Diabetes and Trulicity

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Linda0818

Head Chef
Joined
Dec 5, 2018
Messages
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Location
Columbus, Ohio
I'm a Type 2 diabetic (diagnosed a couple of years ago) and I've been taking Metformin for a good while now. It's been okay at keeping my sugar levels down, but, according to my doctor, it's not quite good enough. My latest A1C was 7.1. So along with the Metformin, my doctor has prescribed me Trulicity and I was wondering if anyone else here uses Trulicity and how it works for you, including any side effects you may have experienced.

I haven't started it yet because, truthfully, I'm a little afraid to. That and I'm not crazy about sticking myself with needles. Thankfully it's only once a week, but I still want to gather more information and opinions before I start using it.

Would like to hear any experiences with Trulicity if there is anyone on these boards currently taking it.

Thanks :)
 
Linda, you need to work through the fear, especially about the needles. Better to manage your diabetes while you're younger than have to worry about more intensive health care maintenance a few years down the road.

Himself was diagnosed Type 2 when we still lived in Ohio - probably around 1997-98. He spent quite a few years keeping it in check with oral meds. One of the last oral meds he was given, just before he was switched to Trulicity, made him sick as a dog. Let's just say that I thought he had suddenly become bulimic. Every night, after supper, he lost his supper. He stayed on it for the suggested 30 days to see if his system would adjust, but it didn't. At least he lost weight. Yay? Anyway, enter Trulicity - probably five(?) years. He's never been sick. Never felt any side effects. It has stabilized his sugar (usually in the 95-110 range daily, but sometimes a little lower), brought his A1C down to 5.6 and steady, and since his top weight during this saga, he has lost about 70 pounds total.

Now, let's talk about the needle. The device is an injector pen. You must keep the pen against yourself at the injection site until the inject button pops back out on its own - about 10 seconds for him. That is to make sure the full dosage of medication enters your body. More important, he said that you should inject into the fattiest, fleshiest part of your abdomen (he made a circle around his navel that would be about a 12" circumference). Injecting into fat lessens the sensation. If the needle goes into muscle, you know it! He said that the few times he got sloppy and injected into muscle he had to make a conscious effort to keep his hand in place so that the injector stayed in long enough.

While Himself isn't happy about a weekly needle, he's glad to be using Trulicity. At 73, he's in pretty darned good shape for an "old guy". His Mom was diabetic for as far back as he can remember in his childhood. Mom died in 1985 when she was 64, even though she was religious about watching what she ate, taking her medications, and giving herself (well, Dad gave the shots) insulin on schedule religiously. The hardest part of taking Trulicity has been making sure one of us pack it into the cooler before taking off from home for a couple of weeks. And the one time that happened (hey, it's his med, I shouldn't be the last line of packing for it!), he was able to get duplicate injectors from the local Walgreens nearest to our daughter's place.

Good luck with this, Linda. If you have any questions, I'll pass them along to my guy.
 
I don't have diabetes, but I do have other medical issues, including one that requires me to inject medication 2-3 times per DAY. Yeah, injecting yourself sucks. No one likes needles. But I'd be a lot more afraid of the complications that can come with uncontrolled diabetes. My MIL spent the last several years of her life in a nursing home because her sugar level got so high it was like syrup and she essentially had a stroke.

Taxy's suggestion is a good one to try, but it's a difficult diet for many people to stick to.

Good luck.
 
Linda, you need to work through the fear, especially about the needles. Better to manage your diabetes while you're younger than have to worry about more intensive health care maintenance a few years down the road.

Himself was diagnosed Type 2 when we still lived in Ohio - probably around 1997-98. He spent quite a few years keeping it in check with oral meds. One of the last oral meds he was given, just before he was switched to Trulicity, made him sick as a dog. Let's just say that I thought he had suddenly become bulimic. Every night, after supper, he lost his supper. He stayed on it for the suggested 30 days to see if his system would adjust, but it didn't. At least he lost weight. Yay? Anyway, enter Trulicity - probably five(?) years. He's never been sick. Never felt any side effects. It has stabilized his sugar (usually in the 95-110 range daily, but sometimes a little lower), brought his A1C down to 5.6 and steady, and since his top weight during this saga, he has lost about 70 pounds total.

