Why fear meal time insulin shots if there can be good glycemic control and avoid future complications.

Team@CMHF

With simple changes, effective management of type 2 diabetes can help prevent secondary complications
Half of Canadians with type 2 diabetes are not properly managing their disease – the majority of whom are at risk for health conditions linked to diabetes like blindness, heart disease or kidney disease. In many cases, insulin therapy is required to improve diabetes control. This begs the question: why wait when it comes to stepping up to insulin as an effective diabetes management strategy?
In Canada, the guidelines for type 2 diabetes highlight the importance of reaching blood sugar targets. The recommended treatment timeline suggests getting to the target blood sugar level (A1c of less than or equal to 7.0%) within 6-12 months. Insulin is often a key treatment option to help reach the target as highlighted in the recommendations.
However, a recent Canadian study found that in reality, it took an average of 9.2 years before insulin therapy was started and 75 per cent of patients were still not at target approximately one year afterwards.Addressing the barriers to insulin therapy is essential as clinical inertia, or an inadequate increase of insulin therapy, can result in many patients being unable to achieve and sustain glycemic control; essentially putting them at risk for developing serious complications. Although target levels can often be achieved with bedtime (basal) insulin, adding mealtime insulin is sometimes needed to get blood sugar levels to target levels.
According to a recent STEPwiseTM study, adding mealtime insulin for people with type 2 diabetes does not have to be complicated. In fact, mealtime insulin added in a simple way, starting with one meal at a time, is a safe and effective practice to help patients reach target levels.
Individuals living with type 2 diabetes should speak to their doctor or other healthcare professional about effective diabetes management strategies, including insulin, and the need to increase treatment to keep blood sugar levels within their target range. Why wait?

—  Ref: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/when-bedtime-insulin-is-not-enough-why-wait-2012-01-25