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Confused and frustrated!

M

Moggyton

Member
Messages
22
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Recently i seem to have become a lot more sensitive to my insulin (type 1 on novarapid) basically i used to take around 16-18 units for an evening meal and that would be ok. Now im taking as little as 8 units for the same meal and everything seems ok until about 4 hours after the injection. 3-4 hours after taking my novarapid i seem to go hypo and quite badly. I have to keep drinking lucozade to stabilise my sugars. I have started going to the gym recently but this shouldnt affect it this much? Ive also tried various injection sights to no avail. It seems like whatever i do im going hypo around 3 hours after the injection even if i eat more carbs to compensate. Its becoming very frustrating and its making me feel sick with worry and stress. Any help appreciated.
Thanks
 
3-4 hours after you have ate would indicate to me that my basal rate is wrong.. Not the bolus..

Have you tried basal testing?

Are you carb counting correctly or guestimating?
 
I usually just guess, ive been type 1 for 8 years and have never had this problem before. Its not just a little hypo though, it seems to keep dropping everytime i have some sugar and quite suddenly aswell.
 
Hi. Yes, I would check the Basal. Going to the gym does have quite an effect on the metabolism so you do need to measure more before and after to find out how it affects you. It does seem a bit strange that your insulin needs have changed so much and sorry I can't come up with any other suggestions. How has your weight been recently and when you were taking 18 units of rapid?
 
Could you list a days timings of food, insulin, blood readings and whether you been active or sedentary?

It would be easier to give more exact advice.
 
My weight hasnt changed from when i was taking 18 units. A normal day of bg levels would be 8-10 in the morning, 6 at lunch, 8 at tea and 6-8 in the evening. But around 3-4 hours after each injection i seem to be going hypo. I take novarapid breakfast, lunch and tea. And then lanctus in the evening before bed.
Thanks!
 
Its happened again this morning, had my breakfast novarapid at 9:15 but now at 11:45 my bloods have dropped. I tried a new injection site and only had 4 units. I also had less lantus last night. Im getting so depressed and frustrated!!
 
tim2000s said:
If you are seeing hypos 6-8 hours post novorapid, it suggests that your Basal level is too high. You should probably undertake Basal testing to confirm. Here is a guide:

http://www.salforddiabetescare.co.uk/index2.php?nav_id=1007
Click to expand...
Tim, the poster said he sees hypos at 3-4 hours which implies it's the Novorapid still working? If so, then perhaps the rapid needs to be reduced and the Basal increased. I might agree with you if it was 6-8 hours after. A basal test will certainly help.
 
One thing probably worth mentioning is that my bloods seemed to rise straight after taking my 4 units of novarapid, i ate straight after taking them (a bowel of non sugary cereal) so its like the novarapid is being delayed and releasing 2-4 hours down the line? I tried my arm as an injection site this morning as i have never injected there before.
 
Daibell said:
Tim, the poster said he sees hypos at 3-4 hours which implies it's the Novorapid still working? If so, then perhaps the rapid needs to be reduced and the Basal increased. I might agree with you if it was 6-8 hours after. A basal test will certainly help.
Click to expand...

Apologies Daibell, I misread the 6-8pm in the evening and transposed it for the 3-4 hours post eating. My mistake. It still suggests that the basal level is too high though, as the amount of Novorapid in the system after 3-4 hours is usually fairly low, unless you have absorption issues.

@Moggyton Typically Novorapid requires injecting 20-30 mins before a meal (most of us have found this out from the Libre), and in most of us peaks about an hour to an hour and a half after injection.

I'd still go back to the point though. Once things start to get out of control, you have to take a systematic approach to dealing with them. And that;'s best done by starting off with confirming that your basal level is correct. Increasing exercise levels significantly does improve insulin sensitivity, and not only for Bolus insulin, so it's well worth the effort.

Start by basal testing, get that right and
 
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