A little lost and no clue what I’m doing.

[worksopcoffeeman]

I’ve been type 2 for 10+ years and I’m going to admit it’s been quite the frustrating journey for a lot of reasons. But for the last 6 months I’ve been on Novorapid, and that journey has seemingly gotten a lot more frustrating.

My diet isn’t great (I have cut things out, and reduced some to once in a while things), and I know this plays into everything, but …

I have no idea what I’m supposed to do regarding dosage. And nobody in the NHS or the doctors seems able to tell me what units of Novorapid to take beyond take 2 units and check in 2 hours. Then if said blood results are still high take another 2 units and repeat until I’m at the desired result. Is this really how you medicate yourself?

Take today, for example. My morning bloods stood at 19.3 (at 7:30). After 10 units of Novorapid, I checked again (9:30, no breakfast) and found I was at 15.3. So am I to take from that that I am supposed to dose myself up continually until I’m at a reasonable level, or is there a way of working out your dose based on your blood level?

I quit taking care of myself before because I couldn’t figure it out and nobody in the diabetic clinic seemed able to answer my questions. But now I’m looking to take a hold of things and figure it out before it’s too late.

There’s probably some stuff in here that I forgot to put in, but I’m sure it’ll crop up over time.

I’m at a loss guys. I don’t know what the hell im doing.

 

[Antje77]

Oh my, this sounds like you aren't getting adequate support at all.
First, we cannot give dosing advice, we can only share our own experience.

I have no idea what I’m supposed to do regarding dosage. And nobody in the NHS or the doctors seems able to tell me what units of Novorapid to take beyond take 2 units and check in 2 hours. Then if said blood results are still high take another 2 units and repeat until I’m at the desired result. Is this really how you medicate yourself?

I was misdiagnosed as a T2 for 2 years, and on insulin for most of this time.
When I first started on Novorapid, my GP's practice nurse was the one overseeing my treatment.
I started with a similar dose before meals, but I also kept logs of what I was eating (how many carbs approximately in each meal), and blood glucose before and two hours after eating.

So if I had a meal of, say, 15 grams of carbs, and my post meal reading was way higher than before, I knew that 15 grams of carbs needed more insulin, so I tried with a little more next time. My diabetes nurse agreed with this approach.

Over time, this allowed me to work out how much insulin I needed for how much carbs, much like T1's are taught to do.

Take today, for example. My morning bloods stood at 19.3

I'm puzzled why you're only on a quick acting insulin. Those high fasting numbers might mean a basal insulin could be very helpful.
Can you discuss this with your HCP?

T1's (like I turned out to be) are usually on two types of insulin: A long acting basal, which is aimed to keep you mostly steady when not eating, and a quick acting bolus like your Novorapid. I was put on this approach when I was still thought to be a T2.
The basal is taken at the same dose at the same time of day, the bolus is taken to deal with food. How much bolus to take depends on the amount of carbs in the food and your own insulin to carbs ratio (which takes time and logging your data to work out).

You might like to have a look at this course, it's aimed at T1's but it may be helpful in understanding how to work out the right doses for you: https://www.bertieonline.org.uk/

 

[EllieM]

Welcome to the forums @worksopcoffeeman .

I have got to say that I am somewhat horrified by the lack of advice for you from the medical profession

Is novorapid the only insulin you take or are you also on a longer acting one?

And insulin needs can vary drastically from person to person - some people need less than 20 units a day, others might need 200.

Also, short acting insulin typically lasts for 5 hours and doesn't act immediately, so you have to be slightly careful because you can end up taking too much if you keep injecting more because your levels are still high....

 

[SimonP78]

Also bear in mind that your insulin requirements (i.e. units per gram of carbs as well as background requirements to maintain stable levels) will vary depending on the time of day - many people have a rise in the early morning (dawn phenomenon - DP) or as soon as they get up (Foot on the floor "syndrome"). Some people also find that once their blood sugar is high, they become more insulin resistant, so it takes more than expected to bring it down. A good alternative to stacking yet more insulin is to take some insulin and do a bit of exercise if you're able to - even a 15min walk can be effective, just be careful that you don't go low if you've taken lots of insulin and then do exercise.

I'm T1 and all of the above apply to me, I would expect the same things to apply to a T2 and especially if needing insulin.