Irratic sugars

[CharlotteH]

Hi all,

I am having terrible trouble with my diabetes and thought I would see if anyone has the same issues as I don't seem to be getting very far with the hospital...

I was diagnosed around 5 years ago and my sugar levels have never been great. I was working full time and long hours and found that my sugar levels were often around 20. I left my job and became self employed and sorted my sugar levels out.

I was eating salads for lunch and dinner and usually brown toast for breakfast... My day sugar levels sorted them selves out during this diet for about two weeks and I managed to lower my back ground insulin and still have great readings! The morning levels are always really high when I wake up, I am unable to get these down. Even when my sugars were good, they were still around 16 but day time readings would be around 5. I feel I have tried everything.

Last week the daytime readings started to get back to how they were and I am running really high again. I have tried putting my background insulin back up but nothing seems to work. The only way I can get around this is to take a dose of short acting insulin and then I will crash down a couple of hours later but it will soon shoot back up.

I've tried testing at 3am but every day it is different. There is no set pattern... Say before yesterday I tested it at 3am and they were 7.9, I woke up at 7am and they were 16.2

Feeling fed up - any help would be welcomed!

 

[robert72]

Hi Charlotte and welcome.

Do you split your levemir or take it in one shot?

What time(s) do you take it?

It sounds like it's not covering you enough during the night.

 

[CharlotteH]

Hello, thanks for replying! I split it I take 26 in the morning and 16 at night. Strange thing is a couple of weeks ago when It was good, I dropped it down to 10 at night and the morning readings were sometimes around 10 but when I took more, they got higher, so I assumed I was having night hypos so contacted the nurse with my 3am readings... She agreed they were Irratic but offered no advice. The 3am readings on the same doses of insulin were between 3.2 and 16.7.

So you think I should try a little more at night? Definitely willing to try it, dropping it isn't working so maybe you are right I may be going the wrong way. I used to take 26 at night too, maybe I should meet it somewhere inbetween the 16 and 24?

 

[robert72]

It's probably worth looking at events running up to bedtime. Do you eat late or take any bolus less than 4 hours before going to bed? Evening exercise or alcohol could also affect overnight readings.

 

[CharlotteH]

I ate around 5.30pm. Only a stirfry veg took insulin as my sugars were high before dinner anyway, I've been tidying up the house this evening and checked before I posted the first thread and they were 20 which is what made me panic and see if anybody had any advice. I took novo rapid to bring it down tonight but usually dinner is around the same time. The only thing that can get my sugars down in the morning is a couple of glasses of wine before bed! Obviously don't want to be doing this often!

 

[robert72]

It would be worth keeping a diary to see if you can spot any patterns. For example you could expect erratic BGs after eating pizza or pasta. Would be worth getting hold of 'Think Like a Pancreas' by Gary Scheiner if you haven't read it.

 

[CharlotteH]

Ooh, thank you that sounds good. I haven't heard of that. I will order that tonight . Literally had the diet of a rabbit for the past few weeks which is why I am so frustrated with it! Do you have a pump or are you coping well yourself?

 

[robert72]

Ooh, thank you that sounds good. I haven't heard of that. I will order that tonight . Literally had the diet of a rabbit for the past few weeks which is why I am so frustrated with it! Do you have a pump or are you coping well yourself?

I am still basal bolus (after 42 years). Have just switched over to Tresiba as a basal which is awesome (was on Lantus).

 

[CharlotteH]

Oh wow. Just googled it... It lasts so long, I may speak to the doc about that. Sounds like it could help fix me! Thanks for all your help feeling quite positive now

 

[robert72]

Oh wow. Just googled it... It lasts so long, I may speak to the doc about that. Sounds like it could help fix me! Thanks for all your help feeling quite positive now

It's a bit pricey, so your Dr might not be so keen. It lasts over 40 hours but you take it once a day so it has a good overlap.

 

[kalee_27]

Hi there,
Have you ever consider carbs counting ?will help you with portions and also with your dose of insulin. My sugars used to be really unstable now that I am on a insulin pump have never felt better. Will you consider an insulin pump? My HB1c used before pump 9.6 now that I am on a pump 6.6 also taking metformin slow release which have helped to reduce my insulin intake.

Hope you feel better soon, drink plenty of fluids if possible

 

[Redjason2373]

Hello CharlotteH,

Just a quick thought. When you were reducing your basal insulin was this during warm weather?

Last year my consultant suggested i drop my morning Levemir from 28 to 24 during the heatwave as my BG was constantly dropping no matter how often i would try to resolve low blood sugars. He thought this might have been happening because the body absorbs insulin quicker when heated.

Hope you get to the bottom of it.

 

[noblehead]

Hi there,
Have you ever consider carbs counting ?will help you with portions and also with your dose of insulin. My sugars used to be really unstable now that I am on a insulin pump have never felt better. Will you consider an insulin pump? My HB1c used before pump 9.6 now that I am on a pump 6.6 also taking metformin slow release which have helped to reduce my insulin intake.

Good suggestion about carb counting, if you do a course lke DAFNE they cover how to test your basal insulin. The following is an on-line carb counting course similar to DAFNE:

http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/

 

[CharlotteH]

Hey, thanks - I did go on a carb counting course I was a little confused about it as it is all calculated from the insulin I am already taking and I am very sure that my background insulin wrong. It was indeed during the warm weather so that could be it! I didn't think of that! I think you are right that I need to go back to insulin school. There is something I am not understanding here. I would definately go for an insulin pump I have enquiries into it but unsure that I qualify for funding. Thanks for the link I will have a look at that now!! Kalee, did you find it hard to adjust to the pump or was it quite easy from there? Thanks everyone!