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Bloods all over the place!

Moggyton

Member
Messages
22
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Basically i was having sensitivity issues where id suddenly become really sensitive to my insulin and suddenly go hypo. Ive now started carb counting to try and correct it but something isn't right. It worked well for one or two days but now it doesnt seem to be. For example i had my evening meal last night and took 7 units for 70gs of carbs and then around 5 hours later i took my reading at it was 15mmol, so i took my basal as normal and also had a correction dose. When i got up at 5am my blood was 11. I had breakfast and took 2 extra units and around 3 hours later my bloods were 14! I took 1 unit to attempt to bring it down without eating and 3 hours later at lunch time my bloods were 17!!! Its so frustrating because you feel like its under control and then you test and its miles out. My basal rate seems ok because on a weekend when i dont have to get up early my bloods are around 5 so anymore and ill go hypo in the night. Any ideas?
Thanks
 
are you on a single dose of basal.............?

your basal may be sufficient overnight but possible not enough during the day..............

basal is the first thing to rule out anyway before you look at changes of insulin/carb ratio and/or correction factors etc....

:)
 
it can be so frustrating when you are putting all your effort into getting BG's in good control and they just won't cooperateo_O

but you're in the right place (here) to get it sorted and remember to take it 1 day at a time --you'll get there !:)
 
I only take 1 dose of basal a day, ive been a diabetic for 8 years and never really had any issues, but it seems to be a pain lately getting my sugars to cooperate and it annoys me because of the potential damage it could be doing!
 
its a constant battle eh, going for 8 years without any struggle sounds good though........;)....

try not to worry to much about the damage, short bursts of higher blood sugar wont cause as much damage as consistently high blood sugars......

a carb counting course with dose adjustment would be a good idea as its essential to know how your basal works and how to adjust it as well as your meal time insulin doses, insulin/carb ratios and correction sensitivity.....

does your clinic offer anything like this?
 
I dont think my clinic offers anything like that, no. Would you recommend 2 basal injections?
Thanks!!
 
basically yes...............there may be some out there that would say one would be preferable, and I suppose less jags is better, but yes, 2 basal injections mean you can have one dose for the evening/overnight when you have little carbs working and your less active, and then another dose for the day when you will have carbs working and will be more active.....

these two portions of the day require significantly different amounts of insulin for me personally, and although not everyone will be same and maybe the day and night is not far off each other, the ability to adjust the basal doses at short notice for things like illness, exercise, sex, alcohol, extra activity etc just makes sense, its how the pancreas would function.....

what basal are you using?
 
I dont think my clinic offers anything like that, no. Would you recommend 2 basal injections?
Thanks!!


That's a shame, but don't worry, the following is a on-line carb counting course which should go some way to help you understand things better:

http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/

Just reading your opening post, your erratic bg levels could be down to injection site problems, try and rotate your sites on a regular basis.
 
Your carb ratio may be too low (more insulin needed per carb). Have you ever calculated your carb ratio? You can't just rely on a standard value like 1u per 10 gCH. And also even if you get your carb ratio right, it can change over time, particularly if exercise or lifestyle changes.

On the other hand, persistent unexplained highs can often be caused by a low level infection.
 
You would have an easier time controlling swings in blood sugar if you lowered your carbohydrate intake at each meal. Seventy grams of carb at one meal leaves a lot of room for error.
 
I take novarapid and lanctus. Is there an app you can get for your phone to monitor bloods and what you eat etc? I think a diary of some sort would help.
Cheers
 
You would have an easier time controlling swings in blood sugar if you lowered your carbohydrate intake at each meal. Seventy grams of carb at one meal leaves a lot of room for error.
Are there any horrendous swings that don't occur after large carb meals?

It seems to me obvious that if you want to be safe and controlled using insulin, you have to get real and realise that it's bye-bye to large carb meals. We can't just eat whatever we like and inject. There is no exact science with large numbers, and when we're unlucky it's paramedics time.

Of course this is just my personal view. I think it's reality though.
 
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