Glucose Going Up After Insulin

[Jillyfl]

Hello

I have diabetes Lada, I am newly diagnosed and I am currently injecting Novarapid 3 times a day. This is the only insulin I am on, I also take 500mg metformin twice a day.

I have noticed that sometimes my blood glucose goes up again after I have successfully brought it down with insulin. What I mean is I check my blood 2 hours after a meal (and injecting insulin), and I'm at lets say 5.5. I check my blood again before the next meal (even if I don't eat or drink anything) and find that my blood glucose has actually gone up from 5.5 to 7.5 (or thereabouts). Why is this? Does it happen to anyone else? Should I be concerned?

Thanks
Jill

 

[JMK1954]

Are you 'correcting' when you are at 5.5 mml, please, or do you mean that you are just taking insulin before your meal ? This 5.5 mml level is well within what is considered a normal range, which makes me wonder what sort of advice have you been given about the sort of levels to aim for ?

 

[xfieldok]

Novorapid is a short acting insulin. If I am using it for food, I take it about 15 minutes before I eat. How were you told how to use it?

 

[porl69]

Hello

I have diabetes Lada, I am newly diagnosed and I am currently injecting Novarapid 3 times a day. This is the only insulin I am on, I also take 500mg metformin twice a day.

I have noticed that sometimes my blood glucose goes up again after I have successfully brought it down with insulin. What I mean is I check my blood 2 hours after a meal (and injecting insulin), and I'm at lets say 5.5. I check my blood again before the next meal (even if I don't eat or drink anything) and find that my blood glucose has actually gone up from 5.5 to 7.5 (or thereabouts). Why is this? Does it happen to anyone else? Should I be concerned?

Thanks
Jill

That will depend on what you have eaten! NovoSluggish can take a while to start working once injected. 2mmol isn't a huge increase. Do you test 3 hours after as well?

 

[ert]

In the first instance, I'd check to see if your dosage is correct. The short-acting insulin works over a four hour window. You should check your blood sugars four hours after your meal rather than two hours. Also, the digestion of a meal takes a lot longer than 2 hours.

 

[Jillyfl]

Are you 'correcting' when you are at 5.5 mml, please, or do you mean that you are just taking insulin before your meal ? This 5.5 mml level is well within what is considered a normal range, which makes me wonder what sort of advice have you been given about the sort of levels to aim for ?

Are you 'correcting' when you are at 5.5 mml, please, or do you mean that you are just taking insulin before your meal ? This 5.5 mml level is well within what is considered a normal range, which makes me wonder what sort of advice have you been given about the sort of levels to aim for ?

Hi, I was confused as to why my levels go up when I don't eat anything. I am very happy with 5.5.
Thank you though

 

[Jillyfl]

Novorapid is a short acting insulin. If I am using it for food, I take it about 15 minutes before I eat. How were you told how to use it?

I take mine just before I eat. I wanted more control so thats why I check 2 hours after meals. I was told to check just before meals only.

 

[Jillyfl]

That will depend on what you have eaten! NovoSluggish can take a while to start working once injected. 2mmol isn't a huge increase. Do you test 3 hours after as well?

Oh right thank you for that, no just 2 hours after and then just before meals. I wanted to see what control I could get with insulin, so wondered how it would react after eating.

 

[xfieldok]

Are you calculating how much novorapid to use?

 

[Jillyfl]

In the first instance, I'd check to see if your dosage is correct. The short-acting insulin works over a four hour window. You should check your blood sugars four hours after your meal rather than two hours. Also, the digestion of a meal takes a lot longer than 2 hours.

Aaah thank you for that, I'll check at 4 hours. I thought it strange that the insulin worked but then my blood glucose went up again I'm not sure about my dosage because my own body works to a degree, so I'm finding it trial and error at the moment.

 

[Jillyfl]

Are you calculating how much novorapid to use?

Well not exactly because I was told 1 unit of insulin per 10g carbs, but for me thats too much so I'm estimating. I'm doing alright with it though.

 

[Jillyfl]

Are you 'correcting' when you are at 5.5 mml, please, or do you mean that you are just taking insulin before your meal ? This 5.5 mml level is well within what is considered a normal range, which makes me wonder what sort of advice have you been given about the sort of levels to aim for ?

No I am just observing my levels after I've injected and then eaten. I was well pleased with 5.5 but it went up again a couple of hours later...

 

[xfieldok]

Our glucose levels fluctuate throughout the day. All sorts can affect it, stress, illness exercise etc. Keep records of food, readings and other things. Lots of testing and hopefully you will see some results you can interpret.

 

[JMK1954]

Have you got a DSN you csn contact about adjusting how much insulin / how much carbohydrate you have ? It is the balance between the two that gives you your control. It sounds as if you are doing rather well. The difficulty is that we are all different, so it is a matter of making a series of adjudtments to arrive at the right amount of insulin and the right amount of carbohydrate for us. There is no standard amount required, as with antibiotics for example, so nobody can decide on a exact correct amount for you, without your trying out what happens on a 'guesstimate' to start with. The guesstimate is obviously based on experience and will take into account what your BS levels are st the start point, plus how they change as hours and days pass. Good luck and best wishes.

 

[KK123]

Hello

I have diabetes Lada, I am newly diagnosed and I am currently injecting Novarapid 3 times a day. This is the only insulin I am on, I also take 500mg metformin twice a day.

I have noticed that sometimes my blood glucose goes up again after I have successfully brought it down with insulin. What I mean is I check my blood 2 hours after a meal (and injecting insulin), and I'm at lets say 5.5. I check my blood again before the next meal (even if I don't eat or drink anything) and find that my blood glucose has actually gone up from 5.5 to 7.5 (or thereabouts). Why is this? Does it happen to anyone else? Should I be concerned?

Thanks
Jill

Hi Jill, well my experience (just after diagnosis of LADA/type 1) was the same as you, I could manage to keep my levels down following MEALS with novarapid as that is what it is designed for. Your fasting readings (which are those taken before meals usually around 4 hours since your last meal or the first reading when you awake) indicates what your basal (long acting insulin is doing). If you are not on any basal then that may be a reason why your levels before meals go higher. You may need basal insulin (mine is Lantus) and this may help. What are your morning readings? The thing to remember is that there are two different types of insulin and basal basically keeps your levels steady throughout the day regardless of your meals which are addressed with your novarapid. x