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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: AS: Flowing Honey: Living with Diabetes
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Campbellite
Ut unum sint
# 1202
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Posted
I have recently been diagnosed with diabetes. Like most people, I've probably been that way for a while. I thought I would open a thread for those of us who are living with diabetes.
Share what helps you deal with it. How do you manage to maintain your serum glucose levels? How are you doing with monitoring? Do you have any tricks for making recipes more diabetic friendly?
I am Type II, the result of 20+ years on prednisone (one of it's many, lovely side effects). ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
[Insert usual disclaimers re: offering medical advice. See your doctor, etc.]
[ 08. October 2007, 15:13: Message edited by: Alan Cresswell ]
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I upped mine. Up yours.
Suffering for Jesus since 1966.
WTFWED?
Posts: 12001 | From: between keyboard and chair | Registered: Aug 2001
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jedijudy
Organist of the Jedi Temple
# 333
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Posted
Dear and Reverend Sir, I'm so sorry to hear about your diabetes. ![[Frown]](frown.gif) However, over the past number of years, I've been witness to your strength and to your cheerful outlook through your various health "challenges". I pray God's blessings on you as you embark on another "opportunity" to show us how great is God's grace! ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
No, I still do not condone feline BBQ for your main dish. I'm sure it can't be healthy for you, anyhow! ![[Snigger]](graemlins/snigger.gif)
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Jasmine, little cat with a big heart.
Posts: 18017 | From: 'Twixt the 'Glades and the Gulf | Registered: Aug 2001
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Curiosity killed ...
Ship's Mug
# 11770
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Posted
I am not living with diabetes, but am about to prepare teachers for a child (aged 11) who is, and needs regular injections of insulin, (type I), so am really interested in any information that comes from this thread.
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Mugs - Keep the Ship afloat
Posts: 13794 | From: outiside the outer ring road | Registered: Aug 2006
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Uncle Pete
Loyaute me lie
# 10422
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Posted
Quasi type II here - diet controlled. I stay away from prepared foods, as they have excess sugar and salt. A friend keeps me supplied with the odd jar of homemade sugar free jams. There's no way to avoid natural sugars, but everything in moderation.
There's a type of biscuit (cookie) which is low in sugar. I treat myself to those now and again. A small handful of dates or raisins supply natural sugar craving
Better to make meals yourself from fresh ingredients than to buy ready made. Sugar and salt packed foods are one of the reasons the first world countries are fighting obesity.
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Even more so than I was before
Posts: 20466 | From: No longer where I was | Registered: Sep 2005
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Lothlorien
Ship's Grandma
# 4927
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Posted
My husband was diagnosed Type II two years ago and has had trouble adapting to a healthier diet. He would eat what I prepared and then have an enormous stash of other food which he also consumed in large amounts. eg he would often buy a meat pie and eat it in the car on the way to work after breakfast at home, then have sweet biscuits and cakes as well, supplemented by lots of lollies and chocolates through the day as well as supposedly healthy muesli bars etc.
On diagnosis, both doctors and dietitians wondered how he was still alive as his levels were sky high and obviously had been for a long time. He was diagnosed after collapsing twice in the shower one day.
I've found most the stash and got rid of that but he has problems psychologically with feeling deprived. I think this is from his childhood.
What seems to work, if I can keep him to it, is routine most days. Meals at regular times. He does not do this when I'm working and will often have lunch at 3:00 pm.
A breakfast with a balance of carbohydrates and protein and little fat. Lunch at the moment is homemade soup, some toast and a couple of pieces of fruit. As it's winter here, I don't need to worry about him eating too many grapes, cherries, watermelon etc at a time. He used to easily eat a couple of kilos of grapes a day. Dinner again is fairly simple and I try to keep a balance again. We've never been much on eating dessert.
If he doesn't have a couple of snacks a day, his levels fluctuate wildly. Usually just a couple of digestive or arrowroot biscuits. something plain. He has a glass of milk at bedtime with some malted milk powder added. If he misses this, morning levels are even worse than normal.
Campbellite, you may find it useful for quite a while to take your levels more often than other diabetics may do. They know their bodies and how things are reacting. You need to get used to what works or not for you and frequent testing and a record of what you ate will help. Medication may also take a while to sort, and some have disastrous effects on digestive tract!
