 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
Humulin or Lantus, Which Insulin For Your Child?
Humulin or Lantus? When my daughter, who was 8, was first diagnosed the Children's Hospital that was treating her put her on an insulin program of short acting Humalog NPH and long acting Humalin N. You should have seen me that first day of training after a long night in the emergency room where she was diagnosed. I was a raving lunatic to begin with so my brain was mostly mush at that point. Add to that everything began with "H". Mix this "H" with that "H" but first charge this "H" with air, then draw this "H" first followed by that "H" but make sure you roll this "H" between your palms and for crying-out-loud don't shake that "H". Anyway I guess osmosis worked and all of that information finally seeped in. We were officially diabetic now. For those of you who may not be familiar with it, Humalog and Humalin (short and long acting insulins) are mixed in the same syringe and injected 3 times a day usually before meals. Your child is allowed a certain amount of carbohydrates for each meal that the doctor figures out based on age, weight, etc., and that's your number. My daughter's was 65 carbs max per meal and 35 max per snack. However your child hits their magic number that's it. Whether it's 65 slices of ham or half a pop-tart. Plus she had to eat 6 times a day at certain times everyday. Well the time came when she decided she wanted a little more freedom of choice and asked me about trying Lantus. My first thought was if it's not broke don't fix it. But I can have a cupcake whenever I want so I decided my opinion was secondary. So we looked into it. Lantus is a long lasting insulin. One shot at night and she had a 24 hour basal dose of insulin. "One shot" I'm thinking to myself "that's great". But wait, you also have to take a shot of short acting insulin (a bolus) everytime you eat. 10 meals 10 shots, 3 meals, 3 shots. Even I could figure that out. You base the amount of short acting insulin on the number of carbs you are about to eat. Talk about freedom! Compared to what she had been doing it was like being re-born. she didn't care that it would mean more shots. All she heard was she could eat what she wanted when she wanted. Birthday cake, pizza parties, popcorn at the movies, boy she was ready to go. The first thing she wanted to have was a Blizzard from Dairy Queen. I looked at the chart on the wall and it read 125 carbohydrates. That was half a days carbs in a paper cup! After a couple of days of gluttony things got back to normal pretty quickly. Remember that freedom I mentioned, it came at a price. This insulin regime is a lot of shots. Add those to the required blood tests and your talking about a lot of holes per day in a little girl. One more thing, her nighttime Lantus shot was 19 units. that's a lot of insulin all at once. In her case it went in like battery acid. These shots are no fun. However, after several months on the Lantus regime her life and the rest of my family's lives are pretty close to pre-diagnosis normal. All in all it was the right thing to do. If your doctor is suggesting Lantus or your child is asking about it, consider all of the above. We're glad we did it. Russell Turner is the father of a 10 year old diabetic daughter. He realized early on that he could find all the medical information about diabetes he could ever need on the internet. What he couldn't find was information that told him how to keep his family's life normal after the diagnosis. He started his own website dedicated to just that. Visit http://www.mychildhasdiabetes.com Prepare you child for life with diabetes!
