Symlin: A New Adventure

I had my tri-monthly checkup at my endocrinologist’s today, and convinced him to let me try Symlin. They faxed in the prescription for me today, and I’m eager to receive it and start giving it a shot. (That pun was unintentional, I swear.)

It’s strange — my doctor seems to think that Symlin is not worth trying, but I’ve heard from other doctors and read on other websites that it can really make a huge difference in blood sugar control. I’m one of those people whose stomachs seem to start emptying before I’ve even swallowed my second bite of food, and I’m hoping that combining my meals with symlin might help prevent post-meal spikes.

I’ll keep you posted on my progress, but in the meantime, I have questions for anyone who’s tried the stuff:

-how do you recommend taking it for lower carb meals? For example, I eat yogurt and fruit for breakfast –a  total of about 15  grams of carbs — and have trouble dealing with it b/c of increased insulin resistance in the morning. I would like to try Symlin to see if it can help smooth out the post-breakfast spike, but am nervous about taking it with such a low-carb meal. Suggestions?

-secondly, when do you recommend taking insulin? It seems, from what I’ve read, that it’s best to take your insulin as a square wave bolus after you take the Symlin. Or, alternatively, to wait for an hour after eating and *then* bolus — though that approach makes me nervous that I’d either forget the dose, or not take the insulin soon enough to cover the food. When do you find to be the best time to take an insulin bolus? And how much less do you recommend taking?

Also, since going on a CGM I have gained about 6 pounds (which may or may not have to do with the constant awareness that the CGM brings). I’ve tried dieting, I’ve tried exercising more (I already do so about 5 times a week) and nothing works. I’m hoping that Symlin might help — and would love to hear any experiences people have to share.

Here goes!

PS: Here’s the first in a series of useful blog posts about diabetes, in case it’s helpful.

Catherine Price

Catherine Price (www.catherine-price.com) was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 22 years old. She has written for publications including The Best American Science Catherine Price is a professional journalist who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 22 years old. Her work has been featured in publications including The Best American Science Writing, The New York Times, Popular Science, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post Magazine, Salon, Slate, Men’s Journal, Health Magazine, The Oprah Magazine, and Outside, among others. A graduate of Yale and UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism

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Catherine Price

Catherine Price was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 22 years old. She has written for publications including The Best American Science Catherine Price is a professional journalist who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 22 years old. Her work has been featured in publications including The Best American Science Writing, The New York Times, Popular Science, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post Magazine, Salon, Slate, Men’s Journal, Health Magazine, The Oprah Magazine, and Outside, among others. A graduate of Yale and UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism