Advice for a newbie: BG high after 3 months?

Contact your diabetes team and ask them they generally very helpful or contact your gp for advice your medication may need to be twiged somewhere along the line

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Hi @SKB_9 Welcome to the forum

I will be honest, I was told the same when I was first diagnosed, I ended up banging my head against the door as I could never get 4-8, I thought there was something wrong with me.

Over time with knowledge I learned that I felt better running at 5-9mmol/l and told my team this, however I didn't know at the time about the effect of carbs so would still get readings of 15-20 mmol/l. I didn't quite realise that it took around 4 hours for my levels to return to 'normal', testing within 4 hours of eating meant I got depressed because my levels were always high. Now 5 years down the line I pre-bolus by 20 minutes before eating to reduce the 'high' reading, I accurately carb count so I know I am taking the right insulin for my food and I test my basal rates every so often by doing a 'basal fasting' test.

It probably took me about 8-10 months to start getting readings I felt comfortable with, it takes time and knowledge so learning about the impact of insulin/carbs on your blood glucose levels, get yourself a copy of 'think like a pancreas' it's a good read for understanding more about how to manage your type 1 and in time you will be put forward for the DAFNE dose Adjustment for Normal Eating course which is incredibly useful, by that point you will be fairly clued up and the course will help check you are taking the right insulin doses etc which will be fine tuning your control.

It's does take time, you are still fairly new into diagnosis so don't worry about the hypers, your team will be happy that you are managing your insulin and bringing your levels down gradually, it will improve so have faith

welcome here SKB_9

this is really a great place to be for support, discussions and lots of advice that really works for most... combined with a bit of character from the individual of cause... but for example the low carb higher fat dieting has an abundance of fine tasty recipes that can make foods much tastier and at the same time healthy than what most are used to before the diagnosis.. and it actually opens up a new amazing food world if one had not before been a gourmet and super cook...
keep asking questions , and read the many discussions and take part if you feel for it...

"usually between 9 and 11" is not that bad and will not quickly kill you, it shows you are starting to get control and are learning. Hence the "diabetes team seem to be happy" as it is no longer a magical emergency.

Lots of people with Type1 will come along and help you. It seems that having less carbs (or at least the same at eat meal) make it easier for people to get their insulin correct.

will give you some ideal the problems a GP had controlling his own Type1 and what he did in the end.

Dr Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution seems to the “go to” book for people with Type1.

Hey I'm only newly diagnosed type 1 also. I'm bouncing from hypos to hypers so know how your feeling. Last post was great making me feel a little better as I am at the point I'm super stressed checking my bs before & after meals and they are going either way

Hey! Don't stress too much at all, learning to deal and cope with all things blood sugar comes with time. I was diagnosed at the end of last year so I may still be in the honeymoon phase, not really sure. Anyway, it wasn't until about 2 months after my diagnoses that I actually had a hypo so that goes to show how long it took to get my levels down. I remember that for a while I was consistently getting 12 to 8 whenever I tested.

This forum is a really great place for advice and learning, however, it may be a good idea to ask your diabetes educator if they know a nutritionist who specialises in diabetes. I know that so many things affect blood sugar and that will always be frustrating and unfortunately, inevitable. However, I found that as soon as I started limiting my carb intake I was able to lower my blood sugar and it has become more stable. My last Hba1c was 5.3%. Start to look into a low-carb diet and if it interests you, talk to your doctor or health specialist to work out how you can do it safely.

Overall, just try not to stress, it's so **** difficult sometimes and there is no point in beating yourself up about it

Also for your eyes its better not to drop all bloods to normal quickly from your initial diagnosis.

Dont over test... doing a test before 2hrs after eating just causes angst and corrections shouldnt be done in that period anyway....

You should aim for any levels to be in target at 5hours after any bolus whetherbits a correction or for food.

It may help to keep notes of what foods you have good levels with and ones that you dont.. ie if you do eat pizza or items such a peanuts then these may need handling different to a meat with 3 veg dinner..

Things will improve.
I'm a believer in fewer carbs and less room for error but thats my thinking for my body and my lifestyle.

We dont know whether you exercise, what you eat, or drink or your lifestyle. You could be a marathon runner and needing more of certain foods etc or you may be a snacker etc but you will find ways to manage for you.

My best advice I received was to try and keep meals 5 hours apart without snacks. So you can fully look at patterns but again it will depend on your lifestyle. You would have to treat a hypo though if it occurred.

Think like a pancreas is an excellent book.

@SKB_9 The Type 1 'bible' is actually a book called Think Like A Pancreas. It's fantastic - and extremely popular here with Type 1s.

If you haven't got it, I suggest you buy it.

Are you counting carbs? You don't need to eat very low carb but counting carbs and matching your mealtime insulin appropraitely is key for good control of Type 1.

SKB_9 said:

Hi @azure, I do have the book yes but I haven't read more than the first few chapters. I was told by my nurse that counting carbs is the 'end game' but for now just to eat what I would normally eat and go from there. I only take small insulin doses at the moment that I wonder if this is why the nurse hasn't started carb counting with me yet. I take 15 Levemir and 3 Novorapid with breakfast and 2 with dinner, nothing for lunch as I get quite low around 4/5pm.

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While counting the carbs and then adjusting your own insulin might be something for the future, basic carb counting isn't.

Things are erratic during the honeymoon period as your own pancreas can sometimes produce insulin still and this can affcet your readings eg make you low when you're not expecting to be, but as you're running high then you might want to consider paying attention to the carbs you're eating at each meal.

I'm presuming you're currently on fixed doses of meal time insulin? If so, you can still carb count - that is, find what amount of carbs works for you for that meal.

Not teaching basic carb counting is a fairly recent thing. I don't agree it makes it easier not to carb count - in fact, it usually makes things harder and more stressful. I was diagnosed 23 years ago and was on set doses of insulin to start with but I was also given the crucial information of how many carbs to,eat at each meal. This meant my BS results were better and more predictable,mand it made things a lot easier.

If you only need small doses of insulin, a half unit pen would also be useful. You could ask your DSN about this.

@SKB_9 This might be of interest to you too:

https://www.bertieonline.org.uk

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I have said it previously and will say it again. I do not understand how in such a small country there is such a difference in advice at diagnosis. Within hours of my diagnosis I had been given a choice about how I would manage MY diabetes. In less than an hour I had decided to carb count and I was given the knowledge and tools to deal with it. Throughout the following fortnight, regular phone calls came from my DN and I was able to contact her by email if I wanted extra information. Three years on I feel blessed to have had the support that I did have.