Really down in the dumps , please help?

[Fetchmeacoffee]

I think I've finally hit rock bottom. I've been type 1 for nearly 7 years now , and I've had enough of people telling me it's going to get easier etc , because in my case it hasn't! I finally managed to do DAFNE a few months ago , great I thought , but it didn't help 1 bit.
I'm on Lantus at night , and novorapid during the day , and the amount I seem to be taking is an AWFUL lot. I take 42 units at night , and about 20-30 units of rapid each meal , even taking 1 metformin in the evenings and it's doing sod all!

Here's what's happening.

I can awake on anything between 8-12 (okish?) , by lunch time , even on nothing (advised that no carb intake = no insulin) and by lunch time I can be sitting at 22! Even if I have just 2 eggs without anything else and take a big hit of 30 rapid I still peak! Mid afternoon my levels seem to improve , below 10 are the usual hitting numbers! By tea time I am fab , 5-6 on my sugar meter! By bed time I can be anywhere between 7&10 and I'm more than happy to go to bed . I can awake at 3/4/5am and sugars are brilliant still , but 7/8 when I wake up , BOOM back to double units. This is really depressing me right now , I keep fighting for a pump , will I ever get one ? MORE CHANGE OF HELL FREEZING OVER!

I need help , this condition is taking over my life

 

[martwolves]

Man, that sucks! All I can say is keep keeping on. You have my sympathy. Do you exercise? I don' do much but things like taking the stairs rather than the lift make a difference, if you're not in a position to do so, I rescind my remark. Best of british to you! Chin up. It's a tough life, I admit, but hang in there!

 

[amberzak]

I know exactly how you feel. I have never been able to control my sugars, and doctors just telling me I need to get them under control wasn't helping. I even stopped doing my Hb1ac for a while because every time I did I had a doctor telling me t wasn't good enough. Now I go for the test but don't aid the appointment with the doctor for getting the results. Instead I as the nurse I see, as she's kinder.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[paul-1976]

Can't advise much except it does look like you have some Dawn phenomenon going on and possibly some insulin resistance going on perhaps..search 'Double Diabetes' and see if that rings true with you...It's ok to be deprayessed and frustrated and nothing to be ashamed of at all..as Mart says..keep hanging on :wink:

Best

Paul

 

[Robinredbreast]

I think I've finally hit rock bottom. I've been type 1 for nearly 7 years now , and I've had enough of people telling me it's going to get easier etc , because in my case it hasn't! I finally managed to do DAFNE a few months ago , great I thought , but it didn't help 1 bit.
I'm on Lantus at night , and novorapid during the day , and the amount I seem to be taking is an AWFUL lot. I take 42 units at night , and about 20-30 units of rapid each meal , even taking 1 metformin in the evenings and it's doing sod all!

Here's what's happening.

I can awake on anything between 8-12 (okish?) , by lunch time , even on nothing (advised that no carb intake = no insulin) and by lunch time I can be sitting at 22! Even if I have just 2 eggs without anything else and take a big hit of 30 rapid I still peak! Mid afternoon my levels seem to improve , below 10 are the usual hitting numbers! By tea time I am fab , 5-6 on my sugar meter! By bed time I can be anywhere between 7&10 and I'm more than happy to go to bed . I can awake at 3/4/5am and sugars are brilliant still , but 7/8 when I wake up , BOOM back to double units. This is really depressing me right now , I keep fighting for a pump , will I ever get one ? MORE CHANGE OF HELL FREEZING OVER!

I need help , this condition is taking over my life

Firstly can I give a (((((((((((((((HUG)))))))))))))). Over the past couple of years, it has been one medical condition after another for me. I'm Type 1 also, for 24 years. I am going to post a thread today/tonight, because like you, I've had it up to here with these blood sugars going mad and just recently, unbelievably bad, I cried so much today :cry: I can only sympathise with you. My blood sugar was high AGAIN, last night, I took my Levemir then NovoRapid as well, this morning a shocked, but happy, 7.7.( that's unusual lately) THEN at 12.30pm BS over 16, so I took 3 1/2 correction dose and an hour later 17.3 :shock: that's when I sobbed.

I was wondering if you have any other medical conditions or maybe an underlying one, that you don't know of? Or taking medication that is interfering with the Insulin?

I really can't give you any logical answers , but maybe a trip to your GP or DSN would possibly help?????? I really don't know. I'm so sorry for what you are going through. You're not alone. Please pm me if you want any more help or support or just a RANT.

I wish you well and take care of your self

RRB x

 

[martwolves]

I'm on warfarin too, that plays bloody havoc with my insulin readings and as yet no one else is on both these things. I feel your sense of despair but don't give up, no matter what!

 

[Fetchmeacoffee]

Off to see my own GP soon , want it sorting

 

[martwolves]

We're here for you, when you're ready!

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Sorry to hear about the frustration. With those levels of insulin units I suspect your BMI is quite high and you have insulin resistance. To get some control back it is important to get rid of the insulin resistance which means going quite low carb e.g. below 150gm/day. You don't mention what your diet is? Are you already low-carbing? If my blood sugar was high at lunch time I would take a correction dose regardless of what the meal if any was going to be. I know my excellent DN says you either carb count or do a correction dose but not both but needs must when your sugars are high. I'm on max dose of Metformin but have a normal BMI. I would have expected you to be on max dose to help with the insulin resistance; do discuss with the GP.

