Temporary loss of T1 following sickness

[martl]

Hi,

A year ago I caught a bug from my young son which resulted in pretty nasty vomiting and diarrhoea for about a day. For about 48 hours afterwards my T1 diabetes seemed to disappear. I was able to eat what I wanted without taking insulin with no affect on my blood sugar levels.
I'd company forgotten about it until last week I was on holiday and got a similar bug again resulting in vomiting and a few days of diarrhoea. Through all of that time and about 3 days after my blood sugar levels were about a steady 5.9 mmol with no peaks or troughs. I ate what I wanted with no hypers and went for long walks with no hypos. I then slowly started requiring insulin again first with only small doses before eventually returning to normal.

Has anyone else ever experienced this? I find it really interesting. There has to be something caused by the virus that promotes the pancreas to work normally.

 

[Jaylee]

Hi,

A year ago I caught a bug from my young son which resulted in pretty nasty vomiting and diarrhoea for about a day. For about 48 hours afterwards my T1 diabetes seemed to disappear. I was able to eat what I wanted without taking insulin with no affect on my blood sugar levels.
I'd company forgotten about it until last week I was on holiday and got a similar bug again resulting in vomiting and a few days of diarrhoea. Through all of that time and about 3 days after my blood sugar levels were about a steady 5.9 mmol with no peaks or troughs. I ate what I wanted with no hypers and went for long walks with no hypos. I then slowly started requiring insulin again first with only small doses before eventually returning to normal.

Has anyone else ever experienced this? I find it really interesting. There has to be something caused by the virus that promotes the pancreas to work normally.

Hi,

Do you mean no basal either?

Not sickness for me, but I discovered when I got a night shift job at the tail end of 2020.( short contract.) I was cutting my basal normally done @10pm back so much, due to repetitive hypos. it ended up omitted..? I was cruising in the 5s. But I did need to bolus for the snacks. (& even then had to cut insulin to carb ratio.)

I also notice consistently whilst gigging I leave my basal dose late way long after it’s tailed off… I make sure my meter concurs.
Sometimes after a gig I’m in the mid 4s? But tonight was a little stress with a technical issue I had to blag my way through..
I should technically be sky high..

I’ve never really thought that much about it other than assuming the unpredictability using Lantus. (They was no Novorapid on board after 5pm on the graph below.

Regarding viruses? I’ve not had major issues with BG management. Some T1s have (I’ve noticed) reported going high.

Probably no help to you.. But sometimes weird stuff happens with no explanation? Even if it does coincide with certain “variables.”

 

[martl]

Yep no basal. No insulin at all. I ate a ton of cake and no spike. Went for a long walk, and no dip. I appreciate there are unexplained peaks and troughs like what you have mentioned, but I've never wholly 'lost' diabetes before apart from these two times and both happened to coincide with sickness and diarrhoea. Can't be a coincidence.

 

[Juicyj]

Weirdly enough i've found whenever i've been ill that my t1 is really well controlled, but put that down to lack of spontaneity and ability to control BG levels better as not much else to do, however never been able to omit insulin completely since diagnosis 10 years ago.