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Run blood sugar a bit high, or a bit low?

jessie

Well-Known Member
Messages
275
Location
Gloucestershire
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi all,

Over the past 6 months or so I've got into a really steady routine with my diet and overall control. My last HSBC was 5.3, cholesterol etc all good. I've been following a low carb diet since diagnosis in 2008 (100g or less a day). Recently though I've been feeling constantly tired, every day is either a headache or sore throat or just feeling generally run down. Then I noticed that the days when I felt good / normal were the days when I woke up with a BS of between 6 and 8 (if I'd been out for a meal or snacked before bed). When I wake up between 3.8 - 5 I feel rubbish all day and find it really hard to concentrate at work.

Now I'm stuck in limbo... I've been eating more carbs for the past 7 days and am feeling loads better and much more alert but I'm averaging between 6 and 9 mmol... which is high for me. I'm not sure which way to go now, I just want to feel settled and more relaxed with my diabetes, I want to crack it!!

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Jessie x
 
Waking up to numbers as low as 3.8 is not ideal, you are hypo at this level and lets not forget that your meter reading is not accurate and your bg could indeed be much lower. I think you have found the solution yourself, you need to up your carbs slightly to a level where you don't feel ill and lifeless, I too felt like this when I lowered my carbs to low and a small increase soon recovered the situation.

The 9mmol figure is to high, but anything around the 6 mark is perfectly acceptable and is within the NICE guidelines.

Nigel
 
Thanks Nigel,

I guess I need to find a 'happy medium', although I do find that when I start eating carbs I can't stop, which is a problem!

Do you eat small portions of pasta / rice / bread or avoid them completely?

Jessie. x
 
jessie said:
Thanks Nigel,

I guess I need to find a 'happy medium', although I do find that when I start eating carbs I can't stop, which is a problem!

Do you eat small portions of pasta / rice / bread or avoid them completely?

Jessie. x
Click to expand...

A 'happy medium' is what it is all about Jessie, a eating plan which keeps bg within range, fulfils you nutritionally, and sustains you throughout the day, but above all one that you can stick to for the rest of your life without ill effect.

I do still eat small portions of potatoes, rice, pasta and even bread, but limit my carb content for each meal to no more than 40g of carbs, I choose low-gi foods wherever possible and stick to eating a low-fat diet, it works well for me but I do carb count religiously and monitor my bg up to 8 times a day. I did the DAFNE course last year which was fantastic in establishing and teaching me to work out my insulin/carb ratio, and should you have not done this course already I can highly recommend it!

Nigel
 
I really want to do a Daphne course but there's not one in my area, annoyingly.

I test a lot too, it's the only way to keep track but my Doctor keeps telling me off!

I'm going to review my eating plan, introduce a few more good carbs, mainly in the evenings.

Thanks for the great advice.

Jessie.
 
Hi Jessie,

Have you tried reducing your insulin a smidge? I sdo not know whether you are on basal bolus, a pump, or one of the other insulins..and each has a slightly different thing to tweak...but if you are happy with your diet, sould you adjust you insulin?
 
Hi Sugar,

I'm quite confident with 'tweaking' and experiment quite a bit! I take Lantus and Novo Rapid, I keep changing my Lantus from 9 units to 10 units a day. I find with 10 units I can eat a bit more but still have too many lows, like the 3.8s when waking up. When I take 9 units I have to be really careful with my carbs. I really want to stick to a routine but can't quite seem to crack it!

Maybe 9 units of Lantus + a few more carbs + exercise (which I admit to doing none of at present) would work...?

Thanks for your reply.

Jessie x
 
Jessie

You really need to work out how many carbs you are eating, and how much insulin you need to cover this amount..

Most clinic that don't offer the DAFNE course, will offer a carb counting course of their own making, I would enquire again what this is...

If you get yourself the a calorie counting book (they did with carbs as well) you can work out how many carbs in a meal you are using...

The weigh and calculate your normal meal, take your usual dose for that meal.. And measure your levels t see what happens... If your suffer a hypo, then two much insulin, high bg not enough..

Another consideration is your basal (backgorund insulin) controling your basal profile, if it is correct, the over a fasting period the your blood glucose level shouldn't alter by more than +/- 2mmol/ml,,

Getting the basal sorted is very important, as if this isn't correct it's pretty impossible to work out correct carb:insulin ratios..
 
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