COVID vaccine and extremely high blood sugars

Jaylee

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Type 3 in remission. Hello got the astra zenica 6 days ago had a HbA1c test yesterday, the results as read by the nurse today were "600" ???? Does anyone know what that means? The nurse was having a fit.
Tested myself on finger prick test 18mmol, shocked I have been in remission for 4 months now, random tests in the last 4 months show normal now this. So I must have been in the high range for the last six days!!! I have a lantus pen but don't know if I should give myself a shot or not and by how much?
Will contact the GP tomorrow and have reported on the yellow card scheme.
If It hadn't been for this site I'd be in full panic mode, thank you all for posting

Hi, i do Lantus. try changing your pen (if disposable type?) Or cartridge if reusable..

It can loose potency halfway down the barrel sometimes.
 

Jaylee

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With regards to the jab.

I had mine last week. My BGs actually started to rise parking up then queuing prior for the thing..
Back under control by the time i got home. Felt great too.

However, following morning. woke low & felt like i'd had a heavy night out. Arm felt like someone had punched it & felt cold across the shoulders. ached a bit in the neck too. Lasted 24 hours.
Next morning i kind of woke low again, but was fine after treating it..
 

Jollymon

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With regards to the jab.

I had mine last week. My BGs actually started to rise parking up then queuing prior for the thing..
Back under control by the time i got home. Felt great too.

However, following morning. woke low & felt like i'd had a heavy night out. Arm felt like someone had punched it & felt cold across the shoulders. ached a bit in the neck too. Lasted 24 hours.
Next morning i kind of woke low again, but was fine after treating it..

The 2nd shot will be worse. Plan for it.
 

Goonergal

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Type 3 in remission. Hello got the astra zenica 6 days ago had a HbA1c test yesterday, the results as read by the nurse today were "600" ???? Does anyone know what that means? The nurse was having a fit.

That must be an error - either in the lab or a typo. Using the calculator on this site: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-to-blood-sugar-level-converter.html

An HbA1c of 600 would equate to an average BG of 88!

9E1931FC-8207-48EA-AF42-9ED192E73651.jpeg


Using the same calculator, a reading of 18, if averaged, would equate to an HbA1c of 113. That’s still very high, but you’d be alive and breathing!

24E3DEC6-E9E5-495D-A0BE-BBB156B155AB.jpeg
 
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That must be an error - either in the lab or a typo. Using the calculator on this site: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-to-blood-sugar-level-converter.html

An HbA1c of 600 would equate to an average BG of 88!

View attachment 47925

Using the same calculator, a reading of 18, if averaged, would equate to an HbA1c of 113. That’s still very high, but you’d be alive and breathing!

View attachment 47926
Thanks Goonergal, the nurse seemed a bit hysterical think she has misread it, I hope anyway or my blood must be more like strawberry jam. It's not by the way. Tested a few minutes ago now at 11 mmol so coming done.
 
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That must be an error - either in the lab or a typo. Using the calculator on this site: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-to-blood-sugar-level-converter.html

An HbA1c of 600 would equate to an average BG of 88!

View attachment 47925

Using the same calculator, a reading of 18, if averaged, would equate to an HbA1c of 113. That’s still very high, but you’d be alive and breathing!

View attachment 47926
Hello Goonergal just to let you know you were right, talked to the GP today the actual HBa1c reading was 67 the 600 reading was for the amount of vitamin B in my blood, f,in nurse scared the **** out of me. I now have an appointment with the diabetes clinic in two weeks, when something looks so wrong it usually is.
 
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Caprock94

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I'm in the USA, and had the Moderna vaccine. Got my second dose yesterday. Felt a little off yesterday afternoon, tired, light headed, etc. By evening I felt fine. Today all I felt was a sore arm. However, I just tested myself this evening after a meal that usually keeps me in the 120-130 mg/dl range and tonight I got a 174! Highest reading I can remember. An hour later I was back down to 92. Hoping tomorrow things get back to normal.
 

agwagw

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Hi, I had my 1st covid vaccination 3 days ago (Oxford). The last two days I have been a steady 14mM BG despite more than doubling my Novorapid (almost no carbo). I suspect it's a body reaction as if during an infection as others have said.