Finally, have a look at the Glycaemic index. The site from Sydney University is recommended down here as being reliable and helpful. Using this as a guide has been a help to several diabetics I know. Good healthy food, good for levels and for general health for anyone. Jenny Brand Miller's books are written for ordinary people, and are accessible in many libraries as well as online.
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Buy a bale. Help our Aussie rural communities and farmers. Another great cause needing support The High Country Patrol.
Posts: 9745 | From: girt by sea | Registered: Aug 2003
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Uncle Pete
Loyaute me lie
# 10422
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Posted
I agree with Lothlorien regarding checking of blood sugar levels. I spotcheck now, but when I started I was obsessive about it. Learn to listen to your body. It usually tells you what's going on.
Every now and again when I check my levels, the blood sugar count is so low it even frightens me. That's almost as dangerous as a high count. So a balance has to be struck. It can be done.
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Even more so than I was before
Posts: 20466 | From: No longer where I was | Registered: Sep 2005
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Campbellite
Ut unum sint
# 1202
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Posted
Jedi Sister,
Apart from my son's Evil Cat™ Snickers* felines are in short supply around here anyway, so the BBQ kitty is reserved only for special occasions.
My diabetes is also diet-controlled, Pete. I have been rather health conscious with my diet anyway, so for me it's mostly a matter of tweaking for diabetic purposes. I have been trying to go for three modest meals and two smaller snacks. Fortunately for me, I have never had much of a sweet tooth. Salty things, OTOH. . .
I've also been increasing my exercise which has also helped keep things under control. [Increase?!? Hell, I've started some kind of exercise!] My goal is to lose some of the weight I unfortunately regained post-transplant.
The Diabetes Educator has recommended testing 2 - 3 times a day, and at different times to see how well I do pre-meal, 2 hours after eating, etc. So far, so good.
*He only answers to "Lard Ass". He's a rather fat Garfield sort of cat. ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
[ 08. July 2007, 01:08: Message edited by: Campbellite ]
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I upped mine. Up yours.
Suffering for Jesus since 1966.
WTFWED?
Posts: 12001 | From: between keyboard and chair | Registered: Aug 2001
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Ceesharp
Shipmate
# 3818
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Posted
Type 2 diabetic speaking here (on insulin and metformin). I have a couple of slightly facetious suggestions:
1. I've found the easiest way to keep my sugars down is to live in a tent on a campsite. The extra activity required to do almost everything seems to be just right for me. I suppose you could achieve the same result by living in a very large house with all the rooms at a great distance from each other. Unfortunately I only go camping twice a year, and my house is tiny, so my sugar levels are crap.
2. Make a large badge to wear that says, "I didn't become diabetic because I was overweight, I became overweight after I started the insulin" (if this is true, of course.)
Can you guess that I'm fed up with being told that my diabetes is my own fault? My brother,who is an athlete, is one of the fittest people I know, with a diet that can't be improved, and he has recently become diabetic. He's the sixth person in my immediate family to be diagnosed, so I think we can say that it's probably hereditary.
Seriously, I can endorse all the dietary advice that has been given in this thread, and also recommend regular aerobic exercise if you are able. Cycling, swimming, dancing and brisk walking are all good.
Posts: 629 | From: West Midlands, UK | Registered: Dec 2002
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Evangeline
Shipmate
# 7002
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Posted
Aha, I am the been there done that expert on type 1 diabetes ![[Biased]](wink.gif) From urine testing and boiling up glass syringes and reusable needles to the first home blood glucose monitors that were the size of a brick and you calibratd with a screwdriver I've seen the lot.
I have been type 1 for as long as I can remember, diagnosed, near death at age of 16 months.
There is a lot of confusion about type 1 and 2 diabetes. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease in which your body just produces no insulin at all and without insulin you die fairly quickly. In type 2 you still produce some insulin but the insulin doesn't work properly. There is no cause, no prevention and no known cause of type 1 diabetes.
It has NO link to lifestyle factors such as obesity. It mainly occurs in youngish people, particularly children. In type 1 you are dependant on insulin shots to stay alive (unlike type 2s who are on insulin but won't die without it). About 10-15% of people with diabetes have type 1.
