My blood sugar's apparently 32.6 after eating cereal

[bobneil]

Hi friends, sorry for the lack of introduction but I need a quick-ish answer.
This is my first day alone with diabetes and I haven't yet gotten back to my doctor for anything.

I woke up and took a reading of 15 on my glucose monitor, gave myself 12 units before eating a meal , then waited 2 hours and my blood sugar is nearly double what it was. The hospital gave me a specific number to use on my pen but I forgot because I was still a bit foggy. It was between 12 and 16 for the daytime pen.

This was admittedly a sugar-y cereal, 2 cups at 150gb carbs per cup. Is it supposed to look this bad?I'm a bit more dizzy than I'd like to be but otherwise feel no hyperglycemia symptoms.

I am asking if I should give myself a small amount of fast-acting insulin for the afternoon - or is it alright to have it at this level for a few hours until dinner when I can give myself 14-16 instead?

 

[catapillar]

What type of diabetes do you have? what is your insulin regime? Do you know what your correction factor is? Can you test for ketones?

If you have just commenced on insulin you should have contact details to get in touch with your diabetic specialist nurse for advice. Give them a call for advice on a correction dose.

 

[Johnjoe13]

Gosh that is high, I'd wash your hand and test again to make sure there has been no contamination or faulty strip. I'm sure someone on insulin will be along shortly to give you advise on that and i hope you get this sorted

 

[bobneil]

What type of diabetes do you have? what is your insulin regime? Do you know what your correction factor is? Can you test for ketones?

If you have just commenced on insulin you should have contact details to get in touch with your diabetic specialist nurse for advice. Give them a call for advice on a correction dose.

Type 1.
I don't know any of the other details, I mean, I might have but quickly forgot. It's embarrassing. They mentioned a correction factor or sliding scale at the hospital and said ideally I wanted 11-15 instead of the 4-8 that is all over blood sugar charts.
I got home yesterday, having been discharged, and given some pamphlets to read and told to expect a few phone calls. Since then I've been giving myself the insulin as best as I know how, in the thigh. I know that belly has a faster absorption rate but I couldn't get myself to do it even with encouragement.

 

[azure]

@bobneil Wash your hands and retest to make sure your previous result was accurate. As you don't know your correction factor, if your blood sugar is still high I sugggest you call your doctor or the hospital where you were diagnosed to get advice.

Nobody here can, or should, recommend an insulin dose for you.

 

[azure]

You could also look through the pamphlets in the hope your doctor/nurse wrote some instructions down, but even so I'd check with them anyway as you're not confident about what you're doing.

 

[bobneil]

Aye, this is no help. I washed my hands and took a reading, and it just said "Hi" on the screen. Not even a number. I'm running out of these test strips soon and need to go to the pharmacy for more - wish they were free given how often I need to look at my numbers.
I didn't find any instructions in the pamphlets and I did go over them yesterday to see what they were about; it was general advice on how to avoid low/high blood sugar, diet tips, etc. and does not cover what happens with insulin timing.

"Nobody here can, or should, recommend an insulin dose for you."
I understand I'll call a doc if I start feeling bad.
Definitely sticking around this community though.. it's the only thing I have aside from doctor visits.

 

[Diakat]

Aye, this is no help. I washed my hands and took a reading, and it just said "Hi" on the screen. Not even a number. I'm running out of these test strips soon and need to go to the pharmacy for more - wish they were free given how often I need to look at my numbers.
I didn't find any instructions in the pamphlets and I did go over them yesterday to see what they were about; it was general advice on how to avoid low/high blood sugar, diet tips, etc. and does not cover what happens with insulin timing.

"Nobody here can, or should, recommend an insulin dose for you."
I understand I'll call a doc if I start feeling bad.
Definitely sticking around this community though.. it's the only thing I have aside from doctor visits.

Call a doc now please. You have not had enough support to deal with this alone.

 

[Kristin251]

I too would call the doc with a HI reading.

I would also steer clear of 300 carbs in one meal. Very excessive for anyone, let alone a diabetic.

Did you get any advice on dietary management ?

I hope you get the help you need and bring those levels down

 

[azure]

After you've got advice from your team about this high sugar, do have a look around the forum when you're more relaxed. You might also like to get the book Think Like A Pancreas, which is very popular with Type 1s.

Another tip is to get a good set of digital scales so you can weigh things properly. It will help with your carb counting and mean your sugars are smoother once you get the hang of things.

The HI on your meter means your blood sugar is now too high to read. Usually that means above 33. That's not good and you do need help in getting that down.

 

[Snapsy]

I'm running out of these test strips soon and need to go to the pharmacy for more - wish they were free given how often I need to look at my numbers.

I agree with the advice above to speak to your doctor as soon as you can. You need support from them to get things clarified.

Regarding test strips, as a type 1 on insulin you qualify for a prescription charge exemption certificate and you don't have to pay for any prescriptions. Ask your doctor to sign the form for you.

