• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
  • We seem to be having technical difficulties with new user accounts. If you are trying to register please check your Spam or Junk folder for your confirmation email. If you still haven't received a confirmation email, please reach out to our support inbox: support.forum@diabetes.org.uk

The Newbies are Everywhere!

Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.

PaulFromAspull

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi all.

I'm Paul, 40, from Sunny Wigan by the Sea. I've been diabetic since I was 28, diagnosed in '06 two weeks before my 29th birthday. I'm a type 2, and until very recently been managing with diet and oral medication. I was recently shifted to insulin after my (virtually useless) local GP decided he couldn't really address my out of control diabetes any more and said I needed the diabetic clinic. Now I have a wonderful relationship with a fantastic diabetic nurse and am working to bring my blood sugars down. I'm not there yet, but I'm getting there. I take three varying shots of Novorapid during the day before meals, and Abaglasar overnight.

Despite having been diabetic for so long, this whole thing with insulin and frequent testing is very new to me, and I'm so glad I found this place. I was actually looking online for info on how to dispose of the FlexPens and I stumbled across this forum. I'm so happy I did.

Ok I'll shut up (for now anyway!)
 
Hi Paul welcome from another T2 on insulin. I've only been on insulin since January last year.
Though I know T2 can strike at any age, you imo were quite young, I'm wondering if you are actually not T2 but one of the other known types and your gp has been trying to bang a square peg (you :D) into a round hole.
How did you come to be diagnosed ? This May give us a clue.

I'm not sure about pens for your Abaglasar (basal) but for the Novorapid they can prescribe re usable pens which you fit insulin cartridges into , this cuts down on an awful lot of waste as it's just the needles and cartridges you have to dispose of . If you decide to opt for re usable pens I suggest you opt for ones that can give half unit doses, not just full units.

Feel free to ask questions we'll do our best to help
 
Hi Lin. For right now, I'm just using the pens initially prescribed to me by the diabetic nurse, which are intact disposable pens, though I agree the idea of cartridges does make sense. That said, I'm pretty sure the intact pens have been put on my repeat prescription, so, I'm guessing I'm staying that way for a while! But I might just ask my nurse when I go back to see her about disposables.

As for my diagnosis, well, THAT's a story in and of itself! I'll tell you if you like, but I tend to have a flair for the dramatic and it's likely to get long winded. I'm not saying anyone else's was, but my diagnosis was far from conventional. But, you may be right about the square peg/round hole thing.
 
Mining country, Aspull, back in the day. Are you the only diabetic in the village, Paul?:D
 
LOL No Mike I doubt it.

And there haven't been any mines around here for a long time! There isn't really much of anything left, I actually live opposite the only pub left here now - years ago you practically couldn't move for them.

So how does a Scotsman know of Aspull's history with coal?
 
Cos I was born in Lancashire in a village further North with a derelict coal mine. I know most of Lancashire. I know you're in Greater Manchester now, but that's a politicians invention. Gods own county.🙂
 
Hello to the Pie Eater.
 
Hi Bill 🙂

To Mike - Greater Manchester, you say...? Nah, doesn't ring a bell...:D Seriously, even though the "county" of Greater Manchester was created before my time and thus technically in my lifetime Wigan has always been part of it, I was always brought up to believe I was from Aspull, Wigan, Lancs.
 
Hi Bill 🙂

To Mike - Greater Manchester, you say...? Nah, doesn't ring a bell...:D Seriously, even though the "county" of Greater Manchester was created before my time and thus technically in my lifetime Wigan has always been part of it, I was always brought up to believe I was from Aspull, Wigan, Lancs.

You'll be elated to hear I'm from Warrington (living in Sheffield).
 
Hi Paul a warm welcome
Ohhh a diabetic nurse you have a wonderful relationship with can a few of us borrow her . Lol
 
Hi Paul a warm welcome
Ohhh a diabetic nurse you have a wonderful relationship with can a few of us borrow her . Lol

Yeah, I must admit I've seen a few horror stories here. If it's any consolation the rest of the local medical staff are tat. :D
 
Greetings from t'other side of the pennines.
 
Hello from slightly further south in Cheshire🙂
I was on the pre-filled pens before I moved onto the cartridges and once empty my DSN said they could go in the normal household waste bin.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum Paul, isn't Wigan the place with the pier? 🙂
 
Hello and welcome to the forum Paul, isn't Wigan the place with the pier? 🙂
Well I wouldn't call it names any more, but yeah, kind of lol:D
 
Welcome Paul from Wigan-on-Sea :D. Well done for keeping insulin at bay for so long. Please ask & well will help if we can. From a T1 for 51yrs & from the age of 3. 🙂
 
Thank you so much for all the welcomes guys.🙂
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Back
Top