Type1 Son Very High Levels Suddenly

[Babydee00001]

Hello all , I have emailed my nurse regarding this so hopefully she will get back to me Monday .
After his diagnosis beginning of March he had been doing really great but for the last week and a bit he keep having really high levels. Some even 16mmol .
I have adjusted his carb ratios on machine yet still having these crazy highs .
Over the last three months he has been having just 2 units of Lantus per night as he was having a lot of hypos prior .
That amount has been working great .
I’m wondering if maybe it’s the Lantus being so low now that he is having all these highs ?!
I was wondering if the weather cooling off could potentially make his levels higher or maybe he’s getting a cold but then it’s been going on over a week as I say .
He feels fine in himself also .
On his machine when he’s had these highs it says he has no active insulin.
Also it suggests bolus amount of insulin to give which I haven’t as I’ve never been told to by nurse.
I usually just make him some cold water n sit with him while he drinks a few glasses then test again in hour.
Unless it’s mealtime and he has insulin to correct it it usually stays high.
Maybe his honeymoon is over completely?!
So many things I’m wondering but the main thing is does anyone have any advice on this ? Have they had similar with their children ?!
Any advise would be fab . TIA xx

 

[urbanracer]

So first off I'd suggest examining other variables, did it coincide with a new batch of test strips, new batch or change of insulin?

Where are you? Has the weather (ambient temperature ) changed, have acitivity levels changed (back to school ?).

 

[eventhorizon]

Hi Tia.

My bet would be his his honeymoon period is coming to an end. It's a tricky time as the pancreas gives up in spits and spats.

The most important thing to get right with the help of your diabetes team is the basel dose and timings. Which may change significantly over the next few weeks and months.

Keep testing and learning and with the help of your team you'll become more confident in making changes yourself.

Glen.

 

[Babydee00001]

So first off I'd suggest examining other variables, did it coincide with a new batch of test strips, new batch or change of insulin?

Where are you? Has the weather (ambient temperature ) changed, have acitivity levels changed (back to school ?).

Thank u for reply . Yes all of the above recently , the weather turned cold , we had a mini holiday and he’s gone back to school . The strips are the same and insulin had been the same until yesterday but he was still high .
It’s strange too as yesterday he was having a great play in my mums back garden all afternoon , came in for tea and he was 14mmol !
I really don’t know what to think .
Last night I gave him 3 units of Lantus to see if maybe he may need more if honeymoon is over ?!
It’s all such a guessing game isn’t it .
Fingers crossed today will pan out better for him

 

[Babydee00001]

Hi Tia.

My bet would be his his honeymoon period is coming to an end. It's a tricky time as the pancreas gives up in spits and spats.

The most important thing to get right with the help of your diabetes team is the basel dose and timings. Which may change significantly over the next few weeks and months.

Keep testing and learning and with the help of your team you'll become more confident in making changes yourself.

Glen.

Thank u for reply. Yes I’m hoping they can advise me more .
I’m ok adjusting his carb ratios and Lantus but like I say the machine advice saying about bolus to correct when not eating. I wonder if they will say to do that in future if he’s extremely high.
Or maybe next time I’ll get him to eat a bag of crisps or something, so we can enter the carbs then it will say what insulin to give to correct .

 

[Babydee00001]

Just I remember the nurse saying they don’t usually give correction dose , they wait until next mealtime for it . So yeah let’s see about today . He had a little more Lantus last night so we shall see if has any effect .
He wakes with good levels but from 12 noon onwards is when they have been high .
Not continually but two at least a day

 

[eventhorizon]

Most people don't get 24 hour basel cover from Lantus. Ask the nurse about splitting Lantus morning and evening.

 

[Bananas 2]

Could be a waning of the honeymoon phase, as mentioned above... or perhaps a growth spurt. Growth spurts can cause high BG levels for a period of time if no counter-measures are taken, then revert to previous levels after the spurt. We do low-carb/low-GI (using R insulin for meals) for our son, so we typically increase insulin to counter the growth spurts, as opposed to reducing carbs as we are at minimum already. This usually lasts a week or more, then we go back to previous program when we see lower than expected BG's. Since we are going lowcarb, this minimizes risk and we usually do not see a huge change either way, but do see the changes in BG response nonetheless during spurts, cold/flu, etc.

 

[kitedoc]

Hi @Babydee00001, How old is your son? His age might give a clue about if a growth spurt is likely.
I was diagnosed at age 13 (51 years ago) and it was much more hit and miss in the absence of glucose meters etc but I found that for high BSLs (on basis of glucose in the urine) I had to increase my insulin (say with the next dose. not as a correction dose) by 20% at least and if it appeared to be persistent high sugars then my long acting and short acting had to go up at least 20%.
For growth spurts I would step up insulin by 20 to 30% per day or two - initially and found that i needed twice my usual dose, which information I used for the next growth spurt to step up the dose more quickly. After 1 to 2 weeks the hypos started which was the cue to back peddle on the insulin doses as the growth spurt had finished.
It would be good to discuss how to manage your son's high BSL and about growth spurts so that you have a plan for the next time one of these episodes occurs, whether caused a growth spurt or some other cause.
Best Wishes to you and your son.