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Type 1 STEROID INJECTION CAUSING HUGE SPIKE IN BG

Worthy

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hi
Im T1 for 30 years , and use Omnipod pump since 2 tears ago

I had a steroid injection in my shoulder 4 days ago (Kemalog) and have neen unable to get BG below 10 ever since

BG Range is 11 - 17 despite reducing Carbs to minimal AND increasing Insulin dosage by almost 100% !

I tested for Ketones , thankfully only 0.2 at moment

Anyone any experience or suggestions on what else I can do ?
 
Hello @Worthy I had a steroid injection in my hand and shoulder about 3 years ago now, my BG levels were raised for around a week afterwards and despite lots of correcting I really struggled with getting into range, there's not much you can do other than what you're already doing, which is correcting and minimising carbs, it will ease off. Try exercising more though if you don't already but just keep a close eye on your levels for when things return to normal.
 
Hi @Worthy, I had a steroid injection years ago for De Quervain's tenosynovitis - 2 tendons cross each other on the thumb side of the lower forearm. I has spent the weekend canoeing with a different style paddle to my usual one and by Sunday evening had pain when I tried to move my right thumb.
The next day I have the steroid injection into the tendon sheaths and had to put my insulin dose up x3 per 24 hours for 5 days.
Yep the steroid really can mess with the insulin resistance. But I still go kayaking !!
I hope your steroid injection works and that you find your feet sugar-wise.
 
Thanks for that reassurance ..yes I am exercising too, however after a trip to the Gym yesterday , BG was even higher ...possibly because the steroid was being "moved around the body ….
 
Thanks for that reassurance ..yes I am exercising too, however after a trip to the Gym yesterday , BG was even higher ...possibly because the steroid was being "moved around the body ….
I will get a high BSL during and straight after exercise because I think of the adrenaline released which causes glucose to be released by my liver. Also if I exercise with a starting BSL of 14 mmol/l plus, my BSL goes higher because of some recognised biochemical effect whereby the liver releases glucose because the body cells are starving due to relative lack of insulin.
Maybe your BSL was above that level due to the steroid injection.
 
I second (or is it third) the comments above.
I experienced high BG for about a week after a steroid injection and increased the basal on my pump by about 50%.

You seem to be having it a little worse than that. I wonder if you are experiencing insulin resistance at the higher BG level and need more bolus to bring it down to a level that your basal can maintain. I find I need nearly twice as much correction when my BG gets over 15.

I hope the steroid treatment has worked and this is a one-off.

I assume your comment about "use Omnipod pump since 2 tears ago" is a typo. But I love the idea you have only cried twice since having the pump
 
thanks that's very interesting , and yes I was > 14 at the start
 
ha ha , yes I am not the best typist …… Insulin resistance is defo occurring . many thanks
 
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