Posting on behalf of my Mum

[kerrytookthephotos]

Hi there,
I’m Kerry. My Mum lives with me, she’s 72 and has type 2 diabetes.
We have struggled with this as my eldest brother passed away aged 33, he was type 1.
Mum has been prescribed insulin now after being diagnosed for 2 years now. So it’s progressively worsening.
Mum is anxious about starting the dose.
We need support.
Ideally a daily routine that would help her to manage.
Mum is taking medication. She started with metformin but it made her ill. So she’s taking something else now forgive me she’s asleep at the moment so I can’t ask but wanted to do this post whilst I have time.
We wish we had Richard here to talk Mum through it, but we don’t and that’s deeply upsetting.
If anyone can help support us we would be grateful.
Thank you.

 

[Docb]

Hi @kerrytookthephotos and welcome to the forum. Confusing isn't it? A good way in which we can support you is for you to ask questions about anything you do not understand. Somebody will be along to offer constructive ideas in no time at all. One of the principles of this forum is that no question is considered trivial. That's because we have all been there and know exactly what it is like.

Are you your mums carer, that is, is she living with you because she could not cope on her own? I ask this because you might approach things differently if you have to do the "organisation" of insulin treatment rather than your mother doing it herself.

 

[Leadinglights]

Welcome
It might help if you could say why the decision has been to start insulin now.
This could be for a number of reasons, existing medication is not working, there are several that are normally tried before going down the insulin route, she is not having a suitable diet for somebody with Type 2.
Remember that Type 2 is a very different condition to Type 1, and treatment will be approached in a different way.
Do you know what her HbA1C is as if it is high despite diet and meds then that could be why insulin is now suggested but does that replace her other meds. She will also need guidance on her diet depending on the specific insulin regime she has been prescribed. So that would be helpful to know.
I assume she has been prescribed a blood glucose monitor and test strips as it will be essential that she has a means of testing her blood glucose.
Have a look around the site especially the learning zone as that will explain quite a bit.
If you would like to post the sort of meals she has, that may explain why the meds are not working if she is having more carbohydrates than the body can cope with even with the meds.

 

[Thebearcametoo]

Starting insulin can be a worrying time but they will start her on a low dose and then monitor. She’ll have been asked to take blood glucose readings - probably before breakfast and then 2 hours after. They’ll keep her on a low dose for a week or two to see what the impact is and then using the information from the glucose readings will decide if it needs to be increased or not.

 

[Inka]

Welcome @kerrytookthephotos Is it the emotional aspect of insulin that your mum/you are struggling with or is it the practicalities?

What the full name of the insulin she’s been prescribed? How often is she supposed to take it? My advice would be that she tests lots to see the effect it’s having, and, importantly that she makes sure she has hypo treatments in the house and with her when she’s out. It’s difficult to suggest more without knowing which insulin(s) she’s been prescribed.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @kerrytookthephotos

Sorry to hear how your mum’s need for insulin is rekindling your grief for the loss of Richard. That much be especially difficult for you both.

Hopefully her Dr and nurse will be suggesting starting on a low dose to reduce the risk of sudden changes to her blood glucose levels which can be unpleasant, and particularly worrying if it brings a risk of hypoglycaemia.

Do lean on your Dr and nurse for support and help, and keep asking away on the forum too. Lots of varied experiences and lengths of insulin use on the forum whose brains you can pick.