Question for anyone taking injections

[Guest guest]

Hello

I was diagnosed with type 2 about 2 1/2 years ago, and I have been

on almost every pill out there with no luck. My numbers run around

140-160. Not real bad, but not good either. I usually have to quit

taking every pill the doc gives me because of side effects, and they

don't seem to do much anyway. Right now I am on Glucophage XR and I

don't think I can tolerate it much longer because of the diarrhea.

Last week I stopped my Glucophage and went on Atkin's for the

week. Big mistake....... My numbers rose steadily every day and I

did not lose a pound. I am amazed at this because I thought not

eating carbs would get my numbers under control. I didn't think it

was possible to have high numbers without eating carbs. I learn

something new about this disease every day. The only thing I can

think is my body thought it was going into carb famine so it kept

producing more sugar........ who knows.

Anyway, my doctor suggested I take insulin shots the last time I

saw her because of all the problems I have with pills. At first I

was horrified at the thought of this but since then I have read some

good things like you can get excellent control. Will it make me

feel better? I haven't felt good for weeks. Tired & achy. So for

anyone out there doing injections, do you think this will help me?

And does insulin cause you to gain weight?

Any help appreciated. Thanks Kat

[Guest guest]

Kat wrote:

>My numbers run around 140-160. Not real bad, but not good

either. I usually have to quit taking every pill the doc gives me

because of side effects, and they don't seem to do much

anyway.

Anyway, my doctor suggested I take insulin shots the last time I

saw her because of all the problems I have with pills. At first I

was horrified at the thought of this but since then I have read

some good things like you can get excellent control. Will it make

me feel better? I haven't felt good for weeks. Tired & achy.

And does insulin cause you to gain weight?<

Kat,

When I started on insulin and got my sugars under control on a

regular basis, I did start to feel better. I'm not sure if this is the

answer to your tired and achiness, but it may help. Keeping

good control of your blood glucose does make a person feel

much better. If you've been struggling with weight gain and

difficult reactions to the side effects of medication, insulin may

just be an answer for you. I know I love knowing that I do have an

option when my blood glucose rises too high.

I'm a type 1 and have been on Lantus insulin as a base with

Humalog for meals, matched to my carb intake, for almost a year

now. I've maintained excellent control, with an A1c never higher

than 5.6%. I've personally seen no increase of weight from

taking insulin, but this may be a personal condition. I have

malabsorption due to another chronic disease and do not gain

weight successfully, even with a high caloric intake. I was

hoping that insulin might help me to gain, but a year's gone by

now and I haven't gained an ounce.

I hope this helps.

Heidi

Type 1

Lantus and Humalog

[Guest guest]

Hi, Kat...yes, insulin will make you feel better Getting your numbers

down to nondiabetic levels will make you feel better. And no, insulin

does not necessarily make you gain weight. The thing is, with insulin

you can eat just about whatever you want then cover it with insulin. The

temptation to do this is great - so people gain weight. Pure and simple.

If you eat more calories than you burn, you'll gain weight; otherwise

no. I've been on insulin six five plus years and I haven't gained one

more pound than I wanted to.

Tell me this: Are you overweight? And do you have any diabetes-related

complications?

The reason I ask is that there is a subgroup of type 1 called LADA,

which stands for " latent autoimmune diabetes in adults " -- in other

words, type 1 diabetes which you get as an adult instead of as a child.

The fact that pills haven't worked for you indicates you may be a LADA

instead of a type 2. Pills seldom work for LADAs. Many doctors aren't

aware of LADA and think if you're an adult you're automatically type 2.

This is obviously not true.

LADAs are not insulin resistant -- one of the major markers of type 2.

In other words, type 2s produce insulin; the body just doesn't utilize

it efficiently. OTOH, LADAs produce very little insulin, if any. LADAs

on insulin require very small doses, whereas type 2s on insulin need to

take quite large amounts of insulin. And LADA (as well as type 1) is

autoimmune caused. In other words, your body attacking itself. If you

have any other autoimmune disorders, you're at increased risk for

others, even if it's a minor one. I have well controlled Hashimoto

(hypothyroidism) that predated my diabetes by 30 years as well as

another relatively minor autoimmune disorder, Sjogren syndrome, which I

also had for more than 10 years before my diabetes diagnosis. A viral

illness may trigger LADA diabetes. I had a virus immediately before my

own diagnosis.

I have several papers in my archives about LADA - one of them quite

technical that you can show your doctor. If you'd like to receive them,

(or anyone else) I'll be glad to send you a copy.

Vicki, LADA type 1 diagnosed 1997, UL and Humalog insulin and lotsa

testing, no complications.I

Question for anyone taking injections

> Hello

> I was diagnosed with type 2 about 2 1/2 years ago, and I have been

> on almost every pill out there with no luck. My numbers run around

> 140-160. Not real bad, but not good either. I usually have to quit

> taking every pill the doc gives me because of side effects, and they

> don't seem to do much anyway. Right now I am on Glucophage XR and I

> don't think I can tolerate it much longer because of the diarrhea.

>

> Last week I stopped my Glucophage and went on Atkin's for the

> week. Big mistake....... My numbers rose steadily every day and I

> did not lose a pound. I am amazed at this because I thought not

> eating carbs would get my numbers under control. I didn't think it

> was possible to have high numbers without eating carbs. I learn

> something new about this disease every day. The only thing I can

> think is my body thought it was going into carb famine so it kept

> producing more sugar........ who knows.

>

> Anyway, my doctor suggested I take insulin shots the last time I

> saw her because of all the problems I have with pills. At first I

> was horrified at the thought of this but since then I have read some

> good things like you can get excellent control. Will it make me

> feel better? I haven't felt good for weeks. Tired & achy. So for

> anyone out there doing injections, do you think this will help me?

> And does insulin cause you to gain weight?

>

> Any help appreciated. Thanks Kat