What did I do wrong?

ATB123

Well-Known Member
Messages
103
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Wonder if anyone has any ideas what's gone wrong tonight? I've injected my novorapid 5 units , right amount of units for the carbs I've eaten but an hour after my food, my sugar is dropping. That's not happened to me before so I ate some chocolate, and still not going back up, so now chomping on fruit pastilles. I would normally have a short lived high spike after dinner. Checked the libre against my meter and its pretty much the same. Did I do something wrong with the injection?
 

EllieM

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
9,326
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
forum bugs
I doubt there is something wrong with the injection, I've heard of insulin becoming less effective if you inject it incorrectly or it's gone off , but not more so. (Discounting certain brands of long acting insulin, which can give issues if you inject into a blood vessel).

There are lots of reasons why your bg can go down unexpectedly. The most obvious (to me anyway) are
1) miscalculation of the carbs in the meal
2) incorrect insulin ratio for your food (insulin sensitivity can be affected by lots of things, including exercise)
3) a larger than normal quantity of fat in the meal which means the carbs are absorbed more slowly?

And the fat in chocolate means it tends to act quite slowly so it isn't the best hypo treatment

Honestly, sometimes insulin dosing seems more like an art than a science (to me anyway).

Disclaimer, I am T1, so the comments above apply to T1s and may or may not be applicable to T2s on insulin.
 

ATB123

Well-Known Member
Messages
103
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
I doubt there is something wrong with the injection, I've heard of insulin becoming less effective if you inject it incorrectly or it's gone off , but not more so. (Discounting certain brands of long acting insulin, which can give issues if you inject into a blood vessel).

There are lots of reasons why your bg can go down unexpectedly. The most obvious (to me anyway) are
1) miscalculation of the carbs in the meal
2) incorrect insulin ratio for your food (insulin sensitivity can be affected by lots of things, including exercise)
3) a larger than normal quantity of fat in the meal which means the carbs are absorbed more slowly?

And the fat in chocolate means it tends to act quite slowly so it isn't the best hypo treatment

Honestly, sometimes insulin dosing seems more like an art than a science (to me anyway).

Disclaimer, I am T1, so the comments above apply to T1s and may or may not be applicable to T2s on insulin.
Thank you! I am rediagnosed as LADA now but can't find out how to change my bio.

Honestly sometimes I feel like I get in such a mess. I've only been diagnosed properly for a couple of months now on Abasaglar and Novorapid. I've been given a Libre which helps but dunno if it's normal or I just have a weird body but I can do one thing one day and all is well, but another day same food, same dose will result in a big spike. Today was the opposite I immediately questioned did I do the wrong dose (I know I didnt), did I inject in a blood vessel (again I know I didnt). I think it might be as you suggested my ratios are all out. Even with ratios, I seem to need more, a unit to 10g carbs in the morning but think maybe less in the evening so 1 unit to 15g carbs. Going to try that tomorrow. My basal is OK, take 7 units a day which generally keeps my BG flat in between meals and around 6 in the mornings. I never knew it would be this unpredictable.

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: EllieM

EllieM

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
9,326
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
forum bugs
Thank you! I am rediagnosed as LADA now but can't find out how to change my bio.

Honestly sometimes I feel like I get in such a mess. I've only been diagnosed properly for a couple of months now on Abasaglar and Novorapid. I've been given a Libre which helps but dunno if it's normal or I just have a weird body but I can do one thing one day and all is well, but another day same food, same dose will result in a big spike. Today was the opposite I immediately questioned did I do the wrong dose (I know I didnt), did I inject in a blood vessel (again I know I didnt). I think it might be as you suggested my ratios are all out. Even with ratios, I seem to need more, a unit to 10g carbs in the morning but think maybe less in the evening so 1 unit to 15g carbs. Going to try that tomorrow. My basal is OK, take 7 units a day which generally keeps my BG flat in between meals and around 6 in the mornings. I never knew it would be this unpredictable.

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.
Ah if you're newly diagnosed LADA you may also be in the honeymoon period where your pancreas produces unpredictable amounts of insulin, which wouldn't help.

And different people have different carb ratios, which can change, and can also be different at different times of day. eg I'm relatively insulin resistant and I need 1 unit for 3g at lunch, 1 to 4 in the evening, and I think I may need to adjust the evening one.

Don't despair, it should get easier with more experience.

Other UK T1s swear by the DAFNE course as regards learning how to adjust their doses, so you could try asking your clinic if they can send you on it?
 

EllieM

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
9,326
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
forum bugs
Thank you! I am rediagnosed as LADA now but can't find out how to change my bio.
If you click on your avatar on the top right of the screen the diabetes type is in "account details"
 

ATB123

Well-Known Member
Messages
103
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
If you click on your avatar on the top right of the screen the diabetes type is in "account details"
Tried that but I don't get an option to change anything if I click on diabetes type, nothing happens. Will log in on my laptop to do it!
 
  • Informative
Reactions: EllieM

AndBreathe

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
11,344
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Tried that but I don't get an option to change anything if I click on diabetes type, nothing happens. Will log in on my laptop to do it!
If you are using the App, you will need to make the change from a browser window. If you are using your phone, you can still do it, but it must be the browser.
 
  • Informative
  • Like
Reactions: ATB123 and EllieM

ATB123

Well-Known Member
Messages
103
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Ah if you're newly diagnosed LADA you may also be in the honeymoon period where your pancreas produces unpredictable amounts of insulin, which wouldn't help.

And different people have different carb ratios, which can change, and can also be different at different times of day. eg I'm relatively insulin resistant and I need 1 unit for 3g at lunch, 1 to 4 in the evening, and I think I may need to adjust the evening one.

Don't despair, it should get easier with more experience.

Other UK T1s swear by the DAFNE course as regards learning how to adjust their doses, so you could try asking your clinic if they can send you on it?
Thank you, not heard of dafne so will ask the nurse next week.