Pancreatic cancer and glucose levels - what to expect? Any help appreciated

[PussinJimmyWhoooos]

MIL has bile duct cancer, secondary in liver and now they suspect pancreas....blood sugars are through the roof - at diabetic coma level. They are taking readings 4 times a day and treating her with 70% slow acting/30% fast acting insulin treatment administered via something called Novapen?? (This is in the M.East btw, not here).

Anyway, what is the prognosis with this? Can consistently high blood sugar levels be managed if patient goes into a coma - can they get them out of it again?

TIA

Puss

.

.

Hi PussinJWs.

Blood sugar levels should be very managable. My ds has t1 diabetes which means he can't make any of his own insulin. He also has a novopen. It's just a case of getting the insulin dose right.

They're probably reluctant to up the dose too quickly because they she might go the other way, what's called hypo (very low blood sugar) and then she would go into a coma.

Usually when you have high blood sugar you don't go into a coma. If you're hyper it means too much sugar in the blood and if you run high for a long time you risk ketoacidosis, which can be dangerous. They'll be trying to stabilise her blood sugars between the two. It's a constant balancing act but hopefully they'll work it out with her.

It sounds, though, like the insulin thing is the least of her worries. You must be very worried for her.

Oh you have a Novopen? Can I ask some questions? At the moment, they are having to inject her twice - once with the slow acting insulin, the other with the fast acting one. She is increasingly sore from all this and they have asked DH to courier over a Novopen (they are in the M.East). However, we have looked online for this and cannot see if we can give BOTH dosages with one injection with the Novopen - do you know if that facility exists with it? Thanks loads for posting - much appreciated!

My ds was on insulin called Novomix which was a mixture of fast acting and slow. He did two injections a day.

Now he's on a different system, voluntarily, which means doing several injections a day because the control is better.

The mix was fine, pretty good if you don't like the injections, but it meant you had to eat at certain times, certain foods so annoying in that way.

The injections shouldn't really hurt. The needles are small and should just go into the skin rather than anything else.

I have to go on the school run but will be back later and and more than happy to help with anything.

So to clarify, you need to get the normal novopen and then you need to get your cartridge with mixed insulin (novomix). Is she a bit skinny? Not much fat for the needle to go into perhaps? She should be varying the injection site too so upper thighs, bum, tummy, upper arms ... wherever she has most fat. Needle should just slip in under the skin in the sub cutaneous fat layer. If she's not got much fat them she could pinch and inject slightly sideways. She shouldn't have to put up with painful injections.

That's very helpful - thank you so much. Will pass this onto DH. Yes, she's skinny now due to the cancer She's very fed up with it all too...poor love

You can get smaller needles. They're for small children but I would think they'd be good for people with very little fat.

Poor thing. You're nice to be thinking of her like this and trying to help. How nice to have a caring DIL.

I'll mention that to him. He just spent a month in the M.East caring for her...poor guy is all over the place now he's back. I feel that doing things like this is my way of helping. Also got a Mac book on living with cancer coming for him....

The glucose thing has them really worried though and because its so high, they are testing her four times a day and her poor fingers are so sore...

Presumably they're increasing her insulin dose. The finger prick tests are annoying. My ds has to test at least four times a day every day and always will. I think it gets easier because the skin on the finger tips toughens up. Really awfuyl though.

I remember my grandmother being in and out of hospital with her diabetes and saying she felt like a pin cushion.

Sometimes I do the finger prick test just to see what it's like and what my reading is like and it really does sting for five minute or so afterwards.

I feel very sorry for your MIL. I feel sorry for your dh too and for you because you must be missing ordinary family life.

Will he stay with her indefinitely? You must be missing him.

Oh he's back now...he was away a month...the reunion was good though - see my threads in Conception

Ahhhhhhh!