Hannahmom - yes, there is stigma with T2, though in my case, I know that I'd never feel like it was my "fault," since I tended to take fairly good care of myself. Though T2 is also a genetic disease. Mostly I am happy because for me it's some sort of direction for treatment - a definitive one. Though after speaking to my endo, he's decided that yes, I have scads of antibodies, and yes, I have diabetes, but that maybe I don't have T1. I think that it's time for him to give in and give up, or maybe it's time to change endos....
No, insurance didn't cover it. But I wanted it badly enough.
Maria - sorry if I did a bad thing with the cross reference!
Hope that the big folks who watch these things are not lurking 
Mandy -
Sorry to hear that you've had such a rough time. Looks like you have a lovely family, though.
I'd definitely recommend that he see an endocrinologist and get an A1c. That's kind of similar to the average blood sugar over the last 3 months, though not quite. It'll tell you where you're at now, anyway.
A working pancreas puts out a constant, low-level stream of insulin plus big surges of insulin after meals. 70/30 is a mix of long-acting and short-acting insulin, I believe. It's a very rough way to approach diabetes management, kind of like using a hammer for your needlework project. A very skilled person who's very exact about timing of food and amounts of food can make it work.
However, people who want a bit more flexibility in how much they eat and who want - say - a chisel approach to management of their diabetes are on multiple daily injections. This means that you take 1-2 shots of long-acting insulin every day, plus a shot of faster-acting insulin every time you eat a meal or a large snack. This offers more flexibility and usually results in better blood sugar control.
Finally, there's the insulin pump. That's what I use. It would be the needle for the needlework project. Very fine control, if you use it right and work at it. It's also fairly expensive, unless you have insurance. On an insulin pump, you only use fast-acting insulin. This means that if your body needs a lot less of the low-level insulin at certain times of day, like night time, then you can program your pump (kind of like a little computer) to give you this. Pumps are attached to your body at one site for a few days, then you rotate - no injections. Meals are similar to the paragraph above, with the added bonus that you can stretch your mealtime insulin over a longer period of time - you don't need to take it all at once. This is useful for things like pasta and pizza. You can also turn the insulin off or make it lower when you're exercising.
The flip side of the insulin is blood sugar testing. Testing often and correcting if you're off is the other key to good control. And getting to know how your body reacts to certain foods, exercise, etc is key.
Please encourage him to find an endocrinologist, test frequently, and investigate other types of treatment regimes, particularly multiple daily injections. I am sure that he will feel so much better when he has better control. I certainly do!
Ok, this is a bit of a book, and we need to put dd to bed now....
Tricia
No, insurance didn't cover it. But I wanted it badly enough.
Maria - sorry if I did a bad thing with the cross reference!
Hope that the big folks who watch these things are not lurking Quote:
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Originally Posted by zoe398
He had very poor care when diagnosed and hasn't really followed up. He's taking a 70/30 insulin 3x a day. He recently had walking pneumonia and the doc at the clinic was very adamant about DH seeing a specialist, that he needed to be on a different care plan. Any suggestions?
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Sorry to hear that you've had such a rough time. Looks like you have a lovely family, though.
I'd definitely recommend that he see an endocrinologist and get an A1c. That's kind of similar to the average blood sugar over the last 3 months, though not quite. It'll tell you where you're at now, anyway.
A working pancreas puts out a constant, low-level stream of insulin plus big surges of insulin after meals. 70/30 is a mix of long-acting and short-acting insulin, I believe. It's a very rough way to approach diabetes management, kind of like using a hammer for your needlework project. A very skilled person who's very exact about timing of food and amounts of food can make it work.
However, people who want a bit more flexibility in how much they eat and who want - say - a chisel approach to management of their diabetes are on multiple daily injections. This means that you take 1-2 shots of long-acting insulin every day, plus a shot of faster-acting insulin every time you eat a meal or a large snack. This offers more flexibility and usually results in better blood sugar control.
Finally, there's the insulin pump. That's what I use. It would be the needle for the needlework project. Very fine control, if you use it right and work at it. It's also fairly expensive, unless you have insurance. On an insulin pump, you only use fast-acting insulin. This means that if your body needs a lot less of the low-level insulin at certain times of day, like night time, then you can program your pump (kind of like a little computer) to give you this. Pumps are attached to your body at one site for a few days, then you rotate - no injections. Meals are similar to the paragraph above, with the added bonus that you can stretch your mealtime insulin over a longer period of time - you don't need to take it all at once. This is useful for things like pasta and pizza. You can also turn the insulin off or make it lower when you're exercising.
The flip side of the insulin is blood sugar testing. Testing often and correcting if you're off is the other key to good control. And getting to know how your body reacts to certain foods, exercise, etc is key.
Please encourage him to find an endocrinologist, test frequently, and investigate other types of treatment regimes, particularly multiple daily injections. I am sure that he will feel so much better when he has better control. I certainly do!
Ok, this is a bit of a book, and we need to put dd to bed now....
Tricia
:
: I'm so happy for you!!! That rocks and it must be such a relief. 
: ) etc... I'm also going to ask if she knows of any non-interventionist, pump friendly OBs - just something to keep in my back pocket if I feel this group is not going to respect my wishes and stop looking at me like a ticking time bomb.
) to go into labor on my own - whereupon I am not planning to go to the hospital until the baby is practically crowning! 
Then the IV thing is a non-issue 
mady - Joslin has such an awesome reputation I'm sure you are in great hands and will be back to 'normal' in no time 
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