Insulin Next - Scared!

[debdaniel]

Oral meds no longer keeping the blood sugar in check. Morning readings are in the 200's. Doctor said the next step may be insulin with the oral meds. Said my pancreas may be damaged and no longer able to produce insulin. I am afraid. I am scared that this will mean a much larger possibility of complications from the diabetes. Will I be on it forever?

[Mark1e]

Originally Posted by debdaniel

.... Doctor said the next step may be insulin with the oral meds. .... I am scared that this will mean a much larger possibility of complications from the diabetes. Will I be on it forever?

Complications are caused by high blood glucose, not insulin. If injecting insulin enables you to achieve better blood glucose control, it will reduce your risk of complications. Don't worry about the needle, you will soon get used to it.

[SamQKitty]

Ditto what Mark said. The better you control your diabetes, by WHATEVER means it takes, the less likely you are to get complications. I'm going on 24 years with D, 19 of them on insulin, and I have only one complication, and that is very minor and unlikely to get worse unless I stop taking care of myself.

As for being fearful...Mark Twain said it best: "Courage is NOT the absence of fear but rather the decision to act DESPITE the fear." (emphasis mine)

Ruth

[debdaniel]

Thanks for the responses. I am not afraid of the injection. I am using Byetta now which requires 2 injections per day. I am worried about how to use the insilin - timing with meals, etc. Don't you have to do injection at meal?

[SamQKitty]

That depends on what type of insulin regimen you end up on. At first you might be on just one shot a day of a basal insulin, like Lantus, and you can take that independent of meals.

If the need for insulin progresses, it's possible you'd eventually be on MDI (multiple daily injections), which would include the basal insulin as well as shots before meals. The routine is somewhat more complex, but there's just a bit of a learning curve, then it becomes routine. And yes, usually once the pancreas stops producing enough insulin for your body's needs, you do end up on insulin forever (or at least until they find a cure, but I'm not holding my breath waiting!)

One of the things you mentioned being afraid of was complications. There have been a couple of studies which have proved that the better you manage your blood glucose levels, the lesser the risk of complications. So the trick, as I said in my previous post, is to manage by WHATEVER means it takes. If that means insulin, so be it. It is far, FAR better to start insulin sooner than letting your numbers run high for months while trying to avoid going on insulin. The sooner you get this under control, the better your chances of avoiding complications.

Ruth