Hello my name is Sandra. I just discovered I had diabetez a few months ago when I had a blood test for something else and it came back with the result I had diabetes. Despite all of my family having either type 1 or 2 it was still a shock. I was started immediately on metaformin 1000mgs twice a day and glicizide twice a day. Despite this and adapting my diet my blood sugars are still very high. A recent test showed I had a very low pep C?? The consultant at the hospital has advised me to start on novomix. I am waiting to be seen by the community team to learn how to administer it. I would be grateful for any advice as this is all so new to me and would be grateful for any advice. The consultant told me I have features of both type 1 and 2 why is this. Take care Hope to hear from you soon.
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Hello some advice please?
- Thread starter sandraweb
- Start date
- Status
Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi Sandra, welcome to the forum 🙂 It sounds like you may be what is often referred to as a Type 1.5, also known as LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adulthood). A low C-peptide result shws that you are producing very little of your own insulin, hence the need to inject and also the reason why the gliclizide didn't work for you (it acts tos stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin, but it seems your pancreas isn't capable of doing so).
It is good that you have seen a consultant rather than just a practice nurse, which is often who a person will see when diagnosed as Type 2, and the particular features of your diabetes may have been missed as it's not particularly common. Type 2 diabetes usually means that you are producing lots of insulin but are resistant to it, so treatments can be quite different.
Hopefully the novomix will help to bring your levels under control and you will feel the benefits. Mixed insulins aren't the most flexible of solutions though, as they can lead to you having to 'eat to the insulin'. This means that you may need to eat when you don't want to just to keep your blood sugar levels up, or conversely not eating something when you want to because your levels are too high. Many people are fine with this, but a more flexible solution is something called 'basal/bolus' (also referred to as 'MDI' - Multiple Daily Injections). This involves injecting a slow-acting (basal) insulin, which is used to match glucose production from your liver, and a fast-acting (bolus) insulin in doses calculated to match the amount of carbohydrates in the food you wish to eat. With MDI you are less tied to eating when the insulin requires it. If you do find you have problems with the mix (which is a mix of slow and fast acting insulins) then do ask your consultant about MDI.
The insulin is administered using a pen device with a tiny needle (they don't hurt!) and it's all pretty straightforward. The main difficulty is tailoring the doses to achieve the best effect.
Make sure you have a prescription for plenty of test strips so that you can make regular tests of your blood. It's worth keeping a food diary also, so that you can record what you are eating (particularly the carbs) and see if patterns emerge that indicate you may need to make modifications to your diet.
Please ask any questions you may have, people here are very friendly and happy to help! 🙂
It is good that you have seen a consultant rather than just a practice nurse, which is often who a person will see when diagnosed as Type 2, and the particular features of your diabetes may have been missed as it's not particularly common. Type 2 diabetes usually means that you are producing lots of insulin but are resistant to it, so treatments can be quite different.
Hopefully the novomix will help to bring your levels under control and you will feel the benefits. Mixed insulins aren't the most flexible of solutions though, as they can lead to you having to 'eat to the insulin'. This means that you may need to eat when you don't want to just to keep your blood sugar levels up, or conversely not eating something when you want to because your levels are too high. Many people are fine with this, but a more flexible solution is something called 'basal/bolus' (also referred to as 'MDI' - Multiple Daily Injections). This involves injecting a slow-acting (basal) insulin, which is used to match glucose production from your liver, and a fast-acting (bolus) insulin in doses calculated to match the amount of carbohydrates in the food you wish to eat. With MDI you are less tied to eating when the insulin requires it. If you do find you have problems with the mix (which is a mix of slow and fast acting insulins) then do ask your consultant about MDI.
The insulin is administered using a pen device with a tiny needle (they don't hurt!) and it's all pretty straightforward. The main difficulty is tailoring the doses to achieve the best effect.
Make sure you have a prescription for plenty of test strips so that you can make regular tests of your blood. It's worth keeping a food diary also, so that you can record what you are eating (particularly the carbs) and see if patterns emerge that indicate you may need to make modifications to your diet.
Please ask any questions you may have, people here are very friendly and happy to help! 🙂
Hello and thanks. I was sent up to the hospital as my blood sugars were so high the GP said he suspected I was type 1 as my symptoms appeared overnight. It is great to find this group as I will have lots of questions. Thanks so much can you advise me how to subscribe to the magazine "balance"?. Take care.
Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Here is the link to become a supporting member of Diabetes UK - supporters get free copies of Balance:
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/How_we_help/Membership/
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/How_we_help/Membership/
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