I've been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes this week, and along with the usual oral prescriptions, have been prescribed once per week home injections subQ (in the belly) with some gizmo called BYDUREON injection pen. Short, but pretty large diameter needle and not very sharp either. They gave me the first injection in Dr's office yesterday, and I got a month supply at the pharmacy. Anyone familiar with this?
A1C test was 9.6......

This is close to a full scale size image. Image may be just a little bigger than actual size but not much.
Not sure I'm smart enough to use it.



Gotta mix the compound up and it looks like this before you start:

Absolutely no knowledge here but, here's a bump. Someone on the board has information. Let it flow.....

Best wishes for good health.

------------------
Ron

Isn't it strange that after a bombing, everyone blames the bomber, his upbringing, his environment, his culture, his mental state but … after a shooting, the problem is the gun....

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quote Originally posted by maryjane: I've been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes this week, and along with the usual oral prescriptions, have been prescribed once per week home injections subQ (in the belly) with some gizmo called BYDUREON injection pen. Short, but pretty large diameter needle and not very sharp either. They gave me the first injection in Dr's office yesterday, and I got a month supply at the pharmacy. Anyone familiar with this? A1C test was 9.6...... This is close to a full scale size image. Image may be just a little bigger than actual size but not much. Not sure I'm smart enough to use it. Ease of portability and convenience are the selling factors for auto-injectors. Gotta mix the compound up and it looks like this before you start:

Spring loaded auto-injector. The pharmaceutical inside is the same insulin substitute, (i.e. a GLP-1 analogue), that you can inject with a smaller gage needle on a manual syringe.
The needles on spring loaded auto-injectors are frequently larger gage to prevent breakage, (mfgrs. have to prove a safety margin to the FDA to get clearance)

The auto-injectors are easier for some people to use, especially those squeamish about using a traditional hypodermic syringe.
Like the "Epipen", they are also generally higher cost than the manual alternative.

The Bydureon pen is a once a week use device, so it sounds as though your Dr. thinks you might be well controlled using it rather than a more frequent use type.

[This message has been edited by randye (edited 01-26-2017).]

Don't know anything about the drug...or the delivery tool.

My wife (who's a lifetime type I) has used this type tool to administer insulin on occasion, (pump not working...different type insulin etc.), but she uses an insulin pump 24/7-365 and has for a few decades now. Before that, it was individual syringes and many shots every day.

Here's one of the many links to info about it, just in case you haven't already looked it up, which is highly unlikely....https://www.bydureon.com/home.html

Without going into it in depth, it sounds like another version of glucophage, which is designed to help the body more properly utilize the insulin that it produces.

It is NOT insulin, it is a chemical (drug) that helps the body better distribute and use the insulin your pancreas makes.

As for the tool, it is another "user friendly" instrument that is supposed to make it easier for the patient to administer the drug.

Won't say more than that, other than to state the obvious...your doctor thinks it is the easiest/best way for you to deal with your current situation.

I'm sure I haven't said anything here that you didn't already know, so, sorry I can't really speak specifically to the subject as presented.

Just trying to help a little.

Be glad you weren't told you will have to take insulin!

As a sidenote...more than a few cases of type II and even some cases of type I, can be controlled by diet alone, but most folks are just not willing to make the lifestyle changes it would require.

Good luck and I hope somebody thoroughly familiar with the drug and the tool pipes in here to give you the in's and out's from first hand experience.

What ever happened to frontal lobe.....wasn't he an actual doctor? Even so, things being what they are today, if I were him, I probably wouldn't be giving any advice on an open internet forum either....even if I knew exactly what the answer was!


HAGO!

quote Originally posted by maryjane: This is close to a full scale size image. Image may be just a little bigger than actual size but not much. Not sure I'm smart enough to use it.

WOW!
Did you go to your Veterinarian?

[This message has been edited by randye (edited 01-26-2017).]

I use a similar device, i inject myself with 50 units everynight. Make sure you inject into a fatty area not muscle, i have missed the fat and injected straight into my belly with some scary results.
Sweat, nervousness, dizziness and faster than normal breathing are the signs of very low sugar levels (can be very dangerous). that's how i know i hit the wrong spot. Orange juice and or sugary drinks, or candy will bring the sugar levels back to normal quickly.

Ed

quote WOW! Did you go to your Veterinarian?

I guess it depends what size screen you are using--I'm on a laptop.

I really don't know much about diabetes, at least not as much as I should, considering my twin has been diabetic for over 20 years, my oler sister is and my mother was. This just came up thru some lab work done as a routine cardiologist workup in late Dec 2016. I was tested for diabetes as recently as March 2016 and the numbers were slightly indicative of pre diabetic but my primary didn't see any reason to put me on anything at that time.
Beginning in August-Sept last year, I began putting on weight (gained 22 lbs almost ovenight it seemed) and developing a lot of belly fat, while losing muscle mass and strength in my upper body, especially biceps while nothing in my normal diet or exercise routine had changed.

Was explained to me, that a shortage of insulin resulted in my body scavenging muscle mass and turned it to fat to more easily convert it to sugar.
I dunno about all that, but will attend the next seminar on type2 diabetes that the regional hospital puts on.

Doc did give me a sheet of dietary guides but told me I could eat all the beef I wanted to but no more chicken fried steak and white gravy, and to generally avoid "anything white".
We don't eat many potatoes but do eat a lot of steamed rice.

Here is what I found:

BYDUREON is not insulin. BYDUREON is a medicine that works by helping your body release its own insulin when needed to reduce blood sugar.

So you are making insulin, just not enough when needed.

Edit: to add, rice is a carbohydrate and turns to sugar in your system. A little rice is ok. A lot of rice is not. Rice mixed with butter is the worst although it tastes yummy. The Chinese doctors are always after me to lose weight as my morning blood sugar is right at the 6.0 limit. Sucks getting old.

[This message has been edited by Hudini (edited 01-29-2017).]