diabetes

[Mary Kay]

Today I found out that I will need to take Insulin shots. I am and have always been afraid of needles and most things medical related. I do know insulin needles are tiny and very thin, but it's like E-cigs...the needles, the insulin, the testing and timing ect. You end up having it in your life 24/7 and NO flavors! After seveal disastrous surgeries I ended up with panic attacts and insomnia when faced with anything medical care related.
I don't know what to do, I am really upset. It didn't help that not only did my doc delivered this news but she hands me a pile of scrips for tons of tests. I was so upset when the nurse came in for a blood test that I told her to shut up. She was yammering on and on about all the tests and making me panic. I don't normally tell anyone to shut up.
I lost a lot of weight in an effort to get rid of diabetes, I take my meds..all of them. I try to eat right but don't always stay on plan. I walk about a mile to 3 miles a day in good weather. It just p.o.ed me that she was ANGRY that my weight was dropping! She said my sugar levels were up and that's why I lost weight. This after being told to get my weight down. I am so freakin confused. (I am 10 lbs overweight) Which in my opinion at 58 is not bad.
The only good news I got today was that my blood oxygen levels were up, No indication that I might be getting copd from smoking. She didn't even say good for you, when I told her I was 5 weeks smoke free.
Sorry I am rambling..just scared I guess.

 

[Walrus]

I've been doing it for years. It's a scary thought at first, but it really is easy and it becomes second nature. You can practice using an orange. Pretty much just set the needle against your skin, and turn (spin) the syringe... it'll go in all by itself. Hit the plunger and you're done.

Try injecting it somewhere with some cushion. It hurts more in muscle.

 

[booboo]

vaping does raise your blood sugar tremendously. I'm sure you know that, but could that be why you need shots now? I was hypoglycemic before I vaped and went for blood tests. My fasting blood sugar was 52 then. About 6 months later, after vaping 3 months, my fasting blood sugar was 101 (which is 1 point over, and for me always having low blood sugar, it was really high.) Only difference was I smoked before the first test, and vaped before the second.

ps. sorry for your news and be careful with th e's.

 

[Mary Kay]

Thanks Walrus, that helps..a bit LOL What a waste of oranges.
Boo Boo, my fasting sugar level was 350! But for me that isn't all that bad, 10 years ago it was in 1,000 range. I had pink milk for blood and could barely put one foot in front of the other. I did have down to 150, but it's been going back up. But with less weight,exercize and better food choices for the last couple of years, I think it genetic more then what I do or don't do.
My blood sugar hasn't gone up or down with vaping. vaping helps me stay off snacks!

 

[Walrus]

lol there's no need to waste the oranges. Don't peel it... choose one with a thick skin, like a navel orange. Don't actually inject it with anything You'll just practice the light touch needed to insert the needle. When you are done practicing, eat the orange

 

[Christopher]

I love needles, I got into vaping just for the syringe! Well not really, but it takes all my willpower to not put that syringe in my arm to try to draw blood.

I have have been in the hospital a lot and have grown to like strange things I guess.

 

[Walrus]

I love needles, I got into vaping just for the syringe! Well not really, but it takes all my willpower to not put that syringe in my arm to try to draw blood.

I have have been in the hospital a lot and have grown to like strange things I guess.

Lol, strange doesn't begin to describe it 8-o

I've been in/to the hospital & doctors so much that while having blood drawn didn't use to bother me, now I have panic attacks when I have to have it done. Severe ones... cold sweat, faintness, hysterical blindness...

The only way I can have phlebotomy done when I go to my Oncologist (I also suffer from hemochromatosis) is for them to cover the blood bag with a towel so I can't see it.

 

[1 Cute Canadian]

My 5 year old son gets daily injections (not for diabetes though) and I know the fear you feel. When he was 20 months I had to give him his first shot. Let me tell you I cried harder that he ever did that day, the nurse yelled at me just do it, I frooze, he was all swaddelled in blankets so he could not squirm and I couldn't see through my tears. It was the 2nd worse day of my life, the first being told his diagnosis. I gave my self a bunch of jabs first to see how it felt and yes it stings,but what I learned is you can do it, when you have to do it. To see the improvements in my son and the fear of loosing him was incentive enough. He does not get up without grabbing his glasses (looks like a little professor) and reminding me to "warm up the poke" for him. You can do this!

 

[Ladycats]

I've been doing it for years. It's a scary thought at first, but it really is easy and it becomes second nature. You can practice using an orange. Pretty much just set the needle against your skin, and turn (spin) the syringe... it'll go in all by itself. Hit the plunger and you're done.

Try injecting it somewhere with some cushion. It hurts more in muscle.

Yup .. what he said ..

I have to carry/keep on hand, a liquid form of cortisone, in case I go into a "crisis" .... and that's (the orange) the way I was taught to self inject ... once you get the feel of it ... not hard at all ...

 

[Mary Kay]

I got the needles and insulin today. I stocked up on testing strips too. All I could think of was..this could have been a couple of batteries, atomizers and some new liquid!
Tomorrow I go back to the Dr.'s so the nurse can teach me how to torture myself. My husband was suppose to go to keep me from killing some little 12 year old nurse..but he has to meet the electrician. The Nurse will have to fend for herself.
I am still not sure about this.
Chris, you are weird..

