I am new to your website and I am grateful to have been accepted. I may seem a bit angry or whiny and if that is how I come across, I apologize now. I do not understand why Type 1 Diabetes is not discussed in the Media, medical shows and even "Diabetes" magazines. Is it because there is not way to "cure" us? I'm interested to know if anyone else out there has expereienced the "If you just eat healthy and exercise, you will be fine" statement from people? I had gone for my annual female exam last fall and my insurance changed so I had to get a new doctor. The doctor saw my pump (which I can no longer afford) and said "Oh, I see you have an insulin pump, how old were you when you were diagnosed" and I said "26" so the doctor said, "you are a Type 2 then" I replied "No, I am Type 1" this doctor then states "If you were diagnosed when you were 26, what makes you think you are a Type 1? Type 1 is juvenile diabetes" I was taken aback and looked at the doctor in the face and said "I do not not know, maybe the endocrinologist who tested me and told me that my pancreas does not work had no idea what he was talking aboout, maybe I just enjoy having insulin pumped into my body 24/7, maybe the countless blood tests I have had done were wrong" Needless to say, I never returend to her office. I do miss my pump though. It is so easy to control your numbers with it :( I wish it wasn't as expensive as a car payment every month. Between the $200/mo for insuilin and another $450/month for the pump supplies, it was just too much for me to handle. I had the minimed paradygm from Medtronic. I loved it! Does anyone use a pump that is not from Medtronic that is more reasonably priced? Is there anyone else out there who hates this disease? Sometimes I get so angry that I will purposely go out and buy the most unhealthy sugar and carbohydrate loaded item I can find and eat it (basically like a child doing the exact opposite of what they are told to do) out of spite. Then I check my blood sugar and end up having to inject 24 units of humalog and feel terrible the rest of the day. I guess that is what I get!
Good questions, but no good answers. You do have to wonder though, with doctors so poorly educated as this one, what other conditions and diseases are they clueless about. Who, in their right mind would make a second appointment with such a clown/fraud?
As for the pump, not something I know much about or have any interest in. As you said, I don't like taking more insulin than absolutely necessary. My basal alone covers me about 85% of the time by watching my diet and activity closely. Besides the cost, take a look at the forums and blogs on any given day and compare the number of pumping issues to MDI issues. Seems like a fair trade to me. But that's just me.
I take Lantus and Humalog as well. I take 30 units of Lantus in the morning only. My I:C is more like 15:1 and my sensitivity is about the same as yours. I eat about 100 or so carbs per day. Depending on my BG and activity I adjust my food intake first then use Humalog as needed. I normally take 1-2 units, sometims3-4, but rarely. I think 5 units at one time is my highest dosage to date. At one point about a year ago I went almost 2 weeks with no Humalog. My A1c is a very consistent 5.5 since February 2010. I hate taking insulin and just found ways to enjoy my food and avoid injecting. One Humalog pen lasts me just over 2 months.
My labs show no insulin and positive for antibodies. It does seem to go in cycles though. Sometimes I can stay easily in the normal range and other times it is a battle. I have found that a carb splurge will affect my numbers for a couple days, so I try to be very consistent about my carb intake. As a rule I do not eat ANY grains or sugar. The only artificial sweetener I use is Splend (very limited) or Stevia (some daily). If I do have a treat it is only a bite or two (literally) and ONLY if my BG and schedule allow it. Pretty much all of my carb intake is low or very low glycemic. I think I could almost totally eliminate the Humalog if I really had to and tried hard enough, but the Lantus is a must. It is just a balancing act of BG, diet, timing and activity. It really doesn't take a lot of exercise to have an impact either. Simply a bit of walking around and basic house work helps a lot. We are all different and what works for one may not work the same for another. But, I truly believe that strict control of the amount and type of carbs is the real key to solid control.
That's another reason I don't like the pump. It gives a false sense of security that one can eat "normal" foods with impunity. This, I believe is a bad thing in the long run.
Randy, I disagree with you about pumpers eating normal foods with impunity. I was diagnosed 10 years ago as Type 2 (an error, as it turned out). Ever since then I have eaten 'normal food' occasionally, under the well proven theory that better to satisfy a craving with a little now and then hold it all back and pig out all at once--that's why many diets fail. I only take a comparatively small amount of insulin, 30-35 units Humalog. The insulin resistance I had when diagnosed seems to have disappeared, except in the morning. I love not having to use the restroom when eating out--or my favorite, standing in line for a stall, then hoping the food arrives before the insulin starts. I love even more being able to take insulin in my car in a parking lot or parking space. When I was using MDI, I thought it would be terribly embarrassing to have someone see me shooting up and call the police. I also love being able to correct a high on the go. I still eat basically the same food....sometimes the rice, pasta, potato, etc. is the only thing with many carbs that I eat...and I usually have around 150 a day.
Another thing I like about the pump is that I can have 2 different scheduled programs and switch back and forth easily. My bs readings are like a sine wave. Every 11/2 weeks they change, from eating extra carbs to avoid going below 80 to having my bs rise if I even look at an almond.
Brubraja: When people say to me, oh you were diagnosed with Type 1 as an adult? I say, "why yes, the majority of new-onset Type 1 diabetes is seen in adults according to the CDC. It's just a myth that it's a childhood disease. Did you know that Mary Tyler Moore was diagnosed at age 33? Olympic gold medal swimmer Gary Hall Jr at 24? Former Acting Surgeon General Ken Moritsuga at 49?" Usually that quiets them.
Like I said we are all different and must work out our own "salvation". I have no personal experience with a pump so I can only go by what people say of their experience. For me, it is much more comfortable and manageable (not to mention safer) to keep my insulin use at a minimum. As for cravings, they diminish with time and just like other bad habits (smoking for example) they are something to ignore or develop coping skills for. It just seems to me that if I can have a satisfying diet and pretty normal BG while using very little insulin I am better off. And in that case the pump really doesn't bring anything to the party.
Get used to the well meaning but terribly misinformed advice. I was diagnosed with LADA over 10 years ago and I have heard everything about how to "cure my diabetes". LADA is not well known so people figure either you get type 1 when you are a kid or you do not get it all. I try to educate people but they still don't get it.
I get some of the "cure my diabetes" comments from my co-workers and we're all nurses! I had one say to me, "Just take cinnamon supplements. That's what cured my grandma's diabetes!" If that were true, I'd consume all the cinnamon in the world.
It's been so difficult trying to explain my diagnosis to my family, friends, and co-workers. Because I was diagnosed at 22 some people will just say oh well you didn't catch it until you were older others just decide I'm type 2. I've been asked so many times "oh you can control it by just eating well, right?" No. I cannot my body does not do what it needs to do, but I can eat that piece of cake if I've planned properly and dose appropriately (but I usually won't because even then I'll spike at some point). Just keep your head up.
I have recently taken a bit more interest in the pumps but I'm not sure if I personally am ready to be attached to something 24/7 though I kind of already am considering my MDIs must be taken anytime I plan to eat carbs, it't tough being Diabetic. Sorry to go off topic there.
Mmmmm....cinnamon. Hilarious! :)