Thought I would join the forum share my experience with day to day life living as a diabetic and different medications I have had and also learn from other people and there experiences. I have type 2 uncontrolled diabetes possibly could be heading to type 1. Got diagnosed January 2015 but doctors think I've had diabetes 5-6 years undetected. Look forward to talking to as many people on the forum and getting advice from you all.🙂
-
Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
Hello Everyone
- Thread starter Mike84
- Start date
- Status
Eddy Edson
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- In remission from Type 2
Welcome! Lots of great advice & support here & people interested in yr experiences.
I was diagnosed back in March but I'd probably had it for years, like you.
I was diagnosed back in March but I'd probably had it for years, like you.
SB2015
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Welcome Mike
Can you tell us a bit more about how you manage your Diabetes.
You describe it as uncontrolled. Have you identified as the reasons for this?
You mention that you are possibly heading for Type 1. Is that because they think that you have been misdiagnosed?
There is loads of useful advice on here, so ask any questions that you have.
Can you tell us a bit more about how you manage your Diabetes.
You describe it as uncontrolled. Have you identified as the reasons for this?
You mention that you are possibly heading for Type 1. Is that because they think that you have been misdiagnosed?
There is loads of useful advice on here, so ask any questions that you have.
Hi @Mike84 and welcome. Thanks for joining and would be good to hear your experiences of different meds. Have you had many different medications so far? Do you test your bg levels, or do you know what your latest HbA1c was?
If your results are too high (as you suggest you may be type 1) perhaps we can offer some support. There are many members here who have been on journeys to find the right diagnosis and medication for their diabetes. It would be great to know a bit more about you, and hopefully the wealth of different knowledge and experiences here can help you in your journey, in getting the right diagnosis and the right treatment.
If your results are too high (as you suggest you may be type 1) perhaps we can offer some support. There are many members here who have been on journeys to find the right diagnosis and medication for their diabetes. It would be great to know a bit more about you, and hopefully the wealth of different knowledge and experiences here can help you in your journey, in getting the right diagnosis and the right treatment.
Hell there,
Apologies for my late reply I’ve been extremely unwell with my diabetes in and out of hospital with Hypoglycaemia and Hyperglycaemia. I was in hospital for nearly a month.
I have other health conditions: severe Asthma and Adrenal Insufficiency which means I need steroids this could be making my uncontrolled Diabetes worse.
My test results from the c peptide was very much on the line and couldn’t really say weather I was T1 or T2 but there treating me as T2.
Hba1c was 98. I was put on a insulin called Humulin R U 500 not licensed in the uk 500 units per ml. It was very strong and aggressive insulin to much and I would have a hypo, to little and I would have hyper. Struggled to get the right balance. I’m now back on Toujeo and Fiasp insulin. I personally think I need to be on the pump but it’s so hard for Type 2 to get on the pump.
How do you find the pump? What pump do you use?
Hi Hannah,
Apologies for the late reply I’ve been ill with my diabetes!
So I started on Metformin/Gliclazide tablets then moved onto Humulin I and Novorapid, then Toujeo and Novorapid along with Trelicity. When I was in Hospital I was put onto the Humulin R U 500 a very aggressive and strong insulin with no good results. I’m now back on the Toujeo and Fiasp.
I now have a CGM (Dexcom G6) sugars run between 15-20. Last Hba1c Test was 98.
I feel that the pump would be better for me as I feel my body struggles to absorb large amounts of insulin, I think small amounts of fast acting insulin over 24/7 would be better for me!
I understand the pump is difficult to get for T2 but not impossible any suggestions what I could do. I’m concerned that in the last 4 yrs I’ve not had controlled sugars.
I have the following:
1.I’m on multiple daily injections
2.High doses of insulin a day
3.Additional health problems that make it difficult to control my diabetes (Severe Asthma & Adrenal insufficiency)
4.Hypertension
5.Insulin Resistance
6.High Hba1c levels
Any advice you could give that would help?
Mike
stephknits
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi Mike, what are your daily doses of insulin roughly? Type 1s usually don't use all that much insulin and pumps can be a problem if you are on high doses. As you say, very difficult in the UK to get a pump as type 2.
My daily dose is about 450 units this is a combination of long acting and short acting.
But if I was on the pump I wouldn’t need to be on the same level of insulin as I am for injections as it would only be fast acting insulin which is about 150-180. Articles that I have read say people who were on high doses of insulin were able to reduce dramatically as there body accepted the fast acting insulin in small doses better than MDI and Hba1c came down.
Matt Cycle
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi Mike. The pump provides both long and short acting doses via a rapid insulin. Basal is dripped in in small increments throughout the day and you bolus when you eat carbs although this can be extended via a dual or multiwave. I'm on the Medtronic and the reservoirs are 1.8ml or 3ml i.e. 180 or 300 units and are expected to be changed every 3 days (I use the 1.8's as my TDD is around 35-40u a day). Obviously there is a cost for the consumables and I would imagine changing the cannula and reservoir every day would be questioned. As mentioned getting a pump as a T2 would be very difficult and in my area one of the pump criteria is you have to be T1. Have you spoken to your diabetes team about it?
stephknits
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
I think my DSN said a type 1 would likely need to reduce their TDD by around a third when switching to the pump. I reckon mine has reduced by about a quarter. You would still need to change it at least once a day. I have also heard of problems with cannulas when people have larger doses for carb heavy meals so this might be a consideration.
Hi Matt,
Thanks for your message.
I think if I was on the pump I don’t think I would need the same amount of units that I use now via MDI. There are a few people who are T2 and are pretty much have the same problem as myself where MDI are not working they were put on the pump and the amount of units they were taking via injections dramatically reduced as did there Hba1c. I think small increments of insulin would work better for me rather than big shots and my body not absorb the insulin properly.
You make a good point with the amount of insulin I would need over the 3 days and myself & my wife thought the same there could be a cost and that most definitely would be questionable. I spoke to input diabetes and they said you don’t know how much units you would actually need to bring your sugars down to a reasonable level. So they suggested a trial period to see what happens to my sugars.
Nice Guidelines say pumps are primarily for T1 as you rightly mentioned.
This article was taken from the www.diabetes.co.uk website about insulin pumps for T2:
- Insulin pump therapy is offered to people with type 2 diabetes on a case-by-case basis, when a diabetes consultant with expertise in pump therapy believes strongly that it is the only appropriate treatment for a specific patient. Current research suggests that there is a small proportion of people with type 2 diabetes that have a clinical need for an insulin pump.
I recently got CGM which I self fund and that has proved to be very useful in the sense we can see patterns to my diabetes and intervene if it looks like I’m going to have a hypo as I have hypo unawareness.
It’s got to the point where I have had uncontrolled sugars for the last 4yrs despite different insulin regimes and many hospital admissions where I’ve been on the VRIII machine. I have spoken to my Diabetes team and there in discussion I’m just waiting for there feedback.
How do you find the pump? Does it control your glycemic control?
Matt Cycle
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
I've had the pump for almost a year and half now and love it. I'd had over 30 years of injections and doing what I thought was alright and muddling along but looking back my control was a bit variable. My HbA1c wasn't bad but I was having hypo and hypo awareness issues. Before going on the pump I attended a DAFNE style course in my area which allowed me to really focus on proper carb counting. For me the multiple basal patterns and TBR's with the pump are crucial and have made the biggest difference. Control is much better as the highs and lows have been reduced - still happen but not as often or as extreme. As Steph mentions on MDI my TDD was around 50-60u so yes in my case it's been reduced by around a third.
- Status