Helppp!

[Ayesha]

Hiya,

Im quite new to this forum, I like the idea of getting to know what other people are going through. So il just give a brief background of my journey…it all started about 2 years ago after visiting the A&e for an allergic reaction they told me I had glucose in my urine and to go doctors for a diabetes check so anyways couple days later they diagnosed me with it. However it was unclear what type i was and so they did a couple of tests and it showed i was positive with GAD antibodies indicating future progression of type 1. However first they started me on metformin which was apparently a mistake because im underweight and metformin wasn't really doing anything since my sugar was raising to 15.0 after they had took me off metformin i was told to control with my diet and this was my honeymoon phase. Now2 years later it's come to an end and Iv now been starting to take lantus, it's now been a week and a horrible week. I am petrified having to injection and so my mum does it for me, what should be a 2 mins job Is a 10mins job and Iv asked my doctor for numbing cream but was advised not to use it. What can I do to ease this process? And how can I start injecting myself? Any tips to get over the fear? And does anyone feel really sensitive after?

Another thing is, is that after taking my 6units of lantus my sugar is raised slightly for example today before taking lantus my BG was 7.8 however after half an hour of taking lantus it raised to 9.0, does anyone know why this is?

Also after taking lantus i get unbearable leg pains starting from my calfs spreading to my thighs, is this normal when first taking lantus?

Sorry for all the questions it's just so overwhelming starting insulin right before my finals at university

 

[banjo]

Welcome to the forum - i arnt the one to help you with your questions but someone will be along soon who can give you more help. good luck

 

[Northerner]

Hi Ayesha, welcome to the forum 🙂 It sounds very much like you are what is called a Type 1.5, which is a slow-onset version of Type 1. Diabetes can come in many shapes and forms, it is actually more a spectrum than a couple of clearly-defined types, so people's requirements when trying to control it can vary considerably.

Lantus is what is known as a 'basal' insulin, which is designed to help control the constant trickle of glucose released by the liver throughout the day and night (the liver does this to provide energy to the processes of breathing, digestion, keeping your heart and brain working at all times!). As such, the lantus will have a slow and steady (in theory) impact on your blood sugar levels - it won't help with any carbohydrates you consume at mealtimes. Your post injection readings may be higher because this release of glucose isn't at a constant level, it can go up and down. ~It is particularly prone to going higher in the mornings when it provides and extra 'boost' of energy to start the day. As a result, your post-injection results can be higher down to the action of your liver, but overall, throughout the day and night, your average levels should be much improved with the insulin. It's a little crude as one injection is supposed to cover the entire day - things like insulin pumps can be much more tightly controlled hour by hour, but they are not routinely issued to people as they are very expensive.

It can be difficult if you are needle-phobic, getting used to the injections. There are some things that can help. Cooling the injection area with an ice cube can help, and also the length of the needle can make a difference - they come in varying lengths from 4-12mm so ask your nurse to provide you with some different lengths to try. Tensing up before injecting will probably make it hurt more, so do try and relax (easier said than done, I appreciate). Pinch up an area of flesh to inject into. Make sure that the in-use insulin is kept at room temperature - cold insulin can hurt a bit more. Finally, something that is unfortunately inherent in lantus, it is known to sting, so perhaps expecting it might help overcome the shock. Lantus is acid-based, and when injected it reacts with the pH of the body to crystallise under the skin - these crystals then gradually dissolve over the next 20-24 hours. If you really have a problem with lantus stinging then there is an alternative called levemir which works differently - however, this often requires two injections a day rather than one.

Do you test before and after meals? I'd be interested to know how your body copes with meals. If you don't do this currently, then it would be worth doing. What was your latest HbA1c?

Regarding the leg pains - are they like cramps? These are quite common and are due to your body getting used to the improved blood glucose levels, and should disappear before too long as your levels become more settled.

It's very early days for you with the insulin, and it does get better, honest! Please let us know if you have any questions and we will try our best to help 🙂

 

[Copepod]

Welcome Ayesha.

Do try the ice cube technique to see if that can make injections less painful for you. And ask about changing basal insulin from Lantus, to Levemir [which many people need to take twice a day to get good overall levels] or Humalin I [which nearly always needs to be administered twice in 24 hours].

Having insulin not straight from fridge also helps a bit. Although you have to overcome the natural inclination not to stick a needle into yourself, once you can do it yourself properly, it gets easier and you won't want anyone else involved, as it's less painful and quicker. You won't want your Mum with you to celebrate end of finals with a night [or two] out, will you?

I hope it will reassure you to tell you what happened to me: I developed type 1 diabetes aged 30 years, which made my BSc Marine Biology vitually useless, so within a year I started a 1 year MSc [fortunately got research council grant], which involved studying in London and researching in Northern Ireland. I managed to fit in leading an expedition to Costa Rica the summer before studying, working at an international student hostel in Birmingham during Christmas vacation and a cheap last minute holiday to Dominican Republic at Easter, travelling solo after 1 night in an all inclusive resort.

 

[trophywench]

Hi Ayesha.

You can try the ice cube trick by all means - however I always found if my skin was wet - that's exactly when jabs hurt me. Otherwise the needles never hurt going in. Though Lantus did indeed sting inside my skin, when the plunger was depressed to actually get it into me. The fast-acting insulin never hurt at all.

Insulin jabs though - unlike any other jabs I have ever needed to have in my whole life - so that's quite a few by now! - should not hurt at all. So if they do, something isn't quite right. Maybe the needles are to long - or indeed, too short for you? Maybe your mum 'joggles' the needle when she's doing it - if you flinch, that can happen. Of course if you could get used to it yourself, and become comfy with it - you won't flinch or try to shrink away or be sweaty/clammy - and all this should combine to make it all easier for you.

Where do you jab? Do you rotate your jab sites? cos overused jab sites get hard and resistant to being punctured.

Do you use a refillable pen, with separate cartridges? If so - take the cartridge out, fit a needle to the empty pen - and practice!

 

[Ayesha]

hiya,

Thank you for all yur tips, i will try the ice cube technique tonight. I dont know how you can tag people on this forumn but Northerner, I do regularly check my pre meal and post meals and even when im on insulin my post reading are high sometimes going up to 9.0 or in its worse case has gone up to 14.0 so not sure if its working i may need to bring it up to my doctors attention. Also my HB1AC was 5.6% DCCT which i think is good right. and also its not a cramping pain in my leg moreso a throbbing muscle pain in theupper and mid legs..

Thank you all for your reassurance much appreciated =)

 

[stephknits]

Welcome to the forum. I think everyone is right. Once you can bare to do it, it will be much better doing it yourself. I find my basal (long acting insulin) can sometimes hurt and causes the site to swell up and be itchy and sore. This does not happen with my Bolus though. Best of luck with everything. Your Hba1c is very good 🙂