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Bg's gone up!!!

luzanmurphy_

luzanmurphy_

Well-Known Member
Messages
52
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I was wrongly diagnosed with type 2 & put on Metformin & Gliclazide. It was bringing my BG down. But then after a GAD blood test it proved that I was Type 1. So I came off the pills yesterday & started the insulin today. My BG has shot up to 18. I've been told I must eat carbs with every meal. Is it early days or should I be worried?
 
luzanmurphy_ said:
I was wrongly diagnosed with type 2 & put on Metformin & Gliclazide. It was bringing my BG down. But then after a GAD blood test it proved that I was Type 1. So I came off the pills yesterday & started the insulin today. My BG has shot up to 18. I've been told I must eat carbs with every meal. Is it early days or should I be worried?
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Hi @luzanmurphy_

When people start insulin it can take a while for things to settle down. The BG number you've given is high but you have not indicated when you took it, fasting? After a meal, how long after?

You do not HAVE to eat carbs after with every meal, that's your choice and you may find it easier if you reduce your carb intake.

Do you currently have any ilness like cold or something? (Illness can push you bg up).

Edited:- Do keep an eye on your numbers, and speak to your doctor about your concerns if they don't start to fall.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi Urbanracer, I took insulin just before breakfast, just before lunch & just before dinner. The nurse said I had to eat carbs with each injection. I hardly had any carbs when I was on the Metformin and Gliclazide. I'm not currently sick, in fact feeling quite healthy. Just worried about the BG increase. Thanks for your feedback
 
luzanmurphy_ said:
Hi Urbanracer, I took insulin just before breakfast, just before lunch & just before dinner. The nurse said I had to eat carbs with each injection. I hardly had any carbs when I was on the Metformin and Gliclazide. I'm not currently sick, in fact feeling quite healthy. Just worried about the BG increase. Thanks for your feedback
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Ah I see! I think your nurse has got things ****-about-face. (Not unusual).

If you eat carbs (and maybe protien) you need insulin to stop your glucose rising. If you don't eat (m)any carbs you should need little or no insulin with your meals.

Have you been told about carb counting and insulin ratios, timing of injections with respect to eating ? I assume that you are taking a rapid acting insulin with your meals, do you also have a long acting insulin ?

The instructions that come with your rapid acting insulin may say that you can inject immediately after or before eating. In reality, most of us find that we have to inject 15 to 20 minutes before eating so that the insulin has time to get to where it needs to be.

Always discuss any changes in medication with your medical advisors (that's the small print.)
 
The hyperglycemia is a good indication that you probably still have some natural insulin production remaining. The glyclazide was likely increasing that to a point where your levels were under control (or lower than they are now).

As far as eating carbs with every meal...we have to tell you to consult with your doctors. However, I will say that I RARELY eat carbs (or more than about 5g) with every meal and I was on a low-carb diet within a month after starting insulin.

Learning to count carbs will allow you variation in what and how much you eat. Again, the older method was called the "Sliding scale" which required you to eat the same amount during every meal.

Either way: DO NOT start experimenting with insulin. That's a very bad idea. I had to do a tremendous amount of research (20+ hrs/week) before I felt comfortable doing that.

To answer your question: no, you don't need to worry at the moment. My blood sugar was in the 20-25 mmol/L range for about 2 weeks after my diagnosis. After I was given Novolog (Novorapid for those of you in the UK) my levels dropped below 6 very shortly after.
 
Lol! Yeh I tend to listen more to people on this forum. So I'm going to go back to low carbs and high protein tomorrow again. The nurse said I don't need to know about carb counting yet. She's put me on 3 units as I am very slim (lost a lot of weight in 2 months). Yes I'm on Novorapid before meals and Lantus 24 hour releasing. The nurse said I should have my food in front of me, then inject and eat immediately. This whole insulin thing scares me. I hope I start understanding it soon. Thanks guys for all your advice
 
luzanmurphy_ said:
Lol! Yeh I tend to listen more to people on this forum. So I'm going to go back to low carbs and high protein tomorrow again. The nurse said I don't need to know about carb counting yet. She's put me on 3 units as I am very slim (lost a lot of weight in 2 months). Yes I'm on Novorapid before meals and Lantus 24 hour releasing. The nurse said I should have my food in front of me, then inject and eat immediately. This whole insulin thing scares me. I hope I start understanding it soon. Thanks guys for all your advice
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You'll get used to it, and you know where we are. Good luck;)
 
