Yes, sometimes you do have to exert a bit of pressure on the button to get the insulin to inject.
Trust me, they really do exist!
A proper diagnosis is good news. It lets her treat her disease properly. For me, improperly treated LADA - my PCP didn't want me to go back on insulin when I requested it (when I couldn't control BG with the max daily dose of Metformin, his answer was to take even more) - resulted in a second dance with DKA that could have been prevented. Insulin isn't something to be feared, it's just a tool, and one that lets us live.
No, I meant only choice, as in the ONLY option...as in the is no other choice.
I was started on insulin right away too....they gave me meds as well for about a week, until I saw an endo who clarified that I was T1 not T2....but during that time I took insulin as well.
haha yup! that'll be me!! Is it easy to mess up or do they make it pretty idiot proof? lol Which ones are easier to administer, the pens or syringes?? Do all types of insulin come in the pens and you just dial them to the amount your dr says you need and prick your stomach?
Thanks! Yeah I guess I am considered "underweight" as my endo says and I am very active but I'm so active because of my darn high blood sugar haha I'm killin myself!! So can you change your insulin dose day to day based on what you will be doing or how does that work? You take the same dose everyday? So if you started on basal only is that one shot a day?
No, it was Hyperosmolar, Hyperglycemic Coma with small ketones -- apparently I have enough insulin production to keep me out of DKA, but not enough to keep my BGs in line. I've been on insulin for 16 years, and I attribute the survival of enough beta cells to prevent DKA to that. I've been losing them steadlily over the years as evidenced by increasing difficulty controlling peaks, but I'm now doing reduced carb, which has helped a lot. If I eat a lot of carbs, even WITH insulin, I can peak into the 300s.
That's why I call myself Type Weird -- I don't exactly fit into either the Type 1 OR the Type 2 box, but a little bit of both and a little bit of neither.
Yes for sure!
Did you wake up when you were low or they just told you? Wonder how long it takes to get approved for one of these...I want it on before my first shot of insulin LOL
Well, if you need exogenous insulin, you need it, no matter what type you are. I believe going on insulin (the sulfonylureas didn't work anyway) has saved at least some of my beta cells -- enough to keep me out of DKA, even if not enough to keep my BGs in line. I don't use a lot, but even what I use is necessary! I'm so glad my endo didn't argue with me about going on insulin -- it has made my life so much easier than if I had continued the frustrating struggle with oral meds, and diet and exercise.
This sounds like technology going backward. In the olden days (LOL) they had pens which took cartridges, and worked like a charm. The pen itself was well constructed (I still have my old metal one, very handsome) because it had to be used for a long time. You didn't have to press particularly hard -- it was very easy to use. I NEVER had any problems with them.
As far as first shot -- I did mine with saline at a diabetes education class. I wasn't on insulin at the time, but they had everyone do it, just to get over that initial fear. I was nervous, but everyone had already finished theirs, and they were all looking at me, so I had to do it, and found out it wasn't such a big deal. But until you have actually done it, it IS scary.
Possibly lada. I don't know they refused the tests as being unnecessary.
It is much easier for them to diagnose you when your are in DKA with a BG of 500. But in some cases the pancreas does not die completely immediately. Then intervention with a small dose of insulin right away is worth gold.
Yes, you can change insulin doses -- people who are experienced in insulin do it regularly based on how much they eat, and what their exercise plans are. But you have to be VERY careful, because it is easy to miscalculate. In the beginning, it's probably better to stick to a plan where your daily meals contain about the same amount of carb, and don't go overboard with exercise. Once you are well controlled, then you can start experimenting, but do so in small amounts. As Bernstein says, "small numbers make for small mistakes!"
A basal may be only one shot a day, or it may be divided into morning and evening shots. It depends on how the insulin works in YOU -- some people find it lasts longer than other people.