Hopefully will stabilise soon - but certainly glad I've had the jab at last!
 

MBlaik2021

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Yea, I've had the Astra/ Oxford yesterday morning. Just didn't consider or pre-empt needing to input sick day rules, and sure enough my sugars were shooting up within a few hours. I was also high overnight but was pretty whacked out. Would have been useful to have had a heads up from those administrating the vaccine - doesn't need to be definitive, but at least a mention that it 'could cause an elevation' just as any infection may....
 

Omnipod

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cant see how either vaccine would have any effect on blood glucose. Both have tiny amount of sucrose as a stabiliser, to protect the active ingredient during manufacturing, transport, and storage. Other ingredients are:
  • potassium chloride

  • potassium dihydrogen phosphate

  • sodium chloride

  • disodium hydrogen phosphate dihydrate
  • Lipids:
  • ALC-0315 = (4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis(2-hexyldecanoate)
  • ALC-0159 = 2[(polyethylene glycol)-2000]-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide
  • 1,2-Distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine
  • cholesterol

https://practio.co.uk/coronavirus/articles/coronavirus-vaccine-ingredients
 

StewM

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I had a similar experience with the AstraZeneca vaccine. Felt fine for about 9 hours after having the Vaccine. Then got 'normal' side effects from the Vaccine for about 36 hours. However, at the same time, Insulin Resistance started climbing, and climbing, and climbing. The increased Insulin Resistance peaked on Day 5 where I was having to take massive doses of Bolus in addition to an increased Basal dose to get anywhere near the normal range (this all without eating as my Insulin Resistance was so high, I didn't dare eat). Thankfully, things began to come back down on the fifth night, but boy that fifth day was hell.
 

Mrs T 123

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I had the Astra/Oxford one over a week ago and my bg still hasn't returned to what it was before the vaccine - all readings are 1 or 2 above what they were before so I suppose I will just have to be patient in waiting for all to return to normal levels. Not major increase but enough for me ...
 

Andydragon

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cant see how either vaccine would have any effect on blood glucose. Both have tiny amount of sucrose as a stabiliser, to protect the active ingredient during manufacturing, transport, and storage. Other ingredients are:
  • potassium chloride

  • potassium dihydrogen phosphate

  • sodium chloride

  • disodium hydrogen phosphate dihydrate
  • Lipids:
  • ALC-0315 = (4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis(2-hexyldecanoate)
  • ALC-0159 = 2[(polyethylene glycol)-2000]-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide
  • 1,2-Distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine
  • cholesterol

https://practio.co.uk/coronavirus/articles/coronavirus-vaccine-ingredients
Its likely not the vaccine itself causing this. Rather the immune response to the vaccine which isn't unusual
 
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ashleyp

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I just wanted to post my experience of the AstraZeneca vaccine here so far, as I had a read through this thread prior to having it on Monday morning and it made me feel quite anxious of what was to come.

I was vaccinated at 0930 Monday morning. Did not feel any effects whatsoever throughout the day and continued on with my plan to train shoulders that evening at 6pm. Had post workout meal at 8:30pm but appetite wasn't 100%

By 9pm I definitely noticed that I wasn't feeling 100% and had a wave of mild nausea and a mild headache. My lower back began to ache as did most of my joints, really just felt like I had had a bit of a beating. Injection site was tender but barely noticeable. Skin was getting noticeably hotter to touch and at 11pm my temperature was 37.5. Not high, but high for me as I am usually around low to mid 36's - that's the hottest I've seen it in the past 12 months.

