As a type I diabetic of nearly 43 years, I've always told my friends that taking injections is the easy part, per se. Until I was back on an insulin pump, it was a nuisance to have to take five shots a day; but compared to the constant juggling of insulin dosages, exercise, food intake and work-related stress levels that is necessary to maintain good sugar levels, taking shots is nothing. If only that were all I had to do!

I'm a type 1 diabetic of 31 years (since age 17).

I have been on an insulin pump for 15 years. It's not perfect but gives me much better control. I feel the easiest part is the distribution of insulin whether by injection or pump. The worst? Hands down ... the overall control and daily routine of such. It gets tiring! In addition, I worry about the impact of the disease long term. You don't have full confidence in your health and control of the disease esp. due to stress and other details of life that may rattle the blood sugar/A1C numbers. I do my best maintaining good control and keep a close eye on my diet, exercise and health care needs.

Having had Type i diabetes for 55 years, taking insulin injections has never been a problem for me - except for the first few months.

Before I began pump use, I took sometimes
10 injections a day - this allowed me to lead a very normal life, eating a fairly normal food regimen. I must say that using a pump makes life MUCH easier, but I never had any problems with taking injections.

Having Type 1 diabetes for 43 years and taking my insulin injections 4 times a day
is not a problem. When I was younger it was
once a day, about 8 years ago is when I started 4 a day. It's all in your attitude and look at life, I'm very grateful that I can control my Diabetes and am able to live
as normal as I am able. Keep a positive out look on life.
Gilbert, AZ

As a diabetes educator I find that physicians often "threaten" their patients with taking insulin, particularly people with long-standing Type 2. "If you don't follow your diet and do your exercises I will HAVE to put you on insulin. "You don't want that, do you?" I find that behavior on the part of physicians creates anxiety about taking insulin and also about being a "bad" patient.

My husband also denied insulin for seven years. He thought he would go into insulin shock while he was working alone on his boat and die. Actually, when he finally started using insulin (a matter of life or death) he discovered that he can tell before he takes his blood sugar test, whether he is high or low. He's one of the fortunates whose body signals the approximate state of his sugar level. We have, in the bedroom, an electric alarm clock with red digital figures. If he wakes in the night and they're blurry, he knows he's low.
He wishes he'd tried the insulin long before he actually came round to using it.

I have run into some doctors that throw up "lap ban" or "stomach by-pass surgery" at me. I don't want either I have been type 2 for 11 years and 4 years ago I finally agreed to use insulin. I do find it hard to discuss insulin use with a doctor because I have a concern that the talk of surgery will arise again.

I have had type 2 diabetes for over seven years, when first diagnosed I was prescribed only metformin. I immediately went on a diet and exercise regime for six months resulting results that encouraged my doctor (at that time) to suggest if kept up the regime within a year or so I would probably be off medication. Well, I couldn't keep it up and now nearly seven years later my current doctor has been suggesting insulin as a treatment. My fasting levels remain around 140 mg/dl and I should lose approx. 60 lbs but I have a severe aversion to injections, I am just not ready to take insulin and am in a quandary.

I've read here that I'm not the only one with an aversion to insulin. I've been on glucophage, actos, and glimipiridie for 10 years with good a1c (under 6.6), but with recent weight gain I just registered 7.4. I'm seeing my dr. this week and am scared to death that he is going to insist on insulin. I can't see myself doing injections although I do it to my cat. I am going to get help with an exercise program because that's what I need; diet is not the problem. I wonder if your physician can deny oral meds and inisist on insulin?

This was a surprisingly poorly-designed study, and one which I would add does not even ASK what type of diabetes a person has. On top of that, it investigates apprehension without asking what is behind that apprehension. We should expect better from the AADE.