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20 Posts
I just started using this forum today, and I have to say I already feel better just having a place to chat and/or vent with other people that share the same day to day challenges that I do. So here is my first "real" post.
When I was first diagnosed 3 years ago, I was sideswiped by the entire ordeal. I was a healthly young 22 year old one day, and the next I was summoned to a life of needles, insulins and constant doctors visits and followups. At first everything seemed to be new, so I just simply went with the flow. Following my doctors orders, taking the exact amount of insulin my doctor prescribed, amoung many other self impossed restrictions that I set.. Over the next few months my insulin needs started to drop dramatically. I knew this to be true as I was fighting close to 6 lows a day(Everytime I ate something). I was diagnosed in march, and by July I was no longer taking any insulin on a day to day, and my blood sugars were always within 5mmol-10mmol/L. I had a team of doctors work with me directly to try to diagnose what the problem was, but as usual, they simply said it was a "honeymoon phase" and it would be over soon enough. Well 7 months passed and still no insulin, and still good blood sugars. So this is where the story gets good... After this honeymoon phase, my blood sugars started trending high in the evening, then returning to normal when I woke up. After consulting with one of my doctors, he informed me that I now need insulin again, but try taking a very small dose first, and see how your body reacts to the medication. Well I did just that, and for the next 3 months or so I had to play the same game. Every meal I ate, it seemed like i was eating to correct almost right up to the point of my next meal. It just seemed like I couldnt catch a break. It was to the point that I was checking my BG over 15 times a day to ensure I didnt wake up in the e.r or even worse, not wake up at all. Over the next year and a half my blood sugars started to trend higher and higher, and now im standing in the position I am in now. Because I struggled with insulin for so long, and had very bad and scary results, it seems like Im not giving myself enough insulin to cover my carbs over the duration of a day. And Ill admit it... IM SCARED OF INSULIN... And I dont know what to do... I fear if I start taking more, I will end up playing the low chasing game again, however; if i dont correct it now, I will continue to damage my mind and body.
I would appreciate anyones input in regards to this... I live in a very small town, with very limited resources at my disposal. Thank you for taking the time to listen to my story... i look forward to reading about some of your experiences with diabetes.
When I was first diagnosed 3 years ago, I was sideswiped by the entire ordeal. I was a healthly young 22 year old one day, and the next I was summoned to a life of needles, insulins and constant doctors visits and followups. At first everything seemed to be new, so I just simply went with the flow. Following my doctors orders, taking the exact amount of insulin my doctor prescribed, amoung many other self impossed restrictions that I set.. Over the next few months my insulin needs started to drop dramatically. I knew this to be true as I was fighting close to 6 lows a day(Everytime I ate something). I was diagnosed in march, and by July I was no longer taking any insulin on a day to day, and my blood sugars were always within 5mmol-10mmol/L. I had a team of doctors work with me directly to try to diagnose what the problem was, but as usual, they simply said it was a "honeymoon phase" and it would be over soon enough. Well 7 months passed and still no insulin, and still good blood sugars. So this is where the story gets good... After this honeymoon phase, my blood sugars started trending high in the evening, then returning to normal when I woke up. After consulting with one of my doctors, he informed me that I now need insulin again, but try taking a very small dose first, and see how your body reacts to the medication. Well I did just that, and for the next 3 months or so I had to play the same game. Every meal I ate, it seemed like i was eating to correct almost right up to the point of my next meal. It just seemed like I couldnt catch a break. It was to the point that I was checking my BG over 15 times a day to ensure I didnt wake up in the e.r or even worse, not wake up at all. Over the next year and a half my blood sugars started to trend higher and higher, and now im standing in the position I am in now. Because I struggled with insulin for so long, and had very bad and scary results, it seems like Im not giving myself enough insulin to cover my carbs over the duration of a day. And Ill admit it... IM SCARED OF INSULIN... And I dont know what to do... I fear if I start taking more, I will end up playing the low chasing game again, however; if i dont correct it now, I will continue to damage my mind and body.
I would appreciate anyones input in regards to this... I live in a very small town, with very limited resources at my disposal. Thank you for taking the time to listen to my story... i look forward to reading about some of your experiences with diabetes.
I'm in insulin too (as I've mentioned before). Since 24 Jan 2011 I've had 6 hypos in one week which is unusual for me. Mind you I've also been very groggy and I've had episodes of tremors which made me think I was having a hypo when my BGL was fine. I've been on reduced insulin intake for the past 3 days and I have to continue with lower dosage today on my docs orders. My doc is basically just ruling out whether or not I have too much insulin in my system. But to be honest I've had fluctuating BGLs on the same amount of food and insulin units (refer my post yesterday in "what's for dinner"). I really can't figure out what the deal is myself. I may have some bug or something in my system perhaps?.... I have lots of symptoms but no answers. I'm off to get a blood test done shortly... so not sure if that will reveal anything. But I agree that insulin can be a bit scary. Also there is so many types of insulins with different profiles. It might be a good idea to discuss with your endo whether or not you need another basal insulin (if you're on that). I'm on Lantus... but unsure that is the best for me at this point, I'll discuss that with my endo as have appointment in less than 2 weeks from now with him. I've only been on insulin myself for a year now as they discovered from a C-peptide test that I no longer produce enough of my own insulin. So for me I wonder at times whether my pancreas produces more insulin sometimes than other times and that's why I get fluctuations. But I'm not a medical scientist and I really don't know the science behind it all. Also I don't know if you've heard this but apparently some people more sensitive to insulin than others... that could be what's going on with you. I'm sure other people here with Type 1 may have even better idea than me as I'm really still new to insulin like you. I hope you can get it all worked out though. But as I mentioned it could be a case of changing type of insulin you're using. Also seeing a dietitian may help you? 
