Insulin: 7 Days a Week

INSULIN: 7 DAYS A WEEK (to the tune of “Eight Days a Week”) Maggie Schuch

Oooh I need my insulin, guess you know it’s true One thing I can say is, my pancreas knows it too A polypeptide hormone 51 amino acid residues I thank Fredrick Sanger, 7 days a week

A chain 21 residues, B chain 31 3 disulfide bridges, Cys residues are fun Tertiary structure stability Maintained by disulfide bonds I ain’t got nothing but glycosylation, 7 days a week

7 days a week, I neeeeed insulin. 7 days a week, I’ll skip the cake and have a pear

Diabetes rules my life, my B cells have shut down My homeostatic feedback loop, is just all turned around Low glucose utilization Decreased tissue oxygenation 2 injections and sliding scale, 7 days a week

Fatty acids, amino acids, plus ketones, build up in my blood Urea and ketones in my urine, make me pee a flood Dehydration, low BP Lactic acidosis, renal failure Euglycemia with amino acids, 7 days a week

7 days a week, I neeeeed insulin. 7 days a week, neuropathy is such a scare

Now complications are numerous, but I exert control I count my carbs and watch my fats, and often take a stroll Hemoglobin A1C 5 to 6 is target for me Glucose, protein and fat metabolism, is my disease 7 days a week. 7 days a week