Hiya

[donerg]

Ah, I understand. Why has it been suggested you’re skipping meals? Have you lost weight or is it being suggested you’re going low because you’re not eating enough?

The itching could be something as simple as dry skin due to high blood sugars, or perhaps it’s a reaction to your insulin - rare but worth keeping in mind. Some people can tolerate certain insulins better than others.

Could the tingling and pain in your face be due to inadvertently clenching the muscles in your face? I had a lot of pain in my whole head and worked out it was due to tension. It was only a slight mis-positioning of a muscle/joint that caused mine.

Yes I did lose a lot of weight and kept losing. I had got to the point where my body had gone into survival mode and food was not enjoyable but necessary for me to live.

I was wondering if it could be a reaction to the insulin, as I am sensitivities to caffine, codine and morphine. I have been eliminating everything that could be a cause. I have not been for an MOT with my chiropractor for a while so it might be worth a visit. Thank you so much for everyone giving me ideas into what could be causing these.

 

[donerg]

Ok - a couple of things. First, Levemir is usually taken twice daily so it might be that you need a small amount of insulin in the morning to help smooth your sugars over the day.

Secondly, it’s easier to think of how much insulin you’re taking in the following way: 1:20g, ie one unit of insulin for each 20g of carbs. This is called a meal ratio and they can vary for different meals, eg 1:8 for breakfast, 1:10 for lunch, 1:12 for evening meal. Doing it in that way is the usual way but importantly it also makes it easier to work out adjustments. You say you started on 1:10g then “halved your insulin” (ie to 1:20g in the system I’ve explained above), but it could be that you need a 1:15g ratio, for example - that is, one unit of insulin for every 15g carbs (or 1:16 or whatever).

Ok with the Levemir to me that would make sense as it appears at the moment I am being told this should last me all day and even I can tell i don't think it is.

I have never heard of a meal ratio and get this totally. This way would be far less drastic on my body and my results. I have a lot to learn, which is good for me.

 

[donerg]

Have you done the free Bertie online carb/insulin training course? Sounds like you’d benefit from educating yourself more on how insulin works.

Funny enough I started the Bertie online course yesterday after I found it advertised on one of the links in a chat line. Thank you for the advice as I would definitely benefit from the education as I am going to be with insulin for a long time.

 

[Inka]

Ok with the Levemir to me that would make sense as it appears at the moment I am being told this should last me all day and even I can tell i don't think it is.

I have never heard of a meal ratio and get this totally. This way would be far less drastic on my body and my results. I have a lot to learn, which is good for me.

Levemir doesn’t last 24 hours and smaller doses last less time, I found. Taking Levemir twice a day doesn’t necessarily mean increasing the amount you take. You just take what you need to cover the daytime and then a second dose to cover the night. Some people might need more in the morning than at night, others might need the opposite. Although taking an extra injection might seem annoying, it gives more flexibility and better cover.

I forgot to ask if you have a half unit pen. If not, do get one/two. They’re really useful when you’re on small doses of insulin.

 

[donerg]

HI there
LADA here also. I've read your thread. I have had a lot of the symptoms that you have had and yet I have not started on insulin yet. Up until June my levels were controlled by diet alone. Then I started metformin which as expected didn't really work. They would control the spike on the evening meal a bit but not enough on their own. When my Hba1c started to reduce I had the itch all over and in fact my feet and legs broke out in like hives very very itchy and very very sore but that has all calmed down now. My levels are high in the evening and fasting blood sugar up to usually 9 now and can somtimes hit 10. I can control the evening rise by diet and exercise but nothing will bring down the fasting blood sugar. If I want a low reading I need to wake and test at 6am and get up and get breakfast otherwise it will just keep rising. After I eat breakfast mostly I am back in range in two hours and will drop to the lowest 4 before lunch. At this stage like you I can experience the tingling hands nose forehead, like a numb feeling, and my feet are usually freezing. So far my treatment is has started with oral meds and if the new medication doesn't work then straight to insulin. Whilst this is something I'd like to avoid I know myself it is the better treatment and probably easier on the body than taking tablets and in one way if I need it I'd rather just get started and get on with it.

You are not alone in how you feel mentally. Usually like you I have pro-active and positive but I have days now where I just feel its bigger than me and more than I can deal with. Take comfort in the fact there is plenty of support here. The mental aspect of this has been more difficult to deal with than the physical.

Hi Richard
I was surprised to read your thread. I thought I was doing this on my own. Was on metformin for over 5 years when they found I was not a type 2 after I had become very unwell and an addition to metformin had no effect. I was dealing with the highs and lows without realising what was causing them just my gut instinct and my determination whatever it was, was not going to end me. I now know that as I was hitting 21's 23+ so it is likely my lows were not as low as could be expected, however these felt very real and even continued for a while when on insulin.

