Any thoughts on 2 injections a day

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

mcr

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Just wondered what everyone thought about the following:
My son who is nearly 11 has had Type 1 for 7 years. He has always had 2 injections a day. We have good control of his diabetes his Hbc1 is usually around 7.5 occasionally it as risen but not very often.
He has a good diet with treats and I think we have always managed it well.
Does he really need to go on 4 injections a day if we have good control? Are we doing him damage by not putting him on 4 a day?
Any thoughts on this 🙄
 
Hi I was told when I was diagnosed not 2 years ago that 4 injects bolus basal therapy was best!?? I would love o try 2 a day and I'm sure with a good diet it is possible, if it ain't broke don't fix it and all!?? well done on having good control, what may I ask is making you think of changing to four a day?
 
hi mcr! going onto more than 2 a day is a personal choice - it took me a LONG time to be convinced to go onto multiple daily injections.

i think you would need to look at the benefits of multiple injections (greater flexibility in what he can eat, eg as much cake as he wanted [in theory!!], not having to eat to match the insulin) and the costs (more injections a day, more BG tests needed etc).

just from my personal point of view - MDI, although hard work, allows me much more freedom and flexibility in what i eat, and do. for example, if i plan to do exercise after lunch, i can lower the amount of insulin i take at lunch, instead of having to eat extra carbs to cover the exercise. also, if i get a crazy craving for some high-carb food (like the chocolate cake i had at lunch!!) i can eat it and take the appropriate amount of insulin to cover it.

how does your son feel about it?
 
rossi_mac said:
Hi I was told when I was diagnosed not 2 years ago that 4 injects bolus basal therapy was best!?? I would love o try 2 a day and I'm sure with a good diet it is possible, if it ain't broke don't fix it and all!?? well done on having good control, what may I ask is making you think of changing to four a day?
Click to expand...

i was on 2 a day for 15 years = a much more controlled diet and fixed regime, or at least that is what i found.
 
I don't want to really but our Consultant is trying to make us. He said that all diabetics should be on 4 a day....and as my son is due to go to Secondary School in September the consultant said he would be the only one not injecting at school (no idea why this matters) plus he said as the hormones kick in due to his age, we will probably lose the good control we have.😱
 
mcr said:
I don't want to really but our Consultant is trying to make us. He said that all diabetics should be on 4 a day....and as my son is due to go to Secondary School in September the consultant said he would be the only one not injecting at school (no idea why this matters) plus he said as the hormones kick in due to his age, we will probably lose the good control we have.😱
Click to expand...

I've never been on two a day, but I was just going to say that I think things would be much more flexible when the hormones and growth spurts kick in. Having said that, clearly people have managed on two throughout childhood in the past!
 
mcr said:
I don't want to really but our Consultant is trying to make us. He said that all diabetics should be on 4 a day....and as my son is due to go to Secondary School in September the consultant said he would be the only one not injecting at school (no idea why this matters) plus he said as the hormones kick in due to his age, we will probably lose the good control we have.😱
Click to expand...

From what I know of 2 injections a day, control is ok until you hit a problem. Going into teenage years and hormones and growth etc will probably have an effect on blood sugars - so I would think that going onto MDI is a much better regime for a growing child. Most hospitals have phased out the 2 injections in favour of MDI or pumps. My son was on MDI for 9 months - but we couldnt get good control because he is very insulin sensitive - so we moved to the pump and its much much better than injections!🙂Bev
 
Hiya

I'll be honest with you, out of about 300 families who have a child with type 1 I only know one child with which 2 injections a day works so it is highly unusual.

The thinking I guess is if it ain't broke don't fix it BUT this needs to be about a lifestyle decision.

As your son is 11, he is getting nearer the teenage years and starting secondary school it does open up a whole new way of life. Whilst he has been a young child you have been able to control his eating, the times and the sheer inflexibility of 2 injections.

If he continues with this regime then at school where he will be hanging out with his mates, eating at different times, wanting to go places after school etc it all changes and flexibility is a key issue. On twice daily he will struggle. On 4 or more a whole new world will open up to him and to you as a family as well actually.

No more exact timed meals. He will have his one injection of long acting. All the other injections will be just novorapid which he only needs when he eats carbs ! So three meals a day, three injections but the window to eat them is much larger. On twice daily you pretty much have to stick to the exact time. On MDI or BB as it is also known, you can have a lie in (crucial to a young lad 🙂, you can eat breakfast at 10 am, you can eat lunch at 2 pm etc etc.

However one of the biggest things for him may be snacks. If his mates say go to MacDonalds as an extra meal and he wants to as well, then he will have that choice on MDI. The choice is eat and have an injection of NR or don't eat, no injection. On twice daily there is not flexibility or choice.

