Sunday, January 22, 2012

help is always here

today, my Type 2 friend at work came over to talk to me.  she said that she went to her Dr. and had an A1c done.  the results were not great. 

i must tell you that for the last 2 years or so, i have been mentioning that she should probably test more.  she always said that she was doing fine.  she said that her Dr wasn't too concerned, and she did test occasionally.  as long as she took her Metformin she was fine, and she always took it.

so this morning, with a sheepish look on her face, she told me her A1c was 18.  her doctor has increased her Metformin from 2 pills a day to 4.  he apparently has given her 2wks to get that number down, "or else" she will be going on insulin. 

when i asked "down to what?" she said she didn't know.  she seemed bewildered by it all.  and just a little scared, if the look on her face was anything to go by.  i was a little stunned that her Dr. didn't give her a little more encouragement.  perhaps a goal number to work towards. 

i want to tell her that insulin is not so bad.  that she will feel so much better and she will feel a little more freedom.  metformin should be taken at the same time(s) each day to maintain an even level of the drug in your blood.  MDI's  would give her a less structured day.  like myself, her days are never the same.  work schedules in the grocery industry vary day to day.  on insulin she would, in my opinion, be better able to "manage" her diabetes, and bring her A1c down.  i am not a doctor, nurse, or CDE but to me, this only makes sense. 

i am going to bring her one of the new meters that i have so she can keep it at work.  i am going to tell her about the DOC and invite her to come have a read.  i am sure she will find tons of information and all the support she needs here. 

it's going to be a tough road, but she can only go up (or down!) from here.

4 comments:

  1. It's good that she came to you.
    Does she know how to count carbs? Did her dr. suggest education classes?
    I dislike physicians who infer that insulin is the "or else."

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  2. it doesn't sound like her dr. suggested much. she is under an enormous amt of stress at the moment, and we all know what that can do to BG's. i am going to talk to her some more tomorrow, and hopefully make some suggestions for her to bring up with her dr. of course, i cannot offer medical advise but just some ideas of questions to ask and such. i would love for her to read some of the blogs here. i am sure they would let her know she is not alone.

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  3. Agree with Colleen. What's with the "insulin or else" ultimatum? She definitely came to a good person, hopefully she won't get overwhelmed.

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  4. Argh! Poor woman. I'm glad she spoke with you. The DOC would be a GREAT place for her! This situation is exactly what I was referring to in one of my recent posts: if we don't test, how do we know how we're doing? I don't care if someone is on insulin or not, testing is imperative for good control.

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