Dont know what I am doing ?

[syncnetic]

Hi members , pleased to meet you all. I would be very grateful for some advice from those that are type 2 on Insulin.
I have been type 2 since 2013. Tablets only. This last week in hospital seriously unwell with a hypoglycemic ( to high 32.7 ) event. First time and now put on Insulin injections. I have a librelink sensor on my arm. Just on 3rd day with it. The nurse was very good explaining how to do injections etc but no advice on what to eat. The diabetic nurse called me at 6 oclock tonight having seen my graph tonight . Shewanted to know what caused the spike this pm. I have no idea. I had eaten for lunch I slice of bread and a s.ice of corned beef plus one small low sugar yogurt and a packet of hula hoops 0.5 sugar. That is all I had plus a cup of tea. No sugar and she was not happy it went up to 15.4.
I thought I was doing well asI averaged today at 12.4 and time in range last 24 hours was 31%.
I feel completely demoralised and on my own, how on earth am I supposed to know what I am doing wrong ? Its all new to me and no one to ask. I also have had a stroke in the past so makes it harder to process information.

 

[EllieM]

Hi @syncnetic and welcome to the forums.

This last week in hospital seriously unwell with a hypoglycemic ( to high 32.7 ) event.

I assume you mean hyperglycemic?

As a T1 I do know a bit about insulin though I have to be careful what I say as my situation is not the same as that of a T2.

What kind of insulin is your nurse giving you? If you've been ill it may be that the insulin is planned as a temporary measure (illness pushes up levels) or it may be that your T2 has progressed to needing insulin full time. In any case individual insulin doses can vary widely (some people need less than 10 units a day while others needs literally 100s) so I wouldn't personally be worried by initial high numbers. It may just be that you need more insulin. I would expect your nurse to be looking at your food and blood sugar records to advise you on how much insulin to take.

As for your food,

I had eaten for lunch I slice of bread and a s.ice of corned beef plus one small low sugar yogurt and a packet of hula hoops 0.5 sugar.

Am guessing the bread could be about 20g (maybe more?), the low sugar yoghurt night have quite a bit of carbs (look on the back of the tub) and I'd expect a packet of hula hoops to be more like 15g not 0.5g (unless you only ate 1). You meed to look at the carbohydrate content rather than the sugar content to tell.

Keeping a record of the carbs (rather than just the sugar) should help you see whether the insulin is right for you. Going lower carb is an option that works for many T2s here but now you are on insulin you have to be a little careful as you don't want to go too low (hypoglycemia). If you have too much insulin in your system and your blood sugar goes down to 4 you need to take some fast acting sugar to avoid it going lower, which can make you feel confused and shaky and even send you unconscious if you go low enough. I would hope that your nurse mentioned hypoglycemia to you.

My recommendation would be not to panic, keep good food records, and try to work out a list of questions to ask your nurse. And keep asking questions here, just be aware that forum rules mean we can't advise on insulin dosing.

Good luck.

(Hopefully some T2 insulin users will post, but it's a quiet time of UK night now).

And once more welcome.

 

[filly]

Hi members , pleased to meet you all. I would be very grateful for some advice from those that are type 2 on Insulin.
I have been type 2 since 2013. Tablets only. This last week in hospital seriously unwell with a hypoglycemic ( to high 32.7 ) event. First time and now put on Insulin injections. I have a librelink sensor on my arm. Just on 3rd day with it. The nurse was very good explaining how to do injections etc but no advice on what to eat. The diabetic nurse called me at 6 oclock tonight having seen my graph tonight . Shewanted to know what caused the spike this pm. I have no idea. I had eaten for lunch I slice of bread and a s.ice of corned beef plus one small low sugar yogurt and a packet of hula hoops 0.5 sugar. That is all I had plus a cup of tea. No sugar and she was not happy it went up to 15.4.
I thought I was doing well asI averaged today at 12.4 and time in range last 24 hours was 31%.
I feel completely demoralised and on my own, how on earth am I supposed to know what I am doing wrong ? Its all new to me and no one to ask. I also have had a stroke in the past so makes it harder to process information.

It is always useful to keep a journal both for food and Blood Sugars. I bought one from ebay. Everything goes in to it. More and more food now a days has sneaky carbs in them. Even foods that would never have had anything added in the past. I have to be careful with Total Greek yogurt. That is the best to eat. (not with the fruit in) Initially . Just where you see where you are and now your body is reacting. I have trouble adding certain foods cos I can eat too much and trying to lose weight. Keep it naked (nothing added, no batter etc) and clean. Try not to worry and stress as it will get better.

 

[Mbaker]

I am not on insulin but would like to offer encouragement. Based on your foods above you are omnivorous. This would make you a candidate for the law of low numbers. The lower your sugar / carbohydrate numbers the lower your before, during, after meals and amount of insulin required.

It is as easy as it sounds, but also difficult to potentially make the changes required to optimally follow this type of regime. For example the meal above of a slice of bread and a slice of corn beef, hula hoops and low sugar yogurt could be

2 slices of corn beef, some pork scratchings and Greek lowest carb yogurt. I would work at getting the carbs out.

 

[onnecar]

I've progressed to being on insulin for several months now and still not at normal levels. Getting the type and dosage of insulin for type 2 diabetics can be tricky and can take some time, so I've been told. I'm surprised that the nurse is so attentive. My levels only get reviewed every 3 weeks by the nurse. I also have the libre sensor, but pretty much left to my own devices. The advice for diet is the same for insulin as for meds, low carbs and plenty of exercise. My spikes were up to 20 at one stage. I'm low weight, reasonable diet and good exercise, before someone comments on that.