You mentioned that you take a lot of insulin. I don't know if you're obese or not, but if you're obese and/or take a lot of insulin, they will just assume you are Type 2, and then there is no reason to do antibody tests. I'm NOT advising this, but if you went off insulin and started losing weight, that would be an indicator of possible LADA or Type 1. If you start being very hungry and GAINING weight, then it's more likely you're a classic Type 2.
There is no shame in being Type 2, if you ignore the media and the self-righteous know-it-alls who are trying to convince you it's all your fault. You just need to do what EVERYONE needs to do -- eat as healthy as you can, and exercise to your own capacity, and then treat the diabetes with whatever it needs.
I've gotten to the point where I don't care what type I am -- I don't fit into the classic boxes anyway. I just want to get the medical care I need, and which I AM getting, and I'm doing my best to take care of myself.
Some people like the convenience of pens for taking along. Not any different to me to put a few syringes & insulin vial in with my meter. Pens are larger & bulkier than syringes. Personally, I didn't like pens. There's leakage with some pens that makes it hard to know how much you've injected. I also had terrible bruising from pens. Pens look less like needles than syringes, but it's just the same thing in a different package. Yes, you dial the amount. Using thin, short needles doesn't hurt at all. You inject in stomach, love handles, hips, outer thighs, thighs, top of butt. Insulin gets injected into the fat layer. Important to rotate sites to prevent scar tissue. http://www.bd.com/us/diabetes/page.aspx?cat=7001&id=7257
My experience is more like Anthony's. I've been asking for a proper diagnosis and insulin for literally a couple years. I thought I was making progress when I started with a new endo in Sept 09. Still a refusal to try insulin, the reason, I will kill myself with a hypo and will get fat. But I consoled myself that he did order a GAD65. The GAD65 was negative ruling out LADA with about 70% certainty. But that did not explain why my continued blood sugar problems and the failure of every medication. The last go around was the Victoza, it cost my $200/month out of my pocket, my HbA1c increased over the three months I was on it and I gained nearly 10 lbs. I won't even mention the incident which resulted in my firig him this last month, I am still having anger issues.
The sad fact is that if you present with DKA in the ER, you are just given a T1 diagnosis. If you don't, then you are a T2 and you may find it nearly impossible to get a proper diagnosis. Every time I went to this last endo, he would tell me I was overweight and that if I just lost weight, I would be fine. Well, I am not fine. I will never be "fine."
You may be scared of what the future brings. That is perfectly natural. But you should also realize, from where I stand, you are in a great position, with a lot of hope and possibility. There are quite a number of people who really struggle getting a proper diagnosis, and at times the medical system can act in totally dysfunctional ways. Your medical team on the other hand seems like a dream.
Perhaps there's a small yet specialized market here for ketonic (?) urine to help people over the humps the docs are putting in your way? The Whizzinator for progress?
Quick question about the CGM..everything I keep reading says its to wear like 3-7 days at a time for your dr to see trends, how do you get your dr to let you wear it all the time? Is it just a personal choice? What about showering, do you take it off?
What you read is assuming this is a tool for doctors & not a device for people to manage their own diabetes. People are perscribed CGMS for as little or much as they want to use it. It's yours covered by insurance, if your insurance covers it. Some endos have CGMS for loan to patients.
Has to be taken off in the shower, or covered up securely.
I told my doctor I was running some 1/2 marathons and thought it would be helpful and she agreed. I also told the MiniMed people as they handled a lot of the "work". I am, fortunately I guess, T1 though? I dunno about the sort of insulin you have.
Re showering (and everything else...). You put tape over the sensor and leave it on until it's time to recharge the battery and replace the sensor itself. The MM one has the 'receiver' in the pump so I set it next to the shower so the data isn't interrupted. I suppose you could take it off and put it back on every so often but I think that a CGM is more useful if you use it all the time? There are occasional data anomalies, where the CGM and your blood aren't quite lined up and you sort of get a sense ("The Force"...) of when this is the case after you play with one for a while.