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Cold, low carbing and extra insulin...help please

S

s230787

Well-Known Member
Messages
88
Hi

Ive been low carbing for a few weeks now, I am type 1 and had gotten everything spot on. No double figures in ages. but recently they have been creeping up a bit and im having to take extra insulin to cover. i've come out in a cold today and sore throat and am using a sugar free throat spray.

I was at the point where i was taking between 12-18 units of rapid a day but this has increased massively recently. today for example

Went to bed on 6.2
woke up on 13.2 > not happy
took 10 units
No breakfast today as i felt lousy, got a cold and high sugars dont help
Sugars at 11.15am = 6.9
Sugars @ 12.25 = 5.8 > much happier
Lunch: Tin Tuna with mozerella cheese, sugar free jelly pot and 4 strawberries (nothing out of the ordinary)
Took 8 units
Sugar at 4.30pm = 10 > not happy!!!
took 6 units

So far today ive taken 24 units of rapid and eaten no carbs (except for the strawberries!!) it just seems mad, and ive yet to have tea! it appears to be more insulin than when I was ramming down pizza and high carb foods although i didn't test half as much as I do now so I cant be sure ... I was very bad at monitoring. This happened 2 days ago too where after a no carb lunch I injected 8 units and sugar was up at 10.5 around 4pm and i had to inject additional insulin!

Should i look at upping my lantus on an evening?? currently on 26u at night which i do in my leg so it absorbs slower than tummy. or should I wait until this cold has passed. :cry:
 
Don't forget your insulin requirements increase when fighting a cold, flu and infections so this may explain the higher bg and increase in insulin.
 
I'd leave the basal as it is while the cold lasts and use the bolus to keep the 'infection-levels' down. Not sure if this is the way you're supposed to deal with it though. Hopefully someone more experienced will come along and enlighten us! :)
 
Thank you, think I knew that this would be because of the cold, but got worried with injecting more when I was doing so well! Need to chill out a bit methinks and accept that on occasion my BS may be higher than normal. Only needed 6 units with tea and my BS 2hrs later is 6.2 had a bit of milk now so hopefully I won't drop too low tonight and wake up on 13 again, feel like I've been hit by a bus when this happens. Thanks once again, I love this forum, wish I had known about it 6 years ago on diagnosis.
 
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