Granddaughter 5 newly diagnosed 5 shots a day

[JenJen224]

Hello,
My granddaughter was admitted to the hospital as her urine test came back with sugar. They said it was extremely high. They now have it under control and said when she is discharged she will have to have 5 insulin shots a day. I find this to be very extreme. I have spoken with another nurse and she said why haven't they tried the pill first or change her eating habits as once she is on insulin it is very hard to get off. She also said we should get a second opinion. Can anyone here provide some feedback.
Thank you

[rcg6681]

If your granddaughter was diagnosed with TYPE ONE diabetes, there is no way she can control her sugars from diet or pills alone.  Type ONE is also called Insulin dependent diabetes because your pancreas produces NO insulin and you need this hormone to live.  Type TWO is what over 90% of people with diabetes have - that is what you are thinking of.  Type TWO can be controlled mostly by diet, exercise and pills since these simple changes can help the body use the insulin it makes more efficiently.

DO NOT stop giving her injections - she will get very very sick.  Insulin is a hormone your body makes naturally - there's nothing "extreme" about it.  I'm horrified to think what kind of nurse told you this.

[Lulu383]

I, too, am shocked by the nurse's comments. If she's got Type I diabetes, she needs insulin to live. Period. There are no pills and no amount of dietary change will reverse it. Although in the beginning, she will likely be in a "honeymoon" phase where her pancreas is still producing some insulin. With the insulin she's taking, her #'s may be looking really good and you may be tempted to suspect it was all one big mistake. If she was tested properly, it's not. My son uses insulin many more times a day than 5. He's now on the pump but it would be the same thing if he was using shots - first thing in the morning, EVERY time he eats and at bedtime. More often if he's sick.

Please just accept this new reality. It won't go away and it is something that is manageable.

PS: A second opinion is always a good idea.

[Michelle44]

My son is 15 and was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when he was 10.  It is very frustrating speaking with people who don't know the difference between the 2 types.  I am amazed that a nurse would make a comment like that.  Type 2 diabetes should be re-named  "dia-besity" in my opinion to eliminate the confusion.  My son is a very trim and physically fit teenager who's body cannot produce insulin on it's own anymore therefore he will require insulin injections for the rest of his life.  He uses an insulin pump which has made life much easier on our whole family.  I always have to ignore the comments from those who don't know the difference between the 2 types.  Why would they know everything there is to know about diabetes unless they had too?  But a nurse???