An article to make you sad and angry

lol Jim!!!

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Thanks for the reminder. Itā€™s a true luxury for me that I donā€™t have to monitor the prices so much. Instead I can concentrate on the food quality Iā€™m looking for.

People with fewer economic resources could help their nutrition a lot if they eliminated cereal, bread, dessert breads (donuts), and cookies. Then they could buy some fresh fruits, vegetables and meat. Those processed foods are not cheap. How much is the typical box of cereal these days?

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There are also many small towns where there are no grocery stores for those wonderfully healthy fruits and vegetables or a Walmart to buy the cheaper insulin and a person has to travel an hour (or maybe more) to get what they need. There are food deserts in the middle of large cities that make it difficult
We need to fight to get cheaper insulin as well as find ways to improve the access to all the above so that everyone has a level playing field.

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In reading this post, I had a thought. While it may not have been your intention, it appears that you are blaming all or most insulin use purely on food intake.
This as I sit here waiting to go to breakfast with spouse later than I normally eat.
I am not hungry and not ready to eat yet but my BGs have currently increased from 120 to 170. This is normal for me to have my liver ā€œhelpā€.
I will now have to take a couple extra units. This also happened when in the hospital that put me in ICU. Also when I was on antibiotics.
My point is that there is more happening in why people need to take extra units of insulin than just extra food intake.
EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. There are many variables to take into consideration.

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Totally agree, everyone is different and therefore everyone has different needs and requirements to keep themselves in control. My post are based on my experiences over past 28 years and what works for me. I consider myself highly carb intolerant. Bolus at 1 unit for every 3 grams of carb and when it comes to specific items like fruits bolus 1 unit for every 2 grams. I donā€™t follow Keto or LCHF diet but strictly concentrate on 50 grams of carbs per day or less when I want to maintain weight and 15 grams or less when I need to lose weight. My weight fluctuates between 125 and 127 in the Summer and 135 to 137 during the Winter so I certainly do not have the typical Male US BMI, just at the base of healthy weight for my 5 ft 9" and 70+ age.

I often wish that there was a base chart for everyone that posts that would give some basic information about the poster. I totally understand many would take issue with that concept but it would certainly put posts in better perspectives.

The beauty, at least, is that everyone can read about different options, agree or disagree, and then do what they feel is best for them based on their history and goals. I have learned so much on this board and have been able to very positively alter my diabetes management as a result of all the people that so graciously have taken the time to post their experiences. Thank you, to all posters including those that trash my comments, I sincerely appreciate the invaluable information you all provide.

I wish everyone an awesome Spring and Summer.

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Perhaps the text I quoted from your first post in this thread is why you feel victimized by people ā€œtrashing my commentsā€. Just own what you wrote and be prepared for push-back from those who vehemently disagree with that comment, and many more than you have made as you dug in deeper in your quest to be ā€œrightā€.

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There is no quest to be ā€œrightā€ My post was right for many while wrong for others. I think we are all looking for solutions, not blame, to improve our condition and I certainly donā€™t feel victimized in any way. I learned a lot through the posts that trashed my comments and truly appreciate all that took the time to comment. I have been inspired to introduce and test more plant based nutrition in my diet as that will offer even more food alternatives and open up more food options around the world as I travel. Even after all these years, I keep learning and that keeps improving my life as a diabetic.

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I think we only stop learning when we are dead. :slight_smile:

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I am in shock after reading your ridiculous comments. I happen to skinny, not over weight and I HAVE to eat carbs or my blood sugar will bottom out. I do work hard at managing my food so my BG doesnā€™t soar or bottom out. I also have many other health issues which includes severe asthma, kidney disease and IBS and many more. If you donā€™t think juggling food issues isnā€™t a major struggle for lots of us, then you live in lala land. ā€¦and your comment about laziness, the gallā€¦ I am unable to to even comprehend that. Because of my health issues I am unable to work and am on disability. One of the biggest things I have to deal with is exhaustion, some days I can barely get out of bed and have little energy to do much. I have a word for people like you, but I would probably get in trouble for using it here.

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The OP implies the amount of insulin one takes is a measure of how well one is managing their diabetes and that idea is just plain wrong. The only real measure is whether BG is kept in range that prevents complications of diabetes. And that range really isnā€™t known and CGM really isnā€™t good enough measure.

And when thinking of T2s, we should all remember that about 10% of T2s are misdiagnosed T1s.

