Good week ... Bad day

I've had a really good week, have kept my carbs to 150g and below and it's helped to stabilise my bg levels and haven't gone up or down by more than 2 points at a time.

Then came today ... I ate everything I could touch. For breakfast at half 6 I had a bowl of Cheerios, 2 pieces whole grain toast and an options hot chocolate (same every morning when I'm working).

I then went on a training course 9 until 2. While there I ate 2 frankfurters with cucumber and cheese (had prepared this as I usually eat biscuits in these courses before I was diagnosed). I also had a dark chocolate kit kat.

Came home at 2:30 and had leek and potato soup, 3 pieces of whole grain bread and 3 small chocolates (black magic).

Then I went to work 4 - 8. At 5:30 my bg levels were 4.1 and felt shaky and like I hadn't eaten in days. At that point I completely lost control and ate: a packet of pom best crisps, 6 cathedral city mini crackers, 2 tesco cheese bites, a cheese string, a bag of pork scratching a and a malted milk. I only stopped eating because I ran out of food. I don't know what happened, I literally couldn't stop eating and I ate it all in about 15minutes.

Came home at half 8 and was at 9.6. I then had 2 frankfurters, 2 pieces of whole grain toast, a bowl of Cheerios and an options got chocolate. Now my bg levels are 4.6.

I feel shaky and strange. I want to go to bed but 4.6 is too low to go to bed but I'm pretty sure that's gonna go up so don't want to eat anything else or it'll go up way higher.

I feel completely exhausted from my levels bouncing up and down and my head is banging.

Sorry for the long post, I just feel a bit rubbish and needed a moan and my partner and everyone else just don't get it (though he does try really hard). I feel so greedy and piggish right now and very sleepy.




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robert72 said:

Well done on stabilising your BGs. Have you been getting enough calories this week? (I mean before today, obviously )

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Thanks, I'm so glad they're stabilising again. I got my ratios worked out and then I got ill and they all changed

I haven't actually been working out my calorie intake, Should I be doing this?

Feeling rough this morning, gyms are swollen, head feels heavy ... I feel like I spent the whole of yesterday eating ****. Oh wait, I did. Don't think I'll do it again lol


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ElyDave said:

Are you T1 Rosie? Sounds like it from the post.

One thing you might do, and it sounds like you're already halfway there is to take a look at both eating and exercise/activity levels durig this period and the lead up to it. You don't mention what the training course was, but did it have you leaping around or more active than usual, which could explain the drop in BG.

Remember your meter is not entirely accurate, so that 4.1 could well have been lower in realty. It sounds to me like you had a mild hypo, and over treated it with food, which with a combination of the liver dump led to your high readings afterwards.

Again, assuming you are T1, did you do a correction dose when you saw the 9.6? The teaching on DAFNE is that you should not adjust a post hypo high, because it tends to lead to the lows that you experienced afterwards.

Sounds like you're doing a great job overall though, and I know how hard it can be not to eat everything in sight when you go low, I had the same problem last night with a 3.8 after dinner

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Hi, thank for the response. Yeah I am type 1, got diagnosed at the end of November.

The training course was just sitting at a table for a few hours, nothing physical at all.

I didn't think about the fact that the metres aren't 100% so may have actually been hypo. I didn't really know what to do at 4.1 as I've been told to only treat if it goes below 4, which it wasnt. That's why I thought if just have a packet of crisps as my job is quite physical so 4.1 was too low. It just so happened that once I started eating I really couldn't stop.

I like that you sad I over treated with good, that's a nice way of putting it lol. I literally ate everything I could touch. I feel that same hunger today and have no idea why. I've not usually got a big appetite bit all I want to do is eat.

I think I might have given myself an extra unit to treat the high levels before tea. I haven't done dafne so wasn't aware of this so thank you.


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Engineer88 said:

at 4.1 if i felt like that I would have had a small carton of juice or can of full fat coke. Makes you feel much better much quicker - all the cheese your eating will slow digestion of food and take you longer to recover.

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I was wondering whether to do this but was told to only treat it if it goes lower than 4 so was at a bit of a loss as to what to do. I think I will just treat it if it happens again as that would have been better than eating everything lol


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ElyDave said:

Try to get yourself on a DAFNE course if you can, or look a the BDEC online course for carb counting.

DAFNE rule of thumb would be to eat a small snack if between 4 adn 5, and if below 4 to have quick acting carbs - your jelly babies, OJ, lucozade etc

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Thanks, that's what I usually do. Also what I planned to do yesterday, it's just that after I had a small snack I just wanted to carry in eating and didn't have the willpower to stop myself.

Have looked at the bdec online course and finding it very helpful. The next course (dafydd where I am) isn't until July unfortunately.


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noblehead said:

The saying '4 is the floor' is good advice when treated with insulin, always better to be safe......

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I've not heard that saying sorry, what does it mean? Sorry if I seem a bit stupid, I'm not very good at figuring out what expressions mean.


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noblehead said:

Well as an insulin dependant diabetic 4mmol is the lowest figure that your bg should fall, therefore if your below that figure then it's regarded as a hypo even though a hypo is officially classed as as a bg reading of 3.5mmol and below. The 4 figure is like a safeguard to prevent hypo's occurring.

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Right okay, thanks for explaining


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Brian_H said:

Test strips can be up to 1 mmol/l high. They're like a car's speedo (those also always read high).

Next time you do a test, just try two, one test afte the other, and you'll see the difference. I suspect that this is the reason why one is supposed to measue over 5 when driving.

The trouble with hypos is that they do tend to push one into eating and eating and eating. As has already been said, you're better off with non-diet coke or pepsi etc, or a "sports drink". I measured 4.5 half an hour ago and drank a "sorts drink" LOL

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I actually did one test after the other from the same spot a few days back and the difference was 0.4 so quite a big difference. It just didn't occur to me in the moment. I think I was just exhausted at that point after being on a course all morning and then going straight to work, so all logic went out the window.

Thanks for the advice


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ElyDave said:

my treatment for a 4.3 this afternoon was a nice fat fresh date

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I don't even think I've ever seen a date before. Are they good for you? I really need to sort myself out. Had a mega good week diet wise but then ruined it all yesterday and it appears to be sticking with me throughout today too. Not had a single portion of fruit or veg today.


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