Long Time Type 1 Suddenly no control

Hopeful34

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,694
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
I had a horrific time with diabetes going through the menopause, and the nurse at the time at the hospital diabetes clinic, said it played havoc with blood sugars for a lot of people. You only have to look at the difference in the amount of insulin many people need the week before their period, compared to the week of their period. Is your gp male by any chance?!! You've got my sympathy, it's a horrible time, and like you I was at my wits end. Sending hugs, and hope you can find a way forward.
A pump helped me a lot, so if you find you can afford one, it might be the way to go.
 

JMK1954

Well-Known Member
Messages
520
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I was prescribed HRT by a 'diabetic' consultant, when I first hit menopause symptoms, or rather when they hit me. He told me that only a small percentage of female type 1 diabetics are affected by crazily changing BS levels in this way. My GP had been zero help in the previous three months. which had seen my BS regularly spike for no reason. On the first occasion it happened, it climbed from a point in the 4s to 22 mml in an hour or so. When I asked what percentage of us were affected in this way, he didn't want to give a figure, but when I suggested 5%, he said it was lower than that.

I have posted several times about this. Nobody accused me of doing anything wrong diet-wise, probably because I had previously been extremely well-controlled for 20 plus years and I had been dealing with type 1 from the age of 10, so they accepted the situation I was describing to them was real. My GP was startled when he got the hospital letter recommending he prescribe HRT, as I gather he would not normally have prescribed this for a type 1, but he went along with it and it rescued me from a desperate situation. It wasn't a perfect solution. I still got spikes to 12 mml or so, but I could cope with that. HRT doesn't work for everyone - but it did for me. You would be likely to need a consultant to prescribe it. It is not something GPs seem to know anything about. If you run a search for HRT on this forum, you should find earlier messages I have posted about this.
 

Stefp

Active Member
Messages
29
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I wish GPS and endos know more about this stuff - like you guys, until the last few years my control was always good - I am a little obsessive about my blood sugars and have always have hba1c’s in the 5.8 - 6 range. These crazy swings have a really negative impact on my life and are creating physical as well as mental health issues like high levels of anxiety. I no longer trust myself.
Today my numbers are back to normal - all day they have been between 3-7 again for no apparent reason.
So from these responses it could be my Lantus, insulin resistance or menopause - among other things! Looks like I need to restart my look for a new endocrinologist- though to be honest we mostly have to problem solve this stuff ourselves don’t we? Thanks for listening - even though I have a very supportive family it can be lonely as no one else really understands and I know they get a little tired of hearing about it day after day!
 
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Nancity

Newbie
Messages
2
I have been at my wits end with the constant hot flushes, my blood sugars rocketing, sleepless night and not knowing what I can do about this.
Reading your post has for the first time in years i feel I have something to suggest when I speak to the Diabetic nurse, it's not until the 4th December but I feel more optimistic. Thank you
 

JMK1954

Well-Known Member
Messages
520
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Good luck with talking to the nurse. Some are better informed than others, so you may need to see a consultant over this. There's nothing worse than not being believed.
 
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I was on Lantus for a long time and found moving to Levemir really helpful; for one thing you can split it so the action is flatter. Whatever the drug companies say no long acting insulin lasts as long as it is claimed.

See if you can persuade your GP to prescribe you some.

It really seems to depend on the person who takes it. I used Levemir, but in the end switched back to Lantus once a day, which seems to work better for me.
 

Stefp

Active Member
Messages
29
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
It’s good to know you are not alone Nancity isnt it? - glad the suggestions and responses, and my own experiences may have helped - I have found not many people talk about how crazy menopause can make you - or how hard it makes our diabetes control. Good luck with your nurse!
 

JaneWorlock

Newbie
Messages
4
It is so nice to know its not just me. I am just starting. I used a pump and have now started to use Libre. With the pump I've always needed to adjust my basal rates by a larger amount in springtime, (when the weather started to get that muggy feeling), and also in the autumn (when the weather started to have that crisp autumn feel). Other than twiddling I didn't have to do any other major changes to the rate. However this last year I've had to readjust the basal by the roughly every month or two & by quite a large amount. I think it must be linked to starting the menopause as its about the same time as my period. Thing is I've never been regular and so there is no way to estimate when it might happen. Obviously I have some hypos or hypers and I can see the cause is something different I've eaten or I've done where I have had to estimate the carbs but these are occurring with no obvious cause. Thank you so much as I thought it was this but I felt like I was a failure as I don't feel I have the same control. Thank you again.
 

dancer

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,360
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
We know that hormones can cause problems to our blood sugars. During my second pregnancy, I suddenly changed from relatively normal blood sugars to lots of unexpected highs and lows. When I mentioned it at clinics, it was usually implied that it was me that was at fault. After pregnancy and breast feeding, I expected my blood to go back to normal, but they didn't.

Decades later, at my fist coeliac test, I tested positive and was referred to a gastroenterologist who did an endoscopy. This showed I'd been coeliac for a long time, though not from childhood. I am convinced that CD started around the time of that pregnancy. It could be the menopause that's causing your present problems but it could also be something else. Have you had a recent coeliac test?