How Would You Like It If It's Done To You?

by Kathi
(Pennsylvania)

What would you do if someone was spreading rumors about you that just were not true?

Once the story got started though, it just kept getting bigger and bigger. As the story spread because of the innocent additions and embellishments, eventually the story had become so far from the original truth, it had now taken on a life all of its own.

Unfortunately though, the farther the story spread, the more people that have heard it and are now believing it to be the truth.

What Is It?

It will be a life-saver for most type 1 diabetics. Without proper positioning of a few controls in their life, it will generally end up being mandatory for most type 2 diabetics. So, what is this often maligned substance which has become a life-line for many people regardless of the type of diabetes?

That’s simple - injectable insulin!

To help you obtain and or maintain proper blood sugar levels, almost every diabetic will someday be handed a prescription from their doctor for insulin.

Common Inaccuracies Regarding Insulin

We’ve all heard the rumors. The older you are, the more rumors you’ve heard and often mistakenly, the more of those rumors you ended up believing. But some of the most often repeated inaccuracies include:

• once your doctor notifies you that you need insulin, your condition is very serious, maybe even life-threatening. Some people even believe when you do start insulin, any present day complications are all going to start compounding themselves which in essence means you’re on your way out.
  
  
• those daily shots hurt so bad and you never get used to the shots, thus it never gets any easier.
  
  
• you have to take every one of those shots on time every day. Don’t ever be late or else...
  
  
• your friend, also a diabetic, only needs “X” amount of insulin each shot. But your doctor says you need “XXX”. So the thought keeps going through your head “how long can I possibly make it if I already need a triple dose?”
  
  
• the only reason you’re a diabetic is because you’ve been eating all those cakes and pies, candy and cookies your whole life.
  

So, I am not here to fool you into believing all these false pretensions are gospel, but other than one great big inconvenience at times, insulin is as easy as eating that favorite piece of cake you enjoy so much.

The Actual Truth About Insulin

Insulin itself is a tool. It’s like a piece of hardware which is needed for your body. Get it, use it and your body is fixed as long as the dosage is right and you are willing to follow the directions for its proper usage.

But many people still adhere to some of those common misconceptions. But the actual reality is the following.

• Every single person on the face of this earth is on insulin.
  
  Why do I say that?
  
  Because remember, insulin is mandatory as a follow-up to the proper digestion of the foods in the human body. Some people, non-diabetics specifically, just happen to already make enough for their daily requirements. And then there’s others, the diabetic, which needs help because their body is short on insulin. For this reason there is injectable insulin - the medication.
  
  
• Pain is one of the most abhorrent symptoms known to most people. They avoid it at all costs, just like the plague. But you have now been using that glucose meter to check your blood sugars for how many years while taking those pills all this time?
  
  Well, to relieve your anxiety, insulin shots are actually easier and sometimes even painless when it's compared to that meter.
  
  
• Good diabetic control is actually easier if you follow a structured schedule and adhere to it. But an occasional breakdown in the system is not any major concern ,especially with the type 2 diabetic.
  
  A type 1 does need to worry about a possible low blood sugar, but this information is covered extensively for your own safety at diagnosis.
  
  
• Every single person is different. Our body’s were made different. Our digestive system processes its foods different. We eat, sleep and breathe all different from every other person standing beside you.
  
  So just because your friend only needs “X” amount of insulin shots and you need “XXX” amounts, all this means is your body needs more insulin to maintain good control.
  
  This is not any sign of failure or any kind of defect on your part. It just means you are both being given the amount of insulin each of your body’s are short. After injections, you are both now just as healthy as the other.
  
  
• Decades ago, any excessive amounts of sugar in the diet was considered a risk factor for the eventual diagnosis of diabetes. But medical science has developed beyond that fallacy. There is now many reasons for the onset of diabetes. Some common ones include hereditary, an active virus, possible allergens or sensitivities - especially to foods, plus many more reasons. Pending research is always finding new possibilities which may be the deciding factor why the human race is susceptible to the disease diabetes.
  
  Yes, large amounts of sugars (carbohydrates) does lead to higher blood sugars but it is not a proven cause of diabetes.
  

So yes, you are a diagnosed diabetic. But when your health care team brings up the conversation about your need for insulin, do not avoid it out of fear or qualms about possible failure on your part in your treatment schedules that you try so hard to adhere to.

Your body is just telling you it needs some extra help. The longer you try to avoid it, the longer your list of diabetic complications will grow.

If you start insulin too late while already in the throes of severe complications, you have in effect shortened your own life because this life-saving medication no longer has the capability of reversing your diabetes.