Did it take you long to "Normalise" BS?

[JoeT1]

Hi All,

Just wondering how long it took people with Type 1 to start getting some better, more consistent readings of their blood sugar? After diagnosis, of course.

My diabetic nurse told me the other day to not be top hard on myself, and I know, she's right. I'm carb counting correctly and consistent with my dosages and timings. Just changed my Lantus to Levimar twice daily (10, 6) as my sugar was rising during the night.

Now I see the DP effect (I think) where my levels rise up to 4.5mmol over night... Massive jump and then start my day high, with that my correction dose does not bring it down all that much in the first part of the day. I know, she will be adjusting dosage, timings and so on... It just gets a bit frustrating as im working so hard.

I'm about 5 weeks in now, nearly 3 weeks on my own carb counting.

I just want to be inbwtwwen those lines lol. I notice my mood is completely different when high and in or close to range.

 

[novorapidboi26]

At this early stage you are doing a great job by the sounds of it....

Dawn Phenomenon is a pain in the bum I agree, this was the reason I went on the pump......the DP actually increases your resistance to insulin and so normal correction may not work......you may have to increase your correction factor....

Being on a split basal should give you great flexibility so thats good....

being diagnosed at 15 almost 19 years ago, I couldn't event try and remember how long it took to stabilise......I certainly wasn't on an MDI regime so was at a disadvantage straight away...I think you will be stable in no time to be fair...

 

[becca59]

4 years in, still up and down. Dawn Phenomenon a huge problem for me. Often inject bolus at 4am, still high on waking. Took the bull by the horns and altered my breakfast to help. Fruit and yoghurt instead of Shredded Wheat 1cps worth. It has helped. Then today I added my swim fit into the mix it creates Adrenalin, so higher levels requiring more bolus.
It sounds to me that you are doing very very well 5 weeks in. As your nurse said, stop being hard on yourself. It is a long journey, and you never stop learning.

 

[Snapsy]

Hi and welcome, @JoeT1 - it sounds like it's early days and you're doing great!

I've had type 1 for 31 years, and most of the time on most good days I am mostly consistent. I still have my moments, though. Back when I was diagnosed things were very much more - how can I put this? - clunky in terms of treatment - when they brought out the basal/bolus regimen my control improved from how it had been before, and then another many years later when I did my regional equivalent of the DAFNE course (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating) my control improved again, in leaps and bounds. Now I use a pump, and a Libre, and I am the most consistent I have ever been. But just yesterday for instance I was stuck up in the 12s between lunchtime and my running club session at 7.30pm - and the correction doses (two of them) I took that afternoon did absolutely nothing to bring me down!

I can't identify a specific time period in terms of getting consistent control after not being in control (pre-diagnosis, I mean). It's good advice from your DSN not to be too hard on yourself - heck, I've got the t-shirt for that one - and I would recommend taking each day at a time, and not put yourself under unreasonable pressure in these early days.

You'll get there. But if you're anything like me, in 31 years' time from your diagnosis you will almost certainly now and again have a total and utter WT* moment - because you are human, and not a machine! Mind you, in 31 years' time who knows......?!

I like your 'in between those lines' analogy. That's precisely how I view my own life with diabetes, 'between two lines'.

Hugs. You'll get there. But it helps to view the numbers as a continuum, not as absolutes.

 

[JoeT1]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the welcome, and thank you very much for the kind words and support. You are, of course, correct. I feel like I have learnt so much, so quickly that that is probably the reason i'm a little frustrated and hard on myself. I think to myself at times, the longer i'm out of target range, the worse it is for me, which in long term and consistently out of range would be true, but starting off i'm sure I need to relax a little and take it as it comes, learn and give the feedback to the support I am getting.

Might use this thread to keep a bit of a log of my progress. It does feel better when you get it out there, congratulated on achievements, given advice and share ideas.

Thanks again

 

[Jc3131]

Im about 5 months in now and still in honeymoon period. I beat myself up when I get high readings, but realistically being newly diagnosed it's quite hard to get most things right. There's so much info to take in, and in the first few months I hammered the books etc for info. This got to point where I was reading stuff and wasn't taking any more in, my head was full.

You seem to have a good understanding of thing's and are probs being too harsh on yourself ( like I am with myself), but we need to give ourselves time to adjust.

I am petrified when my honeymoon period ends, as I have had ok control, but I know that thing's will go pear shaped for a while until my insulin regime is sorted and I go on a carb counting course.

It's all a huge learning curve and a pretty steep one at that.

Good luck

John

 

[leahkian]

JoeT1 you are 5 weeks in and you are trying your best but take a minute and look over your BS readings over the last 3 weeks and see if there is a pattern forming if its always high on a morning then you may be told to increase your long acting insulin but wait until you have talked to the DNS if you had been a diabetic for 10 years you would change it your self as the longer you have diabetes you know your own body. You are also in the honeymoon stage where your pancreas is still trickling insulin out, so making changes is better if you speak to the diabetes team. Try to not get mad as this can also effect your sugar and as long as they are not swinging about being a little high for a while will be ok. You have to think you are just starting carb counting as well as trying to know how many carbs to insulin ratio, there is also how sensetive your body is to the insulin. You are doing great but with diabetes you need to walk before you can run. Even in 20 years time you may have a time when your sugars go out of control. Mine always go haywire when the seasons change and have since i got diabetes no consultant can tell me why but for a week when we change seasons they are all over the place and then a week later back to normal.