Did you know insulin has only been around since 1922. Before Dr.Banting discovered insulin the diagnosis of Diabetes was a slow death warrant. Most people died within about 3 years.
I've been pre-diabetic for years. I never needed medication. However, after taking the drug Chantix to help me quit smoking I became a full blown, insulin dependant, diabetic within 6 months. Oh joy.
You learn a lot quickly when you have a health problem that needs immediate and constant attention. There is a whole other language you have to learn. Bolus, cc's, shorts, A1C.. things I'd never heard of before entering the wonderful world of injectable insulin.
Mind you, I am not complaining. Things could be worse.
I've seen the commercials and heard others talk about how horrible it is to have to stick your fingers multiple times a day or give yourself a shot, or multiple shots every day. Really, it isn't so bad. My biggest problem with it right now is remembering to take my insulin BEFORE I put food in my mouth. The shot itself is pretty much a piece of cake. No pun intended. Another problem I encountered this week was being outside the house and having to eat. I didn't take insulin with me. I should have. It's a part of me now and I have to remember and plan and pack insulin whenever I go out. What a bummer. Then you have to go sneak off to the ladies room to shoot up before you can eat. This is a problem in my mind right now too. I wouldn't even change my baby's diaper in a public restroom and now I might have to use that same facility to shoot up in. Ick.
I'm on two different kinds of insulin now. One I take at night is a long acting insulin. A basel, or is it basal, insulin. Basal, that's it. The base insulin. I'm up to 96 units. I know I can go as high as 100 but after that I'm not sure.
The second insulin is a bolus for mealtime. See, any time I eat those good ole' carbs...you know the GOOD ones.. rice, potato, noodles...my blood sugar level goes way up. In the long run, this is bad. Now, I take 5 units of a different insulin before I eat and my blood sugar while it rises doesn't go beserk.
Seeing that I am now taking multiple injections I am a candidate for the Insulin pump . I'm not so sure about this. You have to wear it 90% of the time. There is a lot of learning, it seems to me, to be able to succesfully use this because you have to plan for times and activities that could damage the unit. I don't think I will be playing any contact sports anytime soon. Swimming though is a whole 'nother ball game. We play in the water a lot during summer. It has it's advantages and disadvantages. Hopefully I can continue with the multiple injections for now. Seriously, I don't mind being a human pincushion.
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2 comments:
Mz R,I never heard of a bolus before,and didn't kow that a diabetic could have more than one type of shot {{{{{{{{{{{{{Ruta}}}}}}}}}}} And,ITA with you about the rest rooms, and injection.
:::nodding:::: Yes Gail. I am a multi-drug user! ;-)
Bolus..I never heard of it until recently.
Main Entry: bo·lus
Function: noun
Pronunciation: 'bO-l&s
Etymology: Late Latin, from Greek bOlos lump
1 : a rounded mass: as a : a large pill b : a soft mass of chewed food
2 : a dose of a substance (as a drug) that is administered intravenously ; specifically : a large dose given intravenously so that the desired therapeutic concentration in the blood is reached rapidly
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