Greetings From Canada

[centuryhouse]

Hi Everyone:

My name is Lori and I've had type 2 for about 2 years. I've taken meds to control my bg but over the last few months, that doesn't seem to be working very well anymore. :eek: So it looks like I will be starting insulin on Monday. Can you say...SCARED TO DEATH! So my main reason for being here is to gain some knowledge and see how other people have handled the transition. I've already read through some posts and my fear factor is now coming down to a manageable level. :D I think once I get over my initial fear and start feeling better, everything will be okay and I can look back and see how ridiculous my thoughts were.

It looks like an awesome forum with lots of support and I look forward to talking to some of my fellow members in the upcoming months ahead.

[EasyType2]

Hi Lori, in the Great White Frozen North!!!

Don't sweat the insulin if that's what you need. I was the world's greatest coward about needles until that first insulin shot, which I did myself. About 9 years now of one or two shots a day. Nothing to it. Give yourself time to adjust.

Good luck.

[DCaplinger]

Don't fear the insulin. Before we found out I wasn't a Type 2, I made the decision to go on insulin so that I could get my sugars under control. Now I give myself a minimum of 4 shots per day. I hate needles, but I now find it easy. I typically find that my shots are less painful than the finger pricks to test my sugars. In fact, about 50% of the time, I don't even feel the needle going in.

I strongly recommend that new Type 2's that are out of control start out on insulin, at least long enough to bring their sugars down to where medicine can handle it. Insulin is seen by too many people as a "last resort". Even doctors have that attitude. I think it's highly misguided.

Good luck, I think you'll find it's not that big of a deal once you get started on it.

EDIT: Oh, and welcome to the forums!

Regards,

[beau91]

Hi Centuryhouse and welcome to DF .Canadian to from Montreal. Don't be scared about the insulin . It' s the best thing that happen to me .Idon't know on what kind of insulin you will be on. I inject 4 times a day .Before every meals and at bedtime . Rarely do I feel the needle get in my skin .If you follow the instruction ,you 'l probabebly have a small course ;
Don 't be afraid ,if you have any questions asked in the forum
you will get a response pretty fast . Bye Ricky

[susique333]

Hello and welcome Lori! This is a great bunch of intelligent people and a wonderful place to learn how to make all the pieces fit when youre confused or scared.

When I was on insulin during pregnancies I was terrified of the needle, they had me practice 1st with an orange then with sterile water on my hip, then finally the insulin. Took me about 30 minutes to get it right taking wee little baby steps. My instructer told me to pinch up some skin and that helped me not feel it at all! After injecting Id hold the needle in place about 5 sec. and then release the pinch. After awhile I got to where it was too much trouble to do the pinch! Youre going to be an expert in no time! Good luck to you!!

[grace girl]

The first shot is the hardest, and it's all in the mind. Once you see how simple, easy and painless it is it will be a walk in the park. I do it 5-6 times a day, and I don't even think twice about it. Don't sweat it!

[centuryhouse]

I can't tell you how much better it makes me feel to hear your opinions. I'm not really too worried about the needle or injecting, just about the possibility of experiencing bg's that are too low, counting carbs, etc. I will be using an insulin pen.

I'm not sure how it works anywhere else but before the pharmacy would release my insulin to me, I had to have an appointment at the Diabetes Centre in our local hospital. I know that the insulin I've been prescribed is premixed, 30/70. Novolin ge Penfill. I'm not sure what type it is but it's on my list of questions that I'm taking with me to my appointment on Monday. I have tons of questions. :confused:

Darian's experience was a real eye opener and certainly an inspiration to me. After reading the 'to inject or not to inject' thread, I definitely felt alot calmer about the whole issue. If, like Darian, I start to feel better then it will certainly be worth it. I'm so tired of feeling tired, having no energy, not sleeping and feeling like my head is stuffed with cotton. :shot:

In the meantime, I'll keep reading, and writing down my questions. I'll keep you posted on how things go. ;)

P.S. Today it really is the frozen white north! 35 to 45 cms of snow expected along with freezing rain! :eek: That converts to 14 to 17 inches, give or take.

[UpNorth]

Premixed insulin:ahhhhh: sorry, but those are quite infamous:o And seems to be doctors favourite to prescribe when type 2's are first put on insulin... Maybe to spare from having to become a pincushion at once, but i dare say it's worth the extra needles to have more freedom! (i haven't been on a mix myself, but have not heard many good things about them)

I'm type 1, and have been on insulin since day of diagnose, i take at least 4 but often 6 injections everyday, and it's a piece of cake :D 99% of the time i can't feel it at all :)

Insulin injections is nothing to be afraid of :) Just keep something sugary around at all times in case you go low. I usually carry glucose tabs with me everywhere, both in pockets and with my meter.


On another note.... Welcome to the forums :D

[princesslinda]

Lori, can't offer any experiences regarding insulin, but wanted to welcome you to the forum! You'll learn a lot from these great folks!

[xMenace]

Welcome to the club.

I'm also in the anti-mix camp. I see little benefit and a few risks. Basically combining basal and bolus insulins fixes your daily regimine. This is because your basals are a fixed pattern. You have to take enough to cover the basals or you go chrinically hyper or hypo. This means you also have a fixed bolus. You are required to eat exactly what you bolus for, n more and no less. No Christmas dinner, no sleeping in late, no desserts, and NO MISTAKES! How the **** do you adjust for a high with a mix? Also not everyone's basal to TDD is the same, but mix ratios are. This also tends to make people gain weight; though some may atually lose it.

Of course the answer is you still produce some insulin yourself and practice has found this regimine works fine for new type 2's. One thing you should do is learn about the NPH portion and it's pattern of effectiveness. It has caused difficulties for many people over the years.

[kgm0612]

HI Lori & Welcome to the forum. As you can see, this is a wonderful board with really nice people and tons of valuable information.

Good luck with the insulin.

Karen

[centuryhouse]

Thanks for the heads up about the premixed insulin. I'm a real newbie about the whole insulin issue and I'm just getting familiar with the different types available, let alone what they do. I can see I'll be on a long learning curve. More questions to ask my doctor the next time I see her and also another one for my list for the appointment on Monday. I'll do a search on premixed insulin and maybe that will help me get a handle on the pros and cons.

Thanks for all your help.

[UpNorth]

One simple basic, the more injections, the more freedom you'll have. Sure, sometimes it's a pain in the backside to have to stop what you're doing to take the pen out and inject insulin, but most of the time it's worth it!

MDI also gives the possibilities to vary food intake both by amount and ingredients :T You simply just inject for what you eat, instead of eat for what you have injected :)

Also, the longacting part of a mix insulin, is very peaky, if choosing MDI there's relatively peakless basal insulins out there :) (Levemir and Lantus)