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The Question

11/03/09 11:11 PM

"I HAD A DIABETIC EPISODE IN FEB AND WENT TO THE HOSPITAL MY LEVEL WAS 500. THE LAST YEAR I FELT DEPRESSED AND THOUGHT THAT WAS WHY I WAS NOT RIGHT"

Asked By: garnva01

Category: Insulin

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I AM 39 I DID WEIGH 290 BUT NOW I AM AT ABOUT 340. MY AVG SUGER LEVEL IS RARELY UNDER 285 IT GOES AS HIGH AS 390. I AM ON A 1000 CAL DIET AND I TAKE 300 UNITS OF LANTUS 150 MORN AND 150 NIGHT ALONG WITH 40 NOVALOG BEFORE MEALS. I CAN'T GET MY LEVELS TO NORM. I HAVE CONSTANT BACKACHES AND HEAD FEELS LIKE IT COULD POP. I ALSO TAKE 60 MG GLIPISIDE 2 TIMES A DAY ALONG WITH 30 MG ACTOSE TWO TIMES A DAY. THEY SAID I AM TYPE 1 BUT HOW CAN THAT BE? I THOUGHT YOU WERE BORN WITH TYPE 1? I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO? THEY TESTED MY KIDNEYS AND SAY THERE OK, BUT MY BACK KILLS ME..I HAVE NO INSURANCE AND THE CLINIC I GO TO SEEMS TO JUST WANT ME TO TAKE THE MEDS AND BEGONE. AM I NORMAL OR ON MY WEIGH OUT?

Expert Answers (2)

11/07/09 10:20 AM

Thank-you for contacting dLife. Right now it sounds like you have a great deal on your plate so let's try to put it into a little perspective.

First of all Type 1 diabetes can occur during any stage of life when there no longer is insulin production. You will totally rely on an outside source of insulin the rest of your life.

Having said that, your additional weight is putting a stress on how efficiently you are using the insulin and how it pushes the glucose into your cells for energy. Weight loss and activity plan would benefit you greatly.

Depression is seen in up to 50% of diabetics so your feeling are real and should be validated.

Since you have internet access i would like to recommend that you utilize dLIfe web site and review the following:

Type 1 diabetes

7 Self care behaviors

Diabetes Management

diabetes forum

blogabetes

Each area will give you the knowledge and support to help you best manage your diabetes. It will give you tools to work your way through the clinic and ask for resources and help you need. If the clinic can't supply your support, try looking for a local diabetic educator and see the resources they may have in your community.

Success with diabetes is truly about self management. You are not alone and will find helpful tools to get you started and achieve both small and large goals ahead.

Answered By: Janet HowardDucsay

Accreditations: RN BSN CDE

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11/07/09 10:20 AM

Anyone as resistant to insulin as you are is almost assuredly �type 2, insulin dependent�. While people can become a type 1 at any time in their lives, it is most often diagnosed in childhood or early adult years. The insulin resistance you experience is what sets you apart as a type 2. Type 1s just don�t have that kind of resistance. However, whether you are type 1, type2, or type 44 (!) what is important here is how to get your blood glucose (BG) AND your weight down. You say you are following a 1000 calorie meal plan. If so, are these calories spread evenly across the day in the form of 3 meals and 2-3 snacks? While the snacks may not be a necessity, 1000 calories is a very low total for someone of your weight, and you must surely be ravenous by the time your next meal rolls around. I would suggest keeping plenty of non-starchy vegetables available and ready to eat. If you are only eating 1-2 meals per day, I strongly advise you to begin a strict regimen that includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. It�s important to fuel yourself in the morning, so that your metabolism gets kicked into gear and you can start burning calories. Next, ACTIVITY is my concern. Are you getting any regular exercise? Despite pain and difficulty, some type of physical activity, preferably daily, is imperative if you want to reduce your BG and your weight. Sometimes we have to be creative, but if there�s a will, there�s a �weigh�!!! Last of all, glipizide is not indicated for use with rapid acting insulin (Novolog). Talk with your doctor about this. My suggestion at this time is to test two hours following meals and keep track of the numbers, along with a food journal. Is there a dietician or any type of diabetic educator available at the clinic you go to? If not, do some investigating in your area to see where you could get some help with this need. Also, make sure your depression is being delt with as that can prevent good BG control as well. Hang in there!

Answered By: Anne Carroll

Accreditations: RN, CDE

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(2 Answers)

Community Answers (1)

11/13/09 06:20 PM

Sorry to be blunt, but from what you write, I think you are "weigh" down the road to the way out. It's what I call suicide by stuffing. Stop kidding yourself; no one believes you are sticking to a 1000 KCal diet. You may have been assigned a 1000 KCal diet, but you aren't following it. A person with diabetes can't gain weight unless he eats too much food and takes too much insulin to metabolize the excess food. It's not possible. Insulin isn't a crutch to help you compensate for an unhealthy lifestyle; it's an essential hormone that you should be taking to help your body assimilate a healthy diet. Gaining weight and having a BG consistently over 200 is chronic misbehavior, your BG of 600+ wasn't an episode, it was a consequence. It's impossible for your BG to rise to that level without shoveling a ridiculous excess of food into your mouth. Wake up, smell the coffee, stop eating yourself to death. It's a great pity, but if you don't lose weight somehow, you will either die prematurely from an accident when you go into a diabetic coma, or you will have a heart attack as your heart becomes unable to handle the load. If you don't want to die prematurely, you should seek psychiatric assistance and weight management counseling in person.

Answered By: psdaengr

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(1 Answer)

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