Jane new to a this site

[JaneOtto]

I am new to this site and have never used a forum before! I am a type 2 diabetic who is facing the possibility of using insulin after many years on tablets I am scared and would appreciate any advice or tips on how to manage insulin. Thank you

 

[Bruce Stephens]

I am a type 2 diabetic who is facing the possibility of using insulin after many years on tablets I am scared and would appreciate any advice or tips on how to manage insulin.

Try not to worry too much about it - lots of people with Type 2 use insulin successfully. Make sure they teach you enough that you're comfortable you know how to use whatever you're given.

 

[JaneOtto]

Thank you for your support.

 

[RichardM75]

It’s really not a problem. I was Type 2 for 12 years on Metformin and have recently been rediagnosed as Type 3c, because of Pancreatitis and a Pancreas that has stopped producing insulin, well anything for that matter. So I now have to inject 4 times a day. I was a little concerned when I was told, but when shown how, when and where to inject, I have found it is now just something else I do of a day. It took a little while to get the dosages right, but you gain in confidence after a couple of weeks once you realise that you’re in charge of balancing food intake and insulin dosage. After a couple of months I am now back to the blood glucose levels I was experiencing when just on medication.
So, fear not. It’s not nearly as bad as you think.

 

[JaneOtto]

Thank you so much for replying. Do you have to work out what you eat by calorie intake and then sort out your insulin dosage.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thank you so much for replying. Do you have to work out what you eat by calorie intake and then sort out your insulin dosage.

It would be carbohydrate intake not calories.
That is something you should be doing at the moment in order to try to get your blood glucose levels down even with the medication you are already taking, which I assume you are and it is not working for you.
If you are able to give a bit more information about your situation and why you have been told you may need insulin.
There may be other things you can do to help before insulin is needed

 

[rebrascora]

Thank you so much for replying. Do you have to work out what you eat by calorie intake and then sort out your insulin dosage.

Like @Leadinglights I too wonder if perhaps you have not been given appropriate dietary advice to help you manage your diabetes since you don't seem aware that carbs are the issue rather than calories. I wonder if having an overhaul of your diet might mean that you don't even need to go on to insulin.
Having the correct guidance on diet is one of the key features of managing Type 2 diabetes and sadly the NHS (and Diabetes UK to a certain extent) are rather behind the curve in this respect.

Would you like to tell us the sort of foods and drinks you typically have for breakfast lunch and evening meal and any snacks to see if there is enough room for adjustment to make dietary changes worth a try.

Unfortunately many people assume that diabetes is all about sugar because medical professionals talk about blood sugar, but what many people don't understand is that the body breaks down all carbohydrates into glucose which is the simplest form of sugar and this gets absorbed into the blood stream, where as diabetics we have difficulty processing it. So things like bread and rice and potatoes and pasta and even the supposedly "healthy" stuff like fruit and porridge will raise our BG levels, so reducing the portion size or avoiding some of these foods can make an enormous difference to your diabetes management and your general sense of wellbeing as well as contributing to weight loss, often without even thinking about the aspect. If it helps to quantify it, a slice of wholemeal medium sliced bread is about 15g carbs. A teaspoon of sugar is 5g carbs, so if you have a typical sandwich of 2 slices of bread with a filling you are looking at the equivalent of 6 teaspoons of sugar as far as your body's digestive system is concerned. Even just halving that and having one slice instead of your usual two, can make a huge difference to your BG levels. Alternatively you can seek out speciality lower carb breads like LivLife. Choosing lower carb fruits like a few berries over high carb foods like banana. Full fat natural Greek yoghurt with berries and seeds and perhaps some chopped nuts for breakfast or even bacon and eggs or an omelette instead of cereal/porridge or toast can make a big difference to your BG levels over the whole day not just at breakfast time.
Of course you may be aware of this and this lower carb way of eating is just not working for you but majority of people here on the forum who are successful at managing their type 2 diabetes follow this approach and feel so much better for it as well as having better Blood Glucose control.

Just some things to think about before you start on insulin if you haven't considered it already.