Now, let's talk about the needle. The device is an injector pen. You must keep the pen against yourself at the injection site until the inject button pops back out on its own - about 10 seconds for him. That is to make sure the full dosage of medication enters your body. More important, he said that you should inject into the fattiest, fleshiest part of your abdomen (he made a circle around his navel that would be about a 12" circumference). Injecting into fat lessens the sensation. If the needle goes into muscle, you know it! He said that the few times he got sloppy and injected into muscle he had to make a conscious effort to keep his hand in place so that the injector stayed in long enough.

While Himself isn't happy about a weekly needle, he's glad to be using Trulicity. At 73, he's in pretty darned good shape for an "old guy". His Mom was diabetic for as far back as he can remember in his childhood. Mom died in 1985 when she was 64, even though she was religious about watching what she ate, taking her medications, and giving herself (well, Dad gave the shots) insulin on schedule religiously. The hardest part of taking Trulicity has been making sure one of us pack it into the cooler before taking off from home for a couple of weeks. And the one time that happened (hey, it's his med, I shouldn't be the last line of packing for it!), he was able to get duplicate injectors from the local Walgreens nearest to our daughter's place.

Good luck with this, Linda. If you have any questions, I'll pass them along to my guy.

Thanks much for all of that information. That helps me lots. This evening I'm going to watch a couple of tutorial videos on the Trulicity pen and hopefully that will help as well. I'll definitely let you know if I have any questions :)

Linda, have you considered a keto diet? Steve Kroll, a past member here managed to reverse his type two diabetes by religiously following the keto diet. We have a forum for diabetic cooking: https://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f162/

Yes, I have tried it, and other similar diets. I failed miserably. It's not a sustainable diet for me. I don't have the self-discipline that I used to have.

I don't have diabetes, but I do have other medical issues, including one that requires me to inject medication 2-3 times per DAY. Yeah, injecting yourself sucks. No one likes needles. But I'd be a lot more afraid of the complications that can come with uncontrolled diabetes. My MIL spent the last several years of her life in a nursing home because her sugar level got so high it was like syrup and she essentially had a stroke.

Taxy's suggestion is a good one to try, but it's a difficult diet for many people to stick to.

Good luck.

Sorry to hear about your MIL. My mom went through the same thing, nursing home and all. Her sugar levels, despite taking insulin, were always through the roof and she had several strokes and, ultimately, died of congestive heart failure. She lost both of her legs to diabetes as well. That scares the you-know-what out of me :(

Diabetes can wreak havoc on your body. I'm already dealing with the occasional day where my eyesight isn't as sharp as other days and I've got foot neuropathy as well.
 
Sorry to hear about your MIL. My mom went through the same thing, nursing home and all. Her sugar levels, despite taking insulin, were always through the roof and she had several strokes and, ultimately, died of congestive heart failure. She lost both of her legs to diabetes as well. That scares the you-know-what out of me :(

Diabetes can wreak havoc on your body. I'm already dealing with the occasional day where my eyesight isn't as sharp as other days and I've got foot neuropathy as well.


I'm sad to hear about what happened to your mom. Diabetes advances over time when the cause of it isn't addressed. The medications can only do so much and they address the symptom of high blood sugar.


I was prediabetic a few years ago. I gave up all foods high in fat, and oil, dropped all my extra weight. I gave up processed foods. (all animal products of every kind, the use of refined oil, refined sugar) Without the fat blocking the insulin receptors my body's natural insulin works just fine. I don't need any medications. My blood sugars went back to normal and I feel better than ever. That was about 3+ years ago. Some people can't change their diets. That's very sad too. I wish you the best that life can give you.
 
I'm sad to hear about what happened to your mom. Diabetes advances over time when the cause of it isn't addressed. The medications can only do so much and they address the symptom of high blood sugar.


