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i dnt no wot 2 doo ?

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young

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16
Location
Birmingham
Right im 17.. type 1 for 2 months.. currently on my honeymoon period !

I went out on Saturday night to the pub & i am meant to take 4 units of lantus at approx 9 on the night.. ( thats all i take all day at the mo :D ) but as i checked my blood is was 8 and was naturally going down from dancing & having a litte drink so i was worried about taking it even tho i no it is slow releasing !

So i thought id take it when i got home.. so i got home later on in the morning :oops: lol & i tuk it then but then had a funni turn like and felt extremely ill.. i hadnt really eaten but i did when i taken it and im just wondering if i could have just stuck that night out with out taking it as i never went above 9 really and my pancreas has been working loads lately ??

plz help ..

x
 
hi Young,
how are you? Sorry to see you`re having probs with your insulin. I too am new to insulin (bout 8 weeks), having been diabetic for just over 2 yrs. I too, take Lantus (slow release) plus another called Novorapid. I`m surprised you are taking 4 units at night only. Do you take another at anytime during the day?
I take 46 units just before brekkie as my base "bolus", this lasts 24hrs. Then i take 8 units of fast acting novorapid just after brekkie, to reduce the sugars peaking too high. tnen 6 units novorapid after lunch, then 12 units novorapid after evening meal, and thats it. and now my sugars are more or less "Spot on".
My advice to you would be to check again with your medical support team, and check again that you`ve got it right. It can be confusing at first.
Bear in mind that you don`t really want to be taking insulin on an empty stumach and when your blood sugars are low, because you`ll only make it worse. The insulin really needs something to "work on". Remember also, that too much alcohol can also drop your blood sugar levels, especially if you have a lot! i.e. binge drink.
Good luck, and remember to check again with your health team.


Live life to the full! I do, Just be careful! :D
 
Hi young, although at the moment you are only taking Lantus as your insulin, it is very important that you get into the habit of taking it every day, around the same time. Lantus is a basal ( background) insulin. it's purpose is to control the normal rise of your blood sugar, which is raised by your liver, through out the day between eating. In a none diabetic person, the pancreas stops the blood sugar rising too high by releasing a small amount of insulin, that is similar to the rapid insulin taken by most diabetics when they eat.

Because you are in your honey moon phase, your pancreas still produces some rapid insulin, which is probably just enough to control your bs when eating small amounts of food. Lantus has no effect on reducing blood sugar levels when you eat, and does not start doing it's job until around 1.5 hours after you injected it. Be careful when you drink alcohol, as beer and wine contains carbohydrates, which will raise your bs, but when the alcohol kicks in your blood sugar will drop and can cause you to go hypo.

The fact that you say you bs was ok, 9.0mmol/lt, is not really ok, and indicates that that your Lantus dosage is too little, your correct level should be below 7.0mmol/lt, depending on how active you are? If you do not know how to make adjustments with your Lantus, speak to your diabetic nurse, she will explain to you how to make this adjustment.
 
Lantus only as a type 1: I suspect not! I would have thought that you would be taking Novorapid or something similar too, otherwise I can't see how you are going to control your blood glucose at all! As rightly said, Lantus is a basal insulin, used to maintain your blood glucose at a stable level, but not allowing for any food (or drink!). The bolus insulin like Novorapid is used in most, but not all cases, to be taken just before (or just after is possible) and is adjusted to suit the amount of carbohydrate eaten.

Alcohol is a more complicated problem. I have all but given up alcohol since being diagnosed, then again I am not a teenager! Generally alcoholic drinks are quite high in sugar so raise your levels soon after the drink. You may take insulin at this point, and this is where the problem occurs. To quote someone more knowledgeable than me:

While the liver is working on getting rid of alcohol, the liver shuts off the feature of releasing glucose. The enzymes in the liver are occupied with the break down of alcohol. There fore, in the event of a low blood sugar, no glucose is released. This can lead to a faster more severe hypoglycemia (aka low blood sugar).

However, this breakdown is a slow process, meaning that your hypo can be 8 or more hours after drink.

There is an article at http://www.diabetesdaily.com/forum/articles/4550-alcohol-diabetes-what-do-i-need-know which explains this from a diabetic perspective.

Finally, you mention you are on your honeymoon period. How do you know this and are you sure that you are at that time (it is a little early after diagnosis, that's why I ask)?

Nick
PS BTW I'm in Birmingham too.
 
hya nick,
im only on lantus but ive now seen another dr and may be changing
take care
amanda
 
i no i am on my honeymoon period because i have been told !!
& why would i only be on such a short dosage and still have readings between 4-9.!
theres your answer
 
young said:
Right im 17.. type 1 for 2 months.. currently on my honeymoon period !

I went out on Saturday night to the pub & i am meant to take 4 units of lantus at approx 9 on the night.. ( thats all i take all day at the mo :D ) but as i checked my blood is was 8 and was naturally going down from dancing & having a litte drink so i was worried about taking it even tho i no it is slow releasing !

So i thought id take it when i got home.. so i got home later on in the morning :oops: lol & i tuk it then but then had a funni turn like and felt extremely ill.. i hadnt really eaten but i did when i taken it and im just wondering if i could have just stuck that night out with out taking it as i never went above 9 really and my pancreas has been working loads lately ??

plz help ..

x
Click to expand...

Hey Young :)

I think maybe, if you find yourself in this situation again, you should take your Lantus, but maybe take a unit less. But also eat something before you go to sleep, and try to set the alarm to wake you up after a few hours, to do a blood test. I think it's important to always take your Lantus, at the right time. It's more a question of getting into a routine. Your honeymoon period won't last forever, and you need to be ready for when it stops. (I didn't get one :( so I don't know how long they last for, but I imagine only a few weeks?)
And I hate to say it, but until you are more settled, maybe the late nights, and stuff should be kept to a minimum? It's only for a short time, and it's really important that you look after yourself :)
Good luck :)
 
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