Hi Jinx - how do you manage your high BSLs?

kitedoc

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Hi there.
The following led me to posting this thread: pump reservoir and cannula change yesterday and BSLs all in range, including this morning, standard Adelaide time, like in the 4 to 6 mmol/l range.
Mind you , basal rate is running at 125 % following flu shot on Friday - which is usual plan for that for 4 days usually.

Then helped a friend this afternoon with sanding by hand an old dining room table, no lunch eaten but dropped the bsasl dose back to 100%. as i now find my BSL drops with exercise ( used to rise but on LCHF does the opposite!

Back home 6 pm, checked BSL --> 17 mmol/l. --> blood ketones only 0.5 mmol/l, ( usual on LCHF but not the BSL reading.
Yikes !!

What to do? --> sick day plan and pump problem plan combined: over the years i have done the following but still learning!

Drank 1 litre if water, ? had pump cannula been disturbed by the sanding activity? no easy way to tell, pump working, no leaks found, no fever or sore teeth, felt normal ( no laughter required from readers), fresh ampoule of insulin yesterday, new packet of insulin and was no indication of spoilage, freezing in the fridge

What about that high BSL? Plan says: inject x amount of insulin into the muscle (i.m.) ( worked out with DSN in past), i have some I inch needles and a syringe to use, but makes measuring insulin dose tricky.
Do not do this at home unless your health team !:):arghh::):arghh:

Insulin in, pump cannula and reservoir replaced and set basal to 140%.

BSL one hour after i.m. BSL mmol/l = 7.5, 10 g carbs eaten ( chia, lindseed meal in coffee with some almond milk

2 hours after i.m. 4 mmol/l ( ever felt like you were diving off a high board into a river? Yep that is the feeling !

3 hours. ". ". ( suspenseful music)....4.3 mmol/l, eased basal rate back to 115% as per flu vaccine plan, ate sardines expecting
increased basal insulin to cover this.

4 hours. ". ". 5 mmol/l, 12 mn - 5.2 mmol/l. 4 am - 4.9 mmol/l

It is not fun when high BSLs happen, i feel nauseous and lousy when they do and having BSL down to normal, but not too far is a wonderful feeling.

What is your high dive like ?¿ :arghh::D:woot:
Addit. Writing this in the early hours does test one' s mental acuity ( yes, i can hear the sniggering iver the waves) ! But in hindsight after the adventures of last evening i think in future i shall walking sedately down the dive tower steps, stop halfway, take in the view and then proceed tobthe bottom withiut a splash !
 
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Antje77

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felt normal ( no laughter required from readers)
:hilarious::wacky:
Sorry, couldn't help myself. Will read the rest of your post now to see if I have anything constructive to throw in as well....
 

Antje77

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What is your high dive like ?¿ :arghh::D:woot:
I think I'm too chicken to do IM, and I do not have the means with my 5mm pen needles. Sounds pretty useful, though!
Then helped a friend this afternoon with sanding by hand an old dining room table, no lunch eaten but dropped the bsasl dose back to 100%. as i now find my BSL drops with exercise ( used to rise but on LCHF does the opposite!

Back home 6 pm, checked BSL --> 17 mmol/l.
Not at all an answer to your question, but the first thing that came to mind is how long between tests before your 6pm test back home? I find it hard to predict what my bg will do during unusual activities (I mean, how often do you sand a friends table?) and to try to compare chores like that to known activities.

I'm sorry I don't have anything better to throw in now I've read your whole thread. Not on a pump, nor LCHF, so my advise would be useless.
Should you wish to find out the perfect pump settings for sanding other peoples tables, you're welcome to come over to the Netherlands, I have at least 4 tables that need sanding and I'll be happy to provide us some LCHF meals to go with the work :)
 

kitedoc

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Hi @Antje77 , I forgot to put in that i tested at 2 pm before i lrft home = 5.9 mmol/l, so yes, i was very surprised ¡,
I did recheck the reading at 6 pm, hands washed etc too.
 

kitedoc

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Inter Muscle? no way did that once along time ago and have on occasions hit muscle, but no, not for me.

I understand why you do it.

As for dealing with highs? Not being on a pump I will simple inject into the usual areas of my body, I find that with Apidra it gets absorbed relatively quickly, certainly for me, way quicker than Nova ever did, and after about 30 - 60 mins it starts to come down.

Now I know you will not agree with the way I do things (lets just agree to disagree) but I will, if high like 17 inject enough to hypo myself which usually is below the 4 mark, because I hate being that high.
Hi @Knikki , i very impressed that your Apidra works so quickly! Yeah, no-one except another diabetic understands why you woukd wish for a hypo when experiencing a high BSL. Perhaps medical students or those training to be endos plus nurses training to be DSN need to be rendered hyper to see what it is like !
 

WuTwo

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And to whom the principle of ahimsa is a closed book that they refuse to open because it would make life more difficult for them.
Yeah, I'd rather be hypo than hyper - deliberately run my bloods at the low end of the preferred range, and work hard to avoid going high...
 

Fairygodmother

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Oh definitely a gentle hypo rather than a hyper, the former’s almost enjoyable but the latter’s meugh.
 
D

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No IM for me either.

I think it also depends why I am high.
  • Feeling ill or stressed? I would correct and increase my basal by 50% on the pump.
  • Pump became detached? I would correct and add extra as the basal top up for the time I estimate to be detached.
  • Underestimated carbs - I would correct.
It also depends how high I was
  • Up to 12, I correct with usual ratio and get on with life
  • Between 12 and 17, I would correct with 1.5 times my usual ratio and test after 30 minutes. Then repeat, allowing pump to take into consideration insulin on board
  • Over 17, I would correct with twice my usual ratio and test after 30 minutes. Then repeat, allowing pump to take into consideration insulin on board
Next thing to consider is what I should be doing
  • Driving? I would be conservative with insulin
  • Working? I would try to be accurate with insulin
  • Exercise? I would not exercise if over 12. (Walking does not count as exercise for me as I do it so much of the time.)
  • Sleeping? I would be conservative with insulin to avoid night time hypo.
  • Anything else? I would probably aim for hypo
Ands finally, how long I had been high.
I test regularly (8 times a day) so if my correction works, I am rarely high for more than an hour (unless asleep). If my correction does not work, I assume I am ill (or the bugs are in my body) so will set a temporary bolus for the next 12 hours.

Whilst high, I try to avoid eating carbs but do not use water to reduce BG.
 

WuTwo

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And to whom the principle of ahimsa is a closed book that they refuse to open because it would make life more difficult for them.
I'm all in favour of a hot bath - always drops my bloods quite nicely. Combine it with a large glass of water and I'm usually within spitting distance of where I was hoping to be.