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High blood glucose levels

P

PeterBeggs

Member
Messages
16
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hey my name is Peter I am newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes about 1 month ago. I had it since I was a teenager but it recently started acting up on me at the age of 25, in the beginning the insulin worked along with a low carb diet but as the weeks went by it became more and more difficult to keep it under control due to the lack of food the vegetables and the low carb foods I use is not enough to keep me satisfied I get hungry really fast and all I can yink about is food mind you I am not over weight or obeesed I am a skinny dude, I am so frustrated and stressed I have Noone I can talk to or help me I feel like a small fish in a big pond that can we swallowed up by a shark at any time the shark being this disease van anyone please help me, imagine being normal for 25 years and just like that in 1 month ur entire life and eating habits just have to change I know it's for my health but I am so close to giving up. My glucose levels don't go down below 300. It's always high sometimes even reaching 500 I take 70/30 insulin 12 units in the morning 8 units in the Nighy and that's it.
 
I confess I want more information.
When you say you first had diabetes as a teenager, do you mean that you first noticed the symptoms then or that you were given a diagnosis?
It’s tough having consistently high blood sugars.
Can you get an appointment with a diabetes specialist who’ll help you to find alternative doses, or insulins, that will improve the situation?
If you’re getting hungry, but are skinny, then maybe you need ways to both eat more and make use of the food that you eat.
Many of us who inject insulin use a basal bolus system. The basal insulin looks after the body’s need for insulin to give energy to vital organs. The bolus insulin looks after the food we eat and can be adjusted according to the carbohydrate load.
 
Maybe ask your health care professional about multi daily injections or an insulin pump some time in the future. This would allow a more normal and flexible eating schedule. But it's still early days so try not to stress. It will get easier.
 
Fairygodmother said:
I confess I want more information.
When you say you first had diabetes as a teenager, do you mean that you first noticed the symptoms then or that you were given a diagnosis?
It’s tough having consistently high blood sugars.
Can you get an appointment with a diabetes specialist who’ll help you to find alternative doses, or insulins, that will improve the situation?
If you’re getting hungry, but are skinny, then maybe you need ways to both eat more and make use of the food that you eat.
Many of us who inject insulin use a basal bolus system. The basal insulin looks after the body’s need for insulin to give energy to vital organs. The bolus insulin looks after the food we eat and can be adjusted according to the carbohydrate load.
Click to expand...
I don't think I can explain any better and no my recent diagnosis was 1 month ago and the blood test insists that i had it at a toung age but never showed any signs until now but your words are very comforting I am just trying to share what I go through and the more I read and do research the more I understand but my glucose level is very high due to the amount of carbs I eat not sugar.
 
PeterBeggs said:
I don't think I can explain any better and no my recent diagnosis was 1 month ago and the blood test insists that i had it at a toung age but never showed any signs until now but your words are very comforting I am just trying to share what I go through and the more I read and do research the more I understand but my glucose level is very high due to the amount of carbs I eat not sugar.
Click to expand...
As a very general rule:

Carbs = sugar
Sugar = carbs.

One of the same.
 
If your blood glucose is always high, it usually means you are not injecting enough insulin to cover the carbs in the food you eat. Have you asked your doctor or nurse about your insulin dose?
 
Bread and biscuits are both carbohydrate and need insulin
 
Bread and biscuits are both carbohydrate and need insulin
 
JAT1 said:
If your blood glucose is always high, it usually means you are not injecting enough insulin to cover the carbs in the food you eat. Have you asked your doctor or nurse about your insulin dose?
Click to expand...
I have asked about it and they told me do not uo my dosage I take 12 units in the morning and 8 in the evening, so probably it's the amount of carbs I consume per day is too much I don't know it have times I satisfy my hunger and eat but I don't endulge in anything sweet to spike my sugar that high I will consume things like whole wheat crakers or whole wheat bread with eggs or tuna or Sardine you know fatty fish or Avocado nothing to spike it to the 500's and up.
 
There are various apps that show how much carbohydrate is in foods. I use Carbs and Cals, but that’s just one of the apps available.
It’s surprising how many things contain carbohydrate, eg lots of fruits and fruit juices, carrots, butternut (and other) squash, sweetcorn . . .
 
I suspect that at this stage the diabetes medics want to see how you react to the insulin dose they’ve prescribed and if you keep a food diary then they’ll be better able to calculate your needs
 
PeterBeggs said:
So everytime I eat bread or biscuits I should take a shot of insulin?
Click to expand...
Insulin can kill you and quickly if you take too much. Too little insulin kills you slowly. You have to take it responsibly, paying strict attention to the carb content of what you eat, the times when you inject, as well as other factors. Knowledge on the topic is absolutely essential and the lifesaver. Until you are confident that you have the necessary knowledge, you are best to speak to your doctor and follow their advice.
PeterBeggs said:
I have asked about it and they told me do not uo my dosage
Click to expand...
Have you discussed your diet in relation to your fixed insulin doses with them?
 
