hi I am a newly diagnosed type 2 but after 2 weeks of metfomin (horrendous stomach) and a week 1/2 gliclozide I am due to start insulin this fri as they believe I am acctually type 1 Worried tried groggy Mum of 4year old!! And don't get me started in the suger cravings!!
Hi Rebecca, welcome to the forum
🙂 Very sorry to hear about your diagnosis
At least they appear to be on the ball and have quickly realised you may be on the wrong treatment - some people can go back and forth for months trying to convince their nurse or doctor. How did your original diagnosis come about?
Insulin is nowhere near as scary as you might be imagining, so try not to get too wound up about the prospect. In comparison to the oral medications, like the gliclizide and metformin you have been on, it is much more controllable, far less hassle and it will make you feel a million percent better almost straight away - it's true! I was in a desperate state when I was diagnosed, but as soon as I was given insulin I felt full of energy and soooo much brighter and better. The thing is that we all need insulin in order to get energy from the food we eat - if you are not producing enough of it, then you don't get the energy, the glucose stays in your blood and climbs high, your body tries to get rid of it by making you thirsty and peeing all the time, it makes you incredibly lethargic due to lack of energy - and it also makes you incredibly hungry, with sugar cravings
😱 The reason for the sugar cravings is that your brain only detects that you are not getting energy into your body's cells, so it sends out distress signals to make you want to eat EVERYTHING
😱
Once you are getting the insulin you need, your body and your brain can relax and you will start to feel so much better - it's often at this point that people realise just how poorly they have been feeling, the contrast is so great. So, whilst I know you would really not be in this situation, you should look forward to the benefits it will bring you
🙂
Most people feat the actual injections, but here again there is some good news (believe it!). The needles are tiny and very fine, and the injections are made into fatty areas (tummy, thighs, bottom) - you will hardly feel a single one. It is nothing at all like the injections you get for things like flu or vaccinations, or when they take blood samples.
Hopefully, they will put you on an insulin regime called 'MDI (Multiple Daily Injections) - also known as 'basal/bolus'. On this regime you inject a slow-acting type of insulin once or twice a day, and in addition you inject a fast-acting insulin when you eat. This allows you great flexibility over when and what you eat, and you can miss meals if you wish, no problem. Another insulin regime requires fewer injections, and it is a 'mixed' type of insulin which mixes slow and fast-acting insulin together. If they mention this to you I would highly recommend asking for the MDI instead. Mixed insulins do work well for some people, but they are very inflexible. You inject maybe twice a day, but then you HAVE to eat at certain times, according to when the insulin 'peaks', and you HAVE to eat a certain amount, whether you want it or not. With a young child and a busy life I imagine you would find this restrictive - hopefully it will not even be mentioned
🙂
Do get a copy of the book
Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas, it is an absolutely essential reference that covers all aspects of living with Type 1. The book is suitable for any age (I was 49 at diagnosis!), so don't be put off by the title
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Please let us know how you get on, or if you have any questions - there's loads of experience here and no question is considered 'silly', so if it is confusing or bothering you - ask!
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