I hate needles, when I was a child I was in an accident. My leg broke and my hip was fractured. The leg healed as well as could be expected, but the hip was not. So they injected a steroid into the fissure to speed up the process. I was alomst 4 years old. The needle looked so big and it hurt a great deal when they inserted the needle in. Since then i had a great dislike of needles.
An now that I have diabetes I have to inject myself once a day. At first they gave be syringes and an insulin vial, the nurse gave me the most rudimentary explanation on how to do so. I had to go research on the Internet for a more detailed set of instructions on how to do so.
From the start my wife would inject the insulin for me. She did a good job but though I am mostly over my needle phobia I still not totally comfortable with it. She would see the discomfort on my face and grew to dread 10pm when it was time for my injection.
So when I went back to see the diabetic counselor, I requested the insulin pen. So what I have now is the Lantus SoloStar. I dial up 10 units of insulin and inject myself on the tummy. Most of the time this is easy to do so, other times it feels as if the needles are dull and it hurts injecting myself. Then sometimes it feels like it burns lightly just underneath the skin. The burn slowly spreading out from the injection point. It is during these times that my dislike for needles comes back strong.
I need to do everything I can to be healthy and get off insulin. I really dislike injecting myself...
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Glucose Meters
So I believe I mentioned in the previous posting that I hate needles. So as luck would have it I have to prick my fingertips several times a day. Yes there are other places where I could do this but this seems to be the best place to do so for better results. I have come not to mind testing my glucose levels.
The first meter I used was one called Trueresult it was a fine system no fuss no muss tester. Sadly it made me keep a log of my glucose levels. I just don't have the discipline for that. I would have to keep the tester around with me at all times a logbook with all those entries and a pen to write them with. No to troublesome. So when I went to Walgreens I eyed an glucose meter made by Bayer call the Contour USB glucose meter. It automatically records your test results in its memory. Unfortunately you have to download a program from them called Glucofacts. Doing so was not totally easy and the program is not really intuitive, it is too simple and convoluted at the same time. I hope the come up with something better.
I liked out on the system in part. When I decided to buy it from Walgreens, the deciding factor was that it was on sale. Also there was a link on a site I was researching diabetes information. It took me to the Bayer site and they had a coupon for the product I paid less than $10 dollars for the system. Downside is that the reel you in with the "sale" price of the meter, they get their money back in the testing strips. At an average of a dollar a test strip. Taking 2 or 3 test readings a day this adds up.
Thank you for listening.
The first meter I used was one called Trueresult it was a fine system no fuss no muss tester. Sadly it made me keep a log of my glucose levels. I just don't have the discipline for that. I would have to keep the tester around with me at all times a logbook with all those entries and a pen to write them with. No to troublesome. So when I went to Walgreens I eyed an glucose meter made by Bayer call the Contour USB glucose meter. It automatically records your test results in its memory. Unfortunately you have to download a program from them called Glucofacts. Doing so was not totally easy and the program is not really intuitive, it is too simple and convoluted at the same time. I hope the come up with something better.
I liked out on the system in part. When I decided to buy it from Walgreens, the deciding factor was that it was on sale. Also there was a link on a site I was researching diabetes information. It took me to the Bayer site and they had a coupon for the product I paid less than $10 dollars for the system. Downside is that the reel you in with the "sale" price of the meter, they get their money back in the testing strips. At an average of a dollar a test strip. Taking 2 or 3 test readings a day this adds up.
Thank you for listening.
So I have Diabetes
I don't know how to cope with being a diabetic. I hate injecting myself, hold over from when I was a child with a big fear of needles. I am not a well disciplined person, yet somehow I manage to give myself my injection every day at 10 pm (10 units of Lantus). I take 1 tablet of Metformin twice a day. The tablets are harder because I should take them 12 hours apart. I do take one at 10 pm but the other one I take depending on what time I get up. Like I said I have little discipline.
I don't do much in the way of physical activity other than walk my dog and day to day activities. I currently weight 160 pounds. I could stand to lose 20 of them. The diabetic counselor bombarded me with all this information about how and what I should eat. I like to eat granted I should lose 20 pounds but it is not like I am obese. It was a lot of information to take in all at once. I was a little grumpy, OK a lot grumpy. I knew leading up to all this that I was more than likely diabetic but I didn't want to accept it. Not me no way.
So this is my journey, I hope it helps someone. Most of all me.
I don't do much in the way of physical activity other than walk my dog and day to day activities. I currently weight 160 pounds. I could stand to lose 20 of them. The diabetic counselor bombarded me with all this information about how and what I should eat. I like to eat granted I should lose 20 pounds but it is not like I am obese. It was a lot of information to take in all at once. I was a little grumpy, OK a lot grumpy. I knew leading up to all this that I was more than likely diabetic but I didn't want to accept it. Not me no way.
So this is my journey, I hope it helps someone. Most of all me.
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