Bad News

[robin48]

My blood sugar lately has gotten beyond my medicine's ability to keep it in check and I now have to have insulin. That officialy sucks.

[Guest JHatmaker]

Sorry to hear that. Stay on top of it!

[ShaunM]

Your blood sugar ain't nothing to mess around with, sorry you have to take insulin.

[BBill_TN]

Sorry to hear that. My Dad has been diabetic since I was young, and I know it is a lot of work to try to stay on top of your glucose levels. Just hang in there and try to take care of yourself; you only have one body.

[Guest MCRAIG]

Please, I beg you to pay close attention to the length of your syringes and pen-needles for insulin pens if you are using them. Insulin MUST be subcutaneous to properly diffuse in the body. I see so many patients using short needles that are inadequate for their body types. Pay very close attention to your feet, they lose sensitivity, and infection such as Athlete's Foot can become very serious very quickly. Best of luck, if you need any Glucose Meters let me know I can hook you with a coupon for a free one.

[Guest Arko]

Sorry to here it. Mine is creeping up too. Not on insuling yet, but if I don't get it in check, I'll be right there with you.

Message me if you need to vent.

[Guest Ae-35]

Sorry to hear that, a lot in my family have that problem, Dr.'s were very surprised that I didn't get it post-transplant. Good luck, be careful, having to watch what an when ya eat is a big pain in the butt, if Dr.s had their way we'd be grazing with the cattle!!

[memphismason]

Dang, Robin. I hate to hear that. Stick in there, and do what you are supposed to do.

[creeky]

My blood sugar lately has gotten beyond my medicine's ability to keep it in check and I now have to have insulin. That officially sucks.

I'm very sorry to hear that. My son was diagnosed Type 1 a year ago. It is a big lifestyle change but it is manageable. It sucks to hear this, as it did last year when I kept hearing it... but it really has gotten a lot better on the management end of things.

The ADA has been a huge resource for us, as well as the JDRF.

Are you on the slow (24 hour) acting insulin? Like Lantus? One shot a day? Or do you also have to have shots after meals with the faster acting stuff?

[tntnixon]

My blood sugar lately has gotten beyond my medicine's ability to keep it in check and I now have to have insulin. That officialy sucks.

One thing you need to remember when your getting regulated on your insulin is that keeping your diet consistent is important. Way too often patients will keep a diet during the regulation of the insulin, then they immediately start back to their old ways and wonder why they're having problems. Being consistent and moderate is the key, this prevents the wild swings from low to high that cause so many problems over the long term. Also make sure your doctor is doing periodic HgA1C's, this is the best test to determine how well you are regulated over a long period of time.

One other caveat, sometimes people (including doctors) get a little complacent with BG and A1C's that are "almost" there and decline to be more aggressive. This leads to long term complications and is fraught with peril. When in doubt, see an endocrinologist, they do a much better job with BG regulation because that's all they do.

[BryanP]

Please be careful. An old friend of mine who has never properly cared for his diabetes is in the process of falling apart at the age of 48. He tells me he has maybe 5 years, but from what I'm seeing that's probably on the high side.

[tntnixon]

I'm very sorry to hear that. My son was diagnosed Type 1 a year ago. It is a big lifestyle change but it is manageable. It sucks to hear this, as it did last year when I kept hearing it... but it really has gotten a lot better on the management end of things.

The ADA has been a huge resource for us, as well as the JDRF.

Are you on the slow (24 hour) acting insulin? Like Lantus? One shot a day? Or do you also have to have shots after meals with the faster acting stuff?

Type 1 and Type 2 are completely different, but they are managed mostly the same way. The one big difference is that with type 2 (usually preventable), weight loss can have a dramatic impact even to the point of making the BG issues nonexistant, in some cases, because obesity is the root cause. Insulin's effect is greatly diminished in the presence of high levels of fat. So get rid of the fat....

As for insulins, the usual does of a long acting insulin is half of one's total daily need for your minute to minute glucose regulation. The short term insulins are used primarily pre-meal for the extra insulin needs generated by food consumption, so general practice is to use these insulins to make up the difference and is given in divided doses. Sometimes, however, doctors will kind of fudge on this practice for lifestyle reasons or because they think their patient will not or can not keep the routine. Unfortunately, this is a recipe for long term problems.

[robin48]

I have a great endocrinologist. The only doc I have ever had that calls to check on me, on nights and weekends

[tntnixon]

I have a great endocrinologist. The only doc I have ever had that calls to check on me, on nights and weekends

Good to hear. You wouldn't go to a dentist if you were having open heart surgery.

[Guest Muttling]

Insulin and other meds are only 1 of the 3 aspects for controlling blood sugar whether you are Type I or Type II.

I'm severe Type I diabetic and have been on an insulin pump for a few years now. It's not impossible to control, but you do have to hit the gym regularly and not go ape crap on what you eat.

[tntnixon]

Insulin and other meds are only 1 of the 3 aspects for controlling blood sugar whether you are Type I or Type II.

I'm severe Type I diabetic and have been on an insulin pump for a few years now. It's not impossible to control, but you do have to hit the gym regularly and not go ape crap on what you eat.

I absolutely agree with you. It's usually easier to get Type 1 diabetics to exercize and eat properly because they've generally been doing it their whole lives or at least since they were relatively young.

Type 2 diabetics are generally much harder to convince to make drastic lifestyle changes. This is primarily due to the fact that the wrong type of lifestyle is the culprit in the disease. If I have a 350lb man who is newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, it's almost impossible to get him to eat properly and to go to the gym. With morbid obesity, the disease perpetuates itself. As one gets larger, exercize becomes more difficult, so I continue to to get larger because now, not only am I taking in too many calories, but I'm burning fewer than I once was.

It's similar to the whole jazzy scooter situation. I am large so it's difficult to walk. I buy a scooter so I get larger. Now it's more difficult to walk than ever. I have made an invalid of myself.

[creeky]

I'm severe Type I diabetic and have been on an insulin pump for a few years now. It's not impossible to control, but you do have to hit the gym regularly and not go ape crap on what you eat.

I really like hearing from older guys (than my son) who are taking good care of themselves with Type 1.

[Guest tnmale46]

My blood sugar lately has gotten beyond my medicine's ability to keep it in check and I now have to have insulin. That officialy sucks.

sorry to hear take care