JAT1 said:
Insulin can kill you and quickly if you take too much. Too little insulin kills you slowly. You have to take it responsibly, paying strict attention to the carb content of what you eat, the times when you inject, as well as other factors. Knowledge on the topic is absolutely essential and the lifesaver. Until you are confident that you have the necessary knowledge, you are best to speak to your doctor and follow their advice.

Have you discussed your diet in relation to your fixed insulin doses with them?
Click to expand...
Noted. I have an up coming apoitment next month I will surely bring up the topic to my doctor. Thank you, you all have been a great help. I certainly feel more confident in handling the
 
PeterBeggs said:
So everytime I eat bread or biscuits I should take a shot of insulin? Your saying?
Click to expand...
NO!
You are on a mixed insulin, which is not designed to be dosed per meal.

Most T1's in the UK (the majority on this forum) use a basal insulin for background need, plus a bolus one to be adjusted on a meal to meal base.
With a mixed insulin, you'll inject extra basal with the bolus for the meal, which may cause hypos later on, for instance while you are sleeping.
PeterBeggs said:
have times I satisfy my hunger and eat but I don't endulge in anything sweet to spike my sugar that high I will consume things like whole wheat crakers or whole wheat bread with eggs or tuna or Sardine you know fatty fish or Avocado nothing to spike it to the 500's and up.
Click to expand...
Do you eat meat?
If your BG is high already, what about eating more of the fish and eggs, or a fatty cut of meat and leave the bread and crackers, which will make you go even higher?

High BG in itself can make you very hungry, because all those calories aren't being used by the body but just sitting there in your bloodstream.

May I ask what country you are in? We might have members from the same country who may have some answered tailored to the particulars of your country.

I'm also tagging @urbanracer , from memory he has used a mixed insulin for a long time before switching to the baal/bolus approach.
 
Antje77 said:
NO!
You are on a mixed insulin, which is not designed to be dosed per meal.

Most T1's in the UK (the majority on this forum) use a basal insulin for background need, plus a bolus one to be adjusted on a meal to meal base.
With a mixed insulin, you'll inject extra basal with the bolus for the meal, which may cause hypos later on, for instance while you are sleeping.

Do you eat meat?
If your BG is high already, what about eating more of the fish and eggs, or a fatty cut of meat and leave the bread and crackers, which will make you go even higher?

High BG in itself can make you very hungry, because all those calories aren't being used by the body but just sitting there in your bloodstream.

May I ask what country you are in? We might have members from the same country who may have some answered tailored to the particulars of your country.

I'm also tagging @urbanracer , from memory he has used a mixed insulin for a long time before switching to the baal/bolus approach.
Click to expand...
I am currently in Grenada it's a carribean country, I do eat meat fish and eggs currently I am about to eat two hardboiled eggs, there usually help with my protein intake but I usually don't have anything I can use win it so I would eat that with crakwrs or bread I really and yes my insulin is a mixed one the 70/30. Also what can I eat the meat and ish with? The rice has carbs the pasta has carbs its really frustrating and still having to put them in portions wen I do eat them the portion sizes are too small to satisfy my hunger
 
Hi @PeterBeggs and welcome to the forums.

I am a little confused .

I'm sorry for asking more questions but can you please clarify the following
1) how long have you been on insulin
2) are you definitely diagnosed T1 or are you a T2 on insulin. (Some people believe that T2s on insulin are T1). And there are other types of diabetes than T1 and T2 (eg MODY ).


To be honest, if you are a straight forward T1, I would expect you to be able to eat a normalish diet, including carbs, but having insulin to balance out those carbs.

Modern treatments for T1s (ignoring pumps for now) tend to consists of a two insulins - a basal that handles your insulin needs when you don't eat (eg at night) and a bolus fast acting insulin that you take when you eat, to balance out your food. You shouldn't be left hungry.

But I don't know whether your medical team want you to lose weight and whether they are just increasing your insulin dose slowly, or how much, if any, insulin you are still producing yourself.

Although many older people who become T1 develop the condition slowly, usually a 25 year old gets T1 quite fast, so their insulin production goes down quite quickly and they need to have their insulin dose adjusted accordingly. How often are you talking to your diabetic team?

Once more, welcome.
 
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