Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Dear Ginger,What would happen if I let my friends try taking an injection of insulin? Since they don’t have diabetes, would it not make any difference in their bodies?-Suzy
Hey Suzy,That’s a really important question because I have a few friends who often make jokes about giving themselv...
I am not a diabetic... and I have injected insulin about 18,000 times in 9 years... So I feel I can answer your question.
First of all... how do I know that I am NOT a diabetic? Because if I do NOT inject insulin, and if I DO drink a large glass of orange juice, my blood glucose goes UP (to about 160 mg/dl with a large glass of orange juice) and about 90 minutes later my blood glucose is back down, close to 100. So I know that I am not a diabetic as defined by the A.D.A. because my pancreas is still working pretty well.
What happens if I, a non-diabetic, inject THE RIGHT AMOUNT of insulin, at the right time, is that my blood glucose remains below 100 mg/dl AFTER eating. (I check my blood glucose with a glucose meter before I decide what dose to use...) Or if it is higher than 100, say 120 or 130 mg/dl then I want to get it back down below 100 mg/dl as fast as possible, and the right dose of insulin will help me to do that.
I very very very seldom get blood glucose above 130 anymore... It has been YEARS since I have gotten a 180 mg/dl BECAUSE I LEARNED TO EAT CORRECTLY as if I am a diabetic... and because I learned to use insulin correctly, as a non-diabetic.
I want my blood glucose to be below 100, if possible 24 hours a day, every day, on the un-proven theory that I will be healthier in the long run. It is an un-proven theory, because as far as I know no non-diabetic before me has attempted to keep his blood glucose below 100 for many years.
UNFORTUNATELY, I did not start to use insulin until I was 56 years old... so I mistreated my body with higher blood glucose levels for 56 years... but... better late than never.
I am fortunate that I am not already a diabetic considering how poorly I ate before I learned to eat like a diabetic should eat... Blood glucose tests were regularly 140's, 160's, and 180's AFTER EATING spaghetti... and my fasting blood glucose was usually about 105 mg/dl... NOW it is between 70 and 90 mg/dl in the morning before breakfast... and I think I am being good to my body now that I have learned to eat according to blood glucose, and I decided to try to keep my blood glucose below 100.