# Is injected insulin harmful to kidneys and liver?



## Shropshire Lass (Nov 14, 2016)

Hi, just been told that as I am "Type 1" I should get my kidney and liver functions checked regularly, is this because the injected insulin will do harm or this is just a health check.
Also eyesight, when diagnosed no one told me not to get my eyes examined untill my sugar levels were at a balanced level, so what did I do, go and get my eyes tested and were sold a very expensive pair of glasses which of course were useless. I also learned to-day that my eyes change daily it sounds silly but unless you are told how do you know.


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## Owen (Nov 14, 2016)

Shropshire Lass said:


> Hi, just been told that as I am "Type 1" I should get my kidney and liver functions checked regularly, is this because the injected insulin will do harm or this is just a health check.
> Also eyesight, when diagnosed no one told me not to get my eyes examined untill my sugar levels were at a balanced level, so what did I do, go and get my eyes tested and were sold a very expensive pair of glasses which of course were useless. I also learned to-day that my eyes change daily it sounds silly but unless you are told how do you know.


As a diabetic, you will be regularly tested for kidney function as this can be one of the complications. Your liver interacts with your pancreas. The liver works with the function of glucose production whereas the pancreas produces enzymes including insulin. Medically you will be monitored for various potential complications, from a medical perspective, whenever you feel the need for medical assistance, always state that you are diabetic. This will help triage you effectively for the correct level of support.
@Northerner will give you some useful links to help better understand your new situation.

Welcome and good luck


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## Diabeticliberty (Nov 14, 2016)

Hello Shropshire and welcome to our and now your forum. Diabetes can cause kidney problems particularly if it is poorly controlled.  Injecting insulin should  not cause you kidney or liver damage. I would be very surprised if your eyes are changing daily.  You may have an eye condition which is causing this but I don't feel your diabetes will,cause you daily eye changes.  Who told you this and what are their qualifications?  If you speak to the optician who sold you the glasses and explain your concerns about being  sold glasses that are no good for you they should be sympathetic about replacing them with something more suitable


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## Owen (Nov 14, 2016)

Diabeticliberty said:


> Hello Shropshire and welcome to our and now your forum. Diabetes can cause kidney problems particularly if it is poorly controlled.  Injecting insulin should  not cause you kidney or liver damage. I would be very surprised if your eyes are changing daily.  You may have an eye condition which is causing this but I don't feel your diabetes will,cause you daily eye changes.  Who told you this and what are their qualifications?  If you speak to the optician who sold you the glasses and explain your concerns about being g sold glasses that are no good for you they should be sympathetic about reappearing them with something more suitable


Like the dreadful man says, good opticians will change your lenses and should have asked you about diabetes


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## Shropshire Lass (Nov 14, 2016)

Hi, I was told by a qualified optician that if my levels are not consistent this will have an affect on my vision, something to do with the blood  behind the eyes. not to have new glasses until my readings are stable as my eyes will change daily. I have had my eyes checked and they seem to be okay except for the vision change.


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## Owen (Nov 14, 2016)

Shropshire Lass said:


> Hi, I was told by a qualified optician that if my levels are not consistent this will have an affect on my vision, something to do with the blood  behind the eyes. not to have new glasses until my readings are stable as my eyes will change daily. I have had my eyes checked and they seem to be okay except for the vision change.


You can get fluctuations, but as you are type 1, it is less likely than someone who has slowly developed type 2. Some opticians will just amend the lenses, but you cannot just carry on without glasses if they are a necessity


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## Diabeticliberty (Nov 14, 2016)

What the optician has suggested is merely a temporary thing and should normalise once your diabetic control improves your blood sugar levels


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## Shropshire Lass (Nov 14, 2016)

That could be a hit record, love it.


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## Diabeticliberty (Nov 14, 2016)

Pardon?


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## Mark Parrott (Nov 15, 2016)

I think she is referring to your sig, @Diabeticliberty.

Welcome to the forum, @Shropshire Lass.


