I started in January 09 with a new doc who put me on Actos. (I had tried metformin and glucphage but they made me sick so I stopped and didn’t do anything for a couple of years). It was obvious the Actos didn’t do much for my A1c numbers immediately so she doubled the dosage. Meanwhile I didn’t change my eating habits at all. That didn’t do much so she suggested insulin. I asked her if we could try Januvia.
So with Januvia and a diet change, my A1c went from 11 to 7. I stopped taking the Actos on my own. I just found myself gaining more weight and I didn’t want to live with that.
Then life hit and for the next 6 months I had numerous stresses and stopped eating right and forgetting to take my meds.
So here I am today trying to get back on track, testing and eating better. I have brought my FBGs down from 200 to 140 in the past couple of weeks. I am back on Actos & Januvia, but to be honest, changing my diet has had the greatest impact on my numbers. Last month when I went to the doc, she was pushing insulin again and made the referral to the endo.
I know numbers are important in determining where I am and how I am doing. But I also know the numbers depend a lot on me and what I eat. I’m concerned about my quality of life on insulin and if I decide to try it, will I become dependent on it, plus I don’t like self injecting. It is hard enough doing the pricks daily. I literally have to brace myself for a simple prick and this feeling gets worse as time goes on.
But on the other hand, I understand some people lose weight on insulin (this is so very important to me) and my numbers should become normalized rapidly.
My overall philosophy has been to just allow myself the time and opportunity to eat better and not opt for the quick fix which may or may not be artificial. I would rather teach myself to eat better than inject insulin and eat what I want.
On the other hand, the concept of letting my pancreas rest with the insulin seems like it would have some great health benefits long term.
I welcome your experiences and thoughts. My goal for myself is to take care of myself and eventually get off all meds.