Capitol Hill Blue Forums Misc. Topics Member Submitted Links Insulin

Again, I'm surprised California can build its own pharmaceutical manufacturing facility/industry cheaper than it can negotiate prices with firms that are dedicated to delivering their product to anyone who needs it.

I don't care one way or another about their decision and wish them godspeed in their effort to take control of the means of production from greedy producers and get it safely under the control of government.

California has tons of world-class biotech talent. And don't be surprised if they get their insulin products manufactured in bulk in India, and just check batch quality in California. Almost all Big Pharma drugs are made that way. What a state-run non-profit won't be doing is the normal Big Pharma practice of a 10,000% percent markup. Or a retail price for the uninsured and Medicare of $500, with insurance company prices of $50, and coupons for $30.

Good article! It's nice to see that California will not have many legal barriers when they start to make their insulins.

I'm in a weird situation, diabetes-wise. My dad died from Type II diabetes complications. Since I was a kid, doctors have always found sugar in my urine, so they labelled me "pre-diabetic", yet I've never once in my life had a glucose tolerance test or A1C test that said I had high blood sugar! I've also never had any metabolic symptoms of diabetes. Apparently, I have "leaky kidneys": Any time I eat a lot of sugar or carbohydrate that breakdown into sugar, I pee it right out. So as long as my kidneys are still working, I seem to be "diabetes-proof".

Jealous.
Is there a DIY operation that I can do to give myself leaky kidneys? (joke)
But seriously, God Bless You and I hope you stay diabetes-proof.

The VA doctor who diagnosed me in 2010 was getting ready to put me ON the Walmart stuff, only it was VA's "Walmart stuff" and then two weeks later she called me in and said she'd put me on Metformin. Almost everyone else in my family is using either Novolog or the cheap stuff, or they were last I asked...I am largely disowned by most of my family so it's been a while.

My diabetes is pretty well controlled so I stopped using Metformin and began using Berberine only as needed.
My A1C is normal again, last time I was checked.
In 2010 I was 253 pounds, today I am 212.

Look, I did not even KNOW I was pre-diabetic or diabetic, and the VA doc told me it was evident that I'd BEEN diabetic for awhile...like decades.
All I knew was that I'd nod off or get the room spins almost every day. I've lived most of my life without health coverage, so when I was able to get on Karen's VA, it was the first time I'd had real healthcare in my life, pretty much.

Up until I was about 45 or so, I never got sick other than daily room spins, so what did I care about health coverage.
I thought I was Superman.

Didn't we all.

I jinxed it by crowing about my good luck, I guess.
Today I spent several hours with the room spins.
All I had for brekkie was two fried eggs, some leftover chimichanga from last night and some coffee and all of a sudden about 20 minutes later my ears were ringing, everything looked "shiny" and I was dizzy. Took one Berberine, then an hour later took one more, and after another hour all was right again but now I am tired.

That's the first one of those I've had in six months.
Must have been the chimichanga but it wasn't even a whole one, about half.

You should probably get a meter and test your blood sugar when that happens. Having spikes or valleys can be very serious.

I never feel the highs, and I've had highs that were off the meter and it was flashing KETONES KETONES KETONES which is a pretty good sign you're about to pass out and die. But I felt perfectly fine.

Usually the highs eat you up like acid inside, slowly ruining your vision, kidneys, and circulatory system.

It's the lows that freak me out. Sweaty, shaky and weird. They weren't an issue before I was on insulin, just a signal that things were out of whack.

Anybody can have a low sugar moment. But insulin will eat so much of your glucose that you don't have enough to fuel the fires within and so you shut down and die.

If you find yourself drinking and peeing a lot. Getting up several times at night to pee, guzzling water or, heaven forbid....soda...to stave off the thirst...then you need to see your doctor.

When glucose reaches excessive levels the only way to get rid of it is to pee it out.

Type 2 Diabetes is progressive. Insulin doses slowly rise over the years or the time comes when oral meds aren't enough...

I still don't take it seriously and I eat whatever I want. I skip doses...never ever prick my goddam finger, f*ck that, I know it's probably a little high...

But Jeffrey...get a meter. A One Touch ultra mini. Fewer error messages means fewer re-pricks. I've used a bunch and my fave because of its reliability.

When I get out of control I gotta prick 3-4 times a day and we hates it! We hates it!
Gotta keep a log of mealtimes, carb loads, insulin times and doses, in search of spike times and how to avoid them.

The Levimir pens give me total control without the finger-pricks. A1C was 6.3 last time and that's good enough for me. I get tested every 6 months. My diet is fairly regimented but I can have anything I want. Ice cream every night is out of the question but I've got it in the fridge for an occasional binge.