• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Night/morning hypos

Amy8668

Amy8668

Active Member
Messages
29
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi all

If any of you have read any of my previous posts regarding my boyfriend who will not look after himself, then hooray! I have had success, after nearly splitting up because of this he has changed his ways and started injecting Lantus and Novorapid, testing blood sugars and carb counting!

I have been taking notes of what his sugar levels are, how may carbs he is eating and how much he is injecting to try shed some light on what is right for him!

The only problem is every morning he has woken with low blood sugar and has become hypo unaware, the other morning couldn't remember how to get dressed and left for work in his boxers (scary! but also a little amusing looking back) Anyways, I was wondering if any of you could help.

His morning (6.30am) sugar was 2.7 and he had 1.5 slices of toast, and 2 biscuits

10.30am his sugar was 2.7 and he drunk a bottle of lucozade

He didn't test his sugar before lunch and ate 90g carbs and done no insulin (Due to going low within hours previous day)

2 biscuits before dinner

pre dinner sugar levels were 12, he ate 80g of carbs and done 6 novorapid

Before bed sugar was 10.5 and we did 30 Lantus

Morning sugar was 2.5 he ate 1 toast and 3 biscuits

Lunch sugar was 3.1 ate 90g carbs, again no insulin.

We are so confused why his levels are dropping so much at night, it is all abit of trial and error at the moment and we are waiting for an appointment with his DR at the moment but until then would like a bit of advise!

thanks
 
Does he inject lantus in the evening? I am on levemir 28 units which i take at night. When i wake up with low blood sugars i usually reduce my levemir by 1 unit to see if that helps
 
Not sure about any advice on your insulin amounts (maybe his nurse would be the best person to have a word with) but maybe consider some slow acting snack before bed?
 
Dani44 it can also depend on your food types for example slow release cabs or fast acting but I would just do as you say I've being juggling my nova around but stuck to my lantus see what happens

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
low morning results with little to no carbs acting overnight as well as little to no novorapid as well would suggest the Lantus is way to high........

if it was me, who has been educated, I would happily drop that Lantus dose on my own, but its hard to tell someone who hasn't been taught the basics to go and do that....

2.7 is quite low, low enough to justify a drop in Lantus, to about 23 or 24 maybe, if he wakes high, you know your on the right path.....

it really needs some Lantus testing overnight, which requires no food or insulin 4-5 hours previous to bed time, then 1-2 hourly tests........that will tell you exactly when he is dropping....

lots to take in there, but to avoid further dangerous lows and hypo unawareness, the insulin needs to be cut.......

im not a health care professional, so take my advice as experience only.....

good luck.....;)
 
Hi Amy

At the moment it would appear that too much Lantus is being used at night and its effect on bg is carrying on until mid morning . Can he use less lantus and get up about 3am and do a test and if 5mmol or below, he could eat a biscuit to prevent bg dropping down to hypo level.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Amy

No advice as others have given good advice... But well done you, but also your partner. He must care one helluva lot about you.... He has done this because of you and that shows great love on both sides...well done to both of you...

Hope you sat him at a table!!


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Yep, Lantus is too high. The way you figure out the correct dose is by not eating or injecting fast acting around 4 hours before bed, then comparing pre-bed and pre-breakfast readings. If the readings differ by 1.6 mmol/l then adjust the Lantus by 10% accordingly.

You are doing very well, he's very lucky to have you!
 
donnellysdogs said:
Amy

No advice as others have given good advice... But well done you, but also your partner. He must care one helluva lot about you.... He has done this because of you and that shows great love on both sides...well done to both of you...

Hope you sat him at a table!!


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Click to expand...


Haha, I didn't actually sit him at the table, I found out he was lying about it again. We talked I said I can't do this, he explained how he was feeling and he came to the realisation he was in denial and things need to change and wanted to prove to me that he could :)

Thanks for your advise!


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
SamJB said:
Yep, Lantus is too high. The way you figure out the correct dose is by not eating or injecting fast acting around 4 hours before bed, then comparing pre-bed and pre-breakfast readings. If the readings differ by 1.6 mmol/l then adjust the Lantus by 10% accordingly.

You are doing very well, he's very lucky to have you!
Click to expand...

Thank you!

That advice was very helpful and as of tonight we are going to try it out! Hopefully it works, no mater what his bed time reading is, it seems to always be 2 in the morning!




Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
For the first time in 20 years I got my hubby (non diabetic) to stick a cannula in his stomach and wear it for a 2 days (it wasn't connected to my pump-it was capped off!) then before we ate for 2 days I asked him to do a blood test like I do, and everytime I did one he had to find the meter to test himself... He half felt like I do for just 2 days and it gave him more appreciation that he now waits for me to test and bolus before tucking in to his food.....

