metformin/low carb/still not working!

[heypapatooni]

I'm a type 1 for 32 years
I'm taking porcine isophane and just in the last 2 weeks started porcine neutral instead of novorapid, which I found too severe!
I take 2000mg metaformin each day to try and help my insulin resistance.(on this for about 4 weeks now)
My bloods are all over the place!
I haven't eaten any starchy carbs for 9 weeks, I have slowly (2lbs only in 4 weeks!)lost a stone in weight, though have another 5 to go!
here are my blood sugar readings-similar food eaten each day!
before breakfast b. lunch--------b eve. meal---- before bed------ thru night
4.1-------------------hypo-----------4.8
10---------------------12.4----------9.4--------------------------------hypo
12.1(16.1 2hours after!)3.4-------8.6----------------4.7
8-------------------------3.9---------10.3
9.7---then 4.8---------8.9 ----------------------------15.4
17.1------------------------------------12----------------- 7------------ hypo
7.9-----------------------17.4--------14.9.............3.5
16 -----------------------14-----------hypo-------------9.1
15.9----------------------11.8---------7.3
Crazy isn't it?
I've eaten salads most of the week,I don't eat meat, a bit of fruit-apple a day 2 clementines 1 small banana each morn before a brisk 3/4 hour walk! I ate 4 jelly babies at each hypo. Today i have been sky high all day! driving me potty!
I've stuck to 10/4 units am,4 units neutral lunch and 10/4 dinnertime, until I get used to my new regime!
I have never had stable blood sugars!


I wrote this a couple af days ago on another topic, got no replies!
I have spoken to my diabetes nurse, she told me to reduce evening Isophane down to 6 as she thought I was going hypo through night.....this resulted in me being 12.8 at 3am and 21.3 when I woke up! She also had said that my readings weren't too bad!!!!!??????
I have had to take extra shots of novorapid the last 3 days just to let me function!
yesterday I took 16 units isophane /10 neutral at 7am, 6 units of novorapid,8 units neutral at lunchtime and then 14 isophane/6neutral at 7pm
I was 21.3 at 7am,8 before lunch,9.2 before eve meal, 8.9 before bed and 4.1 at 3 am, fearing dropping lower I ate 3 jelly babies, it was 10.7 at &am, and has stupidly now risen to 19.3 before lunch!!
I'm REALLYstarting to struggle!
these high sugars have been going on since january, many of you may have read fromer pots by me!
Can anyone shed any light?
I inject somewhere different every tim, there are no problems with my injection sites! :?:

 

[janabelle]

Re: metaformin/low carb/still not working!

Hiya,
I've been looking at your previous postings to see if I could get some understanding of what's going on,, not sure it i have.
You used to be on 18 units Isophane in the morning and 22 in the evening, and that's reduced a lot. You say now that you're on 16 in the morn and 14 in the eve, which is considerably less than you were on in January. I wonder if you need to split your isophane a bit further so you are having much more in the morning than in the evening. I'm on 34 units, I take 22 am and 12 pm. Have you tried splitting it like that before?
Things appear to have got more complicated with the addition of metformin and now novorapid. Have things gone a bit more haywire since starting on them?
You may have to start from scratch, getting your basal right and cutting out the metformin to see what isophane dose, if any, can keep you stable. Really low-carbing for a few days and sticking to very low doses of neutral can help you determine if it's working. If that doesn't work you might have to change to another variety of long-acting. Been looking at the charts, and Hypurin Bovine PZI has a much more pronounced peak and longer duration, which may work better for you.

I'm sorry I can't be of more help, I've probably not told you anything you didn't know already. I know it's frustrating, and it does rule your life, no matter what the articles in Balance say :cry:
I still have the odd day when I completely **** it up, or my menstrual hormones send things haywire, and I feel lousy physically and mentally, not in control of it and it's depressing.
I hope things improve
Jus

 

[heypapatooni]

Re: metaformin/low carb/still not working!

Thank Jus,
Yeah, the insulin seems to start working on an afternoon/evening, the main problem is getting my morning reading down without going too low overnight!
I'm not sure why it went so high this morning! it has eventually come down to 6.8 at 4pm.
It IS ruling my life! My life seems to be on hold.
I have been eating very low carbs, APART FROM breakfast, where I always have a baby banana mixed with 1/2 pint skimmed milk and one of those tiny actmel bio type drinks, to make a "milkshake" for myself. I don't like savoury breakfast! Also thats the time of day I always exercise!
Today I had a pot of cottage cheese, didn't even dare have an apple, I seem very sensitive to carbs now, I wonder if this is the metaformin? I can feel my bloodsugar go up after an apple!
The dose I WAS on, was as this all started and before I was on the tablets.
I will try taking 22 isophane/8 neutral 6 units neutral lunch then 12 isophane/6 neutral see how I fair!

 

[heypapatooni]

Re: metaformin/low carb/still not working!

last night I took 12 isophane and 6 neutral at 7pm.
by midnight I was hypo-hadn't eaten a great deal, salad only,my appetite has vanished since being on metaformin!
I ate 3 jelly babies and next tested at 3am-it was 5.3
This morning at 7am it had shot back up to 12.9!!
tonight I'm going to try taking my Isophane at a later time, about 10pm, therefore hopefully getting the low reading before breakfast!
I REALLY don't want to change my insulin again! It has taken weeks and weeks to get them to change it for me! they insisted on a pre-mix at first, but it peaked at the wrong times for me, anyone really! so after a 2 hour debate they put me on the neutral that I had asked for!
Also I don't want to come off the metaformin yet! The side effects have been absolutely terrible! Nausia, dizziness really bad headaches, they are just wearing off a little now, I don't want come off and have to go through all that again!

 

[janabelle]

Re: metaformin/low carb/still not working!

Hi,
I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that things go better tonight.
I take my Isophane at 8.30am and 10pm. Maybe taking it later might help you. I wouldn't go to sleep with a blood as low as 5, I prefer to be between 6-8 cos I'd worry about going hypo. I wake up with a BG between 4-6.
What i do won't work exactly for you, but with a bit of tweaking, hopefully something WILL work , don't give up
Jus

 

[heypapatooni]

Re: metaformin/low carb/still not working!

I feel really bad for not being on here for so long, but I just wanted to thank everyone for their help!
I HAVE LOST 5 STONES OVER THE PAST 2 YEARS! MY BLOODS ARE FAR BETTER AND DIABETES IS NOT IN CONTROL OF MY LIFE! YIPEEEEEEE!!!!! :mrgreen:

 

[Paul1976]

Re: metaformin/low carb/still not working!

That's absolutely GREAT!!! :mrgreen: A big pat on the back for you!! :thumbup:

 

[tree-peony]

well done, proof that hard work DOES pay off :wink: