Hello all. I've posted here in the past, but I have not been around in a while.

My father (who is 58 years old) is diabetic (type 2). He has been diabetic for roughly 15 years now.

For the last 7+ years - the doctors have told him that he needs to be on insulin.

He is a very stubborn man, and refuses to give himself an injection everyday. He thinks that the pills are going to help him more than the injections.

So he has been on pills for a LONG time (can't remember which brand) - but they are NOT helping him.

I check his sugar almost daily - and it is always 395+ and he constantly complains about how miserable he is.

He is always tired, dizzy, weak, legs hurting, his neuropathy always acting up.

Just recently, I have been talking to him more and more about going on insulin. I told him that I will come over daily if I have to until he can inject himself. I think that I am getting close to getting him to go to the doctor to talk about insulin.

Would anyone know of any good websites with information pertaining to people who are new to using insulin? I would like to find some information that I can print off for him to read. Maybe then, he will realize that it is not so bad.

And for those of you who have been on insulin after using pills, do you feel better? Is your sugar more controlled with the insulin?

I would truly appreciate any replies.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read!

Sincerely,
Kari

I can't help much with the switching to insulin part - I've had type 1 since I was 2 1/2 (almost 40 years). What I can tell you is that with blood sugars at almost 400 and above he will feel horrible!!!!!!!!! Unfortunately, with those levels and neuropathy, he is a prime candidate for amputations. I had a good friend who ended up with no feet.

What I can tell you is that insulin will bring his sugars down and he will feel much, much, oh so much better. His depression will not be so severe and there is a good possiblilty that the neuropathy will be less painful.

If he is not too heavy set a man, he might even be able to use the short needles that BD makes. I think they are about 6mm (1/4 inch) long. Piece of cake.

Good luck to you both. Believe me when I tell you that overall he will be much more comfortable on injections than at blood sugars that high. See if maybe he might be willing to try it for a week or two. He is bound to notice a big difference

Cora

Hello Cora,

Thanks so much for your reply! I cannot even begin to imagine how horrible my father feels. I see him all the time, and he just looks terrible. I worry constantly about him having a let amputated. It's scary.

I've told my father that the insulin will probably help bring his levels down...but for some reason, he seems to think that they will not lower his levels any more than what they currently are.

I've read that once your sugar is under control, the neuropathy is not so bad. It won't go away, but it might not hurt as bad as it does right now.

My father is not a heavy man. Tall, and skinny. Actually he is too skinny. He says that he is too tired and weak to eat. (He has been saying that for over a year now.) Typically - he only eats one big meal a day, which is dinner. He has a few snacks (not sure exactly what) throughout the day.

I just worry about him so much - and he is still so young. I have a feeling that if he goes on insulin, he will feel good enough to do some of the things he used to enjoy, like fishing.

Well - thanks so much again for the reply. I really appreciate it. I am going to try really hard to get him into the doctor SOON.

- Kari :)

Hi again.

Like I said, see if you can get him to try it for a couple of weeks. Suggest to him that if it doesn't work (like he believes), he can stop. If it doesn't work, it won't matter anyway, and if it does, he will feel better. He will have nothing to lose by giving it a shot. Since he feels awful already, he probably won't feel any worse if he tries it. I certainly hope you can get him to give it a try.

Good luck to you both.

Cora

Your father's bs readings of 395 is dangerously high, if that's a constant. I think your dad would feel better if he switched to insulin. My glucose readings are usually in the 80's and 90's. Of course, im newly diagnosed w/ t2.

Why not do a search on "insulin usage" or go to the ada (american diabetes assoc.) website. I bet if your father gave it a chance, he would start feeling awhole lot better. Good luck.

Could you go w/ your dad to the doc? If his doctor has an insulin pen in his fridge he can inject him right in the office and your father can see how the injection does not hurt. in fact, most patients say it hurts less than sticking their fingers. His body is starving, that is why he is thin and his blood sugar is high. The sugar cant get into the cells w/ out insulin so all the cells in his body starve while he is setting himself up for every complication in the book.
Try to see if he will just try the insulin for a month. I guarantee he will feel so much better he wont regret going on it and will probably say he should have done that sooner!
Check out disposable insulin pens. They are easy to use, dont need to be refrigerated while in use, and very portable. The stigma associated w/ a vial & a syringe is not there with these pens. Depending on what the doc starts him on, Novolog and Humalog (taken w/ meals) and Novolog Mix 70/30 and Humalog 75/25 (taken 2xs a day) all come in disposable pens and are rapid acting, predictable insulins. Lantus comes in a durable pen.
Once he sees the pen and barely feels the injection, he hopefully will WANT the insulin when it makes him feel so much better. I wish you the best!

Thank you all SO VERY MUCH for all of the helpful replies.

I am going to try and do some research today on the internet for insulin usage, and see what I can come up with.

I did talk to my father on the phone yesterday, and tried to coax him again to go to the doctor.

This time he ACTUALLY agreed that he would go. I asked him when he wanted to go, and he said, "When I have some time". He's not that busy of a person, and his doctor is open 365 days a year and until 9 o'clock at night, so for him, there should be no excuses.

I will be going to his house today after work, so I will talk to him more about it then. Plus I am going to print out some information for him to read.

Thanks so much again for your help.
You are all wonderful!

- Kari :)