I walk the constant tightrope of too little insulin (feel crappy and drastically increase risk of things like kidney failure and blindness or death from your blood becoming acidic) or too much insulin which sneaks up on you really quickly and you become unconscious. Often preceded by strange experiences, like being unable to walk properly, or being unable to find the door of your bedroom, once I woke up with jellybeans in my mouth but no idea how they got there, it must have been the aliens who abducted me!!!!!!
The fabulous thing about insulin is it's not like a set dose, the amount you need depends on what you eat, how active you are, the weather (I kid you not, the hotter it is the less you need), how stressed you are and a whole heap of other factors so it is a really HARD disease to manage.
I have lived with it for 38yrs now, I deserve long service leave but sadly all I get is complications ![[Waterworks]](graemlins/bawling.gif) Would probably have lost my eyesight a few years ago if not for the wonders of burning hundreds of little holes in your retinas with a laser. All of a sudden blobs of blood obscured my vision-not nice at all. That was really depressing, but I'm fine now.
In summary, diabets sux, but thére's not much ya can do about having it, so take insulin, cheat death and view each day well lived as a victory.
Posts: 2871 | From: "A capsule of modernity afloat in a wild sea" | Registered: May 2004
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Sober Preacher's Kid
Presbymethegationalist
# 12699
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Posted
Evangeline:
![[Overused]](graemlins/notworthy.gif)
I have had Type I for 22 years, having been diagnosed at the age of 2. When I was diagnosed the quantum leap in diabetic care, with artifical human insulins and glcometers had just begun. We had the first glucometer on the North Shore of New Brunswick. Miraculously I have survived, with 20/20 vision still and no spots in my eyes.
I've seen plenty in my time. The fiasco of the bloodless glucometer (that really made my cry), several doctors who have tried to kill me, taking insulin and needles across the Turkish border....
You live with it. You follow a routine. My saying about the Diabetes is if you jerk it around, it will jerk you around.
Curiosity Killed:
For everyone's sake get the parents to send in a lunchbox with juice, glucose and anything else necessary. Have them include detailed 'what to do' instructions. This takes care of the kid and covers your libility. Keep it in the office with the principal or whatever the protocol is at your school. The kid is old enough that she/he should always have something in their backpack as well. I did this for years.
I was good enough that I only had a low reaction once in a blue moon at school. Mostly at home. Just be prepared. And don't overreact. My brother is diabetic also, one day he didn't leave when Chemistry class ended in high school. He was in a low reaction and out of his mind. I got called over the PA system to the classroom and saw what was happening. I dumped a regular Coke down his throat. He was fine afterwards, but the school still insisted they call the ambulance. That was overkill, but then again they were trying to cover themselves.
Best of luck, it's not that bad.
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NDP Federal Convention Ottawa 2018: A random assortment of Prots and Trots.
Posts: 7646 | From: Peterborough, Upper Canada | Registered: Jun 2007
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Evangeline
Shipmate
# 7002
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Posted
quote:
sober preacher's kid
several doctors who have tried to kill me
You too?? What's with that, I don't expect every Dr to be an expert in T1d but I do expect them to understand the basics and if they won't believe me then at least speak to an endocrinologist ![[Mad]](angryfire.gif) It is part of my mission in life to educate health professionals about type 1 d.
I have been using an insulin pump for the last few years and I think it's fantastic. No more peaks and troughs from long acting insulin, no overnight hypos or dawn phenomena, no having to eat more carbs if you exercise and much less severe hypos and heaps more flexibility-I fasted for a day just cos I could, first time ever in my life oh except for a short time and I had to have a glucose & insulin drip when I needed surgery!!!!! The novelty of fasting wore off pretty quickly though.
