High readings 4-5 hours after meals.

[Ecbarr]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the forum and just wondering if any else has the same experiences.
I've been struggling with my blood sugar levels for the past 3 years since I had my children. Now using freestyle libre which is great.
The problem I'm currently having is getting high sugar readings 4-5 hours after a meal. I can be in target pre meal and in target or even a bit low 2 hours after, then my blood sugar will often start to creep up after this time! I usually find this happens after my evening meal but can happen at lunch also. It is definitely related to eating carbs, but I try not to eat a massive carb load. Even if I eat a small amount of carbs I find this still happens. I often have to correct at 4-5 hours after a meal despite being in target 2-3 hours after.
I feel my basal insulin is correct (or maybe even too much) as my blood sugar will be on a downward trend overnight.
I have been diabetic for 15 years or so and haven't had this problem before! At the moment I feel like the only option is to be carb free in an evening, which I do a lot of the time anyway but would be difficult to cut out carbs completely!
Can anyone help??
Thanks so much

 

[EllieM]

Hi @Ecbarr and welcome to the forums.

Are you bolusing for protein at all? My understanding is that if you go very low carb you have to start doing this, and the protein acts much more slowly.... I'm going to leave a further discussion of this to others, because I'm not keen to start bolusing for protein, so don't go very low carb.

 

[KK123]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the forum and just wondering if any else has the same experiences.
I've been struggling with my blood sugar levels for the past 3 years since I had my children. Now using freestyle libre which is great.
The problem I'm currently having is getting high sugar readings 4-5 hours after a meal. I can be in target pre meal and in target or even a bit low 2 hours after, then my blood sugar will often start to creep up after this time! I usually find this happens after my evening meal but can happen at lunch also. It is definitely related to eating carbs, but I try not to eat a massive carb load. Even if I eat a small amount of carbs I find this still happens. I often have to correct at 4-5 hours after a meal despite being in target 2-3 hours after.
I feel my basal insulin is correct (or maybe even too much) as my blood sugar will be on a downward trend overnight.
I have been diabetic for 15 years or so and haven't had this problem before! At the moment I feel like the only option is to be carb free in an evening, which I do a lot of the time anyway but would be difficult to cut out carbs completely!
Can anyone help??
Thanks so much

Hi there, could it be that you are eating fat at the same time as those meals containing carbs? This sounds very much like me, I keep carbs fairly low mostly but make that up with higher fats, I bolus appropriately and my levels are well within target after 2 hours or even lower, then around hour 4 or 5, it starts to rise again (always when my previous meal has been a combination of low carb but higher fat) and if I correct then I'm low all night. I only use small amounts of insulin (1 per 20g) and 8 of basal per day but the principle seems to be the same. To my mind, it's the 'fat' (all good fats as it happens), the body's digestion is slowed down by the fats and probably uses some of that bolus to address that fat & protein, but when it's finished coping with that the carbs come to the fore and of course by that time our bolus has run out. I cannot advise you what to do of course and you are clearly an experienced insulin user, but I find that if I take a unit or 2 less at the beginning of a lowish carb but higher fat meal and then the rest at around hour 3/4, this stops the 2nd rise. That strategy has an official title but I don't know what it's called. You must be quite proficient & careful though as it's different for everyone.

 

[Antje77]

but I find that if I take a unit or 2 less at the beginning of a lowish carb but higher fat meal and then the rest at around hour 3/4, this stops the 2nd rise. That strategy has an official title but I don't know what it's called.

A split bolus?

It's often used for foods like pizza, pasta with a fatty sauce, fried foods containing carbs an the likes.

 

[becca59]

I too always have this issue. Split bolusing is the way. If I take all at the start I go low too quickly. I tend to take some an hour later.

 

[Ecbarr]

Thanks everyone, thanks really helpful. I do take into account that higher fat meals slow down the breakdown of carbs, however I think more recently it feels like this is happening with many of my evening meals, most of which do not contain lots of fat.
I will try the split dosing. Would you simply split the overall dose in two and dose an hour or so apart?
I don't bolus for protein and I didn't even realise that was something to consider! I'll investigate further.
Thanks so much

 

[Antje77]

Would you simply split the overall dose in two and dose an hour or so apart?

You really need to experiment and see what works best for you.

 

[Jaylee]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the forum and just wondering if any else has the same experiences.
I've been struggling with my blood sugar levels for the past 3 years since I had my children. Now using freestyle libre which is great.
The problem I'm currently having is getting high sugar readings 4-5 hours after a meal. I can be in target pre meal and in target or even a bit low 2 hours after, then my blood sugar will often start to creep up after this time! I usually find this happens after my evening meal but can happen at lunch also. It is definitely related to eating carbs, but I try not to eat a massive carb load. Even if I eat a small amount of carbs I find this still happens. I often have to correct at 4-5 hours after a meal despite being in target 2-3 hours after.
I feel my basal insulin is correct (or maybe even too much) as my blood sugar will be on a downward trend overnight.
I have been diabetic for 15 years or so and haven't had this problem before! At the moment I feel like the only option is to be carb free in an evening, which I do a lot of the time anyway but would be difficult to cut out carbs completely!
Can anyone help??
Thanks so much

Hi @Ecbarr ,

Welcome to the forum.

The libres ar fantastic at highlighting grey areas twix testing.
A quick question.
What insulins are you prescribed?

 

[Ecbarr]

Hi @Ecbarr ,

Welcome to the forum.

The libres ar fantastic at highlighting grey areas twix testing.
A quick question.
What insulins are you prescribed?

Hi Kaylee, thank you for your reply.
I am on fiasp and tresiba.

 

[Ecbarr]

Hi Kaylee, thank you for your reply.
I am on fiasp and tresiba.

Sorry meant to say Jaylee!

 

[Trevor vP]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the forum and just wondering if any else has the same experiences.
I've been struggling with my blood sugar levels for the past 3 years since I had my children. Now using freestyle libre which is great.
The problem I'm currently having is getting high sugar readings 4-5 hours after a meal. I can be in target pre meal and in target or even a bit low 2 hours after, then my blood sugar will often start to creep up after this time! I usually find this happens after my evening meal but can happen at lunch also. It is definitely related to eating carbs, but I try not to eat a massive carb load. Even if I eat a small amount of carbs I find this still happens. I often have to correct at 4-5 hours after a meal despite being in target 2-3 hours after.
I feel my basal insulin is correct (or maybe even too much) as my blood sugar will be on a downward trend overnight.
I have been diabetic for 15 years or so and haven't had this problem before! At the moment I feel like the only option is to be carb free in an evening, which I do a lot of the time anyway but would be difficult to cut out carbs completely!
Can anyone help??
Thanks so much

Hi, The late creep up sounds like a protein spike.

I personally can handle about 30 Grams of protein (110 Gram Steak) more than that I need to start a delay Bolus Route I use a bit of the Warsaw method slightly simplified and modified for MDI.

Some good information
https://waltzingthedragon.ca/

 

[Ecbarr]

Yeah I think it must be down to protein, I'll need to investigate this further. Thanks for link Trevor vP.

 

[Jane!]

I always bolus for protein … the Libre shows that I need to inject about 3 hours after eating meat, chicken or cheese . I usually need to then inject again an hour later and then again an hour after that. Pork is the hardest for me as it seems to release for about 5 hours so needs a number of small amounts of insulin ( I unit of nova rapid at a time) for me to stay steady and not rise ( hence I try to eat by 18.00 or I’ll be up half the night!) Some folk are able to use regular insulin ( Actrapid) which releases more slowly and over a longer period of time which is much easier ( my consultant won’t prescribe it as she doesn’t understand ).