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## Diabeticliberty (Nov 15, 2016)

Mark Parrott said:


> I think she is referring to your sig, @Diabeticliberty.
> 
> Welcome to the forum, @Shropshire Lass.





Ahhhhhh now I get it. Silly old me


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## Northerner (Nov 15, 2016)

Shropshire Lass said:


> Hi, I was told by a qualified optician that if my levels are not consistent this will have an affect on my vision, something to do with the blood  behind the eyes. not to have new glasses until my readings are stable as my eyes will change daily. I have had my eyes checked and they seem to be okay except for the vision change.


Hi Shropshire Lass, as already said, your kidneys and liver are monitored as a matter of course now you have been diagnosed with diabetes. In fact, one of the 'good' things about a diagnosis of diabetes is the fact that you receive (or should receive!) regular monitoring of various things so that any potential problems can be caught and dealt with at the earliest opportunity - helps keep you on the straight and narrow! 

Regarding eyesight - no-one told me about this either! Before my diagnosis I had just started wearing low-prescription reading glasses, which I hardly ever needed, but after diagnosis they became useless and I was really concerned. However, I discovered that the high levels of glucose distort the shape of the lens of the eye, causing the problems - as your levels are brought under better and more consistent control, the problem should resolve itself and your eyesight should be similar (sometimes better!) than it was prior to diagnosis. It usually takes a few weeks to return fully to normal, depending on your blood glucose control. Your optician should not have sold you expensive glasses and you have a good case for getting your money back  Eyesight can fluctuate whilst blood glucose levels are fluctuating, but everything should settle before long 

It is possible for diabetes to damage eyesight, but normally only after a long period of poor control. In order to prevent this you should receive regular (usually annual) 'retinopathy' scans so that any irregularities are spotted before they affect your sight. This is a totally different issue to the problems you have encountered. Have you had or are you due this check? If you are not sure, ask your doctor about getting an appointment 

Did you get the Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas that I recommended to you in an earlier post? As I said, ignore the title - it is extremely useful to all people with Type 1, whatever your age. It's a great reference, but also a book you can browse through to read about areas you should be aware of 

How are things going with the insulin now? Please let us know if you have any other questions, there's a wealth of experience and knowledge amongst the members here


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## Ralph-YK (Nov 15, 2016)

Shropshire Lass said:


> Hi, just been told that as I am "Type 1" I should get my kidney and liver functions checked regularly, is this because the injected insulin will do harm or this is just a health check.


I think this is something T2 not on insulin may need too.



Shropshire Lass said:


> Also eyesight, when diagnosed no one told me not to get my eyes examined untill my sugar levels were at a balanced level, so what did I do, go and get my eyes tested and were sold a very expensive pair of glasses which of course were useless. I also learned to-day that my eyes change daily it sounds silly but unless you are told how do you know.


I wasn't told either. Found out at a support group, a few months after getting new glasses.



Shropshire Lass said:


> Hi, I was told by a qualified optician that if my levels are not consistent this will have an affect on my vision, something to do with the blood  behind the eyes. not to have new glasses until my readings are stable as my eyes will change daily. I have had my eyes checked and they seem to be okay except for the vision change.


I think we're on to two different conditions here. There's one where the shape of the lens is affected, which affects focus. This is the first one mentioned, and settles when your BG is sorted I've been told.
The other will be what the diabetes eye screen test will be for - eye drops and photo of the back of the eye.


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## Radders (Nov 15, 2016)

My eyesight is affected by normal day to day highs and lows, that might be what they meant about it fluctuating on a daily basis.