Oh and tearing myself away from this type 1 extravaganza, Curiosity I second what SPK said. At 11yo the kid should be able to manage their own d, they should have jellybeans or other quick acting glucose handy and likely they'll need to take a shot and check their levels at least once during the day. They really shouldn't be a big deal in class. Had to laugh at SPK"s story re his brother, I passed out on a school excursion (field trip) once, I was 10yrs old (we walked a lot more that day than on a usual school day) my teacher just sort of revived me enough to make me eat some of my lunch and left me sitting in the foyer. I could have died or anything talk about not over reacting! I was so out of it I just sat there and eventually I came round properly again. THat was the only major drama I ever had at school. I guess that is one thing to beware of, any change to the school routine, eg field trips, changed lunch/break times, extra sport or activity can cause problems for a kid with diabetes.
Posts: 2871 | From: "A capsule of modernity afloat in a wild sea" | Registered: May 2004
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Sober Preacher's Kid
Presbymethegationalist
# 12699
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Posted
Yeah, the first doctor who tried to do me in was ran into me when I was four. I was high one night, 24.0 mmol/L, and my parents took me to the hospital. The doctor wanted to dump 60 units of Toronto (regular) insulin in me. My mother refused. We went to the endochrinologist the next day and he said she was right. If that quack had gone through with it I'd be a gonner.
The second doctor was when I was 20 and had my Wisdom Teeth out. This was in a hospital. I was 6.0 going into the operation, and he wanted to put me on a 1 unit/15 minutes drip. I didn't need an insulin drip, just an IV. Mom again refused.
It's one thing to know what the disease is in a textbook, it's quite another to see it in person. That's how my brother got so bad. He was a track star and a rookie resident RAISED his insulin levels. Right....
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NDP Federal Convention Ottawa 2018: A random assortment of Prots and Trots.
Posts: 7646 | From: Peterborough, Upper Canada | Registered: Jun 2007
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Mr. Spouse
Ship's Pedant
# 3353
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Campbellite:
So far, so good.
That's the best mantra.
I've been Type I since the end of 1994. I was fortunate that I was 'pre-diagosed', having been warned of impared glucose tolerance a couple of years earlier. Something of a shock, still, to be told I would have to inject several times a day. But having tried diet, then tablets, then various insulins as my pancreas was failing I share your opinions on insulin, Evangeline! I would rather not have the condition but if I'm stuck with it then at least with injections I'm generally the one in control. And immediate acting insulin taken through a pen is truly wonderful stuff. No more worrying about when, where, how and how much to eat. Just get on with life and sort the medication out later.
Other goodies I've discovered:
- everyone 'knows someone with diabetes'. Which is Not A Good Thing, as that person's regime will be nothing like yours ![[Disappointed]](graemlins/disappointed.gif)
- sugar is not Evil™. Diabetes UK have recently managed to get a couple of major pharmacy chains to withdraw 'diabetic foods': because they tend to have more carbs than regular versions of the same things. Or subsitute laxatives as sweetners (ewww). Just cut down.
- glucose meters with multiple use discs/drums are much more convenient: I have one with discs that gives 10 readings before reloading, and another with 17.
- Frio wallets are an amazing cooling system that lets me take insulin just about anywhere that has water!
- yes, you probably do know more about your condition than the general medical staff at your surgery or hospital. Because you need to if you're going to survive.
I think that's enough for now. I do tend to get carried away...
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Try to have a thought of your own, thinking is so important. - Blackadder
Posts: 1814 | From: Here, there & everywhere | Registered: Sep 2002
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marmot
Mountain mammal
# 479
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Posted
What's your favorite meter?
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Join me in "The Legion of Bad Monkeys"
Posts: 2754 | From: The land of Saint Damien | Registered: Jun 2001
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Mr. Spouse
Ship's Pedant
# 3353
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Posted
At the moment, the Accu-Chek Compact. It's an all-in-one device, so no losing the lancet! And with 17 readings per refill drum very easy to use - no fiddling around with foil wrappers. But it is a bit noisy so at bedside or at work I use an older Ascensia disc meter, which has a manual slide to engage the testing strips.
Makes me think back to the horrible days of getting a gallon of blood out of my finger to put on a colour coded test strip... ![[Projectile]](graemlins/puke2.gif)
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Try to have a thought of your own, thinking is so important. - Blackadder
Posts: 1814 | From: Here, there & everywhere | Registered: Sep 2002
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Sober Preacher's Kid
Presbymethegationalist
# 12699
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Posted
I recently switched to the Onetouch Ultrasmart, and I just love it. Small drop of blood, and it automatically logs my bloodsugar and insulin intake automatically. Downloadable to the computer via USB. Plus lots of other fancy comment and graphing functions. I got off Accucheck. I started back in 1984 with their old blue trapdoor model. It ate batteries until they rolled out a permanent charger.
