Diabetes Community

Hello.

Switching to insulin is a decision you need to make with your doctor. Everyone is different and responds uniquely to various medications. Along with medication, are you exercising regularly and following a healthy diet? Any medication - even insulin - can only help you if you help yourself with a healthier lifestyle.

Bottom line: discuss diabetes management with your doctor asap.

It's imperative to talk with your doctor first. Has he/she suggested such an alternative?

What is your A1C? What has it been in the past year? The numbers you have mentioned have been running high for how long? What is your a.m. fasting?

There is so much to take into consideration when a physician decides to put a patient on insulin. Weight and gender make a difference. Your A1C's. If you've done everything in your power correctly to manage your diabetes, a good talk is in order.

I was diagnosed in 2006. A1C of 13.2. Uncontrolled diabetes with a.m. fastings routinely between 250 and 300. No weight to lose. My only option was insulin.

I readily agreed. My mother passed from diabetic complications. In this day and age, that's hard to do. No, she didn't take care of herself properly.

I take Lantus 36U in the a.m. That is a basal insulin working 24/7. It does NOT bring down a high blood sugar if you experience one during the day. It helps regulate blood sugar throughout the day.

I also take Humalog with meals. This dosage is adjusted according to the amount of carbs you eat. Each patient has a ratio of units of insulin to the an amount of carbs. Currently, I am to take 1 unit of Humalog with every 10 grams of carbs I eat. It started out as 1 unit to 15 grams of carbs. My body does not do well with carbs.

My dietician also recommended 35-45 grams of carbs per meal. Everyone will be different.

If you and your doctor decide insulin is the way to go to control your numbers, keep in mind that you need to count carbs very carefully. Exercise is in order, too. Whether you take insulin and/or meds, you need to eat properly and exercise. It all works in tandem to give you better blood sugar control.

We are not doctors here. Diabetics just like you who speak with our own experiences dealing with this disease.

Please call your doctor. You do need to get your numbers down. You've been a diabetic for some time now. I do hope you are eating properly. Makes a huge amount of difference.

Hi Auriga,

Thank you so much for the trouble you have taken to address all possible angles.

Agree 100% with you. I have spoken to my doc. He feels I should start with humalogmix 10 -0-6.

my H1Ac has been rising from 7.4% to 9.8* now. Also my fasting sugar is 264.

My ques. was based on the fear my family raised as they felt I should not jump into taking insulin ( for whatever fears they have).

Meanwhile I have started walking 45 min and after 4 days of exercise, it has come down to 154 before breakfast ( but after 2 cups of coffee with cream ).

This query is more a deep breadth before the plunge!!

Once again thank you for sharing your views.

bye for now

Thanks Daved.

I have discussed with my endocrinologist today.

My tough course of action is to continue exercise, which I have started after a long time...

regards,

Askumr, I truly don't understand the fear people have with insulin. It is truly a life saver when all other control has failed.

Insulin is produced naturally by your pancreas. For a variety of reasons, your pancreas may not produce enough or the beta cells in your pancreas have completely failed. Many diabetics are extremely insulin resistant (meaning your body cannot utilize insulin properly) prompting patients to use exogenous insulin (injections.)

Insulin has worked wonders for me. I used to feel fatigued every single day and couldn't figure out what in the world was going on. It was because I was walking around with high numbers.

Watch food labels carefully and count every carb that goes in your mouth. Very helpful when using insulin.

Congrats to you on taking the initiative with your exercise and watching your numbers. Don't worry too much about your coffee and cream. If it's regular cream, a serving size contains 1 gram of carbs. According to the label, a serving size is 2 tablespoons. For me, that's a lot of cream. I use just a splash. Small one. Lucky if it's one teaspoon.

There is no fear in using insulin. You can control your numbers with its use if you eat properly and excercise. Knowing you have control over your BS should soothe your mind and everyone else's.