I was prediabetic a few years ago. I gave up all foods high in fat, and oil, dropped all my extra weight. I gave up processed foods. (all animal products of every kind, the use of refined oil, refined sugar) Without the fat blocking the insulin receptors my body's natural insulin works just fine. I don't need any medications. My blood sugars went back to normal and I feel better than ever. That was about 3+ years ago. Some people can't change their diets. That's very sad too. I wish you the best that life can give you.

I'm so glad you got it under control before it got worse. You know what they say - an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure ;)

Diabetes is like a 'plague' in our family. I can't think of any relative that doesn't have it.
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Mosley_(broadcaster)

Michael Mosley (born 22 March 1957) is a British television journalist, producer, presenter, and former doctor who has worked for the BBC since 1985. He is probably best known as a presenter of television programmes on biology and medicine and his regular appearances on The One Show.

He has reversed his Type 2 diabetes with diet and exercise.

Mosley, Michael (2016). The 8-week blood sugar diet : how to beat diabetes fast (and stay off medication) (First ed.). New York: Atria Books. ISBN 9781501111242. OCLC 946536100.

https://thebloodsugardiet.com/

Comprehensive information available on the web site.
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Mosley_(broadcaster)

Michael Mosley (born 22 March 1957) is a British television journalist, producer, presenter, and former doctor who has worked for the BBC since 1985. He is probably best known as a presenter of television programmes on biology and medicine and his regular appearances on The One Show.

He has reversed his Type 2 diabetes with diet and exercise.

Mosley, Michael (2016). The 8-week blood sugar diet : how to beat diabetes fast (and stay off medication) (First ed.). New York: Atria Books. ISBN 9781501111242. OCLC 946536100.

https://thebloodsugardiet.com/

Comprehensive information available on the web site.

Thanks for the information. I'll give it a look.
 
Seeing as how Google is always watching me, my news list included a link to a CNN article comparing the Keto diet to the Mediterranean diet. It sounds like the Keto plan is difficult for many who were in the study. Most did not continue with Keto after the study ended. It seems that the Mediterranean diet is more sustainable because of the variety of food options. If nothing else, it makes for an interesting read.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/08/health/keto-mediterranean-diet-showdown/index.html
 
Changing a diet can be and from my experience is difficult. The things I didn't know before changing my diet that I know now.


First I tried Keto, and Mediterranean. I didn't know that the % of calories from fat would make such a difference.
I didn't really believe cheese has natural opioid like substances that make it addictive.
I didn't realize that salt sugar and oil are pretty addictive and culturally 'okay'. But not nutritionally good for us.



The % of calories from fat matter to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, longevity, and all cause mortality.
Keto has a very high % of calories from fat.

Vegan diets have a high % of calories from fat if processed foods are encouraged.
Med has about 33% calories from fat.

The standard american diet (averages) can be 33-45% calories from fat. The whole food plant based lifestyle can vary from 10-25% calories from fat.


If I were facing changing diet and lifestyle I would join facebook 'groups' for the diets I was considering and ask a lot of questions. These are helpful because you can ask where they got their information from and see the studies involved, if any. SUPPORT is very important, no matter how you go. On moderated facebook groups, correct information is given and people do show caring and support.


I would ask for recipes. I would learn as much as I could (and I have). I would join groups of diabetes reversal on each of the different diets I was interested in. Enjoy each group and learn what you can from them. Decide when you are ready.
 
Seeing as how Google is always watching me, my news list included a link to a CNN article comparing the Keto diet to the Mediterranean diet. It sounds like the Keto plan is difficult for many who were in the study. Most did not continue with Keto after the study ended. It seems that the Mediterranean diet is more sustainable because of the variety of food options. If nothing else, it makes for an interesting read.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/08/health/keto-mediterranean-diet-showdown/index.html

I agree that the Med diet is more sustainable.

Thanks for the link ;)

Changing a diet can be and from my experience is difficult. The things I didn't know before changing my diet that I know now.


First I tried Keto, and Mediterranean. I didn't know that the % of calories from fat would make such a difference.
I didn't really believe cheese has natural opioid like substances that make it addictive.
I didn't realize that salt sugar and oil are pretty addictive and culturally 'okay'. But not nutritionally good for us.