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NDP Federal Convention Ottawa 2018: A random assortment of Prots and Trots.
Posts: 7646 | From: Peterborough, Upper Canada | Registered: Jun 2007
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Evangeline
Shipmate
# 7002
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Posted
This type 1 diabetes site publishes road tests of meters. It is an Aussie site so may not feature all the models available overseas.
I use the optium exceed cos it can test your blood for ketones as well as glucose.
Posts: 2871 | From: "A capsule of modernity afloat in a wild sea" | Registered: May 2004
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Sober Preacher's Kid
Presbymethegationalist
# 12699
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Posted
Another fun thing about Diabetes are finances and insurance. Yes, I know mileage is going to vary a lot by country, but here goes.
I was very lucky that I was covered by my Church's medical plan while growing up. It was good enough and kept the bills down. My brother is also diabetic and we were always among the top-billing families in the church for years. (United Church of Canada, brother to the Uniting Church of Australia). Sadly the August after I graduated from University it all came to an end. I needed coverage, so I inquired with several of the large life/medical insurance companies. I very quickly learned that the only real coverage had a medical attached to it, which I wouldn't pass. I was getting depressed.
The I came across the Continuation plans. You get real ($1200/year) coverage with no medical if you apply with in 60 days of leaving a group plan. It's a new category. I enrolled in two. They saved my finances. BTW if you're in Canada Manufacturer's Life (Manulife) writes the best such policy in the country. Most insurers lump Diabetic supplies with prescriptions. Manulife puts everything that's not insulin in the Medical Equipment category, which is a separate allowence which has a 100% comp rate. They are unique in this. ![[Axe murder]](graemlins/lovedrops.gif)
Life insurance is another wonderful game. I did a round of financial planning. All the life insurers wanted a medical. I wound up with two needles in my elbow and no coverage. I finally found an agent who competent. A big name insurer wrote the policy to an open diabetic. I didn't hide anything. I showed that to a few planners when I was doing my RRSP and they were amazed that the policy was ever issued.
The final fun game was Lawyers. I had a Will and Power of Attorney done out, as I am one bad Low Reaction away from needing either. I spun the same line to seven different firms and got a price variance of double the lowest price. The winning firm strangely is both the cheapest and the oldest and most respected in town. Go figure.
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NDP Federal Convention Ottawa 2018: A random assortment of Prots and Trots.
Posts: 7646 | From: Peterborough, Upper Canada | Registered: Jun 2007
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Uncle Pete
Loyaute me lie
# 10422
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Posted
I can't imagine why will preparation and powers of attorney in Ontario would cost any more than that of anyone else. I review my will periodically (in the process of doing that now, actually). Powers of attorney for medical and financial care are a standard form - fill in the names, sign it and you're done. The most difficult thing was discussing with the attorneys the circumstances under which they would switch things off. Before assigning anyone this duty make sure you're on the same page. But excessive cost? In Ontario? Nah.
PS I do use a lawyer.
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Even more so than I was before
Posts: 20466 | From: No longer where I was | Registered: Sep 2005
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Sober Preacher's Kid
Presbymethegationalist
# 12699
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Posted
I kid you not, there was that much a price difference. Floored me when I looked at the quotes. They all got the same description: single 24 year old male with no dependents, wants Power of Attorney and a Will. No fancy terms, just boilerplate language. Astounding really for what was really a drop-dead simple Will.
[ 10. July 2007, 05:52: Message edited by: Sober Preacher's Kid ]
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NDP Federal Convention Ottawa 2018: A random assortment of Prots and Trots.
Posts: 7646 | From: Peterborough, Upper Canada | Registered: Jun 2007
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chukovsky
Ship's toddler
# 116
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Sober Preacher's Kid:
Another fun thing about Diabetes are finances and insurance. Yes, I know mileage is going to vary a lot by country, but here goes.
