Anyone using insulin for diabetes?

[N2DFire]

That wasn't a gift,that was issued to a lot of use.

My Father got that same "care package" when he was in country.

God bless you both, thank you for your service, and welcome home.

 

[Herness]

My wife is on victoza at the moment , just diagnosed with the type 2.
Anyone else takes this med?

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I feel very fortunate after reading what you guys go through. I was diagnosed diabetic 3 years ago, and my PCP told me to lose weight and put me on metformin. I peeled off 50 lbs. and quit eating anything sweet. For bread I use the Sara Lee 45 calorie/slice bread. Mostly I eat a lot of meat, nuts, beans, and vegetables. The last blood test my A1C was back down to 5.6. I'm still physically active and in pretty good shape for 75, but now they tell me I need a new aortic valve. Time for a trip to the parts store.

 

[scootr]

Sounds like you are doing real good on the blood sugar which means the rest of you should be healthy enough the surgery.
Prayers and GL

 

[check]

Gee, guys, what stories! And I can only imagine the cost. Here in Canada we keep hearing how much more drugs are in the US than in Canada, so how much does it cost you?

By the way, you may or may not know that insulin was discovered at the University of Toronto by Canadians Banting and Best, way back in 1921, and they received US patents for it in 1923. (60 years later, they still call it the Banting and best institute, and in fact my wife worked at it when she was a student!) And guess what those guys did with the patents back in 1923? They sold the patents to the University of Toronto for ONE dollar. And Banting said at the time, “Insulin does not belong to me, it belongs to the world.” His explanation for the cheap price was that he wanted everyone who needed medication to be able to afford it.

Well, that didn’t happen, although as you know we in Canada get our medications for pretty cheap.

 

[Spike56]

I got the 70 number from internet info and it may or may not be right. I can say that when my number hit 87 one day, I started shaking and was extremely weak which is why I tested before eating. A while after eating 2 ham sandwiches, I returned to normal. That night it was 120. My morning readings don't seem to correspond to any activity or eating event. I can eat a salad only at night and next morning have a 170 reading or a couple of times I ate 2 hamburgers and had a morning reading of 120. Vigorous activity does have an effect for sure AND small amounts of sugar like a couple scoops of ice cream seems to make the reading lower also which is contrary to most medical advice.

Gary,
I am type (2) at the moment but will be on insulin soon. I can say, at least my experience and discussing with my Endocrinologist. If your sugar level has been "high" for a long time, there is an adjustment period. Your body thinks High is normal, so when it comes down it starts to feel like a "low" sugar level. Although 87 is getting down there, but 70 is the "do something level". Also, as you probably know, you can drop "real fast" if your pancreas decides to add some insulin. So, the 87 could have been much higher just prior.
I take (5) oral meds and that isnt enough. Soon, the injections start. Was hoping they'd develop a pill... dont like the needles.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Gee, guys, what stories! And I can only imagine the cost. Here in Canada we keep hearing how much more drugs are in the US than in Canada, so how much does it cost you?

By the way, you may or may not know that insulin was discovered at the University of Toronto by Canadians Banting and Best, way back in 1921, and they received US patents for it in 1923. (60 years later, they still call it the Banting and best institute, and in fact my wife worked at it when she was a student!) And guess what those guys did with the patents back in 1923? They sold the patents to the University of Toronto for ONE dollar. And Banting said at the time, “Insulin does not belong to me, it belongs to the world.” His explanation for the cheap price was that he wanted everyone who needed medication to be able to afford it.

Well, that didn’t happen, although as you know we encounter to get her medication’s for pretty cheap.

Congress just passed an insulin price cap for medicare/medicaid patients at $35/mo. The original bill extended that to everyone, but Republicans blocked it. Some people pay as much as $700/month for their insulin. Insulin GoFundMe is not uncommon. Sometimes they die because they can't afford it.

The development of GMO human insulin was also funded by the government. That doesn't keep big pharma from gouging people. Survival in the US depends on navigating your own health care funding.

 

[plowhog]

Only thing effective is the surgery for weight loss that removes 10 inches of intestine. When you come out of hospital your sugar is normal. Drastic but wish I had done it 10 years ago.

An interesting study was recently done to analyze A1C levels in patients who receive lap band surgery.

A surprising result was blood sugar levels dropped almost immediately after surgery. Even though the patients were still carrying almost 100% of the excess weight they had developed. (It takes time after surgery for that weight to slowly come off.)

So why an immediate reduction instead of a slow reduction over time? The theory is that the reduction in calories processed is/was responsible for the decline.

If true, the result is that cutting down on how many calories you consume is the reason why blood sugars go down. And a secondary result is weight loss. Not the other way around.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I just went on a diabetic diet, and stopped eating four hours before bedtime. No more bedtime snacks. I'm actually down 60 lbs. from my heaviest, and am still losing weight slowly. I'm good at self-preservation. I came down with viral pneumonia in 1991 and had such severe lung damage that I couldn't walk 100 yards. It was either quit smoking or quit breathing, so I quit smoking. It was the same way with diabetes. I have seen friends get body parts amputated, lose their sight, and die because of it. When my doc said, "lose weight," I figured it out. I refuse to die blind and crippled because I couldn't pass up a maple bar.

 

[ArlyA]

California was going to build there own plant to produce humulin insulin. Ya, the pharmaceutical industry does make some $$$ off it.