So Which Is it, With Type 2 Diabetes? Do You Make Too Much Insulin or Not Enough?

[Northerner]

When you have Type 2 diabetes and you have been told that you have it because your pancreas either fails to make enough insulin or that the insulin that it makes is not able to be used properly (that's a mouthful), have you ever thought to yourself, "Huh?"

Has this information been filed away in the part of your brain labeled, "Information I don't understand and sounds too confusing to learn," just waiting to be purged when possible? Whenever I hear a patient being told this I often wonder if they're going to ask, "Well, which is it, do I make too much insulin or not enough, and why does this happen?" I think if I had diabetes I would want to know. Let me see if I can explain it here.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/milt-bedingfield/type-2-diabetes_b_1684246.html

Once blood sugar levels are back to normal the beta cells stop making insulin (except for little drips of insulin that constantly leak from the liver into the blood throughout the day) until sugar enters the blood stream again, perhaps after the next meal.

Eh? 🙄

 

[trophywench]

AHA - so my total lack of insulin from my failed pancreas is OK and I only need bolus insulin then, because the stuff leaking from my liver will take care of the rest - basal needs .....

NOT.

Edit - I know he said T2 and I'm T1 but it implies that there is still insulin production for a T2 even when the beta cells have popped their clogs.

And - he doesn't mention Phase 1 and Phase 2 insulin as a response to food.

Plus he talks (only) about eating sugar .......

 

[Northerner]

AHA - so my total lack of insulin from my failed pancreas is OK and I only need bolus insulin then, because the stuff leaking from my liver will take care of the rest - basal needs .....

NOT.

Must be what's happened to me 😉 There was no place for a comment or I'd have put them straight 🙂