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Accidental bad sugar day...

JJO

JJO

Well-Known Member
Messages
68
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
So I've had a bad BS day.

Well I wasn't having a bad sugar day. Woke up from a post dinner nap feeling absolutely rotten, could hardly co-ordinate myself into taking a blood sugar, let alone open the starburst wrappers from my hypo bag when my BS came back at 1.7mmol/L. +1 to the 'Jelly Babies saves lives' badge! The MySugr app has for once given me an amber coloured day due to my average BS being too low (below 5.0 is amber I believe).

I can't say I really know what happened, or why I went so low. My BS were a bit low for most of the day, and I've been significantly under-dosing my insulin (normally a ratio of 1u/10g carbs, dosing more like 1u/20g today). But meh... guess you can't micro analysis everything and get all the answers everyday. Feels like I'm playing a card game but only have half the cards and wondering why it's not working.

I'm new to this game and certainly 1.7mmol/L is my lowest, not sure I ever want to beat it, not the way I felt and how long it's taken to make me feel safe again. I'll be dropping my basal again tomorrow (was 15, down to 13, 11 for the past 2 days). I'm still having mild hypo's at work and that just HAS to stop!

Anyhow, that's my rant. Like a few other posters, I hope tomorrow brings about a better BS day and that we can scrap today and move on. Little bit scared to go back to sleep now though ....

Josh
 
Lows like that are scary @JJO If I feel at all shaky, I tend to drink some Lucozade or have some glucose tablets before I test rather than after.

If you feel nervous about sleeping, you could always set an alarm to test around 2am if that'd make you feel more relaxed.

@noblehead is right - some days your BS can play silly games and your results seem to make no sense.
 
Thanks @noblehead, really just don't understand it. Scared me a bit.

Hi @yycdordor. Yes my DNS told me to just take 15u once a day. I've been knocking that down slowly as I feel that my 'average' sugar is too low. It could be I've got my i:c ratio wrong too.

Guess I'm showing my genuine greenness in being a newbie to diabetes.
 
JJO said:
Guess I'm showing my genuine greenness in being a newbie to diabetes.
Click to expand...

I show my greenness at some diabetes decisions I make still too ! It's all a learning experience, you will become a grand master in no time !

Try and record results if you're not already doing so, it's good to show your DSN/Consultant when events like this happen as well as being able to see patterns and trends which you can then act on.
 
Hi @Juicyj thanks for that! Glad I'm not alone, and looking at the posts / likes etc on your profile, you're not new here like me!

I am trying with the documentation, here is a snap shot of today! If i could sing praise to MySugr any louder I would!!!

Screen Shot 2016-05-19 at 22.07.33.png
 
JJO said:
Thanks @noblehead, really just don't understand it. Scared me a bit.

Hi @yycdordor. Yes my DNS told me to just take 15u once a day. I've been knocking that down slowly as I feel that my 'average' sugar is too low. It could be I've got my i:c ratio wrong too.

Guess I'm showing my genuine greenness in being a newbie to diabetes.
Click to expand...

My GP said i shouldn't drop my BG too quickly, as im still in that honeymoon period (LADA- some of our beta cells still active) and we have to drop the BG with control. He also suggested the healthy BG range is round 6 to 10mmol in the first month of injection.

Listen to you body and cut back with your injection, its okay to go slightly over 6mmol. Take it slow with control!!!

Sent from my SM-N910U using Diabetes.co.uk Forum mobile app
.
 
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No worries, still feels new most days and I also do have days like this too, but with anything knowing why helps alot.

If you're cutting back just drop 10% at a time, go with this for 3-4 days to observe changes before making any more adjustments and keep your team posted, one change at a time too don't try and make more than one change to anything you do, but well done on recording, you're way ahead of me already ;)
 
@yycdordor thanks for that, that's very useful.

I'll speak to my diabetes nurse tomorrow as I'm really unsure about how levemir works and how split doses will affect me. Will drop to 9u in the AM and have as similar start to the day food wise and take it from there!

Thanks
 
I know you don't want to hear this but this is exactly why I, and some others have gone to low carb. Low carb equals less insulin equals less hypos. I had too many hypos without explanation. They changed from day to day even with the same foods. Scared me to death. I couldn't find rhyme or reason. No won much smaller doses I can't and don't go to a true hypo. Gives me much ,ore peace of mind. Sorry to say but true.

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@JJO Good idea checking with your DSN. The honeymoon period can mean random 'squirts' of your own insulin, making control more variable from day to day. In addition, some people find just being on insulin gives their beta cells a rest and they then recover a little and make more insulin for a while.

So control does get easier - both because of experience and as your body's own erratic insulin production declines.

I'd also say that personally I found basal insulin the most difficult to get right. I found it less predictable in its absorption and action.
 
Hey @JJO
just reading through the thread and given that this is all so new to you , I would say you are doing brilliantly and you should cut yourself a lot of slack.
you can only learn what to do , how to react , and get experience in real time so lots of days are going to be new experiences and the body does it's best not to cooperate 100% of the time.

loads of great people here to support if you get a bit stuck

setting alarms at night is a good short term method for double checking your doses
edit to add -- but usable over the very long term -- i still set alarms at night to double check doses
 
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Thanks!!

I'm feeling much better about the situation this morning. Thanks all for your support!
 
Hi there,
I was diagnosed type 1 about 14 months ago. I was initially on 12u Lantus (equivalent to your levemir) which eventually came down to, and has stayed at, 5u. It seems pretty common for the first few weeks/months for your basal requirements to come down, it just so happens that a year later I still only need that little! Basal insulin is a bit of a mystery to me so I always keep in touch with my nurse when I have concerns (though I'm not sure they know either most of the time!!)
 
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