 

[Patch13]

As mentioned above it sounds like the dawn phenomenon in the morning that may be affecting your sugar levels. I get this and have to take extra insulin to account for it.

I also take insulin when I'm eating just protein as otherwise my levels would go up. However do consider that protein takes longer to digest so can cause a peak a few hours after it has been eaten.

Sorry it's proving extra hard at the moment. It's hard for lots of us as anything and everything affects our sugar levels! I hope you find a way to improve your control. Keep working at it as it is so important and remember that you're simply amazing for trying to take control of your diabetes and living with it every day.

All the best Patch13


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[SamJB]

Yep, exercise will help with the insulin resistance. I find evening exercise helps reduce the impact of the dawn phenomenon, but can lead to night-time lows of you're nit careful. Are you in much of a routine? Try eating the same things daily and see if you can find a pattern and remedy it. Perhaps you could think about reducing your carb quantities so that your highs aren't quite so high.

We all get down about it, I've been in tears several times over my bloody diabetes.

 

[nrycroft]

I'm on Latus and novarapid. I had problems with my dosage getting ever greater. It seemed whatever I took didn't seem to work. One visit to a new diabetic clinic and I was sorted. Just changed my injection area as I'd obviously being using it for too long. Insulin levels came down dramatically and although I had some hypos at the beginning all now settled. I don't know if that might be some of the problem or not but you never know. Hope you find a solution! Nick


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[Thundercat]

My heart goes out to you. It's difficult enough to keep on top of things without the frustration of all efforts seeming to be in vain. Hats off to you for persisting. As already mentioned, dawn phenomenon and insulin resistance seem to be the culprits. Low carbing and excercise should remedy the situation. Maybe you've already thought of these and if so, apologies for not having any other answer for you. I've been where you are with regard to doctor's attitude. When I tried to explain the highs happened no matter what I did they look at you as if to say "Sure they do" They seem to presume everyone is just blowing smoke. Doctors should be reminded that the many years they spend with textbooks are no substitute with living with an illness day to day and minute to minute. We are not words on a page and each individual is unique. Sorry for ranting! I sincerely hope your doctor helps you with this and that the suggestions put forward on this forum are useful to you. There is a solution, don't give up.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[Fetchmeacoffee]

Okay , he seems to think it's insulin resistance , going to try taking an extra metformin in the morning when I eat breakfast and have a little extra lantus , he suggested maybe splitting it , anybody else on split lantus ? people say it can't be done but he seems to think if I take half a hit at night and half in the morning , ill always have the same in my body at any time as its 24 hour lasting

 

[Patch13]

I split my lantus when I was MDI as then I could reduce it if I had exercised more easily (ie either in the morning or evening instead of just having the option of reducing it once a day). It also gives you the option of taking more in the morning or evening depending on when you're get more highs or hypos.

Although it is classed as working for 24hrs I believe it begins to tail off towards the end of that time.

 

[DaveMH]

Whilst only recently put on insulin I can sympathise with you. When I first joined the Spanish health system they were good enough to give me an English speaking doctor. She was very young and no sooner had I spoken to her for the first time about my diabetes control going haywire (I was still on tablets) she completely changed my meds, I went from an 'iffy' 12 - 16 per day to a nauseous 26 -30! I realised looking at her that I had been diabetic longer than she has been alive!! I just knew what she was doing was completely wrong and yet went with it thinking the different brand/type of pills might work.

By coincidence, when I returned to the diabetic nurse and he saw the numbers he sent me straight back upstairs to the doctor, imagine my relief when the doctor (who did not speak English, my Spanish is...er..ok...ish ) was a more mature guy. He gave me a different set of pills and had me return for three daily check ups with the DN. Within a couple of weeks I was injecting and I am feeling better as every day passes.

Getting the right doctor and or DN is so important, is there a possibility of a change? I feel for you, I honestly do not remember feeling as good as I do now and it is down to getting the right medical personnel.

Wishing you well....ASAP!

regards

Dave

 

[wiflib]

It could very well be the Lantus. It's is well known for causing erratic readings and being unpredictable. Search the threads here, there are a few detailing its problems.

wiflib

 

[MrRyanJames]

Hi FetchMeACoffee
I understand how you feel.
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 6. I'm now 22 years old.
My diabetes have never exactly been normal, some days my sugars can manage as follows;
wake up: BG - 6 - 9mmols
Afternoon: BG - 21 - 25mmols
Pre-evening: BG - 12 - 15mmols
Night: BG - 28 - 30mmols
as you can see, they bounce up and down, and yes it will continuously make you depressed.
I do pray that you're BG levels will ease down and make you feel like a better person.
One thing i thought, helped me was Carb-Counting.
At first i thought to myself "this can't possibly work after so many years"
But later to know, it did actually work.
Ask you're diabetic nurse what the best ways to keep you're BG down to maintainable levels
I wish the best for you and you're diabetes.
Good luck

 

[MrRyanJames]

Although it is classed as working for 24hrs I believe it begins to tail off towards the end of that time.

I am currently taking 28 units of Lantus every night, and even tho this insulin supposed to last for a
24 hour period, mine will last off as soon as i wake up, this is no way proven it works for 24hrs

 

[Patch13]

Although it is classed as working for 24hrs I believe it begins to tail off towards the end of that time.

I am currently taking 28 units of Lantus every night, and even tho this insulin supposed to last for a
24 hour period, mine will last off as soon as i wake up, this is no way proven it works for 24hrs

So have you considered splitting it into morning and night if yours seems to wear off quickly?