You really can do it, Baker! If you can get into the same room where you know there are needles, and sit even remotely still when you know they’re coming at you (even if you can’t see them) your fear is not as bad as it could be. (Saw Alice’s post on preview!) Plus, if insulin therapy goes well and your BG gets under control really well, it really could be a temporary thing with oral only meds as an option in the possibly near future. When it comes down to do it or die, I’m fairly certain you will choose “do it.” (You, too, Alice! But with any luck maybe Baker will be able to avoid it too.)
But, certainly get your additional consult before worrying too much about it. Maybe he’ll have a different approach. Once you get his answer, though, definitely get your sister on board. Especially since you already have discussed medical decisions. If you end up in the hospital and comatose and unable to speak for yourself, she needs to be able to tell the doctor you’re diabetic. Well in addition to that, you really should wear a Medical Alert bracelet. Keeps a lot of unnecessary treatment from happening if Paramedics know right away to give you dextrose or insulin.
Hang in there, Baker. You’re ok and you can get through this one step at a time. Before you worry about needles, talk to your GP and learn exactly what is going on. You’ve had such a rough time recently and you’ve dealt with it, and you can do this too. Just be kind to yourself. You’re strong, you’re wonderful and you’ll be ok.
You mention that you complied for a while with regular blood sugar checks. Was this multiple times per day, and at any rate, how fearful were you about the finger sticks?
ETA: Don’t tell your mother at this time, and whoever you DO tell, be sure you can rely on their discretion.
I was struck by “She isn’t my main doctor anyway.”
I get the impression this is some way of minimizing what you were told, as though blood sugar levels were open for a vast range of interpretation (esp. if she understands your medical history).
Even if you were never explicitly diagnosed with diabetes, you understand you have a blood sugar problem. We cannot know if that doctor is your primary doctor or what, and how long it’s been since you’ve seen a doctor, etc., whether you’ve been avoiding it.
Needing insulin to get blood sugar under control does not mean you always have to use it. Plenty of insulin-dependent diabetics ultimately find that they can make a lifestyle change that means they no longer need insulin. Some don’t change unless a dire consequence results; that’s simply human nature.
Now, my mother is not well. She’s in the final week of radiation treatment for lung cancer. I don’t want to scare her. And if I tell anyone else in my family, say, my sister the pharmacist or my cousin the nurse practitioner, they’ll be on my case for not maintaining my blood checks. I have no friends to talk in person with about it. Even if I did it would feel to me like I’m just trying to be a drama queen, as everyone has had family or health issues of their own.
Should I tell someone in my family? I don’t want my mother to worry and maybe get weaker.
You know the little sticker needle you used to check your blood sugar? An insulin needle is almost the same diameter (which is the ouchy part - the larger the diameter, the more painful the needle; the length is irrelevant).
Diet and oral medicine control should almost always be tried first. But sometimes, it’s not safe to put off insulin. If your primary doctor backs up your interim doctor, believe her, if you like your sight and feet and kidneys.
If you do need insulin, I highly recommend asking for the insulin pen. They’re easier than syringes and vials for many practical and psychological reasons.
If you need to, ask for a psych consult to help you with your anxiety. But also be aware that high blood sugars can cause anxiety, so while I believe you that your needle phobia predates this issue, your current high blood sugars may be making it even worse, emotionally speaking.
Whether you tell your family or not is up to you. But I will say that many people who do check their sugars every day eventually end up on insulin. So there’s really no need to tell them you haven’t been doing it if you don’t want to.
One step at a time. Right now, today, you can improve your diet and exercise. Also today, make an appointment with your primary care provider. The two of you are the people who should come up with a plan.
Even if you have a sky-high blood sugar and aren’t producing any of your own insulin, a good diet and exercise help a lot. You’re probably not sky-high or the doc you saw might well have been talking about hospitalizing you.
My advice: This isn’t an emergency for your family. If it makes sense to tell them after your mother is done with her treatment, it will keep for a few weeks. Meanwhile, get a plan in place and use your other supports. You will be able to explain the plan and how you’ve been implementing it when you talk to your family.
Don’t focus on injections right now. You need more information about your status and options.
I know a guy who was diagnosed w/diabetes in his 20’s. For years, he told himself “those damn dr’s don’t know anything; I feel FINE!” He gradually went blind, but was still saying he could drive. Then he got neuropathy in his feet/legs. Falling down because he “tripped” over something. Then, dialysis. 3x a week to clean his blood, & frequently getting “loopy” because they remove too much fluid. Surely a fear of needles would over-ride a lifetime like this?
Some doctors are being cagy these days about saying “diabetic.” We’re starting to see a whole pantheon of syndromes revolving around variations on the same theme, and people see a very black & white situation when you say “diabetic.” See, for example, the OP.
