“If I have diabetes, do I have to take insulin shots?”
I'm 30 and was just diagnosed with diabetes. Does this mean that I have to take insulin shots?
2 Answers
Not necessarily. There are 2 kinds of diabetes- Type 1 & Type 2. Either or both of these can occur in any age group. If you have Type 1 the answer is YES you must take insulin injections to stay alive. If you have Type 2 then you may not need insulin injections. There are many oral meds you can take & modifying your life style by proper diet, exercise and wt. lose if you are overwt. will help you to remain in control on oral agents. You must be aware though that with time there is deterioration of the cells that produce insulin in everyone & it is faster in people that have diabetes. So you might need insulin some day. This doesn't mean you have done anything wrong. Its just the normal aging process. Take your medicine, lose wt., eat right & exercise and check your blood sugars every day & get a HbA1c test every 3-4 mo. Keep the HbA1c below 7% and you will do well.
No. There are many steps in diabetes management for individuals who produce insulin, but do not achieve full benefit from its action, before insulin is even considered (lifestyle, diet, pills, injectables, etc.).