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Diabetes Breakthrough Helps Diabetics Fight Back! Have you heard about the diabetes breakthrough that lowers blood sugar levels by 30% in 30 days? The all natural Diabetic Pack was developed with Nobel Prize Winning Science. This FoodMatrix biotechnology has a 4 year proven track record of helping take diabetics off insulin and oral medications. Diabetes Awreness: There's No Substitute for Good Friends Was there a time when you relished the idea of giving dinner parties?What a great opportunity to bond with old friends, try out a few new recipes, and find a reason to clean up the house!Has diabetes robbed you of the enjoyable events involving your friends and family?Diabetes has an ugly characteristic of wrecking the lives of it's victims by forcing them into seclusion.If you have been neglecting the enjoyable events of your life, please take action to control your diabetes. Pre-Diabetes Awareness: Gamblers Understand the Odds Do you gamble? Play Texas Hold'em poker, casino games, or lotteries? Then understanding your odds of winning is part of the challenge.Are you planning on living a long and healthy life? A life free of aches and pains? A life full of excitement and adventure? Great, then understanding the odds of developing diabetes will surely cause you to take immediate action. Raising Happy Diabetic Kids This is the first in a series of articles I am about to embark upon concerning this subject. As my family gets older and matures with this disease I think back to the early days and wonder why aren't we all on medication for depression? Why don't we have standing twice a week appointments with a psychiatrist? How did we end up so normal?(whatever that is) As I look back this didn't happen by accident, nor am I Super Dad, and I didn't plan it out step by step. Treating Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy The toes burn and tingle and sharp pains shoot into your legs. The bed sheets feel uncomfortable on the feet as you toss and turn, trying to get some rest. Exercising for Diabetes Sufferers Exercise is often recommended in treating type 1 (insulin- dependent) and type 2 (noninsulin- dependent) diabetes ~ both as a stand-alone activity and in combination with diet and drug therapy. For people who are heavily dependent on medicines, exercise cannot replace drugs but it does contribute to normalizing the glucose metabolism. Diabetes: Calling For Double Trouble! Diabetes!!!Open your eyes to the catastrophic effects of Diabetes. The mere thought of Diabetes brings so many questions and fears into our mind . The Importance Of Following And Maintaining A Diabetic Diet A diabetic diet is a specially designed eating plan that is high in carbohydrates and low in fat. People with diabetes don't need to go out and purchase special foods to maintain a diabetic diet, they can eat the same foods as the whole family. Diabetes Symptoms, Causes & Types Diabetes affects the manner in which the body handles carbohydrates, fats and proteins. If neglected, diabetes can have serious complications. Some Changes Make A Big Difference! When it comes to diabetes, small changes can make a big difference -- even in the middle of an epidemic that currently affects more than 2 million Americans and Canadians, and costs us an estimated $13.2 billion per year. Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Diabetes affects the manner in which the body handles digested carbohydrates. If neglected, diabetes can cause serious health complications, ranging from blindness to kidney failure. If You Have Diabetes, You May Be Entitled To No Cost Diabetic Supplies This article is intended to inform people with diabetes in regards to their diabetic supplies. When I found out that my sister was diagnosed with the disease I started to research more and came across some useful information that might be helpful to others. Diabetes and Exercise - Just Move it! While exercise and eating guidelines are based on good scientific principles, they do not necessarily agree with human nature or common sense. Recent history tells us that we are better off encouraging the mediocre people who are willing to include exercise in their daily lives, rather than cramming guidelines down the majority of those who want to fight the inevitable. Protein Principles for Diabetes Dietary considerations can present a Hobson's choice in diabetes. Even when the intake is nutritious, assimilating it can be another matter. Benfotiamine And Diabetic Retinopathy Damage from diabetes can occur in different areas of the eye. It can occur to the cornea, nerves controlling the muscles of the eye, the lens, optic nerve and retina. Type II Diabetes: Insulin-Dependent Diabetes The term diabetes refers to higher than normal levels of sugar, or glucose, in the blood. Type II diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes, was commonly referred to as adult onset diabetes until recently when the name no longer accurately describes the population with this disease. Living Healthy with Diabetes Diabetes affects around 16 million Americans and about 800,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Diabetes attacks men, women, children and the elderly. Fibromyalgia and Insulin Resistance Do you have symptoms that relate to an insulin imbalance? If you have fibromyalgia, look and see if you also have hypoglycemia, insulin resistance, or diabetes symptoms. These types of blood sugar imbalances can cause fibromyalgia pain to get worse. Diabetes and Fitness There are two main types of diabetes, type I and type II. Type I diabetes is characterized by the pancreas making too little or no insulin. Locating Diabetic Supplies to Manage Diabetes In the United States there are around 17 million people with diabetes. Each of these people need certain Diabetic Supplies.
|
|
|
 |
 |