Remember, it's early days and there's a lot to take on board. Do make contact with the doctor.

 

[bobneil]

Hi everyone! I ended up going to the hospital again to ask them questions - my BS stayed above 30 all day! they put me on a saline drip for a while to lower my BS down to 20 and then said I'm going to be meeting with a dietitian tomorrow and gave proper amounts for the pens.

>Regarding test strips, as a type 1 on insulin you qualify for a prescription charge exemption certificate and you don't have to pay for any prescriptions. Ask your doctor to sign the form for you.

does this apply to Canada in your knowledge?

 

[Diakat]

Glad to hear you got the correct treatment.

Things will be different in Canada. There are some Canadians who visit this forum so maybe try starting a Canadian thread to see if they know more?

 

[Snapsy]

does this apply to Canada in your knowledge?

Sorry @bobneil, I don't know the set-up for Canada - what I said applies to the UK. So glad you got some action from the hospital - that's good news.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. That 2 x cups of sugary cereal was way too much. As you may gather reading these forums most of us try to keep the carbs down even when on insulin. Perhaps start with 150gm/day but do use the meter and be aware that your meal time dose may need to be adjusted to avoid either high sugar or too low and going hypo.

 

[douglas99]

Hi everyone! I ended up going to the hospital again to ask them questions - my BS stayed above 30 all day! they put me on a saline drip for a while to lower my BS down to 20 and then said I'm going to be meeting with a dietitian tomorrow and gave proper amounts for the pens.

>Regarding test strips, as a type 1 on insulin you qualify for a prescription charge exemption certificate and you don't have to pay for any prescriptions. Ask your doctor to sign the form for you.

does this apply to Canada in your knowledge?

@NoCrbs4Me lives in Canada, and has explained the system before, hopefully he can guide you through it.

 

[fletchweb]

Hi everyone! I ended up going to the hospital again to ask them questions - my BS stayed above 30 all day! they put me on a saline drip for a while to lower my BS down to 20 and then said I'm going to be meeting with a dietitian tomorrow and gave proper amounts for the pens.

>Regarding test strips, as a type 1 on insulin you qualify for a prescription charge exemption certificate and you don't have to pay for any prescriptions. Ask your doctor to sign the form for you.

does this apply to Canada in your knowledge?

Hi - it depends what province you live in - my sister lives in Ontario and she gets no subsidies - I live in Prince Edward Island and if I didn't have a good work health plan my strips and insulin would be subsidized but not completely covered - because of my work health plan everything is covered regardless of province but you pretty well have to be a Federal Government Public Servant to fall in that category - they have the best health plans. Prince Edward Island has a diabetes control centre and it's very active - I guess it varies from province to province as healthcare falls under provincial jurisdiction for the most part.

 

[bobneil]

I **** near cried at the pharmacy today. I am not working at all right now as a result of being hospitalized, when I do go back to work I barely get hours and no benefits
They wanted $80 for 100 test strips, $80 for 5 pens of fast acting insulin, $115 for 5 pens of slow release insulin. Almost $300 to just stay alive, every 30 days. I have no prescription insurance, the best plan that Blue Cross have is $600 a year after a 3 month wait period (they said it wouldn't even start until summer)- in my FIRST MONTH of diabetes I'm halfway there.

I'm trying not to stress about the money right now but I'm just... disgusted at the amount of money offered. For how many millions of people contribute to Blue Cross, how many hundred thousand patients of diabetes they probably have, $600 a YEAR?

 

[catapillar]

Has daibell mentioned there is lots of advice on these forums. Several people have had success with dietdoctor and there is a lot of advice about other diets on this website. Now you know a lot of carbs in the form of cereal has a bad effect on you do not eat them any more. Make a list of foods to avoid and those that spike you and you will soon learn what works for you and need to test less often.

OP has type 1. Every single thing he puts in his mouth will have a bad effect on levels unless it is covered with the appropriate amount of insulin. Finding the appropriate amount of insulin takes testing. Too little insulin means high levels and increased risks of diabetic complications. Too much insulin means low levels and immediate risk of actually passing out. The "right" amount of insulin will depend on what's being eaten, what you've been up to that day, how hot/cold you are, whether you are coming down with an illness, whether you slept well, the list goes on. Testing less often isn't really a viable goal for a type 1, and probably not a sensible or healthy way to mange type 1.

@bobneil I've no idea how access to prescriptions works in Canada. You might want to get in touch with the Canadian diabetes association to see if they can offer any advice on how the system works - http://www.diabetes.ca/diabetes-and...s-to-medications-devices-supplies-your-rights

 

[chalup]

Hi, I do not know which province you are in. I am in BC. You could try going to he nearest public health clinic and explain your situation as well as ask your doctor if you can access free samples until you get funding sorted out. Your doctors office may also be able to help with ideas for funding. As a last resort go talk to social services. There has to be a way to get your supplies covered. This is not viagra or acne cream, it is necessary for your survival I wish you well.