Financial Support And Benefits
Some people with diabetes may be eligible to receive disability benefits and incapacity benefits, depending on the impact the condition has on their life.
The main groups likely to qualify for welfare benefits are children, elderly people, people with learning disabilities or mental health problems, and those with complications of diabetes.
People over 65 who are severely disabled, may qualify for a type of disability benefit called Attendance Allowance.
Carers may also be entitled to some benefit too, depending on their involvement in caring for the person with diabetes.
Staff at your local Citizens Advice Bureau can check whether you’re getting all of the benefits you’re entitled to. Both they and your diabetes specialist nurse should also be able to give you advice about filling in the forms.
GOV.uk has more information about benefits, and the Diabetes UK website has further advice about the Disability Living Allowance .
Ways To Lower Your Odds For Needing Insulin
Before people start on insulin therapy, you may be asked to engage in changing your lifestyle. Intensive lifestyle interventions can prevent those with pre-diabetes from developing full blown type 2 diabetes by 58%, according to a clinical trial of over 5,000 people published in Diabetes Care. Lifestyle interventions include eating healthier, exercising, losing weight, getting emotional support, and sleeping well. But its a very hard thing for many to commit to exercise and diet in a very strict way, Dr. Levy says.
Whether youre taking oral medications or insulin, lifestyle modifications can help manage your blood sugar levels, Dr. Levy says. Heres what works:
Medication changes arent always possible for someone with mental health issues, such as schizophrenia. We have many, many options to treat blood sugars. But it could be that they finally found the right drug for their psychiatric disorder. So, we will work around it, Dr. Levy says.
Even after making serious lifestyle changes, your body can still need insulin to function properly. That doesnt mean youve failed or that youre not trying hard enough.
Diabetes is a progressive disease. We know that insulin-producing beta cells fail over time. Even for people who eat perfectly, take their medicine, and whove lost weight. They may still need insulin injections. It doesnt mean theyve done anything wrong. Its just the nature of diabetes, Hinnen says.
What Pills Are Available To Treat Diabetes
A variety of pills can treat diabetes, but they cant help everyone. They only work if your pancreas still produces some insulin, which means they cant treat type 1 diabetes. Pills arent effective in people with type 2 diabetes when the pancreas has stopped making insulin.
Some people with type 2 diabetes can benefit from using both medication and insulin. Some pills to treat diabetes include:
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How Is Type 2 Diabetes Treated
Sometimes people with type 2 diabetes take pills that help the insulin in their bodies work better. Some also need insulin shots or an insulin pump to control their diabetes.
People with type 2 diabetes have to pay a little more attention to what they’re eating and doing than people who don’t have diabetes. They may need to:
- Eat a healthy diet, as determined by the care team.
- Get regular physical activity to achieve a healthy weight and allow insulin to work more effectively.
- Check their blood sugar levels on a regular basis.
- Get treatment for other health problems that can happen more often in people with type 2 diabetes, like high blood pressure or problems with the levels of fats in their blood.
- Have regular checkups with doctors and other people on their diabetes health care team so they can stay healthy and get treatment for any diabetes problems.
People with type 2 diabetes might have to eat smaller food portions and less salt or fat, too. Those who eat healthy foods, stay active, and get to a healthy weight may bring their blood sugar levels into a healthier range. Their doctors may even say they don’t need to take any medicines at all.
How To Reverse Insulin Resistance
If you have insulin resistance, you want to become the oppositemore insulin sensitive .
Physical activity makes you more sensitive to insulin, one reason why its a cornerstone of diabetes management . Dont wait until youre diagnosed with diabetes to start moving more. The earlier you take action , the better off youll be.
Weight loss is important too, as is avoiding high blood sugar, reducing stress, and getting enough sleep .
These lifestyle changes really work. Talk with your health care provider about how to get started.
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Taking Insulin Will Interfere With Your Lifestyle
You might be thinking that once you start on insulin, you wont be able to do the things you like to do. This is simply not true. You can travel, go out to eat, play sports, ride a bike, swim, go campingtheres no reason that you cant do everything that you used to do before you got diabetes. Sure, youll likely need to figure out logistics, such as taking your insulin with you and possibly adjusting insulin doses, but this is all doable. Meet with a diabetes educator to help you fit insulin and diabetes into your lifestyle. And remember that plenty people with type 1 diabetes do this every day!
Carbohydrates For Fat Loss
After my muscle building phase, I spent the rest of the year cutting fat, while doing my best to not lose any of my hard-earned muscle. It was hard. My body wanted to shred the muscle and hold on tight to the fat.
