Bill,

I agree 100% ;-) There is no going back for me ....

Now for those of you waiting for a "miracle" treatment/cure:

Since being diagnosed with diabetes, I have checked on the status of oral insulin (i.e., non-injected) and I can see articles promising that the FDA would have all information required to make a decision WITHIN 2 years - the only issue is that the articles were published back in 1997 ;-(

I guess all I am trying to say is that a miracle treatment/cure has "been around the corner" since insulin was first discovered/developed back in the 20's.

Thanks,

Adam

Hi Adam:
I've worked at one biotech company, which was trying to get spray dried insulin in form of inhaler like for asthma patients. they built thei sate of the art facilities, and it didn;t work for diabetics. they could't correct the dosage and there were side effects such a burns in lungs, etc.
speaking of pill, it's even more inetersting, since insulin a form of PROTEIN, so it'will be digested before it gets to work. this is the reason it can't be administered in a pill form,only injected. unless something changed last time i've checked. you can also check official FDA website http://www.fda.gov for all bio and pharm news. i hope that they will come up with something. i've read about people geting donor islets cells implanted. diabetes is not the first priority for R&D, cancer is.
P.S. my late father tought me life withput refined sufar in any form, so donuts and cream pies, ice cream, etc. never were on my treat list, just fruits!
still got diabetes :-(
Thanks,
Dina

I guess maybe I injected some confusion into this thread by asking what the future might bring.

Initially, I was hoping to examine the idea (presented earlier in this thread) that many of the currently diagnosed T-2's were likely going to be taking insuline in the future. I had recently read through a small exerpt from Dr. Bernstein's newest book that was posted on the web:

http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.co...apter1.shtml#10

and, specifically, the portion on P.4 of the excerpt headed "On the Horizon."

It seemed that the prediction of eventual insulin dependence was based solely on current medical technology, and was based on the assumption that no advances were likely in the areas of overcoming IR or impaired insulin production.

I wasn't really expecting people to whip out their crystal balls, as much as I was suggesting that it's difficult to be so certain that a fair number of us were inevitably headed in the direction of insulin dependence in the (near or far) future.

In addition, I was not suggesting that anyone would/should choose to abandon the LC WOE in the face of such advances...even without diabetes control in the equation, I'd be the first to declare that there are lots of other advantages to LC eating.

I'm still interested in why the folks who do feel that insulin dependence lies in the future of many current T2 diabetics feel that way. Do they believe that too many predictions/promises have been made/broken in the past to have any credible expectations for the future? Is it that they honestly feel that the problem is just too tough to crack? Or are they assuming no progress will be made to avoid future disappointment?

Inquiring minds want to know!

What's with this (almost) paranoia against insulin ?? If you need it, you need it, and getting 'anti' about it now won't be a help IF you do need it one day.

Eve

Hi Eve!

I don't think it's necessarily a paranoia or "anti insulin" attitude so much as a desire to preserve as much of our natural pancreatic function as possible and hopefully avoid needing it. Obviously, if you need insulin you need it but personally I'm going to do everything in my power to avoid needing it either in the near or far future.
Insulin is wonderful! It helps many people control their blood sugars who otherwise would not be able to and thus die at a far younger age. However, there are many not so nice things about it as well such as greater potential for hypoglycemic episodes and developing resistance to the injected insulin as well. You have to time your meals to go along with the insulin that you inject and so are much more restricted in when you can eat (especially if you are using both long and short acting insulin). You always have to make sure that you have your diabetic supplies with you wherever you go and enough of them so that if you get stranded away from home, you're covered. When I was on Metformin and had to skip a dose, it wasn't nearly as big a deal as if an insulin-dependent diabetic skips a dose. There's also the cost of insulin, syringes and extra test strips. The list goes on..
I see so many diabetics with a cavalier attitude towards insulin use...at least until the doctor tells them that they need it and they experience life as an insulin-dependent diabetic. OTOH, some actually like it because they find that with insulin, they can eat more high carb things than before and just "cover" it with a larger insulin dosage (something you'll hear promoted by the ADA), but they also find that if they do that too often, their weight will go up dramatically (remember about insulin being the "fat storing" hormone?)
Yes, insulin is great for those that really need it, but if you can avoid needing it, why wouldn't you?

