Type 1 Why do I go hypo after my insulin

[nedboyd1967]

I’ve been keeping my blood sugars under pretty great control recently but over the last few days I’ve been having issues with my bolus insulin and going hypo.

Last night I ate dinner, a big bowl of pasta, and my bloods were 6.5mmol. I have myself 3 units of my bolus insulin, which is a lot less than usual, and within 10 mins I was hypo. I then treated the hypo with a small amount of sugar and my sugars balanced out.

I check a couple of hours later and they were still good. Did my basal as normal and then have just woken up with a reading of 23mmol.

Obviously carbs are slower burning and need insulin to bring down. I think this is why I’m receding a high reading in the morning but I’m confused about the hypos im having as soon as I eat and inject. It’s been happening for the last few days…

Any advice…?

Thanks

 

[Hertfordshiremum]

I’ve been keeping my blood sugars under pretty great control recently but over the last few days I’ve been having issues with my bolus insulin and going hypo.

Last night I ate dinner, a big bowl of pasta, and my bloods were 6.5mmol. I have myself 3 units of my bolus insulin, which is a lot less than usual, and within 10 mins I was hypo. I then treated the hypo with a small amount of sugar and my sugars balanced out.

I check a couple of hours later and they were still good. Did my basal as normal and then have just woken up with a reading of 23mmol.

Obviously carbs are slower burning and need insulin to bring down. I think this is why I’m receding a high reading in the morning but I’m confused about the hypos im having as soon as I eat and inject. It’s been happening for the last few days…

Any advice…?

Thanks

What’s your bolus? Sounds like you took it after the pasta? Or how long before the pasta did you take it?

 

[Deleted member 527103]

The insulin we inject for bolus works at the same speed unlike the food we eat - the carbs from different foods are absorbed at different rates. For example, we take jelly babies to treat a hypo because the carbs are absorbed very fast. In contrast food with a high fat content such as chocolate or curry or pasta, especially with a fatty sauce, are absorbed slowly.
When I eat pizza, I find the high fat content and the high carb content can cause my levels to keep rising 5 or 6 hours after eating.
The way to overcome this is to split my insulin. I have about a quarter when I start eating and the rest a few hours later.

Unfortunately, you need to trial and error to work out the ratios and timings for your pasta. but splitting the insulin is the way to go.

Another thought about your hypo - what insulin do you take and what are your levels like when you take it?
The reason I ask is that I use Fiasp. This works great for me as a very fast acting bolus. However, I have found the speed at which it works seems o be dependent upon my blood sugar levels. If I was to take it when my levels are in the 4s, I will hypo straight away; if I was to take it when my levels were around 10, it could take nearly an hour to see them start to move. As I result, I have to take my starting blood sugar into consideration when timing my insulin.

 

[nedboyd1967]

The insulin we inject for bolus works at the same speed unlike the food we eat - the carbs from different foods are absorbed at different rates. For example, we take jelly babies to treat a hypo because the carbs are absorbed very fast. In contrast food with a high fat content such as chocolate or curry or pasta, especially with a fatty sauce, are absorbed slowly.
When I eat pizza, I find the high fat content and the high carb content can cause my levels to keep rising 5 or 6 hours after eating.
The way to overcome this is to split my insulin. I have about a quarter when I start eating and the rest a few hours later.

Unfortunately, you need to trial and error to work out the ratios and timings for your pasta. but splitting the insulin is the way to go.

Another thought about your hypo - what insulin do you take and what are your levels like when you take it?
The reason I ask is that I use Fiasp. This works great for me as a very fast acting bolus. However, I have found the speed at which it works seems o be dependent upon my blood sugar levels. If I was to take it when my levels are in the 4s, I will hypo straight away; if I was to take it when my levels were around 10, it could take nearly an hour to see them start to move. As I result, I have to take my starting blood sugar into consideration when timing my insulin.

I also use fiasp which is the same as novo rapid with the addition of vitamin B3 I believe, which speeds up how quickly it works.

I don’t have a regular diet and eat a whole variety of different foods so sometimes hard to understand what each food will do unfortunately but thanks for the tips. I actually have never split my insulin, but Ben though the diabetic nurse mentioned this a long time ago, so will try this with longer acting carbs. I also see pizza and similar food take a long time to impact my sugars.

Thanks for the advice

 

[Deleted member 527103]

I also use fiasp which is the same as novo rapid with the addition of vitamin B3 I believe, which speeds up how quickly it works.

I too use Fiasp and understand how it works in reality.
Be aware the speed it works depend upon your starting blood sugar,