Insulin making blood sugar rise?!

[Annb]

Since hyperglycemia causes cognitive impairment, wouldn't there also have to be a maximum pre-driving blood sugar? I wouldn't want to drive if I was showing over a 7, though I have cycled with an 8.5 (which turned into a 4.9 mid ride, causing temporary jelly-legs from the adrenergic response) and I'm sure most people would be safe up to 9 as long as they weren't dropping fast.

I understand there's no guidelines on driving while hyperglycemic, and I understand that what I just said is probably completely contraindicated by the evidence.

I haven't heard of any legal guidelines on driving while hyperglycaemic but I know when my BG is exceptionally high, I am not fit to drive. Shaky, problems with focussing vision and probably judgement affected are not unusual in that situation, for me. But I need to be up in the mid teens before I can feel any effect, although others might be able to see something amiss. I have certainly driven with BG of something around 10 or 12 - and not come to any harm. I suppose everyone reacts differently to BG levels, either high or low.

 

[busydiabeticmum]

I haven't heard of any legal guidelines on driving while hyperglycaemic but I know when my BG is exceptionally high, I am not fit to drive. Shaky, problems with focussing vision and probably judgement affected are not unusual in that situation, for me. But I need to be up in the mid teens before I can feel any effect, although others might be able to see something amiss. I have certainly driven with BG of something around 10 or 12 - and not come to any harm. I suppose everyone reacts differently to BG levels, either high or low.

I think they are more worried about the lows... I think they want to make sure you don't have a hypo while driving and cause an accident... highs don't really effect me, only when I'm coming down do I feel yucky.

 

[Cocosilk]

OK, I get gd, this is my 8th pregnancy.

Background info:
I'm intolerant to metformin.
Last pregnancy I was low carb and needed no medication,

The first 2 pregnancies didn't need help and gd wasn't bad at all.

All the others I needed very high levels of insulin.

This pregnancy though I'm low carb my blood sugars are "high" but each time the insulin is raised my blood sugars go higher... it's actually very obvious.

I will have the same meal for breakfast and get a reading of 9 but the next day WITH insulin it will be 11 for the same exact meal...

My diabetes team just keep saying raise the insulin and add carbs... but it doesn't make sense... it's like I'm injecting sugar and not insulin! Carbs will raise my bgl hugely.

Is there any advice someone can give me ur even a scientific explanation as to why my blood sugars raise with insulin.

Are you sure it's the insulin raising your levels and not actually the pregnancy hormones? I believe we become more insulin resistant as the pregnancy goes on. The same thing happened to me - no matter how much insulin I took, my fasting and post meal levels continued rising. I didn't see it as insulin causing it, more that the hormones of pregnancy being the cause. Which I think is why they diagnose GD starting at lower levels than prediabetes or diabetes, because they are aware that if you are already a certain level at the beginning of your 3rd trimester, it's probably only going to go up as the pregnancy goes on.
That's how I understand it anyway.

If I were you, I would just try to ride it out, and then you'll have the joy of watching what happens post pregnancy to see if your numbers come back down properly or whether you are already creeping into prediabetes. That's where I'm at right now. GD with 3rd pregnancy only but at 44yo. My bub is 4 months old and I've been mostly low carb / keto for the last 6 months but am trying to reintroduce carbs to see if my apparently glucose intolerance is ketosis related or if it sticks around after 3 days of more liberal carbs, in which case I am actual properly glucose intolerant or prediabetic.

 

[Cocosilk]

Unfortunately they are the diabetes team for the hospital nearest me! I did go to a different hospital last pregnancy and did fantastically well... but like i said 1.5hr drive to get there... it was a horrible decision to make and I just don't have a choice really.

I will have a look into hyperinsulinaemia, I was looking into something similar and asked them if it could be this and I was dismissed... they just didn't answer my question about it... probably because they just don't know what that is.

