new member
hey all i’m a new member to the group,not the sweetfree lifestyle
been there for 21 years went on the pump about a year ago that helps
after so long but now unfortunatly i’m hypo unaware. My nickname is
crackrock because of it.they swore at work I had to be on something.I
now test every 2 to 3 hours.Any other horror stories out their like
that.
love ya,peace,Child
May 7th, 2003 at 8:35 pm
EEEWWW. Yeah, my son goes through spurts of being hypo unaware. It’s
Melissa
such a pain! One thing I’ve noticed that works for him, though, is if
we keep him around 100-200 for a few days, then he can usually feel
the lows again.
— In type1_diabetes@y…, “wildchilddesign” <wildchilddesign@y…
May 9th, 2003 at 4:32 am
Melissa said:
One thing I’ve noticed that works for him, though, is if
we keep him around 100-200 for a few days, then he can usually feel
the lows again.
Hi! I’m new to the list. My husband is a diabetic as the result of complications from kidney dialysis and a transplant. He’s been diabetic for 16 years, and pretty well managed, although he skirts things awfully close sometimes.
But, in the last month, he’s been trying to take off extra weight and exercise more. Good things, right? Except that twice in 2 weeks I had to call 911 to get help because he went major hypoglycemic in the middle of the night. Prior to this, we’d only needed medical intervention 3 times in 16 years, and 2 of those times, he was just stupid! (careless)
My daughter and I are pretty traumatized. They were some of the scariest moments of my life. He, of course, is fine and has no memory of anything before waking up to the medics working over him.
Prior to this, he had always woken up if he got to around 40 bs. But these times, he didn’t and I found him.
I’m wondering if anyone else has this experience of staying a little high to “recover” hypo-awareness.
Johanna
May 10th, 2003 at 7:03 am
Have him talk to his diabetes care professional(s) about post-
exercise hypoglycemia. He should always test his blood sugar before
going to bed, but he should also be aware that exercise can sometimes
cause his blood sugar to drop steeply hours after the exercise.
He should consider getting his blood sugar higher before going to
sleep after such exercise. Some people find that sources of
carbohydrates with low glycemic indexes, like Glucerna, Choice, or
Nite Bite bars, are helpful in keeping their night time blood sugars
even.
Consider this: Managing his blood sugar 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, non-stop with no vacation for 16 years, he had only two major
mistakes. I say that is neither stupid nor careless; it is an
extremely good record. Cut the guy some slack.
Does he say he is fine? Does he say that it doesn’t affect him to
come gradually to consciousness in an emergency room, soaked with
sweat, strapped to a gurney, an IV in his arm, with someone shining a
flashlight in his eyes?
If he told you he’s fine with it, then he’s lying. He’s learned to
suffer in silence.
Have you seen “A Beautiful Mind” yet? The movie makes it look like
insulin shock is a kind of torture, doesn’t it? It’s very realistic.
I know it’s hard on you and the other members of the family. Believe
it or not, it’s harder on him, partly because he knows how it affects
you.
These lows during sleep are not what people would usually call hypo-
unawareness. Please consider the suggestions above.
Another thing that might help is to always do the exercise earlier in
the day, never at night.
Jerry
May 11th, 2003 at 11:01 am
Jerry wrote:
Does he say he is fine? Does he say that it doesn’t affect him to
come gradually to consciousness in an emergency room, soaked with
sweat, strapped to a gurney, an IV in his arm, with someone shining a
flashlight in his eyes?
If he told you he’s fine with it, then he’s lying. He’s learned to
suffer in silence.
Jerry, Bill is a pretty unusual person. Of course it “bothers” him when this happens. But he’s mostly just grateful that I’m there to get him the help he needs. When he comes to, his response is generally tremendous gratitude to the people who have just saved his life.
He’s had so many medical stuff happening in his life, that he deals with it very gracefully.
But I will tell him about the excerise issue causing bs dips hours after. Do you have any documentation/liturature that we could check out on this issue?
Johanna
May 12th, 2003 at 5:10 am
Mary,
thanks for your encouragement. What is Lantus? Bill has always been very feistily independent about his health issues, and, although I am informed, he is the expert (it’s how he deals with things, intellectually). He is also a neuropsychologist, so he is very in touch with both the physical and psychological stuff that’s going on. But now that I’m getting more involved, and this list has already helped me a lot, I am informing him of stuff. And that’s a very good thing.
Johanna
May 12th, 2003 at 11:20 pm
If he told you he’s fine with it, then he’s lying. He’s learned to
su! ffer in silence.
Have you seen “A Beautiful Mind” yet?
You know, it’s funny, when we went to see that movie, I freaked! I had seen him too close to that situation and we actually left the theater before the end of the movie. This was my doing, not his.
I am not minimizing your experience as diabetics, for sure. But, as I said, Bill is an unusually man. He looks at things very dispassionately and clinically when it comes to his health. It’s actually quite a blessing, because it allows him to deal with what he needs to deal with and move on. I could not be so smooth about it.
In this case, he knows very well what’s happening, but his greatest fear and concern is the trauma that it’s putting our family through. He’s really being wonderful about this. He’s reporting everything to me (he HATES this). Is writing down his bs’s, insulin intake, excersize, food, etc. so that we had hard data to discuss with the doc when we see him.
I think there are probably some strategies that he might be able to use that he’s unaware of, though, since there is always new stuff coming out and new research. He tries to keep up with the research, but, until now, it wasn’t very broken, so he wasn’t trying to fix anything.
I am calling Border’s right now about the book mentioned. Was it Diabetic Athelets? If they don’t have it, I will order it. I know Bill tried to see if he could get it from Amazon, but I don’t know if he was successful.
Again, thank you all for you help and support. I finally got a night’s sleep (sort of) last night, and am starting to take some control of the situation rather than dealing with it completely with fear, and I think that’s a healthy thing.
Johanna
May 13th, 2003 at 7:41 am
Lantus, also known as Glargine, is a long-acting insulin which is not
supposed to have a “peak”. It is supposed to maintain a somewhat
constant basal level of insulin in the bloodstream. Since I am on a
pump, I didn’t think of that, but it’s a good suggestion. Your
husband should probably talk to his doctor about it.
Good luck,
Jerry
May 14th, 2003 at 8:00 pm
That was not Lantus. N usually means NPH, a different long-acting
insulin with a pronounced “peak.” NPH is also somewhat more
unpredictable in its absorption rate.
He should definitely look into Lantus.
I really think all type 1 diabetics who are willing to monitor their
BGs should be on a pump, though. If your insurance will go for it,
that’s what you should do.
Jerry
May 15th, 2003 at 2:10 pm
Yes, yes. The pump releases a “basal” rate of insulin all the time,
then, when I eat, I punch in the amount of insulin I need to cover
the meal, and the pump delivers a “bolus” of insulin.
Pumps use rapid-acting insulin. I’m using NovoLog. I guess some
people still use Regular in their pumps. There is no need for any
long-acting insulin, because that role is played by the basal rate.
Yes, because Lantus keeps the insulin level in the blood fairly
consistent. Other long-acting insulins will be absorbed very little
when first injected, then be gradually absorbed faster, then slowly
absorbed less and less. That means the insulin absorbed from NPH or
Lente injections will reach a peak in the bloodstream some time hours
later.
Jerry
September 1st, 2003 at 8:51 pm
Hi,
My name is Roseanna. I have been diabetic for 10 years now. Itry
to follow a diabetic diet but I’m struggling. My doctor recently
change my insulin from R and NPH to Humalog and Lantus. I’m having
trouble getting my sugars level. He also wants me to begin counting
charbohydrates. Any help would be appriciated.
Thanks,
Roseanna
September 5th, 2003 at 9:02 am
Hi all.
My 7 year old son was diagnosed in October - kind of a scary time
for us as there is no history of diabetes in the family at all. (I
was so naive; I thought he’d just have to have a shot everyday!)
He’s on humalog/novolog (sliding scale + carb coverage) and lantus.
(the novopen, which I understand is fairly new, is a really cool
thing - and it’s great for him to take to school, soccer, etc.)
Everything was so overwhelming in the beginning but I’m happy to say
that we seem to have things under control - well, as much as you
can.
I haven’t been able to locate a support group in my area and the
local chapter of JDRF hasn’t been much help so I was happy to find
this group!
September 6th, 2003 at 8:27 pm
Welcome to the group, Laura!! My son is 6 and was just diagnosed after he turned 6 back in Oct. too. Oct. 8th he was diagnosed. It’s been really overwhelming and devastating but it has gotten easier since then. But it’s never perfect. Something is always changing.
Benita
Hi all.
My 7 year old son was diagnosed in October - kind of a scary time
for us as there is no history of diabetes in the family at all. (I
was so naive; I thought he’d just have to have a shot everyday!)
He’s on humalog/novolog (sliding scale + carb coverage) and lantus.
(the novopen, which I understand is fairly new, is a really cool
thing - and it’s great for him to take to school, soccer, etc.)
