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My partners blood sugars are through the roof help please

We have been given ketone strips to test regularly as his sugars are so high he was sent to a and e with +2 ketones in his urine not long ago which is why we was given the strips, the gp has mentioned going into hospital to try and lower his sugars that way
 
Oh blimey... get hold of GP urgently tomorrow (if not 111 tonight) and get quick help... GP should not have let levels persist like this.

If speaking to 111 mention those details above... partner needs help...
 
We have been given ketone strips to test regularly as his sugars are so high he was sent to a and e with +2 ketones in his urine not long ago which is why we was given the strips, the gp has mentioned going into hospital to try and lower his sugars that way

So what are his ketones at the moment?

I think you should test immediately.
 
I think your partner has Type 3c - caused as a result of pancreatitis. There’s a thread on this forum for 3c and the people there may be able to give you better advice than we T1s and T2s. I second the advice that you ring 111 as his blood sugars are too high for comfort.
Hope all is solved for him soon!
 
I think you need to phone 111 now as prolonged high sugar can effect other parts of the body the longer it goes on. If there is keytones then hospital is the best place for him and ask to see someone of the diabetes team as your GP might be trying there best but he needs to see a doctor who deals with diabetes. If he only taking a long acting insulin every time he eats then his sugar is going to go up as there is no insulin to bring it down. He should try and drink as much water as he can if keytones are present. It may be that his pancreas is not working as good as they think and may need to inject insulin every time he eats. With having no fast acting insulin to hand he cannot inject some to bring his BS down. You cannot take any chances with high blood sugars and keytones, i have had them myself and you feel ill but once you go to hospital they may put 2 ivs up one with saline and one with fast acting insulin which is what he needs at the minute. Has he been sick at anytime if he has then take him to a and e asap because the fluid you are putting in is being brought back up. Take care and do not think that ringing 111 is a waste of their time as your partner seems to have a problem that needs sorting now.
 
Hi Rosienjim2 i have been diabetic for over 15 years. i came of the metformin and glipizides years ago and now take insulin only (Humalog 50) i at first thought low insulin doses would help bring down my blood sugars. but as i was eating foods laden with carbs. ie potatoes, rice, pasta, starch foods like bread etc.... all the things most people are used to growing up in UK. i discovered LCHF a year ago. and dedicated myself to it. it's really hard at first, but i have lost over 2 stones in weight. without exercising and knocking myself out. just eating more real foods. my A1c is around 7.5 and i am aiming to get it lower. i am NOT advocating you go on this diet. it's something that has really helped. BUT... uou have to dedicate yourself to it. i know i will be off of insulin completely. i have given myself another 6 months. and i know i will no longer need it. i take such small amounts now less than 10 units twice a day. and sometimes i get hypos taking that amount. but if you do decide to try it. see a professional first and ex[lain it to them. some so called Doctor/Nutritionists will call you a maniac. but there is so much knowledge for this eating way of life. i would make enquiries at least. anyway just my tuppence worth of info. it works for me. i used to have glucose levels like that of your partner. a thing of the past for me now. good luck !

Good advice for T2. However, the poor man is most likely T3c and may not be able to process fats.
Hope your T2 triumph continues. Congratulations!
 
Let us know how it goes; best wishes for a speedy resolution!
 
Hi. He is in urgent need of treatment at A&E. I suspect he should be on a fast insulin such as Novorapid as well as the Levemir - this is what most T1s and/or those with a failing pancreas are on (called Basal/Bolus or MDI regime). In addition, as others have said, he should seriously reduce the carbs in the diet until the insulin issue is resolved and the blood sugar comes back down.
 
@rosiejim2

Hello Rosie and Jim and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful and interesting. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
If your friend is newly diagnosed it sounds like he hasn't got to grips with his diet.

I would suggest not eating foods with added sugar and I include natural sugars so:-

No orange juice, breakfast cerials, sweets, puddings or any food you don't prepare yourself. Biscuits or sweets or bananas only when low blood sugar.

Am 70kg male, type 1, age 72 next week. Diabetic 23years.

For breakfast I have porridge with 5 or 6 desert spoonfuls of porridge oats made with water.

For Lunch I have a sandwich with 2 slices of bread 12gms of carb per slice in a sandwich. Small yohurt low carb.
Most bread you buy will have way too much sugar.

Main evening meal potatoes, veg and meat. Most over ready chips (or anything) have to much added sugar.

I am reluctant to advise on insulin except that I am on two types Humalog (fast acting after meals) and Lantus long acting (which I now split into doses in my case slightly more than half at 9am and slightly less than half 9 pm. - I you only have one long acting a day I would suggest taking it in the morning as at night you are more likely to make mistakes - I know I have twice injected a massive does of fast acting before going to bed**. If you make a mistake in the morning you will be awake to deal with it. Ask diabetic nurse how to do switch.)

If you get yourself having a standard breakfast (what to eat and how much) then you need to workout a standard dose to go with it.

You need to get some idea how much fast acting (NOT Mixtard) insulin you can safely take with your meals airing on the low side to start.

You also need to get your self a guide to how much insulin to have when your are through the roof (Very occasionally I get it wrong - 26mmol/l - missed an injection, or hidden sugar, or ate too much.).

I my case if 18mmol/l at breakfast and having the standard breakfast.

Insulin Dose = Standard dose for breakfast + [18(where you are now) - 8(where you want to be)]/3

= (6 for my standard breakfast) +10/3

= 9 units

Must stess these calculations are for me.

You will get lost if You haven't established a "standard" low carb breakfast (what to eat and how much) and a standard dose to go with it.

It makes it so much easier if you can eatablish standard meals (If you usually eat out for lunch try taking your own sandwiches).

** If you do make a mistake and inject a large dose before bed DO eat a normal breakfast size carbs immediately, Then set your alarm for one hour and test are eat again. repeat as necessary. That is why I suggest long acting in the morning.

I have never got my sugar below 9mmol/l two hours after a meal!!

This is my first post to this forum - I hope I haven't broken any rules.

Steve
 
Thank you all for your reply's we got an appointment at our gp this afternoon I went with him and in all honesty we shouldn't have bothered he didn't seam remotely bothered by how high his sugars are but with some gentle persuading we managed to get him to fax our diabetic clinic for an urgent appointment so should here about that this week so for now just have to keep a eye on keatones ect, again thank you for your advice xx
 
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