Insulin dream

As part of an exercise to better understand what someone with diabetes has to go through in terms of managing the disease, I was set up this week with an insulin pen, blood sugar meter, and "medications" of someone with diabetes. I was also given a schedule to follow, and a chart to track how many grams of carbs I've eaten.

So my schedule looks like this:

-1 unit of Humalog (fast acting insulin), for every 10g of carbohydrate I eat, at meals.

-20 units of Lantus (long lasting insulin) at bedtime.

-1 "Metformin" (oral medication to increase the body's sensitivity to insulin) 3 times a day.

-Test blood sugar first thing every morning, and two hours after every meal.

So just to clarify I'm not actually taking insulin or any diabetes drugs, I'm injecting air into myself, and taking sugar pills. I must admit though it is a little freaky jabbing yourself in the side with a needle, even if it is only 4mm long. I usually have no problem with needles, I'm all screamed out from childhood. Checking my blood sugars also took some mental strength the first couple times. The first time I bent the needle, which didn't make me feel any better about drawing my own blood.

The most difficult part, however, has been taking my insulin based on what I'm eating. It has forced me to plan my meals, and how much I eat, ahead of time. Usually I don't pay much attention to meal times, and just eat and cook whenever I am hungry. To avoid a "low" blood sugar, I'm forced to eat soon after taking my insulin, this is something I am not used too.

In no way do I now understand what it's like to live with diabetes, I know that I'm going to go back to my usual routine in a couple of days, and I don't have the weight of an actual diagnosis on my shoulders, nothing will happen if I don't take my "insulin".

As a dietitian-to-be I'm struggling with some of the carbohydrate counting and meal planning, and I've had to ask my supervisor many questions; yet these expectations we have of our clients. While I would get better at managing with time, I could only imagine the stress the diagnosis would put on someone.

Also I'm not appreciating the red needle dots on my mid-section.