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1/2 unit of insulin causing hypo

S

Scoobyzoo

Well-Known Member
Messages
53
Type of diabetes
Parent
Treatment type
Other
My 12 year old daughter is nearly 7 weeks diagnosed a type 1. She was taken off fast acting after 4 weeks due to instant hypos. The levemir caused daily hypos and was reduced and removed. Off insulin she has a period in the day where sugars rise to 12.4ish on taking 1 unit of insulin her sugars plummet to 2.8 and causing 12 hours of illness. So she has just spent 2 days in hospital monitoring sugars, they sent her home today with instructions only to take a half unit of insulin if her blood sugar is over 17! This morning was 5.0 then before lunch was 5.7 but tonight her sugar went to 19.5 so she took the half unit and her blood sugar went straight to 2.6! Here we are again treating a hypo caused by the insulin. I am at a lost surely a type 1 diabetic needs insulin with a sugar of 19.5!


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Perhaps she's still in the 'honeymoon period' where she's still producing her own insulin to quite a degree... I suggest an urgent call to your Diabetes Specialists in Paediatrics (probably first thing tomorrow morning as I doubt there'll be anyone there now ^.^)
 
What an awful situation for you. It is baffling. It's like a tiny amount of injected insulin is stimulating her pancreas into overdrive with its own insulin.

I think it's an urgent case for a pump so you can administer 0.05u doses. The NICE priority is for children, it makes no distinction about age of the child.

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Recommended pump on previous thread. I think this has to be a priority
to be considered by your hospital team. These fluctuations in levels are no good.
Have they suggesteda cgm or tried one whilst your daughter was in hospital?
I take it that there was no fear that your daughter could have had any sugary substance on her finger that was tested? I would make sure for the interim that she washes her hands prior to all blood tests.

What did your daughter eat during the day?


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How long after the half unit did you test? How long was it after the 19.5 that she dropped to hypo?


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I'm ready to crack up! I'm worried there is something else wrong with her. I have spoken to the hospital and the consultant will call me tomorrow.


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One hour after the 1/2 unit it was 15.0 then an hour later it was 2.6, washed her hands also before testing. Strangely at 2.6 she felt no affects from the hypo.


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donnellysdogs said:
I take it that there was no fear that your daughter could have had any sugary substance on her finger that was tested? I would make sure for the interim that she washes her hands prior to all blood tests.

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I 110% agree with that - wash her fingers, change the lancet, do a BG test and note result. Wait five minutes and repeat process - if the results are wildly different, you may even have a faulty meter or duff test strips (or cartridges if using the Accu-chek Mobile).
 
Spiker said:
What an awful situation for you. It is baffling. It's like a tiny amount of injected insulin is stimulating her pancreas into overdrive with its own insulin.

I think it's an urgent case for a pump so you can administer 0.05u doses. The NICE priority is for children, it makes no distinction about age of the child.

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what about going onto a vial and a small needle that can load in 0.1u or whatever the smallest one can, till a pump comes through
 
Scoobyzoo said:
One hour after the 1/2 unit it was 15.0 then an hour later it was 2.6, washed her hands also before testing. Strangely at 2.6 she felt no affects from the hypo.


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Do you have any control solution from the meter manufacturer that you could use to test the meter and strips?
 
She uses the Aviva accui check with the little strips you push into the monitor. We have 2 of them to check if in doubt. I think the 19.5 was pretty accurate only because one hour later it was 15.0.
Spiker I'm not sure what a vial is?


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a vial and syringe is the old way of giving insulin, talk to your Dr, you can get small syringes/needles to give smaller than 0.5 dose
I don't know but, I would also ask about T2 type meds for a while, because your child's pancreas still produces
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The consultant has said now only take a 1/2 unit of insulin if blood sugars are over 17 before a main meal, not supper. Only check blood sugar breakfast lunch and dinner and not in the evening! Seriously is it just me or does that not seem right.


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Scoobyzoo said:
The consultant has said now only take a 1/2 unit of insulin if blood sugars are over 17 before a main meal, not supper. Only check blood sugar breakfast lunch and dinner and not in the evening! Seriously is it just me or does that not seem right.
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It's a very unusual situation. While I would assume the consultant has his/her reasons, if it was me I would want those reasons spelled out.

It's worth keeping in mind that a hypo is much more dangerous than a BG of 17, in the short term. It seems like your daughter is at significant risk of hypos from any amount of insulin. Even if the consultant has no idea why this is happening, I can still see the safety argument for remaining at high BGs temporarily until the problem is understood.
 
It must be very difficult. Be aware that Late onset T1 is effectively T1 appearing after the very early years and can take many years for the islet cells to be killed and then not all. I suspect your daughter's T1 may progress? I can't help with the advice you've been given but I would throw in a careful level of your own common sense and enough meter use so you know what's going on.
 
Yes I think at the moment I would still like her to use the monitor at some stage of the evening so we can see ups and downs. I am really uncomfortable with constantly changing the goal post when something doesn't work I don't know but I don't think is the end of this continuing saga.


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To me tbh, by telling you not to test evening meal, you are not going to be testing at a critical time....on tjis I would ignore your consultant advice... I think he is just hoping that day time levels stay normalish and consultant can ignore the horrible hi's then lo's....

If you get enough blood test sticks prescribed by gp then I would ignore and continue to test tea and supper times...

Can u remind me how old ur daughter is again? She isn't by chance having cokes or sweets on way home from school?


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Only seen kids queueing at shops after school n coming out with ****.... High levels seem to be later in day?


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