• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

blood sugars are all over the place

A

ariaxo

Well-Known Member
Messages
194
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Other
Hi I’m 20 and have beeen diagnosed with T1 diabetes at age 1. I take 23 units fixed insulin because usually I eat high carb meals. And blood sugars are still high, sometimes 8 or 5 though.But if I want to eat a healthy meal, and I do 23 units I get low, if I do 15 units I get high. Carb counting doesn’t even work on me. If a meal is 8.3g , I would take 2 units because carb counting would be 1 unit of insulin for 10g but I’d add another anyway. My blood sugar would shoot it to 17. It would take me injecting 10 units for it to be stable. Which is why it’s soooo hard for me to eat healthier and lose weight. I was eating so clean today and yesterday and got hypos so I binged. How can I change my life and eat healthier when my blood sugars aren’t cooperating? I even measured my food to make sure I accurately get the carbs right but when I use the 10g 1 insulin rule, doesn’t do anything. And I don’t know which fixed dose to use. I’m bad at guessing. And I’m trying to change my life but having type one diabetes is making it very difficult. Wat can I do? Diabetic team aren’t even helping

carb counting makes my blood sugars are high. today i ate a pizza and it was 15g carbs so i take 2 and my blood sugar went up to 20. but fixed insulin isn’t always right and it can go high or low. my diabetes team suck!!!! and i’ve had a lot
 
i even tried 2g for 10g, doesn’t work. i tried 3g, it doesn’t work.
 
How much basal insulin do you use, and is it the right amount? If basal is out, covering meals with the right amount of bolus insulin is almost impossible.
 
MarkMunday said:
How much basal insulin do you use, and is it the right amount? If basal is out, covering meals with the right amount of bolus insulin is almost impossible.
Click to expand...
what’s basal insulin? :s
 
Have you been on a carb counting course?
I know the one I went on they helped people work out their carb ratios.
And note that whilst 1unit of units per 10g carbs is a good starting point, many end up on different amounts, and can differ during different times of the day ( and different times of the months), I know I'm not on 1:10 for any time of the day, and have a different ratio at breakfast than I do at lunch, and different for dinner too.

ariaxo said:
what’s basal insulin? :s
Click to expand...
Thats the long acting insulin.
 
ariaxo said:
what’s basal insulin? :s
Click to expand...
Injected basal insulin is the log acting stuff that keeps blood glucose in the target range in the absence of food. Bolus insulin is the fast acting insulin injected before meals. With a pump it is different but basal insulin is still required.
 


no but i have heard of the dafney course
 
MarkMunday said:
Injected basal insulin is the log acting stuff that keeps blood glucose in the target range in the absence of food. Bolus insulin is the fast acting insulin injected before meals. With a pump it is different but basal insulin is still required.
Click to expand...
no i only take long acting insulin before bed. how do i do that then? i use toujeo before bed
 
Reactions: suk
ariaxo said:
no i only take long acting insulin before bed. how do i do that then? i use toujeo before bed
Click to expand...

Hi @ariaxo ,

Welcome to the forum.

Are you prescribed any other insulin. For the meals?
 
ariaxo said:
yes, novarapid
Click to expand...
Oh Kay?!

Lovely thanx.

You need to find out what is happening with the long acting Toujeo first. Get that dosage right so when you are not digesting food, your blood stays within safe range.
Then you can look at where it's not happening with the Novorapid for your food.

If you can contact your diabetes team. They should assist you on this.
Yeah, I know... My "team" don't exactly perform well, either..
 
my long acting insulin is okay. but as soon as i eat, my blood sugar goes so high
 
ariaxo said:
my long acting insulin is okay. but as soon as i eat, my blood sugar goes so high
Click to expand...

Hi again,

If your bloods are stable with no food or fast acting insulin on board.

When do you usually inject your fast acting for your meals.? Do you inject before eating? How long before?
 
ariaxo said:
no i only take long acting insulin before bed. how do i do that then? i use toujeo before bed
Click to expand...
You can check that Toujeo is working for you by skipping a meal and testing every hour until the next meal. If readings go up there is not enough basal insulin action. If readings go down there s too much basal insulin action. Do this for breakfast, lunch and supper on different days to get a full picture. If there is a problem discuss it with your doctor and changing basal insulin type/timing/dosage may be necessary. When basal is sorted out, dealing with mealtime bolusing will be easier.
 
1u per 10g is the standard starting amount for insulin mealtime ratios, so it seems likely that your team have never bothered to calculate your specific ratio. Nobody bothered for me either, until a New Zealand clinic after more than 40 years of T1. I think it's easy for clinics to assume that adult diabetics who were diagnosed as children know all this stuff, when in fact they may have missed it out....

So
1) check your basal amount (the toujeo)
2) once that is right start investigating your bolus (short acting, novorapid) ratio.

And be aware that insulin needs and ratios can vary with the time of the month, as well as exercise, illness etc.

It sounds like a DAFNE course would be very helpful to you (presumably they are currently on hold due to covid???).

There is also bertieonline, which might be worth looking at.

https://www.bertieonline.org.uk

Good luck.
 
Jaylee said:
Hi again,

If your bloods are stable with no food or fast acting insulin on board.

When do you usually inject your fast acting for your meals.? Do you inject before eating? How long before?
Click to expand...

if i wait 10-15 mins it makes no difference to my blood sugar. but i usually eat strajght after. i inject before eating yes
 

i really don’t understand what you’re saying. my diabetic teams have never told me to take my long acting insulin during the day. it works well at night though. if i do take it during the day then how much do i take?
 

my blood sugars are good in the morning but it’s only when i eat that my blood sugars go high or extremely low. i keep getting hypos
 
 
I am so sorry that your blood sugars are all over the place. I am type1 for 63 years and I have a similar problem to you. Same breakfast each day. Some days good results another readings so high as if I had eaten 3 times as much. Thank you for bringing this up as I have always had trouble keeping my blood tests stable. I hope other members can help.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…