September 9th, 2003 at 11:58 am
Laura,
Where do you live?
September 9th, 2003 at 6:38 pm
Hi,
My name is Dave and I joined the group to find out more about type 1
diabetes. My 11yr old stepson was just diagnosed with it. We found
out the hard way and he is still in the hospital. He was not eating
every well and getting so skinny, he was all bones. He drank alot
and passed lots of urine.
When he went to the doctor they tested his urine and found out
his “keytones” (not sure if I spelled it right) were 2,000 and his
blood sugar was over 700. He went by ambulance to the hospital and
spent the night in pediatric ICU and was transferred to University
of Missouri Childrens hosptial where is right now. He may get to
come home Sunday. His keytones are normal now, but his blood sugar
is about 250.
So, I thought I would join to find out more about it and try to
learn as much as I can.
September 12th, 2003 at 4:07 am
Hi Everyone,
My name is Diana. I am 40 years old and have had diabetes since I
was 11months old. Due to a tempestuous youth,I now have several
complications. I have maintained pretty stable control for the past
20 years so all things considered I am in pretty good health these
days. My last A1c was a little higher than usual at 6.7. I have been
having problems with changing hormones and my endo feels that is why.
I usually run between 5.7 and 6.2.
I have used a pump since 1997. I was afraid of it at first,and I
didn’t think I would want a machine attached to me wherever I went.
Now,I could never go back to injections. I have gained better control
and more freedom than I ever imagined.
I would like to hear from other diabetics. The local support group
is more of an educational thing than a “supportive” group. I think it
helps to know we aren’t alone in this thing. I belong to another on-
line group for insulin-pumpers. I get a lot of info from them. I did
belong to another group that was mostly type 2’s. At first I thought
we could all relate. Now I realise that we are very different in our
disease.
I have a wonderful supportive husband of 18 years(as of the 16th)
and three beautiful cats. No children. I used to be sad about
that,but now I enjoy the freedom and quiet.LOL.
Well,I guess that’s me today. I have lots more to write about,but I
wouldn’t want you to get bored with me on my first letter.LOL!
Love&Hugs,Diana Williams=^..^=
Evansville,Indiana
October 7th, 2003 at 5:10 am
Just wanted to meet other people and talk about the challenges and
how everyone is getting along with type one diabetes. Just this week
I found out my 6 year old daughter had type one. It was a total
shock as no one in our family has diabetes so when I took her to the
doctor it was the last thing I expected to her.
I live in Vancouver Washington, anyone in the area?
Looking forward to meeting you all.
Becca
February 1st, 2004 at 11:56 am
Greetings!
My name is Karen, and I have just recently joined this group. I’ve
had Type 1 for over 26 years. I have worn an insulin pump for close
to five years, and have never enjoyed greater control. I look for
ward to becoming an active member of this group.
Karen
Michigan
February 12th, 2004 at 10:10 pm
I am new to your group but not new to diabetes I have had it 25 years
this month.
I started as Gest diabetic at age 19 then went full blown insulin
dependent shortly after.
I am 44 years old - a work from home Mom/GrandMa We have a small
farm in the Foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina.
I live on aprox 100 acres of family owned land thta includes a few
other family members. I am married 26 years to Keith (46). Our son
Joshua (22) is a Federal Boarding Officer with the US Coast Guard and
stationed in Staten Island NY . He and his fiance Melissa (20) are
getting married this Staurday - she has lived with us for the last 6
months - after the wedding they will be living in NY. Next door is
my mother-in-law (65), down the lane is my father (77), then my
daughter Rachel (24) and grand daughter Caitlin (4) at the edge of
the property is my uncle (75) and his wife (49). Next door is our
dear friend and my business partner Howard (61).
I am the family chef. I do all our baking and meals from scratch -
that way I know what is in them. I am doing all the cooking for the
wedding reception and the house is a bussle of activity.
We have cows, donkey, dairy goats, hair sheep and rabbits. We grow
vegetables, fruit trees, nut trees, berry patch and herb garden.
I work the farm and make quilts, soap and breads to sell. I also
make cheese for the family. We heat by wood and I hang out all our
wash year-round and watch my grand daughter while my daughter works.
I take 2 shots of UltraLente in AM and PM at bedtime I also take 3
to 4 shots pre-meal & bedtime of Regular. I try to stick to a 1600 -
1800 cal diet by counting carbs. I don’t follow a formal excersie
program but as you can imagine get plenty of exercise chasing a 4
year old and caring for 50+ animals daily.
