C-peptides and Changes Ahead

Sometime soon I will be welcoming something I thought I’d never greet with open arms into my life: Insulin!

While waiting to hear back from the PA, I’ve been doing a little research on Amaryl and a lot of reading and re-reading of the Insulin chapters in my diabetes book. I asked my husband how he feels about me going on insulin and he said he just hated the idea of me having to lug it around everywhere. He asked if it would be possible to do insulin but still have the Starlix as a convenience. I thought that sounded like an excellent idea, so I thought on it for a few days and have come to the conclusion that now really is the right time for me to go ahead and learn how to use insulin. Work is stable, life is stable, my diet is stable, and I still have Starlix to fall back on should things change. Although this decision isn’t just about having kids, I think it will take a certain amount of pressure off us to “hurry up” if we don’t have the getting-on-insulin adjustment period to worry about.

I’m really excited about the idea of being able to do small corrections when needed rather than simply being at the mercy of my own insulin and Starlix, and am even thinking this will give me the freedom to safely try very low-carb meals without any medication or insulin at all because I’ll be able to correct afterwards if I mess up. I know it’s going to be difficult at times, particularly tracking and calculating doses, but I’m ready for the challenge.

Yesterday my PA called to tell me what my Dr. said about Starlix burning out my beta cells and give me my C-Peptide results. Turns out my doc does not believe that Starlix or other Sulfonylureas are putting me at risk of destroying my remaining beta cells and seemed to indicate that this is a risk specific to type 1s and 2s. Although this goes against everything I read in my Diabetes Solution book, I’m going to have to trust him since MODY is a special kind of diabetes and is never mentioned once in the book. My C-Peptide came back at .84, which is at the very lowest point in the normal range of .8-3.9. I asked if this was a dramatic drop from my 2002 when it was 1.3, and she said no. I hope we’ll start testing this more frequently so I can get a feel for whether it is consistent downtrend or not.

I went ahead and pitched the insulin and some meals/Starlix at others idea to my PA and she thought it sounded like a great idea. So now I’m just waiting for the Diabetes Resource Center to call me to set up an appointment with the dietitian, then on the same day I’ll see the PA to get my child-sized pen, my lispro and my injection lessons. So between now and “I-day”, I will be doing my best to prepare, not obsess, remain positive, and remind myself that I am lucky that I have the option of learning the ropes before it becomes a necessity.