Type 2 diabetes and using insulin: share your story

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Permalink Reply by Squibble on November 7, 2008 at 5:47pm

Well, Manny, I was diagnosed with Diabetes on 10/10/2008--just a few weeks ago. I went to see my Diabetic specials "team" (Diabetes America) and they put me on 30 units of Lantus under an "aggressive Glucose titration" chart or "basal insulin titration" so that they could get my BG down from the 300's where they were initially.

The thing they told me was "we are putting this in your hands." Because, I take my BG in the morning, before breakfast, then after 3 days I take their average and I have a chart that tells me whether to add units to my dosage, maintain, or subtract. So far, I'm up to 57 units at night, and my BG was 101 this morning! For me, that's a step in the right direction, yeah?

They also have me on 2000mg of Metformin daily.

So, it would seem that it is working. That, and I've really been watching everything I eat **shrugs** it all seems to go hand in hand... amazing.

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Permalink Reply by Manny Hernandez on November 7, 2008 at 5:55pm

Sounds like you are being able to control your BGs. I would recommend trying a tool like SugarStats, SweetSpot or Log for Life, to help you track your BGs over time.

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Permalink Reply by Squibble on November 7, 2008 at 6:01pm

they gave me one sheet of paper..... hehe that's what I've been using.

I really don't think they thought I would be doing this well......... the way they were talking to me at the clinic.... I go back on 11/20 for my first check up and my nutritionist had told me that IF my BG were around 199 at that time she would dance for me..... **shrugs**

Where would I go about getting these tools??? (<<<---newb)

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Permalink Reply by Manny Hernandez on November 7, 2008 at 6:04pm

Sounds like they need to respect you: you are showing that you can achieve amazing BG values.

Here are all the URLs:
http://www.sugarstats.com/
https://www.sweetspot.dm/
https://www.logforlife.com/

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Permalink Reply by Squibble on November 7, 2008 at 6:09pm

well, I've not gone back since it's been just under a month since my dx and my first visit with them :-) I am certain they'll be excited!!

Thanks for the links!! **huggles**

I have to say... I may not like Diabetes, but I do love it here, thanks for being the founder!!!

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Permalink Reply by Manny Hernandez on November 7, 2008 at 8:12pm

I am glad you find the community useful, Squibble! :)

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Permalink Reply by Chris Eggen on November 7, 2008 at 7:53pm

I was diagnosed with Diabetes in 1980. Up until this year I was able to control blood sugar using oral agents, exercise, and a fairly good diet. However, the oral agents stopped working a couple of months ago. The doctor said that years of using them had reduced the ability of my pancreas to secrete insulin at all. So now I am using insulin. Blood sugar control using the oral agents was much easier than using insulin. So far I haven't been spectacularly successful at it. I notice that even a couple of crackers or a small cooky can send my blood sugar way up. So I have to really use self control and am trying to watch carbs closely. My doctor doesn't seem to have a lot of advice on this. If anyone has any suggestions for where I can get diet tips from people who have faced the same problems, please tell me.

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Permalink Reply by Manny Hernandez on November 7, 2008 at 8:12pm

I would keep an eye on the Type 1 discussions. Sounds like, for the most part, you are now having to act like a type 1.

Did you get tested for antibodies and C-Peptide? What did they find?

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Permalink Reply by Chris Eggen on November 8, 2008 at 8:34pm

I didn't get tested for antibodies. I guess I don't know what they are.

C-Peptide is a test for inflamation right. I have heard about it related to heart disease, not diabetes.

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Permalink Reply by Anthony Holko on December 12, 2008 at 2:10pm

Dear Chris.

If you have not done so already it would be well worth while to get a book like " Using Insulin" ISBN 1-884804-85-3, I think I bought mine from Amazon but it is possible it may be at your local library. It is a not so simple 300 page read, if you are a chemist or an engineer it helps.

Usually you should take a long lasting insulin and a fast acting insulin. I take about 40 units of Lantus per 24 hours and about 30 units per 24 hours of a fast acting novorapid. One thing to watch out for that the book does not mention is that in some people the long lasting one acts for a period of less than 24 hours and in my case it acts for much longer than 24 hours. Usually your doctor will tell you to inject the long lasting at night, this is great advice if your body processes it completely in less than 24 hours, however if it takes longer you will overlap doses with the possible occurance of low blood sugar episode during the night when it is most difficult to handle. So when you start it may be best to inject the long lasting one in the middle of the day.