So in my view it is a lifestyle thing, not whether he has 2 injections or 4 or 6.

Anyway just my thoughts (got plenty of others 😉)
 
Adrienne said:
Hiya

I'll be honest with you, out of about 300 families who have a child with type 1 I only know one child with which 2 injections a day works so it is highly unusual.

The thinking I guess is if it ain't broke don't fix it BUT this needs to be about a lifestyle decision.

As your son is 11, he is getting nearer the teenage years and starting secondary school it does open up a whole new way of life. Whilst he has been a young child you have been able to control his eating, the times and the sheer inflexibility of 2 injections.

If he continues with this regime then at school where he will be hanging out with his mates, eating at different times, wanting to go places after school etc it all changes and flexibility is a key issue. On twice daily he will struggle. On 4 or more a whole new world will open up to him and to you as a family as well actually.

No more exact timed meals. He will have his one injection of long acting. All the other injections will be just novorapid which he only needs when he eats carbs ! So three meals a day, three injections but the window to eat them is much larger. On twice daily you pretty much have to stick to the exact time. On MDI or BB as it is also known, you can have a lie in (crucial to a young lad 🙂, you can eat breakfast at 10 am, you can eat lunch at 2 pm etc etc.

However one of the biggest things for him may be snacks. If his mates say go to MacDonalds as an extra meal and he wants to as well, then he will have that choice on MDI. The choice is eat and have an injection of NR or don't eat, no injection. On twice daily there is not flexibility or choice.

So in my view it is a lifestyle thing, not whether he has 2 injections or 4 or 6.

Anyway just my thoughts (got plenty of others 😉)
Click to expand...

Well said Adrienne. Couldn't have put it better myself. But I have to ask: what does BB stand for? Never heard of it.
 
Monica said:
Well said Adrienne. Couldn't have put it better myself. But I have to ask: what does BB stand for? Never heard of it.
Click to expand...

Oh sorry, it is the new way to say MDI. It stands for basal/bolus but not many people use it as MDI is so well known now.
 
Adrienne said:
Oh sorry, it is the new way to say MDI. It stands for basal/bolus but not many people use it as MDI is so well known now.
Click to expand...

LOL, was just thinking about it while doing the washing up, when it came to me that of course its basal/bolus. Welllll, put it down to me being a blonde 😉
 
I was on 2 a day until I was 16 and my control was always fine (except for a few fainting episodes) until I was about 13 or 14, growth hormones kicked in and everything went crazy! I ended up in hospital approx. 30 times between the ages of 13 and 16, when they put me on MDI everything got better.

However I found MDI very hard to get used to to start with and I did not like injecting in school. But it does keep everything under control, and it is more flexible.

I hope it all goes well for you 🙂
 
Hello - reply to 2 injections a day question

Hello

I am new to these messageboards and haven?t replied to a post before but here goes....

I have had type 1 diabetes for 30 years (I am now 32) and have only just (last December) gone from 2 injections a day to 4.

2 injections a day worked very well for me for all of those years until the last year or so when I was getting higher HBa1c results (particularly high blood test results in the mornings) and finally agreed that 4 injections a day might give me better control. I have to say that like you my consultant has been keen for me to switch to 4 injections a day for a number of years and I have resisted - as the saying goes ?if it ain?t broke then don?t fix it?. I never experienced any real restrictions on what I could eat and have to say that throughout my childhood and teens I never felt that I missed out on anything due to my diabetes.

To be honest 4 injections a day was ?sold? to me as the answer to everything and I have to say that whilst the changeover was okay (no major hypos or high readings) but I have still been getting higher than average blood test results and higher hba1c results than I would have liked which has frustrated me immensely as I thought it was supposed to be easier with 4 injections. Looking back I think I might have been a bit naive as whatever regime you follow there is still a fair bit of work involved in finding the right levels of insulin for you and maintaining good test results ? I was looking for a quick easy fix to my results problems (well we can hope!).

However, in the last few weeks (after a few more increases in levemir and novorapid as well as increase in exercise levels) I am starting to see real benefits and am achieving much better results. The increase in the number of injections has not been as bad as I had expected (wasn?t sure how I would feel about injecting at work but I have not experienced any problems).

All in all, if my good results continue (and I am able to lose some weight), then I think the switch for me has been worth it. However, if 2 works for your son don?t feel pressured into changing until such time as your son needs to. I know my Mum had the same pressures from my consultant when she looked after my diabetes when I was younger and she had a brilliant control of everything and there was no need to switch. It sounds like you have a great understanding of diabetes as well and so don?t change until you are ready.
 
Thanks for posting about your experiences Helen, I'm sure many people will find it very useful 🙂 I hope that the good numbers continue!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top