Confused on what I’m aiming for

[Andie79]

Hi all, I was recently diagnosed as T2 whilst in hospital with Covid. I was prescribed insulin when I was discharged (was on an insulin pump in hospital as the steroids were sending my BS levels high).
I got a crash course in injecting etc just before discharge. The dn in hospital advised that when I got to low 5’s high 4’s to drop my dosage by 2mg.. which I’ve been doing. However had got to the point where I was regularly in high 4’s even after dropping dosage. When going on walks or gardening etc was getting a few hypos too. My concern was that I’ll be heading back into the office soon and concerned that my bs will be getting too low.
Despite being a fully grown adult it took my mum going into parent mode at the go surgery to get me an appointment with the dn. She finally rang me back (they only realised when they booked the appointment I’d had no checks since discharge.. am booked in Wednesday).. she has advised that I should aim to keep my bs around 6-8 and to reduce my insulin until my levels start to balance out around there.
So my confusion is I’ve now been given 2 different “targets”.. the higher seems to make more sense so I don’t get too many hypos.. but should I really be aiming for 8?

 

[ert]

What insulins are you on? Have they completed tests to see if you need insulin now that your blood sugars are back in the normal range? A c-peptide test will support how much insulin you are producing. Is your BMI normal? It's just unusual for a type 2 to need insulin on diagnosis. Rapid deterioration on to insulin after diagnosis supports type 1.

With the support of my consultant, I have always targeted my blood sugars before meals at 5 mmol/l since starting insulin. You need to talk to your consultant and work out what you can manage.

 

[EllieM]

Covid induced T2 is a strange new world.

If they are sure that you are T2 (hopefully you had a cpeptide and or a GAD test at some point) then theoretically you should be producing lots of your own insulin. So hopefully you'll be able to give up the insulin eventually?

Most T2s don't get put on insulin for years after diagnosis and many (particularly the ones on here you mostly control their T2 by low carbing rather than drugs) never need it.

When are you doing your blood tests? Readings before meals are likely to be lower than the readings after, so both pieces of advice could be right if the doctor was advocating 5 before meals and the DN 6-8 after.

 

[Deleted member 527103]

Our blood sugars do not stay stable. They are affected by food, exercise, stress, illness, drugs and more.
Is it possible that the hospital advised to aim to go no lower than 4s and the DN advice is to aim to go no higher than 8s?
Someone without diabetes could expect to see their blood sugars ranging between 3.5 and 9.

 

[Andie79]

What insulins are you on? Have they completed tests to see if you need insulin now that your blood sugars are back in the normal range? A c-peptide test will support how much insulin you are producing. Is your BMI normal? It's just unusual for a type 2 to need insulin on diagnosis. Rapid deterioration on to insulin after diagnosis supports type 1.

With the support of my consultant, I have always targeted my blood sugars before meals at 5 mmol/l since starting insulin. You need to talk to your consultant and work out what you can manage.

Hi there, I’m on Humulin M3 - so a mix. I know they did an HBA1C test which I believe was 83.. not sure about the others.
I think that I was started on insulin as my blood sugars were so high (high 20’s) due to the dexamethasone that I was on whilst in there.
My BMI is high - but am working on this. I lost weight in hospital but had not stepped near the scales in a while so not sure how much.. but have lost 5kg since discharge.
The diabetes nurse advised me to check 4 times a day pre breakfast, pre lunch, pre dinner and pre bed.. before my tests I have been around or just below the 5 mark.. but am sometimes dropping if more active.
It’s taken me a while to get over the Covid.. and another month of even managing to get an appointment.. despite re-issuing my insulin each month they seemed to have missed the fact that I’m diabetic (big sigh). Am hoping that this will get the ball rolling on sorting things out.

 

[Andie79]

Covid induced T2 is a strange new world.

If they are sure that you are T2 (hopefully you had a cpeptide and or a GAD test at some point) then theoretically you should be producing lots of your own insulin. So hopefully you'll be able to give up the insulin eventually?

Most T2s don't get put on insulin for years after diagnosis and many (particularly the ones on here you mostly control their T2 by low carbing rather than drugs) never need it.

When are you doing your blood tests? Readings before meals are likely to be lower than the readings after, so both pieces of advice could be right if the doctor was advocating 5 before meals and the DN 6-8 after.

They definitely did an HBA1C test it was 83.. so they believe I was more than likely undiagnosed T2 beforehand.. but think the steroids aggravated it?.. I’m not not sure about the other tests. I wasn’t fully with it when I’m and as soon as I could hold my own without oxygen then I was discharged (the hospital was busy). In the early days was registering 19 + whilst waiting for the steroids to leave my system so perhaps that is why I went straight onto insulin?
I only ever spoke to a DN about the diabetes.. the doctors were more about the Covid.

I have managed to book an appointment with the diabetes nurse (even though it’s now been moved on a day).. but they didn’t even seem to have me on their list. So starting from scratch it seems.
Not sure how easy it is to come off of insulin and on to tablets?