Hyperglycaemia and nightmares?

My DSN has set me rules because they think I'm "not safe" using insulin.

These rules are:
1) reduce levemir from 9am & pm to 8
2) increase ratio from 1:10 to 1:12
3) correct blood sugar at 4.2
4) go to bed over 6
5) corrections are forbidden - this my main problem according to my DSN & I should just be observing how high it goes & how long it lasts in an effort to get my body used to being high (I feel it over 8 & will correct if I feel it or if it hits double figures). Yeah, I don't really understand the logic behind training my body to feel normal at abnormally high levels either.

Although I am running ridiculously, uncomfortably high, I'm fine with abdicating responsibility for my diabetes and following her stupid rules for a couple of weeks because: 1) I'll be able to show her the results and prove her wrong; and 2) I'm highly unlikely to actually do myself any damage in two weeks (even if hourly urination does feel an awful lot like I am actively destroying my kidneys).

Anyway, I was 6 going to bed but the basal is not doing anything so I have climbed & climbed to 12 at 1:30 and 14 at 3:30 (corrections are forbidden). I have just had the worst, most vivid nightmare, it took me 10 minutes to calm down and convince myself it wasn't real, I genuinely nearly called the police! I've never had anything like that before - could there be a connection with the hyper?

I guess it could just be stress. I say I'm fine with following the rules, but I am using "fine" like a woman in a 90s sitcom.

Thank you, found this useful thread - http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/high-blood-sugar-and-nightmares.84718/#post-953437 - which is reassuring.

Sorry for the wasted thread, didn't think to search at silly o'clock in the morning

pinewood said:

I have had vivid dreams / nightmares when running high over night.

I don't really understand why you are following the frankly ridiculous (and potentially damaging) "rules" you've been given. You seem like you know your stuff and are certainly better educated on your own management than your DSN. Why on earth do they think you're "not safe"?

I (and many others on this forum) correct at 7-8 with no ill effect. The reason you don't understand the logic behind "training" your body to be comfortable at higher levels is because, unless you're constantly going hypo, there is no logic.

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Yeah, it is because I am constantly hypo. I have no hypo awareness, I have frequent night time hypos. I have had over half a dozen severe unconscious hypos. I drop to 1.3 with absolutely no symptoms.

There is no middle ground for me - I either run high or I run low.

In hindsight, perhaps explaining that I felt I was being forced to choose whether I killed myself by running high with kidney failure blindness and amputation or by running low and risking dead in bed syndrome & the second one sounded like a better option may have been ill judged & hindered my case just a little.

I'm confident it's not going to do any damage for two weeks. But it may illustrate that I'm not exaggerating when I say that there is no middle ground.

pinewood said:

Okay, that makes more sense. Apologies for the misunderstanding. Do you use CGM? Sounds like Dexcom (with the alarms) would be really helpful here, even if just for a trial period if it's too expensive full time.

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Yep, I feel like I have mitigated the risks of running low (instead of running high) by surrendering my driving licence & self funding a dexcom.

O no I'm not expecting to regain hypo awareness in 2 weeks. But I'm not overly concerned about that because I have the dexcom & I do react to the alarms with glucojuice & biscuits.

But equally, even accepting that my lows are dangerous, I still don't see why I should be aiming to get my body used to sitting at 8, 9, 10 + for hours and hours. There's a reason I feel horrible at that level, it's because it's not a normal level to be at and it's not healthy. I'll happily aim to stay 5-9 to minimise the risk of hypos - but I think these rules have taken me too far the other way to risks that I'm not really willing to run & they are only small changes compared to what I was doing before (I don't correct that often) but if I take it back to what I was doing before I'm hypo at least twice a day.

Sorry, I'd be more receptive to advice if I hadn't had the worst nights sleep ever & I wasn't 14.6!

I have to prove I'm safe using insulin before they will support me on pump.

My basal is definitely too low right now! But it was only two units more last week (9&9 instead of 8&8) & I had 14 hypos. No, they won't give me a half unit pen. Your guess is as good as mine!

I would agree I need a pump to allow a more nuanced approach to basal rates. In the meantime, I shall try to perfect the art of meditation.

noblehead said:

That makes no sense at all, the half unit pens make a huge difference plus pens like the NovoPen Echo have a built in memory function, this feature is great for those moments where you doubt yourself if you've bolused or not.

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There's not even flawed logic on that one. I have no clue why not. But I can ask again.