bennyg70
Well-Known Member
Hi All, New to this so please take it easy on me.
This could be a little long winded...
I have been a diabetic now since i was 8, I am now 28. I am a male, 172 pounds and 5 foot 7 (And a bit..)So for those that can do the maths - a smidgen over weight... which I am working on..
Throughout my teens I ignored my diabetes, and did the bare minimum to get by (Im pretty sure I rememebr HBA1Cs of 13 - 14%).. Just injected, didnt test, no matter how much my mom nagged. I went to university and lived a normal university life, drank like stupid ate like anything and slept all day.. again didnt test, just injected to get by.
When I got to 22 and got a job and realised how badly i was putting my health at risk and now I decided it was time to start going to diabetes check ups and get this under control. When I went in my HBA1C was around 8.5%. They switched me from the human mixtard (I think it was called, a 70 / 30 mix) to the lantus and novarapid regime. I learnt a little about carb counting and was given a dosage of lantus to start out on. Im pretty sure i was offered all the dafne courses, dieticen etc etc at the time, but i obviously hadnt become as commited now as I thoguht i was during this period and "didnt bother with it). My bloods did improve and the diabetic nurse put a tick in the box which was in poorly controlled now to adequatley controlled, and now apointments were every 6 months and not every 2!!
Ive muggled by like this for 4 or 5 years now A1cs of around 6.5 - 7.5 but im guessing that the amount of lows i have cancel out the highs i have giving a false a1c which looks, kind of OK? sometimes rigourously testing, and sometimes not for a few months at a time. I know now I need to get it sorted and under control and I just do not know where to start.
One of my main problems is I have moved so many times over the last 5 years, and during this had to change doctor 3 times. So I have never had that chance to gain a relaionship with a diabetes team. Im hoping to do this where I am now. I have just moved to the practise and they are signing me over to a diabetic nurse. But in the mean time (As these things seem to take a life time) I am testing all the time and trying to get to a point where i just need a few tweaks when i get to see the new nurse.
MY BLOODS ARE ALLL OVER THE PLACE!!!!
A day dosnt go by where I dont go hypo between meals, maybe 2 or 3 times on average a day, and for years Ive just treated this as normal and treated it with a snack to bounce it back up. Then it would usually go too high and then inject to bring it down then go low again etc etc etc etc... Grrrr!! I wake up to high blood sugars 50% of the time (10 - 13) when my bloods have been either OK, or a little low the ngiht before.
My understanding is I need to get this lantus dose right before I do anything else... Im on 17 units (When i first started out I was on 30, then down to 28, then 24 etc - suffered lows in the night all the time) Before I used to take this when ever sometime between 7 and 11 at nghit, but i now realise i should take this at the same time every day. I tried takeing it at 7 pm every night, but my bloods seemed consistently between 8.5 - 14 every morning (Yet im still going low between mealtimes)... I dont think im doing to much novarapid though... Ill test say at lunch it could be 5.1, test 2 hours after lunch and it will be 6-8 which i think is OK, then by the time i get home at 5 - 6pm im low! ARGH.
I inject at about 1 unit per 10/12 grams carbs. And I count all the carbs in the foods (and dont minus fibre).
I tried to do a basel test last night. which I had read about on the internet. Let me do the build up.
SUnday night I did my 17 units at 7pm, woke up to high blood sugars at aorund 15 (The bloods were OK ish the night before I was Low but corrected it before i went to bed) During that day I decided to do a basel test that night if i could but also switch my injection time to 10.30pm. So.... I ate and injected around 6Pm, I ate a chicken wrap, some snack a jacks and a little bag of apple and grapes from boots. Total 70g - Novarapid - 6 units. 2 hours after at 8pm - bloods were at 9. I thought this would be OK as I didnt want them low for the basel test. I didnt eat and at about 10.30pm I thoguht i felt low, so tested for my final basel test before bed (My plan was to test at 3am and 6.30am) the test was 2.1 so very low. I had to cancel the basel test. I did my lantus then at the 10.30 set time i had agreed with myself. I took the measures to raise my bloods and when I felt better, went to bed. Woke up this morning bloods were 13. What the hell.
So why am i getting low bloods through out the day, High bloods in the morning, Ok bloods usually 2 hours after meals, but low 3 or 4 hours after.
I did do a few mid night tests (2.30ams) when i started playing with my lantus dose at that time i was trying splitting my dose in various ways, say 11 night and 11 morning. These mid night result trends were good before bed - 4.1, 6.5 & 5 then mid night , 6.1, 12.8 & 10.2 then morning 9.6, 9.8, and 8.5. My bloods were OK throughout these days with a couple of hypos thrown in for good measure.
All in all i think i need to start again. From the begining and Im ashamed that its taken me this Long
I eat well and try and do some exercise, a little tennis, a fair bit of walking too.
My breakfasts consist of all brans or multi seeded breads and fruit, my lunches of multiseeded brown sandwhichs, wholewheat wraps with salad and fruit, and dinners usually consist of either brown rice or new pots, some meat and lots of veg.
I drink every so often now, maybe a little too much once a month, and the odd drink here and there.
Im an ex smoker.
And I have lost 3 stone nearly since last september.
Im getting there in many aspects of my health I just need some direction as I think im becoming obcessed with it!!!
My doctors recently told me I had protein in my urine and possible kidney complications, this is being investigated at the moment, I just hope its early stages.. Nothing had been picked up 5 - 6 months previous so there is hope.
As you can see I have to get this right, and soon. I hope there are people out there who could help.
And for any new diabetics out there thinking to ignore your diabeties and treat it as something ignorable, Please dont
Thankyou.
ben
This could be a little long winded...
