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My Insulin Doesn't Seem To Be Working

A

Alex_B

Well-Known Member
Messages
168
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I got myself up this morning and decided to have breakfast which I never do! I tested before and it was high, which is understandable because I did have some orange juice to wake me up, but I gave myself 40 units of insulin, (I'm not carb counting) lately I've been giving myself a lot more than I should because I keep running high.

Tonight, I didn't have any sugar, I had water with my dinner, I gave myself 50 units and I'm still running high. I can't talk to any DSNs as it's the weekend and I'm scared I'm becoming insulin resistant. I've never had control since being diagnosed 2 years ago, which I am trying to sort out! Someone help!!!!
 
Have you changed your insulin and/or pen recently?
There may be something wrong with either/both.

However, it is also common to become insulin resistant when your BG is high.
I find I need 1.5 to 2 times as much as usual when my BG is higher than 15.
My insulin needs return to normal when my BG returns to normal.

Why are you not carb counting?
If it is because you don’t know, you could try the Bertie online course.
 
Depending on what carbs you are eating they may be too quick releasing and sending your sugar skyrocketing, eat slow release carbohydrates or less of them as it is those that raise your blood sugar the quickest *check nutritional information* and ask to be put on Novo rapid or similar insulin and start carb counting! Think about your health! Long term complications from type 1 diabetes arent pleasent! Rotate your injection sites also, dont keep injecting in the same spot!

Also with novo rapid you can give correction easier but you do need to reduce your basal slightly

Contact your local GP or hospital and start the DAFNE course if its still available, and good luck
 
Some possibilities
1) The hot summer has caused your insulin to become less effective. Solution: change over to some insulin that's been kept in the fridge.
2) You've got an infection that is pushing your sugars up. Not much you can do about that but give correction doses (have your clinic advised how to calculate correction doses?) and wait it out. (Maybe see your doctor and get checked out)
3) You've changed something in your diet and are unwittingly having more carbs than you thought you were. (Honestly my sugars would shoot up after an orange juice so I only have one when I think I'm hypo, and wouldn't be surprised by a high reading after.)
Alex_B said:
I'm scared I'm becoming insulin resistant.
Click to expand...
Unlikely to be becoming T2 ("double diabetic") at only 21, unless you're carrying a lot of extra weight.

Look, you're at an age when a lot of T1s have difficulties with their diabetes, but most of us do eventually come through with a bit more control. I think you've said before that you don't like to carb count or test, and you have energy drinks because you're scared of hypos? So, it sounds like you're starting to test, which is an excellent move which should allow you to start to take control of this sucky (I'll use that word rather than a stronger one that will get edited out by the moderators ) illness, but all these things take time.

Good luck
 
What insulin did you give yourself 40 units of?

I find when I need to dose huge amounts of insulin it’s because my basal is incorrect.
 
SamJB said:
What insulin did you give yourself 40 units of?

I find when I need to dose huge amounts of insulin it’s because my basal is incorrect.
Click to expand...
Very true!! For one sandwich I usually need 4 units, but if my basal is f'd up, I need 6 units.
 
They started going down slowly after 2 hours. I think the diabetes team want to start helping me with my mental health first before they get me to carb count, as it will probably be better when I'm in a better frame of mind. Plus they are going to help me with my control and testing after 2 years of actually asking them and practically begging for help.
 
Check your insulin. If it has gotten too hot I find it becomes ineffective very quickly(I live in Australia and a car on warm day can easily go above 60C, after a few hours in the car and it behaves very strangely. Also check the use by date. I have managed to get caught with both those issues.
 
I'm having the same issue. For the past 4 or 5 days my blood sugar just does not seem to stay at anything below 12.

I'm doubling my normal dose of fast acting which does bring it down but it seems to go straight back up within a couple of hours.

Apart from the normal symptoms of high blood sugar I don't feel unwell. I have changed my long lasting insulin regime a few weeks ago from a single daily dose to half in the morning and half at night, but I was fine for the first couple of weeks.

I also don't really carb count. I guestimate how much carbohydrate is in my meal low/medium/high and dose according to that. I don't have the confidence to do it properly as I feel it's too precise and I am scared to be close to hypo.
 
Sounds like your basal dose is incorrect. The technique I use is from Gary Scheiner's Think Like a Pancreas book: don't eat or bolus at least 3 hours (ideally 5) before bed, then for every 1.6 mmol/l change in BGs, adjust your basal by 10% accordingly.
 
@Alex_B In another thread you said you have energy drinks. These are usually quite high in sugar.
Do you think this might be a contributing factor? The effects can be quite long lasting.

Edit: Last sentence.
 
your insulin may have expired it only lasts 1 month out of the fridge
 
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