Prayers for Sluff....

[Earlinda]

Dear Sluff,

Are you pinching your skin up?  you might need to make sure that you go in at an angle if there isn't a lot of belly fat there too.  Another possibility of the stinging could be somehow you are hitting a nerve.  I have been diabetic for about 30 years now and Insulin is just not a whole lot of fun.  I take Lantus and Novolog and it sounds like you are on a relatively low dosage though.  

I am so glad that you are back I said prayers for you and will continue to keep you in my prayers as you get used to this new thing life has given you.

love,
Earlinda

[boxman55]

I'm doing well, I worked a full day, just tired. Is it normal for the injection site to sting for awhile after injecting the insulin Sara? I'm using 18 units of lantis.

Hey Sluff I inject lantus in the legs and novolog in the stomach I am sure it is the same size needle try pushing a little slower the stomach has the least nerves maybe you are just a little close to the BB move out a fraction. Good luck and watch your sugar consumption....Boxman55

[Sluff]

I'm doing well, I worked a full day, just tired. Is it normal for the injection site to sting for awhile after injecting the insulin Sara? I'm using 18 units of lantis.

Hey Sluff I inject lantus in the legs and novolog in the stomach I am sure it is the same size needle try pushing a little slower the stomach has the least nerves maybe you are just a little close to the BB move out a fraction. Good luck and watch your sugar consumption....Boxman55

Thanks Box.. and Earlinda appreaciate it.

[jbeany]

It will sting more if it's cold, too.

[Sluff]

It will sting more if it's cold, too.

Thanks JB.

[Chicken Little]

How's it going Sluff?  Is the addition of insulin making you feel better?

[Sluff]

I was feeling much better for awhile but I'm sure I will have to increase my insulin soon for my readings are still averaging 240.

I have been working pretty hard and feel worn down, but then again I always feel that way so what is new..Ha.

Thanks for asking.

[Sara]

Sluff, did they recommend any sort of carb/protein guidelines for meals?

[Sluff]

Sluff, did they recommend any sort of carb/protein guidelines for meals?

They want me to see the diabetic nutritionist but that would just be another deductible to pay, when all I have to do is read it on IHD.

[goofynina]

Sluff, did they recommend any sort of carb/protein guidelines for meals?

They want me to see the diabetic nutritionist but that would just be another deductible to pay, when all I have to do is read it on IHD.

Eh, nutritionist shmutritionist, who needs them anyways    huh Sluff

[boxman55]

Hey Sluff that lantus is a slow reacting insulin designed to work over a 24 hour period. If your readings are 240ish all the time I would recomend you ask your Doctor to get you on Novolog even though you take it at every meal you can cheat and just give yourself an extra unit or two to keep you at 120 or so. ie if I am at 190 when I wake up I will take 7 units if I am at 240 I would take 9 units that 9 units will take me down past 100 so you have to eat something or you can get super low. Don't know if you have felt that yet but I can knock you out. Just between buds being high all the time is slow death so talk to your doc. Boxman55

[goofynina]

Don't know if you have felt that yet but I can knock you out. Boxman55

Now that is what i call a friend, see Sluff, Boxman can knock you out

Just between buds being high all the time is slow death so talk to your doc.

If being "high" all the time is a slow death, then that is how i wanna go!

[Sluff]

Don't know if you have felt that yet but I can knock you out. Boxman55

Now that is what i call a friend, see Sluff, Boxman can knock you out

And I would let him...LOL

I think he meant it can knock you out.

[boxman55]

Goofynina I meant "it can knock you out" but your right, if Sluff doesn't keep it below 130 I am going to drive up there and knock him out. Don't want to preach to you Sluff and you probably don't want to hear it but no vision in one eye, bad circulation in my feet etc. was all caused by BS being to high all the time. Now is the time for you to control it. Don't wait 10 years when the damage is already done. Sorry Amen...........Boxman55

[kitkatz]

I think you better be careful Sluff, that sounds promising. If Boxman does not do it, I will!  Take care of yourself!

[goofynina]

Goofynina I meant "it can knock you out" but your right, if Sluff doesn't keep it below 130 I am going to drive up there and knock him out. Don't want to preach to you Sluff and you probably don't want to hear it but no vision in one eye, bad circulation in my feet etc. was all caused by BS being to high all the time. Now is the time for you to control it. Don't wait 10 years when the damage is already done. Sorry Amen...........Boxman55

Boxman, i knew you what'cha meant, i was just being my ol' goofy self and couldnt resist, see how my mind works, sheesh, i tell ya  

[boxman55]

Goofynina, you are special and so are all the members here... Boxman55

[jbeany]

Sluff, are they giving you the information for a sliding scale diet?  It allows you to eat anything, regardless of how much sugar is in it.  They just teach you how to adjust the humalog according to how many carbos you are eating.  If they are giving you crap about "diabetic exchanges", you need a better dietitian.  I'm on it, and my A1C is around 6 - which is almost as good as a person with a working pancreas.  It means you never have to worry about your blood sugar going out of control, and you can still have the same foods you've always loved.  (Okay, I'm still working on weight loss, and eating a lot of rabbit food - but when I can't stand the craving for a praline or a some cookies anymore, at least my sugar stays level.)

For me, it works like this - I take Lantus (long acting insulin) every night - this keeps my sugar on an even keel all day, and stops the morning blood sugar rise that occurs naturally as part of the sleep/wake cycle.
I get up and check my sugar.  Ideally, it's just over 100 and below 150.  I then eat breakfast.  Most of my meals are 50-60 carbs.  I take a dose of humalog (fast acting) with the meal.  I use 8 units for every 50 carbs I'm going to eat.
Lunch, 50 carbs, 8 units, Dinner, another 8 units.
If I have a snack in the middle, I might take 3 or 4 units if it's not a high carb snack.  If I'm having 50 carb dinner and a dessert that's high carb, I might take another 8 after dinner.  The nice part about Humalog is it acts so fast, you can even take it when you are finished eating and it will still work in time to keep your sugar down.  Or, if you've gone out to eat, and had a 120 carb meal (think pasta and bread sticks), a 30 carb drink, and some 100 carb dessert - you still can keep your sugar down, you just have to estimate carbs and take the right amount of insulin.  You can always check your sugar an hour after a huge dinner, too, and adjust if it's up then.

I check my sugar before every meal and snack.  If my blood sugar is up - either I underestimated carbs, or was stressed or whatever, I have a formula for figuring out how many extra units to take.  In my case, for every 20 up in blood sugar, I take an extra unit of humalog.

I also check my sugar before I go to bed.  That way, if I underestimated at dinner, I don't have a high sugar all night long - I just fix it before I go to sleep.

Trust me, this is the only way to be on a diabetic diet.  I tried the exchanges, the endless attempts to find all the sugar free substitutes - it didn't work for me.  I like dessert.  I don't like sugar free syrup or pudding or much of anything with artificial sweetners.  I want food, not cardboard that tastes like it used to be food!

[Sluff]

I am listening JBeany, I'm like you as far as the diet thing goes. I know I need to raise the units on my lantis because I'm on such a light dose only at night.

The doctors forget I have lost 90 lbs. I know i need to lose more but I would have figured that losing that much weight my blood sugars would have went down, they didn't. I guess it's a battle no matter what but I'm not too worried about being perfect but I don't want my readings as high as they are.

Thanks for the information and advice everyone.