Insulin Confusion
Hi! My husband was just diagnosed with Type 2 last week, and it's been a whirlwind of a week. His sugars were in the 600s when they tested at the doctor and his A1C was 12. Needless to say, it's been a scary rollercoaster of a week trying to figure everything out.
Our doctor prescribed him the monitor, strips, lancets, insulin, and needles. (Holy crap there's too much to it) But didn't really give us the best of instructions. His dosage is 20 units of insulin per day. He's counting carbs, trying his hardest to stay under 130g per day. He's limited his sugar. Checking his glucose 3-4 times per day.
This morning when he woke up his sugar was at 277. Pretty decent for starting out considering where his sugar has been at. So he was feeling good about it. He took his insulin and waited about 10 minutes before he had breakfast. Checked his sugar an hour later and it went up to 377. We're both pretty confused. Isn't insulin suppose to keep your sugar down? Why did it go up? Should he be doing 1 dose of 20 units per day or should he be staggering the 20 units throughout the day? This is just the beginning of the day so I assume as he has lunch and dinner it will keep going up. Last night he checked his sugar and the monitor didn't even give a number, just "High". At this point we're so lost with what to do.
Can anyone help?!
Hi there! Type 2 diabetes can be overwhelming. Especially in the early days, there is a lot to learn about. Our site will provide you a resource to find the answers to a lot of your questions. The search bar will guide you to articles pertaining to your specific questions. The Type 2 Diabetes community we have here is fantastic.
Regarding the question you asking about your husbands insulin, I think it would be best to call your doctor to follow up. There are many types of insulin including fast acting and long acting. Check out this article that discusses the types of insulin. https://type2diabetes.com/insulin Additionally there are many possible insulin schedules. Some diabetics take a long acting insulin which is able to keep their blood sugars controlled all day. Others take insulin only with meals. And some take a combination of both! Check in with your doctor and let us know what they have to say.
Another piece of advice would be to find a local diabetes support group. An in-person support group and our online community may help you to learn more tips and tricks as you both navigate this new lifestyle.
Please check back in to let us know how you are doing. Wishing you all the best, Lauren (Team member), I think checking in with your husbands doctor is a good idea. I don't know why doctors give such vague instructions sometimes! I'd be curious to hear what they say. I just started on insulin this summer (for type 1 diabetes), so I'm always interested to hear about others' experiences and regimens. Do you know that name of the insulin that your husband is taking?
