Q: I am a 36 years old and diabetic for the past 2 years. Doctor has started insulin treatment recently after OHA failure. I was given Huminsulin 30/70, 30 units in the morning and 26 units in the evening but still my blood sugar is higher than 200 mg/dl all the time. What is the best possible way to control it? Should I increase the insulin dosage or change the insulin type? What are the other ways to bring it to normal?

A:Insulin dose adjustment is a complex process, requiring several inputs: -Your lifestyle: regular eating and activity schedule, and variations in it; -Your handling of insulin: injection technique, whether you are rotating the sites enough or not, storing insulin properly, etc. -Your level of blood glucose monitoring: are you monitoring at different times of the day or not, are your sugars going from low to high (rebound), or staying high. -Your glycosylated haemoglobin. -Whether you smoke/ take alcohol, and how much; -Your exercise levels etc. You should discuss all this with your doctor, and make changes accordingly. Remember, diabetes is a chronic disorder with several ramifications. It is not just a sugar disease. Your physician also has to make sure you are monitored for associated problems like high BP, high lipids, etc; and for chronic complications like kidney function, eye problems (especially in the retina), heart function, etc.