I'm not saying that any partner should do this...however, it gave my hubby mire of realisation after 20 years than ever before- i could have got him some disposable needles just to get him to try sticking them in pre everything he eats.. And got him to test as I have to do.. I wish I had done this years ago.

I think you have an excellent knowledge gained in a very short time, but to really appreciate what diabetic partners feel when they are in denial, I would really say to them " let me realise what its like for you"... And then try it and calculating food qtys insulin as well.....

But, you are fantastic, and I hope that your partner will continue to drag himself out of denial and live!!! Type 1 is manageable and he can still have a great life!! Well done.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
donnellysdogs said:
For the first time in 20 years I got my hubby (non diabetic) to stick a cannula in his stomach and wear it for a 2 days (it wasn't connected to my pump-it was capped off!) then before we ate for 2 days I asked him to do a blood test like I do, and everytime I did one he had to find the meter to test himself... He half felt like I do for just 2 days and it gave him more appreciation that he now waits for me to test and bolus before tucking in to his food.....

I'm not saying that any partner should do this...however, it gave my hubby mire of realisation after 20 years than ever before- i could have got him some disposable needles just to get him to try sticking them in pre everything he eats.. And got him to test as I have to do.. I wish I had done this years ago.

I think you have an excellent knowledge gained in a very short time, but to really appreciate what diabetic partners feel when they are in denial, I would really say to them " let me realise what its like for you"... And then try it and calculating food qtys insulin as well.....

But, you are fantastic, and I hope that your partner will continue to drag himself out of denial and live!!! Type 1 is manageable and he can still have a great life!! Well done.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Click to expand...


Thank you, that means a lot to hear :)
I think what you done is a very good idea, although I do calculate what's in his meals and how much I reckon he should do, just to make it a bit easier for him. But he is starting to work it out himself but if it saves him getting a bit down about it then I don't mind doing it! Generally before we go to bed, I test my BG levels just out of curiosity!

But thanks it's nice to hear praise :)


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Its lovely to hear a positive that your partner is responding to.. You must give yourself credit for that. I suspect that others (parents?) have been concerned but something about you and your personality and concern has shone through.

Credit to your partner too. Life is tough enough without diabetes. Your partner seems to be awakening from a "p****d off with diabetes" state of mind. And that is hard to change.

Humans naturally dislike change...

Well done to both of you.x


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
donnellysdogs said:
Its lovely to hear a positive that your partner is responding to.. You must give yourself credit for that. I suspect that others (parents?) have been concerned but something about you and your personality and concern has shone through.

Credit to your partner too. Life is tough enough without diabetes. Your partner seems to be awakening from a "p****d off with diabetes" state of mind. And that is hard to change.

Humans naturally dislike change...

Well done to both of you.x


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Click to expand...

Thanks :) to others it may not seem he is doing exceptionally well with the occasional forgetting to test and stuff, but for us it's a massive step, and I couldn't be happier, we spoke last night and he says he feels better in himself and that he feels like he is kind of making me proud in a way, which is nice to hear and also that he isn't constantly hungry.

His parents have given up trying to help him, he had put them through a lot of pain because of this.

But he has promised this isn't a phase and he is going to try his best :) x


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Magical... So lively to hear. Assure him that he isnt only diabetic to ignore it, but that you wish him to be around and healthy for a long time....

Absolutely heart warming to hear that you have made such a difference.

Its absolutely normal that diabetics don't respond to parents pleas and pain. They also will have to be "handled" as they will be so pleased that partner is responding to you, but will be devastated that they couldn't get him to change. Be very tactful when talking to them..x


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
donnellysdogs said:
Magical... So lively to hear. Assure him that he isnt only diabetic to ignore it, but that you wish him to be around and healthy for a long time....

Absolutely heart warming to hear that you have made such a difference.

Its absolutely normal that diabetics don't respond to parents pleas and pain. They also will have to be "handled" as they will be so pleased that partner is responding to you, but will be devastated that they couldn't get him to change. Be very tactful when talking to them..x


Sent from the Diabetes Forum
App
Click to expand...

Do you mean I have to kill them? Haha! 'handled' :) I was thinking this the other day, but my thinking is there son is going to live for a hell of a lot longer (I hope) so just be happy and supportive :)

I don't know if you read my first post on here, which was about his mum that gives him 3-4 chocolate bars a day in his lunch, her knowledge is pretty poor!




Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Back
Top