Nausea in the afternoon

lynbrown

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210
I am T2, on Metformin and insulin. I have some bad days where I struggle to eat, due to nausea. Other days, I am OK. I am trying to figure what triggers the nausea, which starts up around 3pm-ish onwards. For breakfast I always have tea and toast. A cup of tea and plain biscuit at 11.15am. Then a sandwich cheese/chicken/ham or similar at 1pm. I often have a cuppa at 4pm but dont really want it. In the midst of the nausea, I can feel hungry too, which is maddening. Then 6.30 for an evening meal, something with veg and pots if Im up to it, or just a boiled egg if Im not. The problem is if I dont eat, my blood readings go down. Its not unusual to have a hypo during the night if I haven't eaten a decent meal. Should I change any of this, maybe an earlier evening meal? Please offer tips.
 

In Response

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3,435
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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The simple answer to the hypos is to take less insulin but that depends on what type of insulin you take.
For example, it is common for people with Type 1 to take a background basal insulin and a fast acting bolus insulin when they eat. We calculate the amount of bolus to give ourselves depending upon what we eat. So, if we don't eat anything, we don't have the bolus insulin.
I have read that fixed doses of mixed insulin are more common with people with type 2, this is harder to manage if you change what you eat or don't eat anything due to nausea.
You could reduce your insulin if ou are comfortable to do so, if not, I recommend talking to your doctor or DSN.
 

Jaylee

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18,225
Type of diabetes
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Insulin
I am T2, on Metformin and insulin. I have some bad days where I struggle to eat, due to nausea. Other days, I am OK. I am trying to figure what triggers the nausea, which starts up around 3pm-ish onwards. For breakfast I always have tea and toast. A cup of tea and plain biscuit at 11.15am. Then a sandwich cheese/chicken/ham or similar at 1pm. I often have a cuppa at 4pm but dont really want it. In the midst of the nausea, I can feel hungry too, which is maddening. Then 6.30 for an evening meal, something with veg and pots if Im up to it, or just a boiled egg if Im not. The problem is if I dont eat, my blood readings go down. Its not unusual to have a hypo during the night if I haven't eaten a decent meal. Should I change any of this, maybe an earlier evening meal? Please offer tips.

Hi.

Are you still prescribed Lantus & Novorapid?
How are your blood sugars during the day & specifically a the 3pm mark.?

What time do you normally inject your Lantus, Before bed?

I feel you really should be talking to your doctor about the nausea.
your previous posts suggest you've had these symptoms for a little while.

Best wishes.
 

KK123

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3,967
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Hi, it sounds like you are matching your food to your medication (wrong way round). You have to be extremely careful adjusting things on insulin though so you must talk to your team.
 

EllieM

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I agree with the others that you should ask your team about matching your insulin to your food, so that you can take less when you aren't hungry. And you should talk to your doctor about the nausea.

Is there any noticable pattern to your readings when you feel queasy? High or low? This is probably much more relevant to a T1 than a T2, but do you ever test for ketones? (I sometimes feel queasy if my levels and/or ketones are high.)
 

lynbrown

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210
The terms bolus and basal are foreign to me, I have never had them mentioned at any of my hospital appts. Thanks everyone
 

EllieM

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The terms bolus and basal are foreign to me, I have never had them mentioned at any of my hospital appts. Thanks everyone

Most people on adjustable doses of insulin have one long acting dose (the basal) which provides them background insulin throughout the day and night when they are not eating. They then have bolus doses which act to counteract the food they eat. However, it can be a bit different for insulin dependent T2s, because you should still be producing your own insulin, just not enough to cope with the combination of insulin resistance and carbs that you have going on. Also, prolonged high blood sugars can damage your own insulin production, though this can theoretically recover if you lower your glucose levels. What's the name of the insulin(s) that you take?