We have a really hard time finding travel insurance because of both of us having diagnosed medical conditions, but as far as prescriptions go it's quite good being married to a diabetic. We, er, he, gets free prescriptions including for things that I'd never dream of appropriating (paracetemol, ibuprofen).
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Posts: 6842 | From: somewhere else | Registered: May 2001
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Campbellite
Ut unum sint
# 1202
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by marmot:
What's your favorite meter?
I have the OneTouch Ultra 2. But as it's my first one, I have nothing to compare it with. It does have that nifty downloadable feature, but I need to get the USB cord first...
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I upped mine. Up yours.
Suffering for Jesus since 1966.
WTFWED?
Posts: 12001 | From: between keyboard and chair | Registered: Aug 2001
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Auntie Doris
Screen Goddess
# 9433
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by chukovsky:
We, er, he, gets free prescriptions including for things that I'd never dream of appropriating (paracetemol, ibuprofen).
What about Valium or anything worthwhile?
Auntie Doris x
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"And you don't get to pronounce that I am not a Christian. Nope. Not in your remit nor power." - iGeek in response to a gay-hater :)
The life and times of a Guernsey cow
Posts: 6019 | From: The Rock at the Centre of the Universe | Registered: May 2005
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chukovsky
Ship's toddler
# 116
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Posted
If you could persuade Mr. Spouse to go and tell the doctor he needs valium, it would also be free.
Till then I can always get it in E. Africa where you can just walk into the pharmacy and get almost anything without a prescription. Not free, but pretty cheap.
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Posts: 6842 | From: somewhere else | Registered: May 2001
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Mr. Spouse
Ship's Pedant
# 3353
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by chukovsky:
Till then I can always get it in E. Africa where you can just walk into the pharmacy
Errm, is there something you're not telling me? I think our GP surgery is a lot closer to home!
Being able to get everything I need on prescription thing is fairly recent. When I started on insulin the cartridges were available but not the pens or needles!
But it is true that in the UK once you have an exemption certificate you get everything on prescription for free. Even stuff like hay fever tablets, that has little or no effect on my condition.
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Try to have a thought of your own, thinking is so important. - Blackadder
Posts: 1814 | From: Here, there & everywhere | Registered: Sep 2002
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Scooby-Doo
Shipmate
# 9822
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Posted
I've been diagnosed Type 2 since 1995 and until recently have controlled it pretty well by diet alone. During my marriage breakdown, I started getting readings above 24m/mmols and was put on the maximum dose of Metformin, it appears to be having little effect. Tomorrow (Wednesday) I have an appointment with my Diabetic Nurse and the GP to discuss what happens now.
By itself, diabetes probably wouldn't cause me to much hassle, but all my other meds and other illnesses have an impact on it.
I will add all who post on this thread to my prayers as I know what you're all going through.
Love Scooby X
[ 10. July 2007, 20:05: Message edited by: Scooby-Doo ]
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Friendships multiply joy and divide grief.
[URL=http://https://[/URL]
Posts: 1036 | From: Dorset | Registered: Jul 2005
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Mr. Spouse
Ship's Pedant
# 3353
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Scooby-Doo:
I started getting readings above 24m/mmols and was put on the maximum dose of Metformin, it appears to be having little effect. Tomorrow (Wednesday) I have an appointment with my Diabetic Nurse and the GP to discuss what happens now.
Ouch! I know how you must feel. I had a spell not long ago after a viral infection when try as I may I couldn't get below 20 without lots of insulin and felt so rough.
It's good that you are seeing your diabetic nurse - I hope your GP practice can do something for you quickly.
And like many gradual conditions, when you do get your sugar back to normal you'll realise how great it feels!
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Try to have a thought of your own, thinking is so important. - Blackadder
Posts: 1814 | From: Here, there & everywhere | Registered: Sep 2002
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Campbellite
Ut unum sint
# 1202
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Posted
I spy with my little eye...
another Pond difference.
Moist of you seem to be measuring in units of m/mmols. In the states it's measured in mg/dL.
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I upped mine. Up yours.
Suffering for Jesus since 1966.
WTFWED?
Posts: 12001 | From: between keyboard and chair | Registered: Aug 2001
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Mr. Spouse
Ship's Pedant
# 3353
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Posted
Yep.