luzanmurphy_ said:
Lol! Yeh I tend to listen more to people on this forum. So I'm going to go back to low carbs and high protein tomorrow again. The nurse said I don't need to know about carb counting yet. She's put me on 3 units as I am very slim (lost a lot of weight in 2 months). Yes I'm on Novorapid before meals and Lantus 24 hour releasing. The nurse said I should have my food in front of me, then inject and eat immediately. This whole insulin thing scares me. I hope I start understanding it soon. Thanks guys for all your advice
Click to expand...
If you cut your carb intake, be very careful with the insulin as it may need to be decreased too.
 
luzanmurphy_ said:
Lol! Yeh I tend to listen more to people on this forum. So I'm going to go back to low carbs and high protein tomorrow again. The nurse said I don't need to know about carb counting yet. She's put me on 3 units as I am very slim (lost a lot of weight in 2 months). Yes I'm on Novorapid before meals and Lantus 24 hour releasing. The nurse said I should have my food in front of me, then inject and eat immediately. This whole insulin thing scares me. I hope I start understanding it soon. Thanks guys for all your advice
Click to expand...

@luzanmurphy_ If you've been given set amounts of insulin to have before your meals then you should not reduce your carbs without speaking to your DSN. You could be putting yourself at risk of hypoglycaemia. That's probably why the nurse said you have to have carbs with your meals - theyve assumed a basic normal diet and estimated how much Novorapid you'll need for your meals.

Don't panic about the high glucose. Thats not unusual when you're first start on insulin. The thinking is 'better too high than too low'. It also allows your team to gradually tweak your insulin to get control of your sugars

Push to learn carb counting as soon as you can as this will allow you to adjust your insulin dose to what you're about to eat. And get better control.

It's not necessary to go very low carb to get control of your blood sugar. Everyone is different and we all eat different amounts of carbs as suits us and our body :)
 
Did my BG last night and it was 18. Gave my first 24 hour release injection before bed. Did my BG this morning & it was 11.5
I'm happy that it's come down but is that OK to have a major drop like that (still above 9 anyway).
 
luzanmurphy_ said:
Did my BG last night and it was 18. Gave my first 24 hour release injection before bed. Did my BG this morning & it was 11.5
I'm happy that it's come down but is that OK to have a major drop like that (still above 9 anyway).
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You're still in the very early stages of insulin use. Think of it like a balancing act. If you're trying to balance something carefully, you give it a very gentle nudge to see if that works, you don't give it a massive shove because that could be counter-productive and push the balance right off on the other direction. So, with your insulin, the doses are 'little nudges' to see how your body reacts. As your team start to see that (through your results) then they can maybe adjust the size of the nudges.

The best and most useful thing you can do is to keep really good records of not only your insulin and blood sugar, but also what you've eaten. That will provide incredibly helpful info for your team.

I suggest you make lots of notes and give your team a call. I would mention that overnight drop in your blood sugar and get their advice. The basal insulin is supposed to hold your blood sugar roughly steady overnight, but, again, don't panic that it didn't. You'd be extremely lucky to have your insulin regime working perfectly from the start.

Call your team today if you can. If not, try your GP for advice. It may be that they suggest reducing your basal slightly, or even moving or splitting that injection, or having a small bedtime snack. What you could also do is set an alarm to get up and test your blood sugar during the night to see what it's doing - useful and reassuring, especially if your blood sugar is dropping overnight.
 
What is that weight loss by the way @luzanmurphy.

MD
 
luzanmurphy_ said:
The nurse said I should have my food in front of me, then inject and eat immediately.
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No. That's wrong. Inject 20 minutes before you eat.

This used to be the advice, but those of us who've used a Libre can see when the insulin takes effect. In my case it's approx 30-35 minutes, so 20 is a good compromise. Otherwise you won't avoid the spike.

And look into low carb. Check out Diet Doctor site, good and reliable. Your nurse's advice - sorry - sounds absolutely awful.
 
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