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Type 1'stars R Us

I’m the same, I don’t mind a hypo, they’re usually pretty painless, quick and easy to pull myself out of. And I say that after a day of lows! But my caveat to that is that they usually ARE very mild, because I only use tiny amounts of insulin - I had some spectacular ones before when I was taking 6-12u with a meal. Love him or loathe him, I do like Bernstein’s “law of small numbers” when it comes to insulin dosing - I usually take a lot less than 1.5u with a meal. And as I’ve mentioned before, my ketone fuelled brain doesn’t get the panic symptoms a glucose fuelled brain does, even though my body does get the usual hypo symptoms - I can think clearly and work out exactly how many dex tabs will get me back into range. So I don’t tend to eat the kitchen and end up overshooting.

Hypers, on the other hand make me feel terrible for hours on end, and since THAT eye letter, I’m now imagining sugar crystals rasping my retinas to shreds the second I hit 8mmol...
 
@Knikki the more I see on here the more I think I may be in a minority who'd rather be hyper than hypo. In 30+ years I've only had one hypo that required medical assistance which was so scary and the after effects so unpalatable I never wanted to go through that again. Until a few years ago I worked away a lot and was determined never to need medical help for a hypo when I was away from home, and for the past few years I've been repeatedly told by my hcps to avoid hypos. So I do, but as a result I've run my bg higher and it's why it's taken me a long time to get anywhere near approaching the levels lots of others achieve. Frankly I don't like either but I dislike hypos more; it feels to me like it could easily slide out of control .
 
Just to add - when I was diagnosed on 1998, I was role not to worry about hypos, as they were easy to deal with and wouldn’t do any harm - that if I was to lose consciousness, my liver would rescue me and dump glucose. They said it was the highs that were to be avoided, as they were what caused long term damage. Maybe that’s where I get my laissez-faire attitude to hypos from? No mention was ever made of hypos causing brain damage, heart damage or death.

I’ve only needed glucogel twice in all that time, I’ve never lost consciousness through a hypo. My glucagon kits are years out of date, I’ve never used one. I have had two near fatal DKAs though...
 
HH1 welcome to my world. I detest hypos and tend to err on the side of slightly high rather than low. If I feel i can be in complete control of a situation eg at home or at work I am fine. However if i am out and about I am very wary of hypos.

Dont get me wrong hypers are horrible as well, but after a few hours I feel OK

I admire some of you guys on here for your total commitment to maintaining as near as 5 for your BG and being comfortable with 3.5 and 4. Previously I would panic at anything less than 4, but have recently got a little better. Instead of downing coffee with sugar and biscuits to take my BG back up quickly, I try to start with a few jelly beans and let my BG rise gradually

Typically I only really feel comfortable with BG of between 6--8. But for me that is a huge improvement on many many years of running at 9+
 
Couldn't agree more @smc4761, though I'm comfortable between 5 & 7. Below 5 and I'm checking the Libre all the time.... I now find that it takes far less glucose to raise bg than it used to so I'm v cautious about not responding too soon or with too many jelly babies
 
I don't know I am hypo! Well I do now the MM alarms to tell me
.
 
hh1 said:
the more I see on here the more I think I may be in a minority who'd rather be hyper than hypo.
Click to expand...

I'll preface this with I'd rather be neither; euglycemic and in range, but we don't live in that perfect world..


I agree with you and don't like running in the 4s. I developed trepidation about lows fairly quickly: partly because I place being able to drive whenever I need/want to high on my importance list and partly as hypos were explained to me as the more acute of the two to be avoided as much as possible after diagnosis. I think it was maybe my 2nd or 3rd appointment after diagnosis where I asked to adjust my target range to 5-8 from 4-7 and I've stuck with it since.

I can correct a hyper (or slightly out of range high) and check it comes back down without having the more immediate symptoms a hypo is likely to present and without having to pause my day or current activity.
 
Fairygodmother said:
That’s just daft! Of course adults need half unit pens, look at all of us who are using them. Maybe time to stay in the chair til you’re prescribed a couple?
Click to expand...

I’m certainly feeling so much more informed thanks to everyone on here. Which is always a help when putting your case forwards.
 