The main problem I found when starting insulin is that you fell constantly hungry and it is a make fat hormone. Some of the current thinking is to still keep on taking metformin(glucophage) to minimize the amount of insulin used. Not a bad idea if your body tolerates metformin.

The fast acting insulin you can use in a feedforward mode i.e. you know you are going to eat say 100 grams of carb then you would inject at least 10 units of fast prior to the meal and measure your blood sugar 2 hours after the meal and if it is not in the normal range. Next time you eat the same thing you can up your before meal dose to say 12 units. And of course you should inject a few units if you are not at the normal range after two hours. The book explains in detail how to go about this. It is tricky to keep the blood sugar close to normal without gaining enormous weight. Some people like Dr. Richard Bernstein maintain that because of the uncertainty in being able to predict the amount of insulin you have to inject before a meal that you should limit the amount of carbohydrate at each meal to a very small amount. The more carbs you eat the bigger the error will be. The logic of this is air tight but my body does not like low carb diet. Also if you look at Dr. Bernstein suggested diets they are very low calorie ones which again I find it depressed me.

Keep glucose pills on hand at all time and if you sense a low pop 10 to 20 grams to up your blood sugar. In my case I start to see stars when I close my eyes and have at light hand tremor. Before driving go easy on the insulin, the more so until you get a feel for all this.

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Permalink Reply by Bobby on November 7, 2008 at 8:57pm

I was diagnosed with T2 in 2005. At first I was able to control my BG with just Byetta, diet, and exercise. As time progressed, the Byetta stopped doing the job, so they added oral meds which worked for awhile. Sometime during the second year my BG started bouncing all over the place anywhere between 30 to 500. Yes, I said 500. I was then referred to an endocrinologist who immediately put me on Lantus, which worked for awhile. The big number one side effect though was I gained about 25 pounds just in the first few months of using Lantus. But eventually the Lantus proved to be ineffective. I was taking between 200 and 300 units a day. I know that's a lot! He eventually talked to me about the pump but never would follow through with it. I then began a search for a Dr. here in Statesboro, (a small college town with no endo's) and was referred to an Internal Medicine Dr. who also has a diabetes educator on staff. I went to him for the last year, and he tried Levemir, Novolog, Humulin, and several oral meds with no luck. Between him and his Diabetes educator they decided it may be time for the pump. They actually had someone from Medtronics come down and put a sensor on me that I wore for three days and then picked it up to obtain the readings. It was then between the three of them they decided I needed to be on the pump. Thank God for good insurance! Within 24 hours of going on the pump, my BG was down to 135. I couldn't believe it. My before meal average is 125 and my after meal average is 182. It doesn't get much better than that. I'm averaging about 110 units of humalog a day, which is still a lot compared to some of the folks I've seen on this website, but its so much better than it was I am thrilled. I'm hoping it will get even better so that the amount of insulin I use will drop also. I don't know if that's possible or not. I wouldn't trade this pump for anything. I couldn't believe the cost, but now I would say its been worth every penny. I have a Dr's apppointment next week and will ask him to check C-Peptide and antibodies, just so I know for myself where I stand with this disease. Peace to all. Bobby

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Permalink Reply by Teresa on November 7, 2008 at 9:19pm

I got diabetes 2007 around march, I was put on metformin 500mg a day and actos 45mg. My mother died of heart failure due to diabetes. I was in denial at first and said no way not me. I did what my doctor told me to at least at the beginning. I remember her telling me if I dropped some weight that I might be able to get off the pills. I did drop the weight but did not get off the pills. So, I got angry one day and said no way I am not going to be diabetic, but you don't get to choose. I remember throwing my pills away. Well I got so sick I could not get out of bed literally I would throw myself on the floor in order to get out of bed. I went back to my doctor and gave her some lame excuse that I was remodeling my house which I was and that I had misplaced my pills. She saw right through me she said I was angry and depressed and that I was lying about misplacing the pills. I am very lucky I have a excellent doctor.

Anyway I was not able to control my sugar so she started me on insulin 20 units June of 2008 . I decided to get control of my diabetes and I was doing pretty good until last month. I was down to 10 units, but now I am at 14 units.There are very few moments in the day when I'm not considering my diabetes. Being diabetic is a harsh reality and you have to deal with it. I remember crying because I did not want to be on insulin but my doctor convinced it was for the best. I went to the hospitals diabetes center and the staff there showed how to administer the insulin and learned the whole diet thing. It is important that you have a sincere caring doctor thats works with you. I can call her anytime if I have questions and she will return my call.

Teresa

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