I met with my dr on Friday and let him know my concerns about using glipizide since I test positive for type 1. He totally agreed and I have an appointment to learn how to use Lantus and Novolog next week.
I told him I had joined a forum group and shared with him the concerns you expressed including the info about research showing less complications when patients do not wait until the pancreas is exhausted and also the idea that I believe Anthony wrote - that it is a difficult disease before the pancreas dies and your worst nightmare after. I think this struck a chord with him (and me!).
So this is it. I started testing alot more to get an idea of where I am before starting insulin and my control is not nearly as good as I thought. I am nervous and relieved AND very grateful to all of you. Sarah M2
Dear Sarah.
It is amazing how well people respond to a one liner. Very happy to see that my hours of blogging was of some use. Thank God He didnt respond with:" You dont want to touch that ■■■■ with a ten foot pole" like mine did ten years ago. Well times change and sometimes for the better.
Remember insulin can be a make fat drug probably less so for a pure type 1. Some is good much more is bad. Reading :" Using insulin" and even Dr. R. Bernstein’s book: Diabetes solutions is worth while. Jenny Ruhl’s book also and her web site. Look up her blogs on this site.
It is hard to guess what your insulin requirements will be. It depends greatly on how well you pancreas is still working and on your diet. High carbs require much more insulin which is more difficult to do properly since as Dr. Bernstein’s logic goes the more insulin you inject the more chance and the greater the amplitude of the mismatch between the insulin’s action and the absorption of glucose from your food digestion. For example the is no way unless your pancreas is still working near 100% that you will be able to inject the right amount of insulin for a big mac, supersized fries and supersized coke. Or eating 3 toasts may no longer be possible which for a non diabetic is possible if not undesirable.
As Jenny’s said let your meter deceide what you can and cannot eat. If you eat something and with the best novolog amount you are in the normal range 2 hours after then that food and portion is acceptable. If not try less or something else.
Also you can let your balance deceide how much carbs is right for you. If you find you are gaining weight many people here say that you must cut carbs. Some of us wonder about the ADA recommendations of carbs, protein and fat. Some think with the super high carbs recommendation that the ADA is on the side of the disease. some people view it as a sinister plot. I dont know, I think that bureaucracies find change difficult. Do worry about lipids profile when eating a high fat, low carbs diet vs a high carbs and low fat. My profile was as good eating a very high amount of saturated fat with low carbs so in this sense Atkins was probably right.
And everybody agrees on the benfits of exercise. It improves the action of the insulin so you need less so less make fat and also you loose some calories again a make less fat event. Exercise may raise your BG on the short term because it is a stress just ignore that if it happens. Some type 1 on insulin the BG may fall you cant ignore that so measure to see what happens.
The most important relax now that you will have the proper tools to deal with your disease. The less tressed you are the easier it is to control the BG. Prayer, yoga, walkind anything relaxing is good.
Watch out for coffee in me it raises BG for hours which huge amounts of insulin (not a good thing) dont reduce, and in other people no effect so go figure. You have a meter so if it skyrockets your BG cut it out or go decaff, if no effect then enjoy.
Best of luck and God bless you keep us posted.
Hi Sarah–Yeah! Good for you! Do be cautious and test a lot when you start using insulin. Early in the disease when your body is still making some insulin, many people don’t require much. Also, be careful when you exercise, that’s when I have had the worst lows. And I think you can feel proud for being your own best advocate and also good about your doctor, who really responded thoughtfully and well.
Melitta
Yes, that worst nightmare one liner hit me hard. It makes so much sense!
I totally agree with you about the ADA diet. I tried it and realized I’d be in big trouble if I didn’t cut it out. I can’t believe it is in legal for them to teach people that - it is insulting and seems designed to make sure we take meds and are sick and miserable!
After that realization I bought some books on the zone method by Dr Barry Sears and got used to counting grams in carbohydrate, protein, and fat - I hope it will help my transition. The diet uses a ratio of 10/20/30 fat/protein/goodcarb although I probably eat more than that - I try to keep the ratio about the same and aim for those amounts. In the zone method carbohydrates are fruits and vegetables and some are better glycemically than others. Grains (preferrably whole) are treated as condiments or not even consumed at all. The ratio seems to allow for a balance in BG - less spikes and lows and it is do-able for me - I can eat this way and feel ok - not be too hungry - a little hungry, but not too bad. I don’t drink coffee - so no worries there.
I suspect that I do have some insulin resistance as even a small amount of exercise can lower my BG significantly although not always. Stress is a big one - you are right about that! After diagnosis I lost a bunch of weight and went from being kind of a big puffy person to fairly slim, but I tend to keep the apple shape. I think exercise is going to mean a lot for me. Both for insulin and for stress. I take things to heart!
From a blood panel last year my c-peptide is low - 1.8. At the time this meant nothing to me - now I think I get it. C-peptide shows how much insulin is being produced by the pancreas and I’m on the low end.
To be honest I look forward to next week. It feels like the right thing to do now - I controlled mainly with diet for a long time and brought my a1c down from 9.4 to at times in the 6’s and 7’s, but I can’t keep it consistent and I need the insulin. That’s why glipizide initally made me feel so much better - I need insulin! It’s just dumb to keep going back if you know the well is running dry!
I’m nervous about the needle part, but I’m worth it! I’m going to feel better, I think!