Dori
Soaring Eagle Farm
Dobson North Carolina USA
November 27th, 2004 at 9:20 pm
Hi,
I’m Leanne from NJ and my 3 yr old son Devon was diagnosed on
Oct.10, 2004 and we are doing well. He is curently in a honneymoon
phase taking 5 units of NPH every AM and 1 unit Novolog when his BG
is over 200< which is about once a week. This week at his endo
visit the Dr. said we should change him to Lantus I was hoping
someone that is on Lantus could tell me how they like it, if they
still need the novo, how and when they take the novo, and any side
efects they may have experianced. I read that Lantus was approved
for all diabetices over the age of 6; Does any one know why? I’m
sure his Dr. knows best, I thought maybe they just couldn’t test it
on younger kids.
I’m sure this group will be very informative and supportive, I’m
looking forward to meeting eveyone.
Leanne
November 28th, 2004 at 1:04 pm
Hi, Mary,
It is my understanding that Lantus is long acting, up to 24 hours. It is a time-release sort of thing. For example, I take 25 units at bedtime every day, once a day. It releases approximately 1 unit of insulin to help me maintain a baseline when I am not eating. When I do eat, I just take a bolus of Humalog, and the amount of that depends on what I am eating. (oh, 4u for a half sandwich and apple, to maybe 7u for cheesecake! ) Lantus has been a Godsend for me.
Nice to meet you, Mary,
Joan
November 29th, 2004 at 7:13 am
Mary,
I forgot to mention that the Lantus forms crystals under your skin, and that is how it is time released.
Joan
November 30th, 2004 at 1:23 am
The best thing about the Lantus, like you were saying, is to be able to skip meals. I have to skip because I am doing nursing school clinicals on a psych unit where the clients are rather, um, violent. I am not taking my insulin in there! Nor am I eating anything in there! And we are in lock-down with no keys of our own to get out.
Lantus is my one true love. Isn’t that sad?? LOL
Joan
February 13th, 2005 at 1:24 pm
hi. i just joined this place. i found out i have type 1 diabetes last
month. its very scary. i’ve been talking to people online about it,
and its been making me feel better. i had been feeling sick for about
2 weeks. i was drinking almost a gallon of milk a night, and i had to
pea constantly. i ended up going to the hospital and they immediately
put me on an iv. i was stunned when they told me what i had. i was in
the hospital for 5 days, and it was no fun. i’m 25, by the way in
indiana. the doctor said as long as i take care of myself, i should
never have any of those complications. those are what i’m afraid of.
i dont want kidney disease or heart disease, or any of that stuff. i
was usually 140 pounds, but in the hospital i was down to 115. it was
terrible. i hope i can find more people to talk to in here.
robby
February 16th, 2005 at 2:02 pm
hi robbie, you will be ok. i have had diabetes for 22 years and i
have been on the insulin pump for a year now. i have no
complications from my diabetes. good luck…you will be ok!!!
hi, i’m glad to meet you here. i’m glad you dont have any of those
complications. those are what i want to avoid! i’m healthy now, and
thats the way i intend to keep it. i used to work with an older lady
who totally did not take care of herself. she had horrible eye
problems because of it. she went to mcdonalds almost every day. right
now my doctor has me eating 3 75 carb meals a day, and 1 30 carb
snack at night. i take 4 units of novolog before breakfast and lunch,
and 6 at supper. every night at 4 am i use 5 units of lantus. i was
scared of giving myself shots at first, but now its not that bad. i
use this little thing that looks like a pen. i’ve had alot of
problems with my sugars going to low. last week after i ate lunch at
work, i started feeling really sweaty and was shaking. i checked my
levels and they were 36. that was scary. i had the same thing happen
to me on christmas when it dropped to 46. i think they were giving me
to much insulin.
robby
February 17th, 2005 at 8:12 am
Welcome, Think you will like this group. We have newly diagnosed and
long-timers. I am a 38 yr diabetic Type 1. That is how I found out
by over drinking, peeing, throwing up, and then I couldn’t breathe.
Lost some weight as well. Feel free to write anytime as questions
come up.
hi. i’m glad i found it. i am glad i have found alot of groups with
other people who have this. i’m glad i went into the hospital when i
did, if i had waited much longer, i probably wouldnt be around to
write this message.
robby
February 18th, 2005 at 2:21 am
ADVERTISEMENT
Hi Robert,
My name is Brian. . I understand how frightening it all can be. I was
diagnosed in May, but diabetes has always been lurking in the
corners of my family’s genetic disposition. It sounds like you were
in dKa when you went to the hospital. I guess most folks are. My
entrance to this club was under circumstances much like yours. How
are you doing with your injections? To be honest, I have more
problems with the finger prick than the shots. I am on a 4 injection
regimen; 7ish units of R before meals and 17 units of NPH at bedtime.
