
http://blogg.passagen.se/dahlqvistannika/?anchor=my_lowcarb_dietary_programe_in
Second is a good beginners guide to low carb regimes that are excellent for reducing blood sugar levels and losing weight.
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