 

[Christopher]

I got the needles and insulin today. I stocked up on testing strips too. All I could think of was..this could have been a couple of batteries, atomizers and some new liquid!
Tomorrow I go back to the Dr.'s so the nurse can teach me how to torture myself. My husband was suppose to go to keep me from killing some little 12 year old nurse..but he has to meet the electrician. The Nurse will have to fend for herself.
I am still not sure about this.
Chris, you are weird..

Yes I am!

 

[dijohn76]

MaryKay, they put me on insulin 2 years ago and I remember just sitting down and crying when the Dr told me I needed to go on it. I felt like I had failed even though I had done everything he told me. He said that I shouldn't feel that way, that diabetes is a progressive disease and that I would find the insulin actually made things easier and you know, he was right. I did feel better soon and even though I was terrified of needles I found it really wasn't that hard to get used to. You should find it easier to control your levels with the insulin over medication and diet. Just hang in there.

 

[Mary Kay]

Well I saw the Nurse, it was a big guy..lol but it may as well have been a 12 year old. He brought out a lucite box with a rubber membrane on top. He showed me how to dial the pen to my dosage and stuck it in the membrane. He asked me if I wanted to try and I said no, he started to get up to leave!!!
I did not get any tips on how or where to stick myself. No diet plan, no time of day to do my test strips. All he said was I would need a lot of blood tests to see what level I would be. (I avoid blood tests at all costs) That was all.
With my lack of diabetes control and my very short temper, I hit the roof. It was Lucky Mike had rescheduled the electricians appt. to go with me. That nurse could have squashed me!
I left and with what you guys told me and a video on-line. I managed to use the insulin last night.
At bedtime, I took off the taped end and screwed it to the pen. Then I took off the top of the needle end..kinda looked like a dropper bottle top, that was comforting LOL Though I knew there wasn't gonna be a chocolate flavor . I dialed the unit thing and after pinching my skin..I did it..gee it didn't hurt..wait, it didn't hurt at ALL, sure enough there was a cap over the needle! I thought it would retract when I pressed down..nope. The drama begins again.
I finally did it with a bit of a twist, it didn't do more then a baby pinch, my testing needle hurts more.
But the whole thing was never about pain, it was about being told to do it. Loss of control over my life. Knowing that no matter what I did, the sugar levels rose. And needles!
But I do have to say I was sick all night. I am hoping the nausea and head spinning doesn't continue. I have been weak feeling all day. But my Blood sugar is down over 150 points before dinner and two hours later down 100 from what I had been testing at.
Thank you all for the support and advice.
For those peeking in from outside this section, I say this with all gratefulness and appreciation:
Please don't P.M. me about diabetes, I am very touchy about it right now.

 

[Walrus]

Ah... glad it wasn't as bad as you feared. Wish it was better.

Sounds like you are using Lantus? I like the new pens (well, as far as 'like' can go with this). I started with a bottle of insulin and hypodermic needles. At first I would panic about making sure there was no air inside the bottle or syringe, etc. At least the pens are more convenient.

 

[Mary Kay]

Bottles of insulin was what had me scared too, with the big long needles! I think i would have felt like I should be doing this in cental park at midnight. It's one thing playing mad scientist with loranns and pg..it's a whole new thing doing it with real needles and fluid in the skin.
And yes Lantus.
And somebody..like my Dr. could have mentioned that the needles were tiny AND way skinny. Smaller then my test needles.

 

[dijohn76]

The pens definitely help (my big fear was the needle). I did start with the needles and insulin bottle (lantus) and then I found the pen, really made life easier. I think you may be feeling so funny (nauseous, etc) because your body has to adjust to the lower sugar levels (at least that was what I was told)..Takes a little while but definitely felt better

 

[Mary Kay]

Well my second shot didn't go well! I did the opposite side from last night and blood went everywhere! Talk about hurt..ouch! Not sure what I did wrong but I was ready to stuff the liquid back in..lol Oh well tomorrow is another day la de da.

 

[Mary Kay]

I am down another 100 points..wait at this rate I will have NO blood suger..that's can't be good! This puts me at 156..goal is 100 in the morning! I know 80 is best but I start getting really shaky at that number.
Last nights shot was somewhere in between the first 2, maybe I am getting there.

 

[Grandma Cas]

Got my fingers crossed for you MaryKay... My daughter-in-law & my grandson are both diabetic as was my father & me... well I'm borderline at the mo so, I do know a little about how hard it is to ajust.

Hang in there girl... you'll soon be feeling better & acting like a pro...

 

[Mary Kay]

Good news! My blood sugar was 140 this morning! That's 10 points within the "good"
range. More good news, it turns out Mike (hubby) is a damn fine nurse. When I tried to inject the insulin in my arm, I figured out that I can't pinch the skin and give the shot, also I can't get the pen aimmed right. So I asked Mike to do it..he balked but said he would try. He did it while I was still getting my face all screwed up waiting for the pinch..I never felt it.
Now of course he is pumped, a bit too eager I think. I have been pounding on his back for years to relieve the pain..what a bonus, I can beat him up and he likes it! Now he gets to return the "favor". LOL