I use a 30gage .3cc short syringe. If you have insurance, all the
better for you, but if not the WalMart ReliOn brand is about the
least expensive way to go. ( You know, If I only had a buck for as
many times as I have plugged their product…… ) Also testing
supplies can be purchased on eBay at a significant discount. Anyway,
I see that Jen and Kate have already responded o your post. There are
wonderful people in this group. I wish you luck. Feel free to email
me directly if I can be of any support.
Peace to you and to all here
hi. yep i have great insurance. its free, my company offers it to all
of their employees. when i first got out of the hospital, it was over
360 dollars for all of my supplies. i only paid about 80. right now i
take 4 units of novolog before breakfast and lunch, and 6 at supper.
i am on a 75 carb diet for each meal, so i dont understand why they
want me taking more at supper. the finger testing has been no
problem, i never thought i’d say that. at first i was scared about
giving myself shots, but now its not so bad. i use this pin, and a
disposable needle for my lantus. yeah i had dka, bad. my blood had
turned toxic. i was on an iv for 3 days. i kept having to eat these
horrible potassium pills. i had blood tests over and over again. the
ones right in my artery in my arm hurt like heck! i’m go glad thats
over.
robby
February 28th, 2005 at 2:24 am
Mary,
I found my freestyle on ebay, of all places. I was skeptical at first, wondering if it was accurate. Then I found my old machine (I had misplaced it), and did some comparison tests, and they were within a couple points of each other. The freestyle I found was new, in box, but the expiration date was for the strips that came with it, so it was going for about $20. I believe you can find the strips from Canada. I realize that can be risky, because it is illegal to acquire our pharmaceuticals from Canada. However, until all the supplies are covered by insurance, (including glucagon), I will continue to get some of my stuff from there. Glucagon is not considered a necessity by my insurance, and it is $105.00 over the counter. I wrote to the state’s commission of insurance, and they were able to convince my insurance to cover ONE dose of glucagon. How generous.
Anyway, you may want to contact YOUR commission of insurance, and see what you can do to get them to cover more. It is ludicrous to think they would rather we end up in the hospital! Although, and I am sounding very morbid here, and I apologize, we would be cheaper to the insurance companies deceased, which is sometimes I think their goal. C’est la vie.
The one thing I have learned is not to take ‘no’ for an answer where diabetes care is concerned. When we work our tails off taking good care of ourselves, it is no crime to require access to the tools we need to do so.
Regards to all,
Joan
March 2nd, 2005 at 8:53 am
Mary,
I found strips for $65 for 100 from Canadapharmx. I am not sure what they go for in the US. Also, they are listed on ebay; the range presently is from 33 to 60 bucks. It may be a bit of a gamble, but I have found things on ebay to be usually reliable. This is where I would get mine if insurance did not cover, as it does not the glucagon. It would be another story if the test strips were to be injected, but since they are not, what the heck. I imagine some of them come from widows who may have recently lost a diabetic husband or vice versa, or some kind of similar situations. Others, for sure, are trying to make a buck off the insurance companies. Shame on them, but potentially good for us.
I went to ebay and typed in ‘freestyle test strips’ and got quite a few results.
Good luck on it! I thought the 65 was alot, but keep in mind, that is more than likely Canadian. If you use a credit card, the credit card company will exchange the rate automatically, and you will see the lower US dollar charge on your card statement. Paying cash or check from US to Canada is not wise, for the exchange is not to your advantage in that direction. It is worth sending a question to the seller to find out that information.
good night!
Joan
March 13th, 2005 at 1:19 pm
Robbie, why arn’t you eating smaller but more times daily. Anyone
would get hungry without food for 6 hrs. You may want to try an
endocrinologist or the pump. I usually graze all day.
Also I enjoy the sugar-free Blue Bell popcycles and low sugar
fugdesticks between meals. I consider the popcycles as hydration
help.
I think I’ll move to England. As a single person, most of my money
goes to taxes, medical ins. and medications. I have never found a
break on these.
i have no idea. this is just how the specialist wants it. i consider
myself lucky to have such great insurance. i can not believe how much
you guys have to pay for your supplies. i pay only 17 bucks for 100
strips. out of 360 bucks for my supplies, i only paid 80. out of
13,600 i’ll probably only have to pay 500 or so for my hospital bill.
robby