1 mmol/l = 18 mg/dl
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Try to have a thought of your own, thinking is so important. - Blackadder
Posts: 1814 | From: Here, there & everywhere | Registered: Sep 2002
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Sober Preacher's Kid
Presbymethegationalist
# 12699
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Posted
I have never understood that difference because they are both perfectly Metric measurements.
Canadians going south always have to translate.
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NDP Federal Convention Ottawa 2018: A random assortment of Prots and Trots.
Posts: 7646 | From: Peterborough, Upper Canada | Registered: Jun 2007
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Uncle Pete
Loyaute me lie
# 10422
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Sober Preacher's Kid:
I have never understood that difference because they are both perfectly Metric measurements.
Canadians going south always have to translate.
That's why I'm going to make sure I bring valid strips to India next winter (I forgot to check the expiry date on the ones I took last time! ![[Hot and Hormonal]](icon_redface.gif) ) I went nuts using the tester I bought there.
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Even more so than I was before
Posts: 20466 | From: No longer where I was | Registered: Sep 2005
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Evangeline
Shipmate
# 7002
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Posted
I have a hypothetical question, most of the people I know (most of whom have had d since they were little kids), including me think that inhaleable insulin is a croc of sh1t.
Needles aren't a big deal, I don't believe drug companies should generate big bucks from simply delivering insulin in a different form I'd sooner see better treatments for complications and research into a cure.
I"m curious to know what others think, both those on insulin and those who may eventually need to take insulin.
Posts: 2871 | From: "A capsule of modernity afloat in a wild sea" | Registered: May 2004
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chukovsky
Ship's toddler
# 116
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Posted
This article suggests that some diabetics who should inject themselves, actually don't, so it's more of a behavioural thing than a medical thing.
It might be better to work out why they aren't doing it, because if it's just due to general laziness/poor comprehension of medications, inhaled medications might not be any better.
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Posts: 6842 | From: somewhere else | Registered: May 2001
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Evangeline
Shipmate
# 7002
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Posted
quote:
This article suggests that some diabetics who should inject themselves, actually don't, so it's more of a behavioural thing than a medical thing.
THe article I found at that link didn't suggest that to me, it just seems like a marketing document from Sanofi-Aventis as does almost all the published info about inhaleable insulin which is disappointing.
This non-marketing article suggests that the current technology required to inhale insulin will make people MORE likely to miss doses.
Regarding laziness and behavioural issues. I have met many people with type 1 diabetes and many have a heap of issues with diabetes control but I have never come across anyone who didn't take insulin because they couldn't be bothered, it just doesn't compute at all, maybe with type 2 but not with those who are insulin dependent.
Posts: 2871 | From: "A capsule of modernity afloat in a wild sea" | Registered: May 2004
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J Whitgift
Pro ecclesia dei!
# 1981
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Posted
Another Type 1 Diabetic calling in to say Hi. Have been diabetic for the last 20 years, or since the age of 10 depending on how you want to look at it.
quote:
Posted by Evangeline:
I walk the constant tightrope of too little insulin (feel crappy and drastically increase risk of things like kidney failure and blindness or death from your blood becoming acidic) or too much insulin which sneaks up on you really quickly and you become unconscious. Often preceded by strange experiences, like being unable to walk properly, or being unable to find the door of your bedroom, once I woke up with jellybeans in my mouth but no idea how they got there, it must have been the aliens who abducted me!!!!!!
Sounds all too familiar. I once went hypo (low blood sugar) whilst walking back from Church when I was living in North Lincolnshire. This wasn't helped by the fact that I was 2 miles in to a 4 mile walk, was in a remote corner of rural England without any form of communication, the road was boared by 12ft deep drainage dykes and no one would have missed me for a few hours. When I finally crawled in to the house I was seeing quadrouple and could barely stand. Never again!
Self control is the most difficult part of the regime. Another important point is to let people know you are a diabetic, and if like me you have Type 1, then not to give you Insulin if you collapse! (As one helpful person suggested to me) ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
But seriously, a diabetic diet is basically a healthy diet, sans sucre. It's what we all should be eating, but sadly few of us in western society do.
