Jo's Cafe

Below are the current medications and doses that help me maintain my life as a Person With Diabetes [Type II] (PWD2) and Without a Thyroid.

For the Diabetes:

Lantus: 20 units daily.  I take this in the morning.  I was originally prescribed 10 units, but have had to increase the dose as I aged.

Metformin: 2,000 mgs daily.  I take these in the morning.   When I initially started on this medication, I had to take it on a full stomach or I would lose it quickly after taking it.  Now, I can take the whole amount on an empty stomach and it does not bother me.  But this took time.  Don’t expect to take this on an empty stomach when first starting out, and you may have to split the dose up to get it all in.

NovoLog:  I am prescribed 5 units, 3 times a day at meals.  However, I adjust this as needed and per carb count.   Most days – if I go to the gym properly – I only need 5 units in the morning and then nothing more the rest of the day.  Each person is different.  My Dawn Phenomenon is “after” I get up.  I can wake up with a normal glucose level and within an hour it shoots to over 300.  This why most of my fast insulin dosage is in the am.

For the Thyroid Condition:

My thyroid was removed in 2000 after being diagnosed with Graves Disease.  Originally placed on T4 only – my life spiraled out of control for the next year.  Considering suicide as the only option to feeling better, I finally broke down and went to a new doctor who put me on Armour Thyroid.  A grandfathered medication not used by many doctors (they get no kick backs or are ignorant), it is the made from naturally grown pigs thyroids.   It contains 99.98% of the same thyroid hormones as we humans.  After 8 weeks on an increasing dose to 2 grains daily, my life compeltely flipped around to almost normal.  (I have never claimed to be normal )   If it wasn’t for the people at Thyroid.About.com I would have simply slit my wrists and been done with it.