One strategy could have been to significantly reduce my calories and stop eating carbohydrates. Although this might have worked to begin with, my body would have lost a lot of muscles first and quickly adapted to the new regime, and the weight loss would have stalled. Instead, I used another methodology that I also use with most of my diabetic clients. What I did was carb cycling.
Carb cycling is a technique where you switch between lower and higher carbohydrate days. That way, your body still gets the energy it needs from carbohydrates, your metabolism doesnt get damaged, you wont be burning muscle mass and, believe me, you will drop fat.
Its a little trickier to manage your blood sugars while carb cycling since the daily carbohydrate amount will vary, but with a little extra blood sugar testing, its doable.
I would eat about 60 grams of low-glycemic carbs on my high days and 20 grams on the low days . On the last day, I would allow myself a treat meal, so I would probably eat around 100 grams of carbs .
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When Should I Call My Doctor
Its important to monitor diabetes very closely if youre sick. Even a common cold can be dangerous if it interferes with your insulin and blood sugar levels. Make a sick day plan with your healthcare provider so you know how often to check your blood sugar and what medications to take.
Contact your provider right away if you experience:
- Confusion or memory loss.
- Nausea and vomiting for more than four hours.
- Problems with balance or coordination.
- Severe pain anywhere in your body.
- Trouble moving your arms or legs.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Type 2 diabetes is a disease where your body doesnt make enough insulin and cant use sugar the way it should. Sugar, or glucose, builds up in your blood. High blood sugar can lead to serious health complications. But Type 2 diabetes is manageable. Regular exercise and a healthy diet can help you manage your blood sugar. You may also need medication or insulin. If you have Type 2 diabetes, you should monitor your blood sugar at home regularly and stay in close communication with your healthcare provider.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 03/25/2021.
References
Summary Of Instructions Of Insulin Treatment For Your Dog:
Read and reread this material so that you understand the specifics of proper regulation and how to recognize and treat hypoglycemia.
Purchase the supplies for treatment. Your prescription will specify the type of insulin and syringes as well as the appropriate home glucose monitoring device and test strips.
Your veterinarian will recommend the glucometer that is best for your pet and can coach you on how to get a tiny blood sample to use in the glucometer. You cannot use another brand of test strips in the animal-approved glucose meter.
Type of insulin: ______________________________________
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What Is Different About Insulin Lispro
Insulin lispro is a new type of insulin. It starts working sooner than other insulin types. It also reaches peak activity faster and goes away sooner. Insulin lispro helps keep your blood sugar level from going too high after you eat. To keep your blood sugar level steady, your doctor will probably prescribe either a longer-acting insulin or another drug for you to take each day in addition to the insulin lispro.
If you need to mix insulin lispro with a longer-acting insulin, it’s best that you mix insulin lispro only with Humulin U or Humulin N, which are brand names for certain longer-acting insulins. Insulin lispro should always be drawn into the syringe first. This will keep the longer-acting insulin from getting into the insulin lispro bottle.
Types of insulin
Each type of insulin works at a different speed and lasts for a different length of time.
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Quick-acting, such as insulin lispro , begins to work very quickly and lasts for 3 to 4 hours.
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Short-acting, such as Regular insulin, starts working within 30 minutes and lasts about 5 to 8 hours.
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Intermediate-acting, such as NPH or Lente insulin, starts working in 1 to 3 hours and lasts 16 to 24 hours.
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Long-acting, such as Ultralente insulin, doesn’t start to work for 4 to 6 hours, but lasts 24 to 28 hours.
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NPH and Regular insulin mixture, two types of insulin mixed together in 1 bottle, starts working in 30 minutes and lasts 16 to 24 hours.
Taking Insulin Means Youve Failed
This is a big myth, says Jill Crandall, MD, professor of clinical medicine and director of the diabetes clinical trial unit at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in the Bronx, N.Y. Many people who try very hard to adhere to a diet, exercise, and lose weight will still need insulin.The fact is that type 2 diabetes is a progressive illness, meaning that over time you may need to change what you do to make sure your blood sugar is in a healthy range. Eating right and exercise will always be important, but medication needs can vary.A large percentage of people with type 2 diabetes will ultimately need insulin, and we dont see it as a failure, she says.
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Example #: Formulas Commonly Used To Create Insulin Dose Recommendations
This example illustrates a method for calculating of your background/basal and bolus doses and estimated daily insulin dose when you need full insulin replacement. Bear in mind, this may be too much insulin if you are newly diagnosed or still making a lot of insulin on your own. And it may be too little if you are very resistant to the action of insulin. Talk to your provider about the best insulin dose for you as this is a general formula and may not meet your individual needs.