I have been a diabetic now since i was 8, I am now 28. I am a male, 172 pounds and 5 foot 7 (And a bit..)So for those that can do the maths - a smidgen over weight... which I am working on..
Throughout my teens I ignored my diabetes, and did the bare minimum to get by (Im pretty sure I rememebr HBA1Cs of 13 - 14%).. Just injected, didnt test, no matter how much my mom nagged. I went to university and lived a normal university life, drank like stupid ate like anything and slept all day.. again didnt test, just injected to get by.
When I got to 22 and got a job and realised how badly i was putting my health at risk and now I decided it was time to start going to diabetes check ups and get this under control. When I went in my HBA1C was around 8.5%. They switched me from the human mixtard (I think it was called, a 70 / 30 mix) to the lantus and novarapid regime. I learnt a little about carb counting and was given a dosage of lantus to start out on. Im pretty sure i was offered all the dafne courses, dieticen etc etc at the time, but i obviously hadnt become as commited now as I thoguht i was during this period and "didnt bother with it). My bloods did improve and the diabetic nurse put a tick in the box which was in poorly controlled now to adequatley controlled, and now apointments were every 6 months and not every 2!!
Ive muggled by like this for 4 or 5 years now A1cs of around 6.5 - 7.5 but im guessing that the amount of lows i have cancel out the highs i have giving a false a1c which looks, kind of OK? sometimes rigourously testing, and sometimes not for a few months at a time. I know now I need to get it sorted and under control and I just do not know where to start.
One of my main problems is I have moved so many times over the last 5 years, and during this had to change doctor 3 times. So I have never had that chance to gain a relaionship with a diabetes team. Im hoping to do this where I am now. I have just moved to the practise and they are signing me over to a diabetic nurse. But in the mean time (As these things seem to take a life time) I am testing all the time and trying to get to a point where i just need a few tweaks when i get to see the new nurse.
MY BLOODS ARE ALLL OVER THE PLACE!!!!
A day dosnt go by where I dont go hypo between meals, maybe 2 or 3 times on average a day, and for years Ive just treated this as normal and treated it with a snack to bounce it back up. Then it would usually go too high and then inject to bring it down then go low again etc etc etc etc... Grrrr!! I wake up to high blood sugars 50% of the time (10 - 13) when my bloods have been either OK, or a little low the ngiht before.
My understanding is I need to get this lantus dose right before I do anything else... Im on 17 units (When i first started out I was on 30, then down to 28, then 24 etc - suffered lows in the night all the time) Before I used to take this when ever sometime between 7 and 11 at nghit, but i now realise i should take this at the same time every day. I tried takeing it at 7 pm every night, but my bloods seemed consistently between 8.5 - 14 every morning (Yet im still going low between mealtimes)... I dont think im doing to much novarapid though... Ill test say at lunch it could be 5.1, test 2 hours after lunch and it will be 6-8 which i think is OK, then by the time i get home at 5 - 6pm im low! ARGH.
I inject at about 1 unit per 10/12 grams carbs. And I count all the carbs in the foods (and dont minus fibre).
I tried to do a basel test last night. which I had read about on the internet. Let me do the build up.
SUnday night I did my 17 units at 7pm, woke up to high blood sugars at aorund 15 (The bloods were OK ish the night before I was Low but corrected it before i went to bed) During that day I decided to do a basel test that night if i could but also switch my injection time to 10.30pm. So.... I ate and injected around 6Pm, I ate a chicken wrap, some snack a jacks and a little bag of apple and grapes from boots. Total 70g - Novarapid - 6 units. 2 hours after at 8pm - bloods were at 9. I thought this would be OK as I didnt want them low for the basel test. I didnt eat and at about 10.30pm I thoguht i felt low, so tested for my final basel test before bed (My plan was to test at 3am and 6.30am) the test was 2.1 so very low. I had to cancel the basel test. I did my lantus then at the 10.30 set time i had agreed with myself. I took the measures to raise my bloods and when I felt better, went to bed. Woke up this morning bloods were 13. What the hell.
So why am i getting low bloods through out the day, High bloods in the morning, Ok bloods usually 2 hours after meals, but low 3 or 4 hours after.
I did do a few mid night tests (2.30ams) when i started playing with my lantus dose at that time i was trying splitting my dose in various ways, say 11 night and 11 morning. These mid night result trends were good before bed - 4.1, 6.5 & 5 then mid night , 6.1, 12.8 & 10.2 then morning 9.6, 9.8, and 8.5. My bloods were OK throughout these days with a couple of hypos thrown in for good measure.
All in all i think i need to start again. From the begining and Im ashamed that its taken me this Long
I eat well and try and do some exercise, a little tennis, a fair bit of walking too.
My breakfasts consist of all brans or multi seeded breads and fruit, my lunches of multiseeded brown sandwhichs, wholewheat wraps with salad and fruit, and dinners usually consist of either brown rice or new pots, some meat and lots of veg.
I drink every so often now, maybe a little too much once a month, and the odd drink here and there.
Im an ex smoker.
And I have lost 3 stone nearly since last september.
Im getting there in many aspects of my health I just need some direction as I think im becoming obcessed with it!!!
My doctors recently told me I had protein in my urine and possible kidney complications, this is being investigated at the moment, I just hope its early stages.. Nothing had been picked up 5 - 6 months previous so there is hope.
As you can see I have to get this right, and soon. I hope there are people out there who could help.
And for any new diabetics out there thinking to ignore your diabeties and treat it as something ignorable, Please dont
Thankyou.
ben