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## Shropshire Lass (Nov 16, 2016)

Northerner said:


> Hi Shropshire Lass, as already said, your kidneys and liver are monitored as a matter of course now you have been diagnosed with diabetes. In fact, one of the 'good' things about a diagnosis of diabetes is the fact that you receive (or should receive!) regular monitoring of various things so that any potential problems can be caught and dealt with at the earliest opportunity - helps keep you on the straight and narrow!
> 
> Regarding eyesight - no-one told me about this either! Before my diagnosis I had just started wearing low-prescription reading glasses, which I hardly ever needed, but after diagnosis they became useless and I was really concerned. However, I discovered that the high levels of glucose distort the shape of the lens of the eye, causing the problems - as your levels are brought under better and more consistent control, the problem should resolve itself and your eyesight should be similar (sometimes better!) than it was prior to diagnosis. It usually takes a few weeks to return fully to normal, depending on your blood glucose control. Your optician should not have sold you expensive glasses and you have a good case for getting your money back  Eyesight can fluctuate whilst blood glucose levels are fluctuating, but everything should settle before long
> 
> ...


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## Shropshire Lass (Nov 16, 2016)

Thank you for replying that makes so much sense to me, I do have an appointment for the eyes in December and I did get my money back on those glasses without any argument. Yes, I did get that book and it is very informative also the Carbs and Cals book which helps me so much to understand the values of food and quite a shock in some cases, went to another optician who has advised to go back in January for a proper eye test as my levels should be more consistent then. I make the odd mistake with the insulin dosage but I am still learning I keep a food diary and write down dosage, time, food and carb values and am trying to see a pattern but early days as its only been six weeks since diagnosis. I had the flu jab first time three weeks ago as advised by the GP and have been really ill with a chest infection never had this before and I have put this down to the flu jab as my husband had it the same time and has been okay. If I keep my levels low and consistent am I still more likely to catch things as I am now a diabetic and why is my immune system low?


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## Robin (Nov 16, 2016)

Shropshire Lass said:


> If I keep my levels low and consistent am I still more likely to catch things as I am now a diabetic and why is my immune system low?


Personally, since I was diagnosed with diabetes, I think I've been fitter and healthier, and less prone to colds, bugs, etc, because I pay more attention to eating a healthy diet. It is true, I think, that if you do go down with something, and your blood sugars go through the roof, as they tend to with illness, the high sugars can mean that you get sicker, and take longer to shake something off. With practice though, you learn how much to raise your insulin by, to cope with raised levels when you're ill, and you can limit the damage to a large extent.


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## Shropshire Lass (Nov 16, 2016)

You are right this is how I found I was fitter and healthier and was hesitant to have this flu jab but I did and since having it I have been so ill.
I just feel that I was doing really well, even though I am a diabetic I felt fantastic. I will not have it again even though my immune system is going to be  lower I will take the chance.


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## Northerner (Nov 16, 2016)

Shropshire Lass said:


> Thank you for replying that makes so much sense to me, I do have an appointment for the eyes in December and I did get my money back on those glasses without any argument. Yes, I did get that book and it is very informative also the Carbs and Cals book which helps me so much to understand the values of food and quite a shock in some cases, went to another optician who has advised to go back in January for a proper eye test as my levels should be more consistent then. I make the odd mistake with the insulin dosage but I am still learning I keep a food diary and write down dosage, time, food and carb values and am trying to see a pattern but early days as its only been six weeks since diagnosis. I had the flu jab first time three weeks ago as advised by the GP and have been really ill with a chest infection never had this before and I have put this down to the flu jab as my husband had it the same time and has been okay. If I keep my levels low and consistent am I still more likely to catch things as I am now a diabetic and why is my immune system low?


All sounding good, Shropshire Lass!  So much only comes with experience, and you'll probably never stop learning - although what you will probably start to do is be less surprised that things don't always go to plan!  However, just try and find out possible reasons if your levels don't behave as expected, so you can try and anticipate things for the next time 

I don't think you are more likely to become ill because of diabetes, if you can maintain good control  Poor blood glucose control can encourage infections, and as @Robin says, when you do succumb to an illness it usually makes levels harder to control and possibly prolongs the illness for a bit. You should ask your doctor or nurse about 'Sick Day Rules' so you know what to do should you become ill  Actually, higher than expected blood glucose levels can appear before you feel any symptoms from an illness, so we are able to see into the future a bit by the numbers on our meters! 

Actually, your immune system isn't low - it went a bit crazy and attacked your beta cells in your pancreas that produce the insulin - it was too overzealous!


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