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Highs highs and highs...

R

Revontuli

Member
Messages
23
Location
Heinola, Finland
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Hello all,

I've been Type-1 diabetic for 4 months. And for the last 4 days I definitely feel depressed and I'm already sick of it.

My blood sugar was going on perfect. My first HbA1c result was really good, even my nurse said I'm one of the few diabetics who show such a good progress. But...

It's been 2 weeks or so, I've had really high levels during the day. It's normal in the morning and generally before lunch, but then 2 hours after lunch it's around 10,12 or even 14.

But for example, yesterday, it was 14.7 2 hrs after lunch. But 1 hour later it dropped to 2.3

Today, again, it was 12.8 and 40 mins later 9.7.

I really can't understand why. Maybe my honeymoon is ending? I eat regularly, take my insulins regularly. I sometimes can't help eating sweets... I don't eat too much but sometimes I just can't help. Maybe it was a bit too often and now my diabetes is out of control?

I also wonder if it might be due to changing the time of Lantus. I used to take it at 11 PM but then switched it to 10 PM. But my nurse said that it shouldn't be due to that.

I really feel too discouraged and sometimes don't want to do anything about diabetes any more...
 
Your diabetes is not out of control, Revontuli, don't worry about that. You've only been diagnosed four months and there are bound to be teething problems, so try not to get too worried about your results. There are many reasons why sugars sometimes go high two + hours after meals, and it may just be that you need to get your insulin / carbs ratios adjusted, or your background insulin tweaked a little.

I know it's easier said than done, but try not to feel too discouraged. We've all been there, so shout if you need any more advice :D
 
Hello Herbie,

Thank you for your reply.

I try not to worry but it's so disappointing. And as I remember all those symptoms and problems I had, without knowing it was actually diabetes, it worries me a lot to experience the same things again...

Well, I'm good at adjusting carb/insulin ratio but maybe it's because lately I've eaten more carbs than before and it doesn't have a very good effect on me.

I have an appointment soon and I hope to find an answer and solution to this with my nurse. It's like a nightmare.
 
Thank you...And I will :)

By the way, my blood sugar was 8 at 16:10(4 PM). But now I'm having low. It was 3.4 some 20 mins before.

And yesterday I had 2.3 around 5 PM, as I said in my first post. It was 14.5 around 2 PM!

What's going on...
 
hei hei

What other insulin are you on besides Lantus? - do you know how long it takes to start working and how long it stays in the system?
If it's something like humalog it will mostly have gone by 5pm if you injected at 12 or 1pm. So if you are going low at 5 and haven't injected again in the meantime, I wonder if maybe your Lantus dose is a little high?
 
Hello Snodger,

I'm on NovoRapid and Lantus.

I inject around 12 or sometimes 12:30 right after the lunch. When I check it 2 hours later, it's around 12 or even 14.

I inject 16 Lantus and was planning to make it 17, but then I also have these hypos.
 
Three things I'd do:
1) inject before the meal. Ideally, inject as soon as you see the carbohydrate and can work out how much insulin you need.
2) I'd stop worrying about the post-meal spikes. They are coming down quite quickly, and I bet if you inject earlier on they'll improve. I'd suggest that you even maybe don't test, if it is making you worry, until about 4 hours after a meal.
3) If I had your blood sugar readings I'd DEFINITELY reduce my basal insulin. If you are going hypo more than 5 hours after your Novorapid injection it's almost certainly the basal dose that is causing it. Try reducing by one unit, see how it goes for a couple of days, maybe even reduce again after that if it's still a problem.
 
Snodger, thank you so much! It's been such a relief to talk about my worries and problems in the forum and have your suggestions.

Actually I've got this habit of injecting after meals since I started the school. Mostly because I felt embarrassed to inject in public at school's cafeteria. Also, I didn't know how much carbs I'd have exactly, so I found it easier to take my insulin afterwards. And then it became a habit. But you're right, it might be better to take before eating.

I'll also try reducing Lantus.
 
Try & learn the carb values of your most common meals, for example an egg sized potato =10 grammes of carb. Download a food database app to your phone if you have a smart phone (my fitness pal is one option). I agree with others, reduce your basal by a unit at a time if you keep going hypo more than 5 hours after eating. You may find then that you then need to increase your insulin to carb ratio which will reduce those highs after meals. HOWEVER do one thing at a time, otherwise you'll never know which adjustment worked.

DON'T WORRY about 12-14 after a meal for a couple of hours. It's not ideal, but some people (me included) can never get those values down, but still have overall pretty good control. You're very early in your adjustment/learning period it can take a few years to learn everything, it's a complex disease with many variables, it takes experience to consider them all at the same time.

Ask about a DAFNE course, it'll teach you about carb types & values, how fat affects carb absorption & you'll probably learn a lot about diet; most people do & it'll help you manage your diabetes better. Remember, a diabetic diet is basically a normal healthy diet: not too much fat, slow acting carbs, plenty if fruit & beg, easy on the sweet stuff. You don't need to cut out sweet things completely, just be sensible & have them with a meal when you can add the sweet carb to your mealtime injection. But the sweet stuff will always cause a bigger spike after your meal, so don't be concerned.

Managing diabetes is an art, you'll get there & discover what works for you. What I have always found is that I am not a "normal" diabetic, I seem to react to everything differently to how my doctors tell me that I should react. You'll find, on this forum, that there's many "not normal" diabetics, so many that I wonder where the doctors get their "normal" diabetics from. So don't be disheartened if you don't react exactly as you're told "most" people do!

This forum is a great place to find help & support from others like us. It'll get easier over time. Chin up :?
 
Hiya!

Revontuli said:
Well, I'm good at adjusting carb/insulin ratio but maybe it's because lately I've eaten more carbs than before and it doesn't have a very good effect on me.
Click to expand...

I have this problem. I usually low-carb, but I have a tendency to increase my carbs gradually over a period of time and as I do, my insulin:carb ratio increases and I get worse control immediately after meals - higher spike followed by mild hypos. When it happens a few times, I know it's time to give my body a break and reduce those carbs! I know some people on here can manage higher levels of carb and just inject to cover it, but that doesn't work for me. I guess you need to find your own level and decide what you're prepared to 'trade-off' - BG or carbs.

Smidge
 
I don't have a special diet or I don't low-carb. But a bit picky about carbs as there's the danger of putting on weight and other health issues: I always eat rye-bread(the best part of living in Finland!) and wholemeal pasta/rice in moderate portions. But lately I've eaten some white rice and pizza etc... So I guess this might be one reason.

But good news! Today I had my insulin before lunch and my blood sugar after 2 hrs was 9.7 :) So, again thanks for your advice!

You're right, there are lots of things to learn and explore. And not having enough experience yet makes me panicked and worried very easily. I know it needs time and patience... Still, I'm doing my best to keep my spirit up and live as happily as before with diabetes.

I think DAFNE courses are only in UK. But I'll remember to ask about it or any other course in my next appointment.

I wish you all happy&healthy days!
 
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