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Posts: 2838 | From: Gone shoreside | Registered: Dec 2001
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chukovsky
Ship's toddler
# 116
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Evangeline:
quote:
This article suggests that some diabetics who should inject themselves, actually don't, so it's more of a behavioural thing than a medical thing.
THe article I found at that link didn't suggest that to me, it just seems like a marketing document from Sanofi-Aventis as does almost all the published info about inhaleable insulin which is disappointing.
This non-marketing article suggests that the current technology required to inhale insulin will make people MORE likely to miss doses.
Regarding laziness and behavioural issues. I have met many people with type 1 diabetes and many have a heap of issues with diabetes control but I have never come across anyone who didn't take insulin because they couldn't be bothered, it just doesn't compute at all, maybe with type 2 but not with those who are insulin dependent.
Don't know if you read page 2 but it says:
quote:
About 15 percent of diagnosed diabetics do not take the insulin or pills they should, the American Diabetes Association estimates
I think they probably have quite a big sample of diabetics (more than any of us have access to). There is also a fairly large problem of younger women failing to take their insulin in order to lose weight.
Of course inhalable insulin does not mean people would be any more likely to take it. But a lot of people with a lot of different diseases fail to take their medicine.
Anyway this is all getting very purgatorial so I'll shut up now.
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Posts: 6842 | From: somewhere else | Registered: May 2001
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Jenn.
Shipmate
# 5239
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Posted
My husband is type 1 diabetic, and finds injecting incredibly painful. Before he was diagnosed he had a needle phobia. He got over that pretty quickly when he came round and was told he needed to regularly inject, but he is very slim, and doesn't always manage to find fat thick enough to inject into. Inhalable insulin would make a huge difference to him. Although he doesn't miss injections, he does put them off sometimes, which must cause some issues.
Posts: 2282 | From: England | Registered: Nov 2003
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Mr. Spouse
Ship's Pedant
# 3353
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Posted
I was hopeless when on tablets trying to recall whether I had taken them or not. Still am when I have to take any course of treatment, however organised I try to be.
But it's a lot easier to recall whether I've injected myself or not. And that's important when I either forget to do it, or I'm in a situation where even a discreet under-the-table injection is inappropriate, like when offered sandwiches during a business meeting. I will try to get away as soon as I can, but it can sometimes be an hour before I realise I've forgotten to take my medication.
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Posts: 1814 | From: Here, there & everywhere | Registered: Sep 2002
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Sober Preacher's Kid
Presbymethegationalist
# 12699
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Posted
Needles are, in short, a pain. They have gotten better, but they are still a pain. I take 4 shots a day and I put up with it. Sometimes if it's really painful I lose my temper. Then I come back to reality.
My cruelest experience with non-injectable technology happened when I was 10. The Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids) in Toronto had a great diabetic clinic where I was a patient. They got a part of a research project to create a bloodless glucometer. You stuck your finger in a hole and a laser read it. It went through 3 prototype stages. It was presented that it would be on the market in 2 years. You did your regular bloodwork and then got to use it.
Then it was announced that it wouldn't work. They couldn't make the laser calibrate properly for everyone's skin, or so they said. All I knew was that I wasn't going to get one, I was going to have to keep pricking my finger, and I cried a whole lot. ![[Tear]](graemlins/tear.gif)
Years later I went into Electrical Engineering. I remembered the meter, and looked into it. I actually got to speak to the VP of Research at Sick Kids. He gave me the name of the company so I could check that the patents were abandoned. It never went anywhere but I did track down the company. What they were actually trying to create is a constant monitoring system to hook to a pump. So they could sell more, I guess. The whole episode still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
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Posts: 7646 | From: Peterborough, Upper Canada | Registered: Jun 2007
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Evangeline
Shipmate
# 7002
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Posted
How disappointing SPK, I guess you thought the end of one annoying part of d was near, it's a bit like the ol there'll be a cure in 5-10 years.
I must say I dont'have an issue with any of the jabbing, just with the frustration of trying to control bsls I've got better things to do than think like a pancreas all the time, and the ever present threat of complications.
Posts: 2871 | From: "A capsule of modernity afloat in a wild sea" | Registered: May 2004
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