Insulin-dependent type 2

[Shanny]

Well, sometime this year I crossed the line & doc finally prescribed lantus solostar for me this week. I had asked him for insulin many months ago, but he balked. Wish we'd have done it when I asked, but I guess better late than never. 

It's easy as pie . . . nobody should ever be afraid of taking insulin if your numbers refuse to budge any lower. And if it's the needle that bugs you, it doesn't hold a candle to the huge lancet we use for testing.

I sure thought of you, Auntie Kris, when I finally got my wish.

[skb]

How many insulin dependant T2s we have here. Kris, Sharon & Carl come to mind immediately.
How many units have you been suggested ?

[Shanny]

Only 20 units, but I think that's going to have to be adjusted upward right quick. I'll give it a couple more days, but pretty sure it isn't enough. I went to town today & stocked up on fresh new strips, just to make sure my old meter is still doing its job as accurately as possible.

[rocky]

Well, sometime this year I crossed the line & doc finally prescribed lantus solostar for me this week.

Hi Shanny,
I suppose you mean 'crossed the line' with respect to your numbers. What are these numbers and why wouldn't your dr agree to insulin ? These are some of the questions that would bother newbie like me. Please help understand. And what is lantus solostar ? Is it the insulin brand name. If so, what are the others.

[bigskygal]

Don't you just wish our drs would for once listen to what we ask for??  You know your situation far better then him.  Here's hoping the insulin will get you back in line and you can reduce and/or eventually get off it.

[skb]

Rocky,

Lantus is a long acting basal insulin & solostar is a pen like cartridge system which can be used to inject insulin in the body without use of vial & syringe every time.

[BobIA41]

I am insulin dependent - take both Lantus and Novolog.  As my weight has moved downward, so has my insulin use.  I use a syringe to inject my insulin. 

[Shanny]

Hard to know why the doc was reluctant - my A1c has risen gradually for the last year or so, but I guess he still thought oral meds could work. I had even gone on the sulfonylurea drug Glimepiride, which I swore I would never do. That didn't work either - my broken pancreas just has nothing left to give. I had posted an A1c of 7.2 last year, and now 9.2.

Lantus is one of two basal insulins available in the States (the other is Levimir), and 'solostar' is the method of delivery - a pen - which makes it more convenient than using syringes with a vial of insulin, although the pens are more expensive.

[Grammabear]

I am glad your doctor finally relented and gave you insulin.  Lantus is marketed as a 24 hr insulin, however some people find it doesn't always last 24 hrs for them.  If you find it doesn't seem to last the full 24 hrs, consider asking the doctor if you can divide your daily dose into two injections twelve hours apart.  That is what I needed when I was using Lantus and it worked fine.  Oh....and be sure to rotate your injection sites to avoid having scar tissue.

[Shanny]

Thank you, Grammabear! I remembered the part about rotating sites, but will definitely be asking about dividing the dose.

[rocky]

Splitting the insulin makes good sense. That would give you more coverage per unit/time. Is it possible that you could come off insulin after some time as suggested.

[Shanny]

If I were in a situation where I was still making insulin and just needed to get my numbers down quickly, there would be a possibility of coming off it. But using the glimepiride was prob'ly what killed off my last islet cells . . . it is a drug which hammers the pancreas for every last drop of insulin whether or not there's even any glucose in the bloodstream. So my pancreas is dead - I don't expect to ever come off insulin. But it isn't a bad thing except that it's expensive . . . otherwise it gives good control once I get it closely adjusted.

[Grammabear]

Getting the basal closely adjusted is sometimes a "try it and see how it works" process.  Not everyone is the same, but when I was doing a divided dose, I ended up with 10 units in the morning because I am more insulin sensitive at that time, and 18 units in the evening because I am more insulin resistant then.  If you need to divide your dose don't be afraid to experiment with the dose.  Some people are lucky and Lantus does work consistently for 24 hrs.  For me it lasted 16 hours and no more.  Had a hard time convincing the doctor of that though.  It sounds like your doctor is much more reasonable than mine was.

[Shanny]

Usually he is reasonable . . . but I really think more of his knowledge comes because his wife is diabetic, and I don't know if she's on insulin or not.

Plus he made some mention of type 1.5, and while I didn't respond to it then, if he mentions it again, I'll be telling him if he pursues the goofy idea that I'm now type 1.5, he'd darn better test me for antibodies! I'm still type 2 - an insulin-dependent type 2!

[rocky]

Shanny,
I think you know more about diabetes than your doctor does. It is better to follow your own instincts and just keep him in the loop.