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Help please!

L

littlemolly

Member
Messages
17
Location
Dorking, Surrey
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hi everyone could someone please give me suggestions for the following problem. I am on an Animas pump. I am currently in Greece on a boat. On Thursday we left the Peloponnese and sailed to the Aegean island of Serifos. It was a very bad journey for me as the seas were very big and water was enveloping the boat (we are on a catamaran). I was sick the whole time and felt so bad I couldn't even move. The journey lasted 8 hours. On arrival my blood sugar was 6.1 much to my surprise. I awoke on Friday feeling much better but still a little sick. I awoke last night at 01.15 tested my blood and it said 'Hi' I took 10 units. At 03.00 I awoke again for a wee, tested my blood again and it still said 'Hi'. I then decided to do a set change, took another 10 units and this morning at 07.30 it was down to 15.9, I took the requisite amount of insulin. We left Serifos at 08.15 heading for Sifnos, the seas were much flatter, but I suddenly felt very sick and went to bed. On arrival at Sifnos I checked my blood sugar and it was 25! I have just increased my basal by 50% for 4 hours. But basically don't know what else to do. Any suggestions please?
 
When u say a set change did that include throwing away the insulin and opening a completely new vial? This is a good idea incase the insulin is faulty for some reason.

Keeping your basal rate at an increased rate sounds like a good plan. If I have a cold I need to set mine at 150-170% for at least a week. So keep it up but keep regularly checking your blood sugar levels incase they suddenly star dropping.

Drink plenty of water to keep hydrated.

I was also told that if I repeatedly get highs it might be a good idea to take insulin via a pen incase the pump is faulty. So consider that if the above doesn't help.


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Thank you Patch13! I have one more vial of insulin on board, so will try that. I do have a pen on board but no cartridges!! :crazy: I have just tested again and I'm down to 22.7 so it's going in the right direction. Many thanks for suggestions
 
I would increase your insulin dosage. 10 units will hardly do anything for me, in the slightest.

Ensure you've got a sugary snack/drink with you, just in case, though it sounds as though you may not need them, to be safe.
 
Thank you! I am going to increase my insulin now. The other thing that has happened is that I have found some out of date ketone sticks and although the stick to change it to ketones showed error 7, when I put a test strip in the meter changed to KETONES and it came up as 5.7. I have since been sick 3 times. So although the result maybe faulty it certainly appears from the sickness that something is very wrong! My meter is a Freestyle optium.
 
If you have sugar that is extremely high and large amounts of ketones I would suggest going to the hospital if you can as you do not want DKA

Symptoms of DKA include:
passing large amounts of urine
feeling very thirsty
vomiting
abdominal pain
(Taken from NHS website).



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Thank you for your help. I had DKA! The island we are on does not have a hospital! But eventually I was ferried to a hospital in Athens and accompanied by a Doctor. An ambulance was waiting at the port, it was all very efficient. I was discharged yesterday and am now 'As Good As New!
 
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