Insulin could do you good:  Good advice for people with type 2 diabetes

Doctors know that type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease. It affects the body more and more as time goes by.

Many people with type 2 are not prescribed insulin until 10 to 15 years after their diagnosis. Often it is prescribed only after complications have set in. 

Doctors at Johns Hopkins Diabetes Center say that situation is changing. The trend now is not to delay insulin treatment but rather to begin it as soon as people have trouble keeping blood glucose under control. 

The worst tragedy occurs when patients don't take care of their diabetes, get complications, then wish they had taken insulin. 

If you have type 2, you probably monitor your glucose levels with an at-home blood glucose monitor. In addition, your levels should be checked quarterly by your doctor. 

The doctor checks your A1c level, an average of overall blood glucose control over several months. The American Diabetes Association says the A1c level should be 7 percent or less. 

The closer you can keep your blood glucose to target levels, the less likely you are to develop complications such as nerve damage, amputation, vision loss, and kidney failure.

People are often reluctant to begin insulin therapy, but eventually most type 2 cases should have it, the researchers say. If other medications aren't working well enough, insulin will help. 

People with type 2 diabetes must be aggressive about managing care. They should improve their diets, exercise more, and take oral medications as prescribed.

If these steps are not effective in keeping their A1c levels under 7 percent, insulin will be.
 

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