The % of calories from fat matter to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, longevity, and all cause mortality.
Keto has a very high % of calories from fat.

Vegan diets have a high % of calories from fat if processed foods are encouraged.
Med has about 33% calories from fat.

The standard american diet (averages) can be 33-45% calories from fat. The whole food plant based lifestyle can vary from 10-25% calories from fat.


If I were facing changing diet and lifestyle I would join facebook 'groups' for the diets I was considering and ask a lot of questions. These are helpful because you can ask where they got their information from and see the studies involved, if any. SUPPORT is very important, no matter how you go. On moderated facebook groups, correct information is given and people do show caring and support.


I would ask for recipes. I would learn as much as I could (and I have). I would join groups of diabetes reversal on each of the different diets I was interested in. Enjoy each group and learn what you can from them. Decide when you are ready.

Thanks for your words of encouragement. For me, 'baby steps' is a rule. I'm going to have to gather information and do a little at a time.
 
Ciao Italia: http://www.ciaoitalia.com
https://www.ciaoitalia.com/about-me

Mary Ann Esposito is the creator and host of the nationally televised PBS series, Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito and the author of 13 cookbooks including her most recent, Ciao Italia: My Lifelong Food Adventures in Italy.

This year, the series celebrates its milestone 30th year of production; making it America’s longest running television cooking series.

The web site contains approximately 2000 recipes.
 
Ciao Italia: http://www.ciaoitalia.com

https://www.ciaoitalia.com/about-me



Mary Ann Esposito is the creator and host of the nationally televised PBS series, Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito and the author of 13 cookbooks including her most recent, Ciao Italia: My Lifelong Food Adventures in Italy.



This year, the series celebrates its milestone 30th year of production; making it America’s longest running television cooking series.



The web site contains approximately 2000 recipes.
It sure would be great if you could start using quote marks.
 
I just cut and pasted from the web site.

Is it too hard for people to click on the link and read the page?
 
That's not generally how things work around here, Jonas. Most of us use links to articles to back up what we have spent time actually discussing rather than letting the links do the talking.
 
Attention Moderator.

Just delete my profile.

I don't think it's necessary to go quite that far. But, to be honest, I'm a little confused what your links about "Ciao Italia: My Lifelong Food Adventures in Italy" has to do with diabetes and/or Trulicity.
 
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I just cut and pasted from the web site.

Is it too hard for people to click on the link and read the page?

Yes, yes it is too much bother for something that might be boring.

Is it too hard to wrap the quoted text by highlighting the text and then clicking an icon? It won't look like you are plagiarizing someone else's words then. Or, you could just click the icon and then paste between the tags.
 

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""I don't think it's necessary to go quite that far. But, to be honest, I'm a little confused what your links about "Ciao Italia: My Lifelong Food Adventures in Italy" has to do with diabetes and/or Trulicity.'"

The last time I looked at a global map, Italy is part of the Mediterranean Basin. If you want the most authentic Italian cuisine outside the Mediterranean Basin, Ciao Italia is the place for authentic recipes.

https://www.ciaoitalia.com/about-me

"Mary Ann Esposito is the creator and host of the nationally televised PBS series, Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito and the author of 13 cookbooks including her most recent, Ciao Italia: My Lifelong Food Adventures in Italy.

This year, the series celebrates its milestone 30th year of production; making it America’s longest running television cooking series

Through Ciao Italia and appearances on other programs including The Today Show, the Food Network, Discovery Channel, Fox, RAI International, The Victory Garden, and many others, she has been able to share traditional Italian cooking, history and culture with audiences around the world. Mary Ann has worked beside world-renowned chefs like Julia Childs and Jacques Pepin.

In addition the Mary Ann Esposito Foundation was created to help culinary students achieve their goals, and most recently, the Foundation announced the creation of the Rebecca Alssid Award, named for the founder of the culinary arts program at Boston University. This annual award is presented to qualifying students who are part of the gastronomy and culinary arts program." END.

Maybe improving literary skills and less yap will go a long way.

AS STATED DELETE MY PROFILE.
 
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