I am very low carb and hopefully in ketosis (I am not really sure how to tell never have been) I have lost 2kg in 2wks, my lunch time and dinner time bloods are brilliant b4 and after, breakfast used to be good after eating and in the 6s b4 due to dawn phenomena... as soon as they started me on the night time insulin my fasting went up into the 7s and my after breakfast then went up to the 10s (obviously a knock on effect) so they started me injecting the fast action for breakfast... I did ask if it could be that I am going too low in the night so my body is over releasing glucose to combat low bgl... I told them I wanted to test throughout the night using my own meter and strips but she told me off and told me I was exaggerating, I explained that I wanted to understand better what was happening with my bgl and she said no without giving an explanation as to why not.
I think I will test hrly at night to see if I am dropping too low and my body is trying to combat that... at least I then have a record and a better understanding.

To see if you are in ketosis, grab some Ketosix urine dipstick from a pharmacy. I usually had trace, to 1.5 mmol but sometimes 4 mmol and a bit higher of ketones while low carbing at the end of my pregnancy. Still needed insulin too though and it didn't seem to stop my levels rising so I wondered how bad it would have been had I not had insulin. I skipped my nightly dose of insulin once or twice just to see and my fasting level was always higher the next morning.

 

[busydiabeticmum]

Are you sure it's the insulin raising your levels and not actually the pregnancy hormones? I believe we become more insulin resistant as the pregnancy goes on. The same thing happened to me - no matter how much insulin I took, my fasting and post meal levels continued rising. I didn't see it as insulin causing it, more that the hormones of pregnancy being the cause. Which I think is why they diagnose GD starting at lower levels than prediabetes or diabetes, because they are aware that if you are already a certain level at the beginning of your 3rd trimester, it's probably only going to go up as the pregnancy goes on.
That's how I understand it anyway.

If I were you, I would just try to ride it out, and then you'll have the joy of watching what happens post pregnancy to see if your numbers come back down properly or whether you are already creeping into prediabetes. That's where I'm at right now. GD with 3rd pregnancy only but at 44yo. My bub is 4 months old and I've been mostly low carb / keto for the last 6 months but am trying to reintroduce carbs to see if my apparently glucose intolerance is ketosis related or if it sticks around after 3 days of more liberal carbs, in which case I am actual properly glucose intolerant or prediabetic.

I have been updating what happened on a different post, basically my diabetic midwife is really nasty and doesn't recognise lchf as anything but an eating disorder. She was insisting that I eat pizza and chips and chocolate and cut down on veg and salads etc... I refused as I knew my bgl would be uncontrollable and my babies would suffer. She said they knew my need for insulin would increase if I added these foods but they wanted that.
I agree with Dr. Fung. And his research on insulin use and mortality is scary for me so I will if possible reduce amount of insulin I will be on. I was taken off Nova rapid as I no longer needed it once I got properly into ketosis and then my need for the bolus was being reduced... turns out it was my store of glucose causing it from milk in tea! Changed that to soya and I'm doing a lot better. Then that woman decided to admit me because my ketones were "high" and was basically held prisoner in the labour ward listening to woman giving birth. Took my husband to come for them to release me and say there was nothing wrong with me. She's still deciding I'm type 2 even though my drs have said its resolved and I have been able to eat carbs... just pregnancy makes me super sensitive.
It turned out the insulin takes a looooong time to start working with me for some reason and I followed the advice of some of the ppl here which was to inject 20 mins b4 eating and I'm now in control which I'm really happy with. Problem is every time I see that woman (she told me I'm still on her naughty mat!) It makes me really stressed, I then stress eat and eat ****... I inject insulin (yeah without telling them because I'd rather not wait with high bgl for them to up my dose even though it was for one meal and then suffer hypos) and just keep an eye on my bgl... not had a problem... seems I'm carb sensitive rather than hormones as if I eat 2 slices if wholemeal bread I need to inject 20units of Nova rapid and the next day my fasting is up by a few points but if I eat an omelet I don't need to inject anything and my fasting is good with no need for bolus.
I am a low carber anyway and enjoy the way it makes me feel and I normally do better with the diet while I'm not pregnant as I don't have this amount of stress to deal with.
I seem to always be at least 3+ for ketones and between 1.2 and 2.2 for blood ketones... this is not ketoacidosis which this midwife thinks it is... even the Dr told her but she decided to undermine him and kidnap me anyway... dh will be coming to next appointment so if she does say something I know he is blunt enough to put her in her place I'm just not strong enough to do that... I'm hoping it keeps my stress levels down.