There is no "If". We all need it. Without it every single human alive today would die.

The only "If" is whether or or not you need to inject it.

So, I'm with Lisa. Everyone has it in his/her bloodstream, and if a person's pancreas can't make enough of it, why would anyone resist supplementing their own production in the necessary amount to stabilize their metabolic system?

I speak from the point of view of a T1..some of these preceeding posts almost hint that if I really wanted to, I wouldn't need any shots !! What rot !!
The confusing thing about this forum is that one is addressing both T1 & T2 about the same problems, and really, they need two quite different approaches.
Lisa, I found a much greater freedom using insulin than I ever experienced on orals. Because I was over 25 at dx it was presumed I was T2...a mistake that is now costing me dearly--and not just for strips etc. Eve

Eevee, I don't think anyone here is suggesting anything of the sort. If you read what I posted above you'll see that in no way am I suggesting that everyone should try to get off of insulin:



There IS a huge difference in the treatment approach between an type 1 and a type 2 diabetic, whether that type 1 is adult onset or not but many of us here are speaking from the perspective of a type 2, who even Dr. Bernstein maintains the majority of should not need insulin to control their blood sugars (note here he does not maintain that ALL type 2s can get off insulin, only that it's possible for the majority). The need for insulin in a type 1 diabetic, however, is an absolute necessity. If it were beneficial for a type 2 to remain on insulin when they can control their blood sugars with diet alone or diet and oral antihyperglycemics I don't think that Dr. Bernstein would be trying and encouraging them to try to get off it.

Do I think that needing insulin to control your blood sugars is a horrible failure and the end of the world? No! But if a type 2 can control their blood sugars without it, I honestly believe (and it seems Dr. Bernstein agrees with me) that their bodies are better off for it and that they should attempt to do so. It saddens me to see such a cavalier attitude towards insulin among many type 2 diabetics because they see it as a free license to eat whatever they please and cover it with insulin injections and this is a notion that has been further encouraged by publications from the ADA. This is the "freedom" that many type 2s refer to when it comes to the freedom that insulin useage affords them which is quite different from the freedom that insulin useage affords a type 1.

Once again, if you need insulin injections to control your blood sugar even with a carb controlled diet by all means use it! However, if someone is considering insulin injections as a means by which they can eat more carbs (ie desserts, sugar, etc...), I very much discourage that idea because it is not doing their body any favors.

If a T2 only uses insulin to cover carbs eaten 'illegally' they ARE surely doing themselves a BIG dis-favour..all they are doing is increasing their I/R. It rarely works that way in T1 either ...usually the more insulin you have, the slower it works.
Am I the only one who would find it helpful to be able to identify which Type is posting ..it must be confusing surely for a new IDDM. Maybe something like .... eve (T1)

Very interesting discussion. Also a good point about the type of diabetes we have. I will try and remember to add T2 to my posts in future.

I won't get dx til after Oct 8th. My Endo is only interviewing with me that day. Seems there are other "possibilites" to investigate....other than Diabetes "Can't wait for that"!

If the ADA promotes covering binges w/ insulin then I have to question thier motives. Maybe they get paid by the foot(amputation). haha
I had an uncle that used to love to sit down to a whole pineapple, wonder what he needed to cover that treat? I know several ppl who think this way and all they get is heavier and sicker.
Rosie

Doesn't ADA also say that under 180 is a GOOD range for 2hr pp? I would "flip out", if I saw a 180 anytime durimg the day.

Has ADA not seen the studies on tight control? I often wonder about this organization and have very leary feeling towards them.

The british DA is the same.They suggest that sugars should be 4 to 7 (72 to 126) before meals and 7 to 10 (126 to 180) after meals.A reading of 180 would give me an instant heart attack!!

hi Christine:
for a freaks like us, tight BG control is a life time mission. but think about average diabetic, which doesn't care about this desease as much as we do. for them BG < 180 after meal is better than 350-400. not everyone can dedicate life to manage BG . i guess that DA in US and UK consider all folks, not so very well read and educated to control their BG at lleast, not so damaging levels. also, not all folks would be actually happy to follow a restricted lc diet as we do even to get a tight control of BG.
and who will buy all this low fat -carb loaded-wrapped goodies!!!!!!
dina