Speaking of which, I see WhyNot just made my main point: go back on the diet today. No needles involved.
Oddly, I started using a Lantus pen almost two weeks ago. That needle is so thin that nine times out of ten I don’t feel it at all. I think I have thicker eyelashes. The lancet used to get the drop of blood for testing stings. The pen, I usually don’t feel at all. Not the needle and not the insulin going in. And there’s no comparison to full-on blood draws. Those needles are huge in comparison.
Also I suspect that our lower arms and hands have more nerve endings than the injection zones (outer thigh, belly, back of upper arm - I’ve only tried one thigh so far). Whatever the reason, any squick I felt at the beginning went away fast.
The insulin is supposed to go into, ahem, adipose tissue, so those who are thinnish need to pinch a fold of skin to be sure that the tip does not reach muscle. The nurse who demonstrated said that she was more aware of the pinch than of the needle. I believe it.
I completely approve of you seeing your regular doctor before beginning anything. Your regular doctor is the one who will be overseeing whatever treatment you get. And there’s no problem stating a strong preference for pills.
As to your family, that’s completely up to you. I didn’t tell mine that I had been upgraded to insulin until I was used to it, and that was without any family drama. The pen is used just before bed. It has multiple doses and the pen currently being used doesn’t need to be refrigerated. So it’s not something that anyone would see unless you were sharing rooms. That makes it easy to not mention. Pills would be even easier not to mention.
My experience (which is admittedly limited) is that “diet alone won’t help” is a kneejerk response from some medical personnel who after long years have seldom seen patients who actually made permanent and sufficient changes to their diet to put their diabetes into remission, or at least reduce the problem.
Nonetheless, it’s worth making the attempt.
My spouse reduced his medication needs by 50% by losing 40 pounds and keeping it off after his diagnosis. Was it easy? No. But he wanted to take less medication, and he wanted it badly enough to make the effort.
You need to see a doctor in real life. You need to know what’s going on with you, whether or not you need insulin, whether or not dietary changes would be sufficient, and what dietary changes you might need to make.
As a 3 yr type II diabetic, I see some incorrect info here.
A diabetic diet is not ‘low calorie’ (that would be easier!). It’s ‘low carbohydrates’. But to low can be worse than to high. And two foods with the same # of carbs can effect you differently as the carbs can be digested or absorbed differently.
But, diet is only part of dealing with diabetes.
The OP needs to see the Dr. again; for a real diagnosis that includes a full explanation along with a discussion of all the treatment options.
When I was diagnosed, I was given a lot to read and offered multiple classes or seminars. I also got some books about it on my own.
It seemed like a lot to learn at the time. Now it’s pretty much just part of my (almost) normal life.
The OP doesn’t give enough info on the family dynamics for me to say whether to tell or not. But from what has been presented, it’s to soon to tell anyone.
Baker let us know what happens when you see your regular doc. Coming to add, don’t rule out the meds, if you need them, while you work on diet and exercise.
Members of my family have successfully transitioned off of insulin with Type II Diabetes, so it’s possible. I would just say do what you need to do now to stay healthy, and then work on your long term plan. More advice from a concerned internet stranger/member of your extended Doper family
I agree and disagree. If someone randomly tests at say, I dunno, 150 or maybe 175, they will get that follow up call for the doctor’s office and the doc may entertain the diet and exercise request for a bit. But if they are testing at 300 or 600, it’s a safe bet that diet alone won’t help and therapy is needed immediately.
I remember a guy that came to a clinic where I worked about 20 years ago and tested at 600. Our clinic meter didn’t read that high and we drew blood and waited for the results.
This guy thought he had a urinary tract infection because he couldn’t get home from work on the bus without having to stop to urinate. Normally, the doc would have admitted him, but he refused to be admitted.
I think the refusal was a combination of age (young), lack of insurance, shock, and lack of knowledge. He did say he wanted a chance to change his diet first, but I don’t think that’s an unusual thing to say. I just wonder at what number range it is reasonable/normal to allow diet as a first line therapy when all that glucose is lightly sand-blasting your kidneys, etc. I’m sure there are guidelines, but I don’t know them.
All I know for sure it that diabetes is complicated.
Certain types of stress can also cause your sugar to spike, so someone normally controlled by diet might wind up needing insulin for a short time then go back to diet control when the stressor is removed (that happened to my spouse on one occassion). If you test during that spike you get a very different picture than when you test outside it.
For sure, though, it’s something to be discussed with a doctor in meatspace rather than over the internet.
Take it from a type 1 diabetic that was similar but then was given an option of getting used to it or death:
You get used to it very quickly.
It has been over twenty years ago, but I still remember sitting on that hospital bed with a syringe in my hand, knowing exactly what I had to do and being scared shitless, as if it was yesterday.