I used to absolutely love bread and tatties as well as being a sugar addict pre diagnosis. It took a bit of getting used to having a diet without them but I wouldn't go back to my old diet now even though I could. I have control of my weight and my eating in a way that I never had before and I enjoy my food. I feel fitter and healthier than I have for years and at 58yrs old I can get into a fitted cocktail dress I bought in my 20s (OK, my sister actually bought it as it is a gorgeous hand me down that my sister now wants back 🙄 ) and still look good in it. There have been a lot of positives to come from changing my diet to a low carb higher fat way of eating and I definitely feel that I will be happy to continue eating this way for the rest of my life. It was difficult at first but once you figure out what to buy and how to cook it and try new veggies and different ways of cooking them and introducing butter and cream and full fat yoghurt and cheese back onto the menu along with the carb reduction, you find that you are no longer hungry and craving the naughty stuff and your tastes change.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @JaneOtto

How long have you been living with diabetes? And how have things been going? Can you remember the results of your most recent HbA1c?

I think it is really unfortunate that insulin is sometimes portrayed as some kind of ‘last resort’ or threat by Drs and nurses for some of our members with T2. You don’t get any of that nonsense with T1 - it is just offered as a medication that you need for your body to deal with metabolising carbohydrates effectively.

It probably feels much scarier and like a much bigger deal now than it will be in reality.

We have lots of members with various different types of diabetes who have been successfully using insulin for years who can share their experiences and the things they have learned along the way.

Try not to worry - it will be fine 🙂

 

[JaneOtto]

Thank you so much for all your advice I'm sorry I meant to say carbs not calories in my first post. I obviously need to eat a much lower carbohydrate diet than I have been and the suggestion of Greek yoghurt is a good one so thank you for that. I am not a great fan of eggs at all which is a great scheme as they seem to be in most diet plans!
I know it depends on every individual but the guidance on how many carbs a day seems to vary. Can anyone please give me a rough idea of how many carbs a day is good.
My diabetic count was 83 feb 2022 71 2021

 

[Leadinglights]

Thank you so much for all your advice I'm sorry I meant to say carbs not calories in my first post. I obviously need to eat a much lower carbohydrate diet than I have been and the suggestion of Greek yoghurt is a good one so thank you for that. I am not a great fan of eggs at all which is a great scheme as they seem to be in most diet plans!
I know it depends on every individual but the guidance on how many carbs a day seems to vary. Can anyone please give me a rough idea of how many carbs a day is good.
My diabetic count was 83 feb 2022 71 2021

People following a low carb approach it is less than 130g per day TOTAL carbohydrate (not just sugar) but many people find they need to go lower than than settling on somewhere between 50g and 100g but they determine what they as in individual can tolerate by using their home blood glucose monitor to test various meals. Eggs do feature in many low carb meals as they are pretty well zero carb with good protein. Omelettes with plenty of flavourful ingredients are a favourite of many folk.
See how you get on with this link to find a way forward on modifying your diet as it is based on normal food.

Freshwell Low Carb Project - Home

lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk

 

[Drummer]

Thank you so much for all your advice I'm sorry I meant to say carbs not calories in my first post. I obviously need to eat a much lower carbohydrate diet than I have been and the suggestion of Greek yoghurt is a good one so thank you for that. I am not a great fan of eggs at all which is a great scheme as they seem to be in most diet plans!
I know it depends on every individual but the guidance on how many carbs a day seems to vary. Can anyone please give me a rough idea of how many carbs a day is good.
My diabetic count was 83 feb 2022 71 2021

The amount of carbs to aim for is the amount you can cope with and have normal numbers.
I avoid high carb foods - because it is then possible to eat a wide range of low carb foods and still see normal numbers.
For me that is no ore than 40gm of carbs a day, but others can eat more.
I avoid peas and beans as they seem to supply more carbs than the value listed - others report the same thing, but some have no problem with them. We are all different, so using a meter to see what is best for us is a good way go sort out what to eat.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

There are some ideas in this low carb meal plan which you might find helpful @JaneOtto

Low-carb diet and meal plan

Eating a low-carb diet means cutting down on the amount of carbohydrates (carbs) you eat to less than 130g a day. But low-carb eating shouldn’t be no-carb eating. Some carbohydrate foods contain essential vitamins, minerals and fibre, which form an important part of a healthy diet.

www.diabetes.org.uk

And lots of other ideas in the rest of the ‘enjoy food’ section too. Low carb works for many members here, but there are other options which might work for you too 🙂

In the end the right way of eating for you will be one that suits your tastebuds, your waistline, your pocket, and your blood glucose levels, while giving your body the nutrients, vitamins and minerals it needs. A way of eating that you can maintain long-term, and which is flexible enough to adapt to things like holidays and celebrations 🙂