Sarah
He is a good doctor - it was like as I explained it to him we both kind of realized at the same time - what are we doing here!?! I hope that he gains an understanding that can benefit his other patients. I should invite him to join TuDiabetes - I wonder if he would…
What do you all think about using just long acting at first and waiting to start the novolog? I trust you won’t hold back - 
but will tell me if that is a bad idea!
The dr thinks the pump is the way to go in the long run - I’ll have to learn about that.
I’m testing alot now. Before and after meals. Thanks again, Sarah
Dear sara.
Diets are a very politically sensitive thing some people some love the ADA and others say it is a capitalistic plot. I myself come and go with the tide. Although it is hard to argue against the Dr. Bernstein primary argument the more so if you are on insulin. I have been so brainwashed by the high carb low fat story that I seem to refuse to believe my own evidence. As Jenny says let the meter deceide. that is also a great one liner. I would also add to this let the balance also have a say.
The massive advantage of being apple shape is that tummy grease has no or very little nerves and the new needles are so fine that you feel nothing. You can reuse the needles a bit to minimize the amount of garbage.
You could start with a low dose of slow insulin 10 units per day or maybe a bit less to start. And start with a low insulin to carb ratio say of 1 unit of insulin per 20 grams of carbs and see what happens. BG control should become spectacular, that is in the normal non diabetic range. I have issues with the ADA accepting up to 7% as good. Good for whom?
I would not take glydizide as any type of diabetic.
I find whole grains much yummier that white bread. The vitamins in them are good. They have a bit lowever glycemic index and may be ok in limited amounts if your meter agrees. I used to like quinoa and boiled rye kernels.
So that’s what you mean by tummy grease - I thought so. That’s the first advantage I’ve heard of for having it!
Thanks for the info about how much to start with - I am unhappy with my numbers and want to get off the glipizide and start the lantus NOW. I just have a feeling I am running out of time. I pick up pens tonight and have a call into my NP to touch base with her on the amount. I feel confident I can do the injection since she’s shown me before and I have pictures to follow. Then I’ll follow up with her in person on friday to make sure I have it right.
I grew up on wheat bread and health food - not sure I liked it then, but it means I am fine with pretty rugged grains now. I haven’t tried quinoa and rye though -
Thanks! I was thinking the long acting might allow me to see how much meals are affecting me. I used to dread it and now I just want to get started! Before lunch I was at 209 - I need to get started, I think!
Thanks for the warning on the expense of the pump. I am lucky to have good insurance, but I am sure there will be costs! I want to buy a second meter too.
Are you a diabetes 3 meaning a family member or are you diabetic, but just not on the pump?
Hi Sarah,
I am glad that you are getting on your way! I saw in your messge that you want to buy another meter. Don’t do this! You can get them for free! I would then ask your Dr. to give you a script for the brand of strips you need. this way your Ins. Will cover the cost. DD just got the One Touch Ultra meter for Free! It took 3 weeks or so for us to get it, but it saved us 15 $. I am sure that there are others that you can get for free too.
Good Luck.
Thanks!
I use a freestyle lite and thought I’d get another one of those - I have a script for the strips - thankfully - those are expensive! Alot of times there are rebates, but I have to admit that I tend to avoid those so I don’t get on all the mailing lists. I am kind of in denial about getting diabetes related mail. It is starting though as my pharmacy sent me a d-life packet just the other day. That denial kept me from joinging Tu for a long time too and now I am really glad I did.
It only took me a year and a half to get over the denial stage!
I will look at the freestyle website and see if they have any offers…thanks for reminding me to not waste my money!
I went to Freestyle.com and sure enough they will send me a free meter. They had an opt out of promotional material button so I checked that. Those meters cost alot so it’s worth a little more mail…now I’ll be able to leave one at work.
NO problem! The freestyle is good too, you might look around and see if you can get one of those for free. Ask your dr? My DD got hers for free from the dr. and Hubby has gotten several.
Everything has some use. Even diabetes we have to eat much healthier than others just to stay alive.
I would hold off on the grains coarse or white until your BG is in the normal range. The idea that high fiber prevents the carbs from acting is over stated in my opinion. But anyway the quinoa and boiled rye with teryaki are yummy.
What is health food? I have read perfectly plausible arguments about high fat low carb and low fat high carb. May be in America health food is the food you dont eat.
No rush you will get to enjoy the diabetes for a long time. Stay calm a collected and write everything down. Keep some glucose pills handy in case of a low.
Once you have finished injecting the insulin hold the needle in for about 3 seconds to minimized the stuff oozing out. This I think is one of the advantages of pumps for people with low dosage but they probably have their problems. I toss and turn at night so I cannot see where I could put the thing. Tape it to the forhead?
Ask them how long the glypizide lasts in the body or look on the net to avoid overlaping the action of it and the insulin. Can find glipizide in the Canadian pharmacopia but most of the sulphonyl ureas seem to last only 24 hours.
Good luck
Score! Who doesn’t love free stuff! glad you were able to find one. I think I want to go for 1 more for DD so that she can keep one in her book bag, purse, and home. that way we aren’t always looking for one. It would be nice not to have to get another script.
I added a discussion on accessories for the fashionable diabetic 
Check out this website:
http://stickmedesigns.com/shop/index.php
CUTE!
Your advice is extremely practical!
It is hard to find healthy food and sometimes I see what passes for food, like on TV commercials, and I feel sick to my stomach. We are eating ourselves to death!
I used to be addicted to food. I thought about it all the time…and ate too much
Imagining a pump taped to your forehead made me laugh - thanks