The initial calculation of the basal/background and bolus doses requires estimating your total daily insulin dose:
What Is Insulin And Why Do I Need It
Insulin is a hormone that controls the level of blood sugar in your body. People with diabetes may not have enough insulin or may not be able to use it properly. The sugar builds up in the blood and overflows into the urine, passing out of your body unused. Over time, high blood sugar levels can cause serious health problems.
All people with type 1 diabetes, and some people with type 2 diabetes, need to take insulin to help control their blood sugar levels. The goal in treating diabetes is to keep the blood sugar level within a normal range.
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Important Facts About Diabetes
People do not outgrow type 1 diabetes, but they can learn to control it by insulin shots, blood glucose testing, diet and exercise.
Diabetes is not contagious .
About 14.6 million Americans have diabetes.
About 1 out of 10 people with diabetes have type 1 DM.
Another type of diabetes is type 2, non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus . Type 2 diabetes is more common than type 1. About 9 out of 10 people with diabetes have type 2. Type 2 DM used to occur mostly in adults, but is becoming increasingly more common in children. It is associated with obesity. NIDDM usually starts after 40 years of age. People with type 2 diabetes usually produce enough of their own insulin, but their bodies dont use it right. Type 2 may be controlled by weight loss or with insulin and/or oral medicine.
Making The Switch To Insulin
Making the transition is much easier than it used to be because most patients are started on a long-acting insulin that does not need to be matched with food intake.
Insulin pens that are preloaded are replacing insulin that needs to be drawn up into a syringe. Patients may still be worried about giving themselves injections, but because the needle is so tiny the adjustment is often quick.
Toujeo and Lantus are long-acting forms of insulin that are available in a prefilled injectable pen.
There’s also a type of rapid-acting insulin, Afrezza, that can be inhaled through the mouth via an inhaler.
And a new class of medication called sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors is also available now, according to Mazhari. “It works via a different pathway that’s not pancreas-dependent, offering another medical therapy option for patients with type 2 diabetes.”
The key to an easy transition to insulin is education.
“Patients need to know how to take their insulin properly since there are many formulations on the market, including short- and long-acting insulin and premixed,” Mazhari said. “Most can be started on a long-acting insulin once a day, though for some patients short-acting or mealtime insulin may be necessary as well. Insulin doses need to be further adjusted depending on blood sugar readings.”
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How Is Insulin Used To Treat Diabetes
You need insulin to live. If you have type 1 diabetes, youll need to take insulin every day. Youll also need to take it if you have type 2 diabetes and your body doesnt produce enough on its own.
Fast- or long-acting insulin is available. Its likely youll need both types to keep your blood glucose under control.
You can take insulin several ways:
Who Gets Type 2 Diabetes
What makes people more likely to develop type 2 diabetes? No one knows for sure. But experts have a few ideas about what puts a person at greater risk:
- Most people who have type 2 diabetes are overweight.
- People with family members who have diabetes get diabetes more often.
- People who are older than 10 are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than younger kids.
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How Diabetes Affects Insulin Production
Each diabetes type affects insulin production in a different way. Type 1 diabetes causes damage to the beta cells in your pancreas that make insulin. As a result, your body can’t produce enough of this hormone. Type 2 diabetes gradually makes it harder for your beta cells to work, and also makes all the cells of your body less able to pull in and use insulin.
In both types of diabetes, sugar from the foods you eat builds up in your blood. Constantly having high blood sugar damages your blood vessels. Over time, diabetes can cause problems with your nerves, eyes, kidneys, heart, and other organs.
Everyone with type 1 diabetes and some people with type 2 diabetes take a lab-made form of insulin to control their blood sugar.
Do You Have Insulin Resistance
How do you find out if youre insulin resistant? No one test will tell you, but if you have high blood sugar levels, high triglycerides , high LDL cholesterol, and low HDL cholesterol, your health care provider may determine you have insulin resistance.
Important note: Type 1 diabetes is different its thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction . People with type 1 diabetes dont make enough insulin and need to take it to survive.
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Do I Need To Monitor My Blood Sugar Level
Yes. Monitoring and controlling your blood sugar is key to preventing the complications of diabetes. If you dont already monitor your blood sugar level, you will need to learn how. Checking your blood sugar involves pricking your finger to get a small drop of blood that you put on a test strip. You can read the results yourself or insert the strip into a machine called an electronic glucose meter. The results will tell you whether your blood sugar is in a healthy range. Your doctor will give you additional information about monitoring your blood sugar.
What Are The Different Ways To Take Insulin
The way you take insulin may depend on your lifestyle, insurance plan, and preferences. You may decide that needles are not for you and prefer a different method. Talk with your doctor about the options and which is best for you. Most people with diabetes use a needle and syringe, pen, or insulin pump. Inhalers, injection ports, and jet injectors are less common.
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