Took some paracetamol and went to bed. Had mild fever symptoms - hot, sweating, shiver, cold feet, but nothing too bad.

Woke up the next morning and temperature was back down to normal and pretty much felt back to 90%. Mild headache throughout Tuesday and a bit of a stuffy nose. Back to 100% by today (Wednesday).

Just to add, not once during this entire period were my blood sugar levels effected and they remained consistent and normal with what I usually experience.

All in all, not a bad experience whatsoever.

Age: 29
Diagnosed T1: 2012
Weight train 4 times per week, relatively "clean" diet.

If anyone has any further questions let me know!
 
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Fairygodmother

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It seems we all vary, as with anything T1. I’ve had days of unexplained highs too, even four weeks after the AZ.
I’m not surprised by the number of us who’ve experienced an effect on blood sugar levels; it happens often enough with an infection hence sick day rules.
The vaccines will be training the immune system. There’s a decent explanation of the immune response stages below:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279396/
 
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StewM

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Further to my previous comment. I thought I’d got over the hump with increased insulin resistance after five days, but today it came right back, two weeks after my vaccination.
 

donnellysdogs

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I’m normally blooming good and rarely go above 7.
Since Astra Zeneca jab I initially had 4 days and nights of no amount of extra bolus getting bloods down from 18’s.
Since that jab 3 almost 4 weeks ago my tresiba doses have raised from 2.5 and now on 7.5.
Insulatard use as well gone from small doses to much higher.
Only eat one meal a day in evenings so I effectively basal test all day every day.. so I know it’s not food or anything else. My routine is the same since 1st lockdown. Food is the same.
I believe my body has been knocked by the covid jab, just like it would be if I had any illness. However, 4 weeks on and although stabilised with doses now and lower levels I am dreading the 2nd jab.
I did report to MHRA.
I think it’s important that we do as I understand it the Astra Zeneca one is the only one with sucrose in it... it must only be small amount of sucrose but Ido believe that I am a bit OTT with watching my bloods and since the jab I have been floored trying to reduce them down.
I am an oddity that I do have 2 basals and 2 different bolus types...
 

In Response

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Both have tiny amount of sucrose as a stabiliser, to protect the active ingredient during manufacturing, transport, and storage.
As you say a "tiny" amount of sucrose.
Given the vaccine dose is something like 0.3ml and the sucrose is a tint part of that, the impact of it on blood sugars will be negligible.
I agree with the other responses that a rise of blood sugars is likely to be our livers releasing glucose to provide energy to build the anti-bodies just as it can with a sickness.

Like @Jaylee, my blood sugars went low for about 48 hours after my jab. I reacted with hypo treatment and reduced my basal.

The important thing is to do extra testing an dknow how to react to changes in blood suagr level which may arise out of teh jab.
It is not something to put us off having it.

And on that note, I find comments like "the second shot WILL be worse" should be avoided as it may put people off.
Sure it could be worse but all the people I know who have had two jab have found the affect of the second is no different to the first.

I found this interesting on reactions: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-56375307
 
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MaxJH

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Hi. I have been diabetic for 40years. I had the COVID vaccine on Friday and my blood sugars since have been in the 20’s. I normally have really good control barely going above 11 but today I can not get them below 20. I feel awful. I’ve been sick too. I’ve tried changing my insulin cartridge to see if it was that but at the moment I’ve doubled my insulin and barely eaten. Anything I do eat seems to come back up. Has anyone else had this after the vaccine. The nurse told me it could be high for a couple of days after and not to worry unless it goes into the 30’s.
This has happened to me too. Had vaccine yesterday, levels high, adjusted rapid and slow acting. Woke up 13.7, took 7units, an hour later 17.6 !, took a further 12 units (I normally am within range 4 to 9 and rarely take more than 4 units!), 4 hours later 14.9 ! , took a further 10 units !!!
thats 30 units over 10 hours (3 days worth of insulin) and still high !!
What to do?
 
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