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Spiking not long after eating?

J

josie369

Newbie
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4
So i'm getting so frustrated with this!
So most mornings I have a bowl of cereal. Some days (not often) my levels are fine afterwards, they stay under 8 mm/ol and 2 hours later i'm usually around 4 or 5 mm/ol again. Happy days! But then there are other days, when I inject beforehand after carb counting, go and make my cereal, eat it, then suffer with a headache for around 2 hours, if I test myself 20/30 minutes after I've eaten I'm around 7 mm/ol, then 1 hour/90 minutes later I'll test again and I've risen to around 11 mm/ol. It's so frustrating. I've tried injecting at different times, both closer and further from when I eat, I've reduced the serving size I'm eating, instead of 30 grams I've reduced it to 15 grams and instead of 45 grams I've reduced it to 20/25 grams. Still, this does nothing. Some people have told me to give up cereal... but I can't! I'm a student and it's cheap, simple, quick and fills me up, plus I LOVE IT! I don't want diabetes to completely change the way I do things and what I eat, otherwise it really depresses me. Others say type 1 diabetics can eat whatever they want, if this is true how do I overcome this?
Also, I don't just have cereal in the morning and this happens it's whenever I eat it so it's not dawn phenomon.
I've just had 1 vanilla poptart. I know they are full of sugar, but I have eaten them before and if I stick to one and inject beforehand i've found that my levels stay good. However today I injected around 10 minutes beforehand (2 units as I woke up low anyway with 2.3 mm/ol) then ate it, tested just under an hour later and i was 11.1 mm/ol! I've just tested again and i'm still around this number (90 minutes later). Is it something i'm doing wrong? Or is this normal for diabetics?
Please help! This is really getting me down I'm fed up with the headaches! Also even if I do rise to around 11 mm/ol 90 minutes later, around an hour later I'll crash and be around 2/3 mm/ol, what's up with that!?
Thanks!
 
Afternoon Josie,

From the sounds of it you are new to being a type I, if so you may still be in what's known as the 'honeymoon' period. During this time your pancreas can randomly increase or decrease the amount of insulin that it produces which can cause unpredictable blood glucose. Unfortunately other than frequent testing there is not a lot you can do to combat this! For the most part this honeymoon period will only last for months before your pancreas gives up the ghost completely.

In regards to food... all carbohydrates will increase your blood glucose (not just sugars..) the only difference being the speed at which your blood glucose increases. Although it's quite true that you can eat whatever you like.. you may find that to begin with reducing your carbohydrate consumption helps you to maintain more stable blood glucose.

Finally.. you don't mention what type of insulin regime you are on? do you inject a mixtard insulin or do you do a background and a rapid insulin... incorrect insulin dosage can lead to these highs and lows that you are experiencing but it is difficult to offer advise without knowing what you inject when.
 
Hi Josie, just thought I'd let you know that I'm a low onset type 1 or T1.5. I have frustrating times too with highs and it's because of the 'honeymoon period'. It's not just the quick acting insulin you need to adjust but the background as well but your Diabetes team will be able to guide you on this.

Interestingly milk chocolate, certain biscuits and beer/ lager tends to send my levels very high no matter if i correctly match the quick acting insulin...so for now I've written them off as I tend to feel very ill when I have high glucose levels.
 
At the moment I inject 4 units at around 6 pm each night. I did try doing 2 units in the morning and 2 at night but this led to me being high most mornings
 
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