New to forum

[Quizzical]

Hi. I’m a 76 year old woman with steroid induced type 2. Waiting since last November to start insulin therapy. Presently managing with diet only. My surgery under intense pressure as they’ve been hijacked by the booster campaign.

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi @Quizzical and welcome to the forum.
If you have reduced the amount of carbohydrates you eat (Low Carb is below 130gms per day), then unless your HbA1C reading was very high and your Blood Glucose numbers are still too high, the need for inulin should have already passed. Because it takes only 3 or 4 weeks to get the Blood Glucose under control and only takes 3 to 4 months of Low Carb (even without any diabetes medication) to get an HbA1C in the pre-diabetic or only just diabetic range.

 

[Inka]

Welcome @Quizzical 🙂

 

[Lucyr]

Hi @Quizzical and welcome to the forum.
If you have reduced the amount of carbohydrates you eat (Low Carb is below 130gms per day), then unless your HbA1C reading was very high and your Blood Glucose numbers are still too high, the need for inulin should have already passed. Because it takes only 3 or 4 weeks to get the Blood Glucose under control and only takes 3 to 4 months of Low Carb (even without any diabetes medication) to get an HbA1C in the pre-diabetic or only just diabetic range.

It’s incredibly difficult to control blood sugars whilst on steroids though! Insulin is often used in that scenario.

 

[Flower]

Hello and welcome @Quizzical

This information from Diabetes UK is about steroid induced diabetes

Steroid-induced diabetes

Steroids can cause high blood glucose (sugar) levels. That’s why some people who take steroids go on to develop diabetes. This is known as steroid-induced diabetes, and is more common in people who are at higher risk of type 2 diabetes. What are steroids? Steroids are also known as...

www.diabetes.org.uk

Have you got a glucose meter to test your levels at home? If so what are your glucose readings like with diet control, are they staying relatively low or are you getting high glucose readings? If you're struggling -steroids do raise glucose a lot and make it harder to reduce levels - then I would ask for an appointment as soon as possible even with the vaccine and booster clinics.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Quizzical

Sorry to hear about your diabetes diagnosis, but glad you have found us.

Waiting since November to start insulin doesn’t sound good at all

 

[Quizzical]

Thanks to you all. Yes, I’m pretty fed up to be waiting for 10 weeks now! My GP wanted to give me a longer appointment to get me started on insulin, but was then kidnapped to do boosters. I am on long term steroids and have followed a low carb diet (with the very occasional “treat”) for several years, but the steroids have caught up with me. I measure my blood sugars before breakfast every day and they vary a lot but are not alarming; highest is 11.8. I now have diabetic retinopathy so am keen to get treatment. Gliclazides exacerbate my longstanding IBS, so insulin is the alternative (for steroid induced type 2) and my GP and I are happy with that. I’m going to give it another week and then will agitate for an appointment.

 

[CharliePBC]

Hi Quizzical, steroids brought me to this forum, no one was following or testing my blood sugars, on Steroids for 20 months, then out of the blue I lost sight in left eye and right eye very poor vision ... how does retinopathy affect you? ( what is retinopathy exactly? )

 

[Quizzical]

Sorry for the delay in replying. So far as I understand, diabetic retinopathy is where high blood sugar and high blood pressure damages the blood vessels in the retina. There are several stages to the disease and I have the earliest which is background retinopathy. It sounds as if your disease has unfortunately progressed much further. I hope that you are now receiving proper care.

 

[Quizzical]

Finally spoke GP. Delay was an administrative failure! Hope to start Lantus next week.