This is just press trying to drum up hysteria ā€œif you canā€™t buy Humalog and Lantus cheap, youā€™ll dieā€ā€¦

Although it requires some adjustment to adapt to, one can buy vials of Humulin NPH (slow acting) and Humulin R (moderately fast acting) for $25.00 a vial at any Walmart store in the United States without a prescription and without medical insurance.

As a Type I diabetic of over 40 years, I find that I can get excellent control by taking Humulin NPH twice a day. Yes, it is ā€œpeakā€™ierā€ than the ā€œ24 hourā€ slow acting insulins such as Tujeo, but NPH works just fine. As far as ā€œRā€ versus Humalog or Novolog, just take your bolus an hour or an hour-and-a-half before eating instead of 20 minutes before eating. I maintain a consistent blood sugar of about 120 to 180 using a carefully planned regimen. Like I said, Iā€™ve been a brittle Type I diabetic for 40 years.

With blood sugar meters going for $10 (and strips going for $20 per 100, one can ā€œrebalanceā€ themselves for NPH and R and compensate for the peakā€™iā€™ness of these older types of human recombinant insulins. Remember that people used to achieve good control using pork or beef insulin!

Quit with the hysteria and just use the $25 insulinsā€¦

I highly doubt that, but that has more to do with knowledge about the disease being more limited and lack of useful testing technologies. Thatā€™s great that you get by on NPH and Regular, but thatā€™s only your experience. I like Regular, but it has a very different profile than rapid-acting insulin. You canā€™t just take it an hour before and expect the same results. NPH is way peakier than analog basals, for most people taking it twice/day will cause extreme lows unless they compensate with a meal at times that may or may not be convenient to eat. It isnā€™t mass hysteria, Americans are being charged multiple times what the rest of the world pays for the same medications. Itā€™s wrong.

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Iā€™m just jealous! Since diagnosed 15 years ago with LADA my insulin to carb ratio has been 6:1. So I would need 50 units of bolus insulin to cover. I stay pretty low carb but not insane about the number. Keto not for me. Go too low initially then spike. Have always been on the thin side and A1c has always been under 6. So truckin along. I love hearing what works for other people. We are all individuals.

Well, I didnā€™t! Besides which I am highly allergic to beef insulin. Not until I got a pump, got Humalog, and smartened up and began counting carbs, did I achieve decent control. Letā€™s not go back to those dark old days of animal insulins!

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@Jane16 Did you mean to say Insulin to Carb ratio is 1:6 (One unit for every 6 grams carbs)?

Otherwise a 6:1 Insulin Carb ratio would require huge amounts of insulin daily (50 grams of carbs a day would require 6 x 50 = 300 units / day)

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Geezā€¦ I NEVER suggested ANYWHERE in my post that we ā€œreturn to the days of animal insulinā€. I simply stated the fact that Humulin R and Humulin NPH are perfectly capable of controlling even a brittle Type I diabeticā€™s blood sugar if used judiciously (and that they are available at affordable prices at Walmart). I brought up the subject of pork and beef insulin as a point to state that Humulin R and NPH when they first came out were a tremendous leap forward in diabetic care and that before Humulin existed, that beef and pork insulin made it possible for Type I diabetics to survive and that good blood sugar balance could be achieved with them.

I donā€™t even think that beef and pork insulin products are available anymoreā€¦

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Jane the eating plan that I use lowers insulin resistance drastically. When on a very low carb diet I would have had to take much, much more insulin in order to eat 300 carbs. Only eating 10 to 15 % fat as I now do makes a world of difference.

However my A1c when eating plant based low fat is higher than when low carbing which I am not thrilled about. Low carbing I would run 4.7 to 5.2. Now I am running 5.4 to 5.6. As long as I stay in the non diabetic range I think I am ok.

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You arenā€™t suggesting people use animal insulins, but you are suggesting people who canā€™t afford insulin should just return to outdated formulations which is a terrible solution. Your outrage should be directed towards Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and Sanofi, not at regular people trying to survive. People struggle enough on modern insulins as it is, you canā€™t just project your own experience onto everyone. Control was generally terrible prior to the 1990s. Again, that wasnā€™t just due to the insulins people were using, but it is very difficult for many people to make the adjustments needed for success if the only tools available are R and NPH.

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Statistically ā€œcontrolā€ is generally terrible today.

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I refer to NPH as ā€œthe devilā€™s insulinā€. I am awed by any T1 who could get good control while using NPH.

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