Who Decided To Put You On Insulin?

Hello @Libby3781

Metformin is a mild drug that does very little to reduce blood sugars. It does help, but not by a lot. Diet is the key, and Metformin is intended to be used alongside a suitable diabetes diet.

What are you doing yourself to lower your levels?

Hi@ Libby3781,
Be assured that diabetes specialists take diabetes during pregnancy very seriously.
I expect they will do whatever is safest for you and a future baby including bringing your BSLS down to within a more acceptable range. I cannot comment on whether that will involve insulin but it is certainly possible.
Meantime I have heard that iodine is important for baby's brain development from the moment of conception so I hope you have been advised to take maternity supplements with iodine, iron, folate etc.
Best Wishes and Happy Reproducing !!

I notice there are no 'after' figures for 2 hours after your meals. So no way of knowing how what you are eating is affecting your bloods.

can you give us an idea of what you eat each day please?

thanks. any idea how many carbs you are having? the diabetic specialist will be more able to help you than the gp.

Are you counting your carb intake (by the number of grams) and keeping a detailed food diary?

If you do eventually need insulin you will have to count the carbs anyway.

Libby3781 said:

Generally, having cereal for breakfast, salads lunch time.....and fish in the evening ( I eat loads of fresh salmon, tuna). I make slow cooker stews, which have carb alternatives in them.

I unfortunately don’t have a set routine for my eating either. The metformin is making my stomach bad, so that obviously impacts my eating routine.

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Cereal is like eating sugar.. they even add sugar to allbran.. and milk is also very high in carbs.. if you switch to eggs or something low carb you will definitely see a difference in your results.. it would help to see your blood sugars a couple hours after eating as @lucylocket61 (can someone tell me if I need the @ sign to tag someone please?) suggested.

The only time I even consider eating cereal is in hospital coz its either that or bread.. which makes my blood boil!

Libby3781 said:

I am currently type 2 diabetic. I have been on slow release metformin since February. During this time my blood sugar has come down very little. On seeing my diabetic doctor at the end of May, he changed the type of metformin, it’s still slow release, again theses are having very little effect on my blood sugar.

My blood sugars are ranging from 10.1 - 18+ when I take my blood using my machine.

My gp would not entertain putting me on insulin.

Due to the fact myself and hubby are trying to have a baby he has referred me to the hospital specialists now.

Will the diabetic specialists decide if I’m going to need to go on insulin rather than my gp????

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I was put on insulin by my endocrinologist at beginning of 2010 after I insisted none of their oral meds and combinations thereof were working. He did a c-peptide and GAD tests and the result was I no longer produce sufficient insulin to be on oral meds, so have to be on insulin.

If you're going to see an endocrinologist they will decide what is the best treatment option for you. Just because I wasn't put on insulin until I hardly produce any, doesn't mean you will be in the same boat... especially if you're trying to conceive. They may choose to put you on it to get better control.

I wish you the best.

@ThePenguinPimp . Yes @ will tag who ever.

Libby3781 said:

I am currently type 2 diabetic. I have been on slow release metformin since February. During this time my blood sugar has come down very little. On seeing my diabetic doctor at the end of May, he changed the type of metformin, it’s still slow release, again theses are having very little effect on my blood sugar.

My blood sugars are ranging from 10.1 - 18+ when I take my blood using my machine.

My gp would not entertain putting me on insulin.

Due to the fact myself and hubby are trying to have a baby he has referred me to the hospital specialists now.

Will the diabetic specialists decide if I’m going to need to go on insulin rather than my gp????

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Evening like other members have said specialists take diabetes very serious in pregnancy so don't worry they will hopefully get it sorted, but usually it's not common to go on ins. Straight from met. Without trying any other medications first Even with hyperglycaemia. I'd want to discuss whY do you want 2 go on insulin straight away and explain the many many alternatives for your treatment.withyou.

Libby3781 said:

I am currently type 2 diabetic. I have been on slow release metformin since February. During this time my blood sugar has come down very little. On seeing my diabetic doctor at the end of May, he changed the type of metformin, it’s still slow release, again theses are having very little effect on my blood sugar.

My blood sugars are ranging from 10.1 - 18+ when I take my blood using my machine.

My gp would not entertain putting me on insulin.

Due to the fact myself and hubby are trying to have a baby he has referred me to the hospital specialists now.

Will the diabetic specialists decide if I’m going to need to go on insulin rather than my gp????

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Click to expand...

Hi there,
I too was diagnosed with gestational diabetes with my first baby 26 years ago. Absolutely nothing was done to help or advise me, other than told it would go away after the baby was born. It did. However, I was never monitored or told it had a high chance of coming back later in life... which it now has (Just as I started going through the menopause - which is another big hormone change, like your first pregnancy). I was so shocked. I’ve been active all my life. I always followed the government guideline of eating a low fat diet!!
I was determined to get both the menopause hormone issue sorted and the diabetes. I spent two years researching, changing my diet to low carb and seeing a hormone specialist. Mainstream medicine was not helping me at all. My hormone doctor was very helpful and eventually after metformin and gliclazide she suggested I had a fasting insulin test. I had this done in Spain for around 30 euros. It showed I produced virtually none. When I went back to uk I asked my dn if I could go on to insulin. She tried me on an insulin mix at first and told me to eat some carbs with every meal. As a now relatively long term low-carber, this distressed me. I was now struggling big style with hypos and worried to exercise. My readings were all over the place and I was very upset. She then changed me to basal/bolus. This has been very successful because after talking at length to the diabetic dietician to confirm my idea, I now take night time insulin only and do not inject with meals as I don’t eat injectable food. I now manage the condition well and if this changes, I will increase my nighttime insulin.
I urge you to push for help. Insulin is not scary if managed well. I wish I had had the help during my pregnancy. All the best to you, Ali x

Most of the type2 meds are not aproved for use in pregnancy due to the legal issues of doing the studies to see if they are safe.

I've been o insulin (basal and bolus) for many years now but the only reason I was put onto it was that I had to go in to hospital for a few days for minor investigative surgery (found bowel cancer). Because of the necessity to fast I was taken off the Metformin I was on and put onto a glucose/insulin pump. It was only for the duration of the hospital stay, I was told, but I was never to come off it again. I don't know why but the health specialists here are quite a few years behind the times - still disapproving of low carbing and not being very helpful about diet or medication so I'm very much on my own with this. but then I've never found them very helpful on any health problem for either myself or my late husband - or my 2 sons and daughter-in-law for that matter. Still - they did find the bowel cancer so I have to give them that one. I still don't know why I had to go onto insulin but I didn't know then what alternatives there might have been. Unless it really is necessary, don't wish it on yourself.