Totally unexplained low sugars

[Sue_D]

Hi. I have had type 1 for over 30 yrs. about a year ago I started doing my glargine twice a day as my consultant thought it may not be lasting the 24 hours - in all honesty on reflection i think it was that i was snacking too heavily when I got in from work before dinner and throwing my levels out! Just recently I have had some really odd lows where I have had to consume huge amounts of Lucozade over the space of an hour to get my levels above 5 - sometimes 500ml or more. Often early evening, sometimes afternoon. It has knocked my confidence completely for the first time ever. I decided to go back to one glargine a day. However, on the changeover day today I am in fact now 36 hours into no glargine, with the intention of injecting before bed tonight. I did my last insulatard at 1pm, yet at 4pm I was 5.1 and 7.30pm I was 4.1. This makes no sense to me at all. Some of my severe hypos I just have no explanatn for as they are well over 4 hours since last quick acting and they take so much sugar to raise them. Anyone else had similar or able to offer any explanation? I was diagnosed at 5 and have always just learned how to live with diabetes but since pregnancy with it, I really want to understand it! I only take quite small doses of insulin (or so I believe) as I was doing 6 glargine at night and 5 in the morning, and most average size meals I need 8 quick acting or less

 

[catherinecherub]

Hi Sue, welcome to the forum.

I am a Type2 so cannot offer help but will bump your post up to see if a Type 1 can help.

 

[mo1905]

Hi Sue, do you keep a record of your BG readings and insulin taken ? This would help as diabetes is a condition that raises BG levels, it cannot and does not lower them ( forgive me if I sound condescending ! ). So, occasional erratic readings can happen but if you are experiencing a lot of hypo's this would suggest either too much insulin for consumed carbs or increased activity. If you start keeping a diary it may be possible to find the cause. Good luck and hope your levels get back to normal soon.

Mo

 

[mrman]

You said you were hypo after 4 hours, but did you do a 2 hour reading. I have found my boluses to last for 4~5 hours. you may have been 4~5 after 2 hours which would mean too much quick acting with your food as you would not of had enough to last you for the remaining 2~3 hours of qa, hence a hypo 4 hours later.
you are definatley having too much insulin but hard to even.guess at which without full readings. Ideally, run the fasting tests to check your basal dose is correct as this is key, plenty info here to do that. at the very least would start keeping a diary and noting pre bed readings, morning readings, before all meal readings and 2 hours after all meal readings. while doing this try not to snack between meals. Obviously have something if too low. By having a record you will be able to spot patterns alot easier and make necessary adjustments.

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[Omnipod]

Sue_D. I was exactly the same as you when i was on MDI. I had the worse hypos ever and they sometimes lasted more than an hour and Id drink 2 or 3 bottles of lucozade. My confidence was knocked so badly that I couldnt leave the house without a full bottle of lucozade, and a hypo injection kit. My diabetes consultant switched me over to Tressiba and everything changed. The Levemir seemed to give me the worst hypos. Tressiba is a spikeless long acting insulin. You take it once a day. My hypos changed from severe to ALOT less severe and my overall sgar levels stabilised alot. My HB went from 11% to 8% in 3 months.
Tressiba is the newest insulin and costs more so if you can get your diabetes team to change you over, it will change your life.

 

[iHs]

Hi

I would guess that yr problem is the surplus lantus from 2 jabs to 1 is clashing with the insulatard and that youve got to alter the bolus ratio again to sort things out. Are things any better today?

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