Re the hypo v hyper debate. Have been tussling with hyper for the last 24 hrs. Just get it to 11 and off that arrow goes again. Have been through more insulin than in the previous 3 days. Not ill! Insulin fresh and ok. It will be the basal, which I’d drastically reduced following a week of bad hypos. Upped the basal this morning. This is a continuing pattern for me over the years. Exceedingly annoying.
Luckily for me, treating a hypo takes 1-2 jelly babies if above 3, a can of small coke if below. Never eat anything else and within minutes I’m rising back up. This wretched hyper is taking all my ingenuity and time and quite frankly it makes me want to throw in the towel. Give me a hypo anytime, in fact some time this morning would be a godsend.
 
Morning all, in the hypo/hyper debate, I'm going to cause a bit of trouble. Yesterday I decided I wanted to avoid an after lunch spike, because I had one the day before, so I waited too long to eat, and ended up with a nasty hypo, and of course, the nasty hypo became a persistent high, overnight.

I would have been better off with that after meal spike I was trying to avoid. So I will argue that there is no simple answer to this.

I'm back into target range now, so a lesson is learnt, and I can move on.
 
Good morning y'all, the joys of waking to a 17.4, dropping to 17.2 after an hour, foods ready to cook, starving but am going for a walk around the block to help it start dropping.

It 'should' settle down today I hope at least it wants to do...
 
Its been a funny old week with my overnight BG. I had spoken with my DSN on Tuesday about my forthcoming appointment with pump clinic at end of month. As I am having a few issues with injection sites,and occasional/ regular dawn phenomenon, she had suggested that I do my overnight Levemir in my bottom an area I had rarely injected into. I was to do this until my appointment at end of month.

Well so far, every overnight I have had a hypo, been as low as 2.3, but I have woken up, as I always do and managed to treat this. For the past few nights I have also reduced my Levemir from 26 units to 22 units, about 15% and still the hypos come.

The only other change to my routine is I am taking fairly strong painkillers for back muscle spasms, which I dont think will affect my BG

My conclusion to this short spell is that by injecting into an area that has been rarely used, perhaps the full dose of insulin is actually being absorbed. Think I will reduce by another 10% and see how this goes.

Of course for every ying there is a yang, my BG yesterday remained steady but slightly high at around 8 despite eating very little carbs
 
In the summer I saw the consultant nurse for Somerset (apart from in research trials haven't seen a doctor consultant for over 8 years - appointment finally in November!) who checked my sites and found lipohypertrophy across an area of my abdomen. I do rotate sites religiously, including areas other than this but can't say for sure I was so diligent 30+ years ago. Having avoided the area ever since I've found my bg is much more predictable in response to insulin doses, which now unsurprisingly average less than before. Just another small complicator in T1
 
An odd morning, I'd usually have 2.5u for breakfast, but having woke high I took 4u, that brought me down to 9.2 and sat there so I've had another 2.5u and have just dropped to 8, food still waiting to be eaten, obviously the knock on effect from moving the long acting to the morning and a coverage gap to catch up on.

The gym's going to be fun as I don't feel particularly energetic (the gym's called 'Energise') but I'll get there

"Poppycock". My word of the day so far......
 
The last 2 days have been ruled by a painful malfunction in my wretched right knee, one of the congenitally malformed pair my lovely parents gifted me with, and I’d give anything to be going to a gym or for a swim @kev-w! Hope your bs behaves better once it’s energised.
I agree, @helensaramay, novoslow’s often really duff at getting a high down, beware the novogathering of wickedness when it’s all amalgamated and dumps you in a trough.
 
That was interesting regarding the Hypo / Hyper question I asked and interesting to see what people think, maybe should ask in the general forum and see what those newly diagnosed this but maybe later.

Anyway had a flu jab this morning, yes battled out in the wind and rain, swam across the car park and stood inline with the rest of the old folk, who, true to form, moaned about the whole thing .

On another side note, I like wearing Dr Marten boots, something I have worn on and off since I was a rug rat and true to form I had some on when we got married, so here is a picture of under the registrars table which seems to attracted a fair bit of attention

 
Hi @Knikki .
The Doc Martens.......very interesting if not even a work of art.
But why oh why are you doing Riverdance during the wedding ceremony????
 
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