Day Three on Insulin-not going so well
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| Thu, 03-04-2004 - 10:58pm |
I thought I would report in on my adventure with insulin. First off please excuse my typing if it is worse than usual. In a minute you will understand why.
I got the insulin and the syringes on Monday and I was instructed to give myself 10 units sometime between 9 and 10 PM. Drew up the insulin and looked at the syringe for a long time. Hubby asked if I wanted him to give it to me but I refused. Finally gave myself the injection. The little short needle was certainly much nicer than what we used to use. The Lantus stung a little but really wasn't too bad. Blood sugar was 120 so I didn't have a snack.
Day one got up with a fierce headache which didn't stop until I ate a larger than usual lunch. Blood sugar was 122 when I got up. It was 104 when I got home so postponed going to exercises until after dinner. Shot didn't hurt at all tonight.
Day two: Blood sugar was 115. Felt much better. Had my usual breakfast of cereal and skim milk and a tbsp of peanut butter. Went to exercises on the way home. When I got home my BS was 79. Ate my dinner with a small potato. BS at bedtime was 102 so I had a snack-1 1/2 bread exchanges and 1/2 fat. Once again the insulin stung but it really wasn't too bad.
Day three: BS was 94 this morning. Had my usual breakfast. Had 1/2 turkey sandwich and a green salad from my favorite restaurant for lucnh. Didn't really feel very good and finally at 3:30 felt like I had to go home but I was waiting for someone to come for some information. Didn't want to eat my glucerna bar because I needed to check my BS and I didn't have my meter with me. Drove home cautiously. BS was 65. Had peanut butter and crackers and some mineral water to drink. Called the CDE and starting tomorrow I am to only 1/2 of my Amaryl. I may be responding too well to the Lantus and allowing the Amaryl to work better. There is also a chance that I will need to be dropped from the study because of the hypoglycemia. So at this point I am still feeling the effects of the hypoglycemia.
Tomorrow I go to class and I need to deal with all of this plus a full day of lectures. I probably should stay home but I am really looking forward to the class. I will take my meter with me to make sure I am okay to drive 1 1/2 hours through commute traffic home. I may go and see my sister and drive home after dinner.
Nothing is ever easy for diabetic is it!
Mary Frances
cl-maryfrances40

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Wow Mary Frances, talk about living my life with insulin. I have to say that you suffer what I have so many times, which as you have found out is absolutely no fun at all. I am glad that the shots have stopped stinging, which eventually they do once you get use to it and build up a pain tolerance level. I have to say that I am shocked that you did not have your meter with you even if you were only going to be gone for a short while, because as you have found out that those of us on insulin must have our meter with us all the time with never knowing exactly what is wrong since so many of the hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic reactions can come across as the same, which leads to not knowing what one might be having.
Now as for your driving in which you should always test before getting into the car each and every time so that you know if you are ok to drive and if not treat what ever might be the problem. Also take an extra snack that is not perishable, because you never know when you might be in need of it and on occasions even if you eat the insulin can continue to drop your blood sugar making it so very important to have the added snack with you. I really hope that you don't have any problems with your class tomorrow, because we all sure love hearing about what you have learned. Also do know that after a while your body gets use to insulin and will build up a small amount of resistance or at least I have found that to be true, but also that some people react stronger to some insulins so you have to find the one that is just right for you. Now take care and have a very safe day at your class, but also on your way home.
Denise ^..^
Mom to
Please take your meter with you at all times for safety. You sound like you have a handle on adjusting snacks, etc.
(((hugs)))
Kathi
Mary Frances, I hope you're feeling better today.
I am relatively worried, though.
Blueliner4
(aka The Pixie Princess)
Michelle S.
http://adam-michelle-small.home.comcast.net/
Smoochdog (aka Michelle)
I would be surprised if they dropped you from the Trials since your A1c's have been higher and you've had Diabetes for 15 years. I thought they would just lower the amount of Lantus or give 2 lower doses at different times of the day. Were they planning on taking you off the pills eventually?
Oh you're using the "baby" needles. LOL. Just kidding. I only use those for 8 units at a time or less. I find sometimes, with those, the Insulin just leaves a bump under the skin, if I put my morning dose of Lente(which is 15 units), and sometimes it will burn if it's all in a small area. I use the regular needles for above 8 units so it has a larger area to dissipate. And I beg my Hubby, when he injects the insulin in my backside(Butt)(I can't reach there because of my RA), please don't put the Insulin in fast because it hurts. Do ya think he remembers after 100 years? "No"! Puts it in quick, he figures it hurts less when he puts it in fast. Not! It Burns!!! You'd think he was in the Military or something. Putting the needle in quick is fine(As long as you don't hit a vein). But not the insulin!!!!!
Anyways Mary Frances, I hope, and pray you achieve the best results that you want and that you can get out of these Trials. Many Warm Wishes ***Carlie*** :)
P.S. No Sorry, nothing is ever easy with Diabetes, just a constant Hurdle Healthy people don't understand!! But Keep your chin up, there are alot worse Diseases like Cancer,
Cystic Fibrosis, Leugarax Disease(don't know how to spell it), M.S., M.D. Hey, you know, way too many to mention!!!!!!!!
Marsha,
The reason my endo decided I needed to go on insulin is because my A1C kept getting worse all last year. I continued to loose weight and started exercising and increased the meds to the maximum dose and nothing changed. I really was trying hard and even managed to lose 6.5 pounds over the holidays. So there really aren't any treatment options left but to go on insulin. Because of my previous abnormal liver enzymes I refused to go on Actos or Avandia.
Today I got up higher than desired but I didn't lunch on time and so I experienced another low today. But I was home and so I just ate my lunch and then I was higher than normal for dinner! So that just means that we are going to need to fiddle with my oral meds. I am sure that they aren't going to increase the insulin.
Yesterday at lunch (While at my diabetes conference) I had a low of 63. Of course you don't want that to happen there! On top of that one of the speakers, who is a professor at UC Davis came and sat beside me. Of course he had to discuss my readings with me! He thinks that they need to take me out of the study, lower the Lantus doseage and start me on Lispro before every meal. I think the reason that I got the low yesterday was that I ate my normal breakfast an hour earlier and it didn't last long enough for me to make it to lunch. I really am not aware of my blood sugar dropping until it has dropped otherwise I could have eaten the snack that I had with me. It just seemed like it dropped really fast. Then of course I feel like you know what for the next several hours.
Thanks for your concern and I will chat with you again soon,
Mary Frances
cl-maryfrances40
Michele,
You are absolute right! :-)
Denise,
I had forgotten that the recommendation is that when your blood sugar is unstable that you test before operating machinery and that includes a car. Thanks for reminding me.
I wasn't carrying my meter with me because I have a small purse because of the disk being removed from my neck. I can't take the additional weight on my neck. Yesterday I carried a cloth bag as well as my purse so I could carry my meter and my husband's cell phone. I aways have a glucerna bar in my purse, unless I have just eaten it.
My doc told me the other day that he recommends the glucose tabs for treating hypo episode because they taste so bad you usally don't over treat the episode! I haven't tasted them yet so I don't know if this correct. But I do know that when I have been treating these with food I tend to eat too much.
Just something more to learn about this disease!
Did you do the weekly report yesterday?
Mary Frances
cl-maryfrances40
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