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Bg 24.9 advice

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double_22002

Member
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6
Hi everyone!

I am a type 2 on insulin (not controlled yet). I was diagnosed 2 years ago and was on metformin, for the last week now I have been taking Novomix30 insulin 16U at breakfast and 14U at dinner.

Last night I called NHS24 to ask for advice as my bg was 24.9 and I was a little worried as to what I should do, my eyes were out of focus and I was very light headed. They told me to sit tight and they would send an ambulance round. Ten mins later I was on my way to the hospital. I was tested at the hospital for ketones and they said my bg was 24.9 and gave me the all clear on the ketones. I was told to contact my diabetes specialist nurse today which I did.

The advice I was given by the diabetic nurse today when i called was if that was probably a carb overload due to a chinese takeaway and if it ever happened again I had to run about the house till I felt better! I may be wrong, however is that really the best advice?
 
Personal opinion: I'm perplexed about how it's going to make you feel better, given the light headedness and blurry eyes!

I'm sure Diabetics aren't meant to excercise if the glucose level is >15.

What was your reading before the chinese and how much carbs in your chinese?

I would have thought the nurse would say to keep an eye and if it stays at 20+ level for a couple of days or if it rises to get up to see her...and maybe need to review your insulin levels and/or regime.

However, I'm new to insulin myself so not much help am afraid. Just to confirm your suspicions about your nurse :think:

Someone more experienced should be along to help shed further light though.
 
Lol, thank you for replying, I am glad it is not just me that thought that was a bit odd, my bg was 12.4 before a beef curry and a prtn of fried rice ( will not be ordering that again in a hurry)

Normal b/f breakfast readings are 11 - 16
" " dinner " " 14 - 18
" " Bedtime " " 16 - 18
 
The main reason why we shouldn't exercise if blood glucose is high is that it could be due to insufficient insulin (which would cause BG to rise further, possibly uncontrollably, as you exercise); if your BG was otherwise well controlled that advice would not be too bad (it's pretty much what happens when you eat extra carbohydrates for exercise).

In your case, however, the BG readings are all a bit too high for the "well controlled" assumption. Since you were put on insulin only recently, was there a particular reason for choosing Novomix? If you have to use mixed insulin then there is little you can do to correct for larger-than-planned meals - you will have to stick to your meal plan pretty closely.
Obvious alternatives to mixes (combined, premixed long acting and fast acting) are basal/long-acting only (which I thought was 1st line insulin treatment for type 2?) or multiple daily injections (separate short-acting and long-acting injections).

Also, your nurse IMHO should have increased your insulin doses.
 
I have since been transferred to a diabetic specialist unit, they have changed the Novomix 30/70 to a Novomix Rapid (three times a day) and Levemir once at night, soon to be changed to once at night and once in the morning!

At the moment I am on 15 units of Novomix Rapid at Breakfast / Lunch & Dinner and 14 Units of Levemir at night. My blood sugars are still hovering around 16 - 23 throught the day, so there is still some work needed there to reduce them.

I am also being tested to find out what type of diabetes I have, as, due to my age I was assumed to have type 2, however every male in my family has been forced to use insulin before they were 40 and they suspect that i may have type 1.5. I was diagnosed just over two years ago and have not responded to oral medication at all really.

My highest levels were off the meter's scale ( Freestyle Lite meter ). One thing I have noticed since buying a new meter (Accu-Chek Compact Plus GT) is that the readings are higher on the Accu-Chek and are much much more consistant than the Freestyle Lite which gives me a much lower reading which varies +/- 7 or more using one sample of blood. Has anybody else noticed the Freestyle Lite giving lower readings that fluctuate widely? The Accu-Chek seems to give me consistent readings that match readings taken at the Diabetes centre!
 
double_22002 said:
Lol, thank you for replying, I am glad it is not just me that thought that was a bit odd, my bg was 12.4 before a beef curry and a prtn of fried rice ( will not be ordering that again in a hurry)

Normal b/f breakfast readings are 11 - 16
" " dinner " " 14 - 18
" " Bedtime " " 16 - 18
Click to expand...



Hi double_22002, when you say a portion of rice are you talking about the type of portion you get from a take away? If so I am not surprised you have experienced high bloods sugars, I only eat basmati rice which is much kinder to bg levels than ordinary white rice but I will only eat a tbsp full or two if I ate a take away portion of rice I would be in double figures too, control the portions control your bg levels :thumbup:
 
I am no medical professional...but I would say that your specialist team are doing the right thing...and that nurse who told you to run around was, erm, not!

I suspect that you will be seeing them quite a bit to sort out your levels...which is, I think pretty normal. Hope it hoes well. They would not drop you straight to normal levels immediately, as, a change from running high to running at normal ish levels can harm your eyes, so a slow reduction sound like a great plan to me.
Best of luck.

Re the meters, I have noticed a variation, but nothing as big as 7 units! :shock:
 
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