I had quite a wobble before and when I started to use insulin. However once I started it I did not realise how unwell I had been feeling for so long and I discovered I love food, which I never had for as far back as I could remember. Not the food I used to eat but my taste in food change completely. Part of the annoyance I feel is because I had been given the joys of food and then it seemed to be taken away from me. So as I am slightly further in my journey let me extend the same to you as you will not be alone when it is time to take the step to insulin.

Part of my career has been spent working in mental health settings and although the physical aspect appeared to be out of my hands to start with so I worked on what I could and that was the emotional attachment to all of this. It does take time but I am in a much better place than I was, and I can totally agree with you that it has been more difficult to deal with the mental aspect than the physical.

 

[donerg]

Levemir doesn’t last 24 hours and smaller doses last less time, I found. Taking Levemir twice a day doesn’t necessarily mean increasing the amount you take. You just take what you need to cover the daytime and then a second dose to cover the night. Some people might need more in the morning than at night, others might need the opposite. Although taking an extra injection might seem annoying, it gives more flexibility and better cover.

I forgot to ask if you have a half unit pen. If not, do get one/two. They’re really useful when you’re on small doses of insulin.

I have been warned that I will need a much higher dose than I am already taking. Spreading the dose I need throughout the day is something I will be talking about the next time I see my DNS. She has also mentioned a couple of time about a half unit pen and I think it is a good idea, another discussion.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry you are having such a tricky time with your diabetes @donerg

Hope the BERTIE course helps to fill in some of the blanks for you, and your careful experimentation begins to see some positive results.

Diabetes can be a real nuisance, and it can be extra tricky when your own body is releasing unknown quantities of insulin irregularly. Some leftover homegrown insulin production can really help to smooth out the wobbles, but other times the unpredictable fits and starts of extra insulin can confuse matters!

 

[richardmillar11]

Hi Richard
I was surprised to read your thread. I thought I was doing this on my own. Was on metformin for over 5 years when they found I was not a type 2 after I had become very unwell and an addition to metformin had no effect. I was dealing with the highs and lows without realising what was causing them just my gut instinct and my determination whatever it was, was not going to end me. I now know that as I was hitting 21's 23+ so it is likely my lows were not as low as could be expected, however these felt very real and even continued for a while when on insulin.

I had quite a wobble before and when I started to use insulin. However once I started it I did not realise how unwell I had been feeling for so long and I discovered I love food, which I never had for as far back as I could remember. Not the food I used to eat but my taste in food change completely. Part of the annoyance I feel is because I had been given the joys of food and then it seemed to be taken away from me. So as I am slightly further in my journey let me extend the same to you as you will not be alone when it is time to take the step to insulin.

Part of my career has been spent working in mental health settings and although the physical aspect appeared to be out of my hands to start with so I worked on what I could and that was the emotional attachment to all of this. It does take time but I am in a much better place than I was, and I can totally agree with you that it has been more difficult to deal with the mental aspect than the physical.

Hi Donerg

No you are not alone. There are a few of us type 1.5s or type unknown on here that I have chatted to. I was exactly the same in regards food. All my life I just eat because I had to but not very much and never carried any weight at all although I always had a sweet tooth. Then in my 30s I discovered food and different food and I loved it and enjoyed it so much and the wright started piling on. Dinner and going out etc. and takeaways was really something to look forward to and just as you say then it's taken away from you. It was very hard to deal with and left me feeling terrible mentally but nearly a year later I have the urge to eat under control.

 

[donerg]

Sorry you are having such a tricky time with your diabetes @donerg

Hope the BERTIE course helps to fill in some of the blanks for you, and your careful experimentation begins to see some positive results.

Diabetes can be a real nuisance, and it can be extra tricky when your own body is releasing unknown quantities of insulin irregularly. Some leftover homegrown insulin production can really help to smooth out the wobbles, but other times the unpredictable fits and starts of extra insulin can confuse matters!

Thank you.

I am hoping so as I have so many gaps at the moment. this has been happening for such a long time and I have know for as long as I can remember something was not right but could not put my finger on it. so I dealt with this as I do with everything in my life gung ho, full metal jacket style and now things need to change. As i have explanations, reasons why my survival instincts kicked in as they did and was quite possibly the reason why it has taken so long for me to actually find out what was wrong. For which I am grateful for but it does not make the process any easier as we are all human and have the same range of thoughts, feelings and emotions. It is how we deal with them that can make a difference.

I make my diabetic nurse laugh as I have said that I am the happiest person on insulin as what I was experiencing before this was far worse. I know I have a long way to go with a lot of trial and error ahead but at least I have a path to follow now instead of stumbling around blindly, all guns blazing. Not sure if anyone can understand or relate to this. I know I do as I was that soldier. Now I am showing my age.

 

[donerg]

With the deck of cards in case anyone was uncertain which soldier I was talking about

 

[donerg]

Hi Donerg

No you are not alone. There are a few of us type 1.5s or type unknown on here that I have chatted to. I was exactly the same in regards food. All my life I just eat because I had to but not very much and never carried any weight at all although I always had a sweet tooth. Then in my 30s I discovered food and different food and I loved it and enjoyed it so much and the wright started piling on. Dinner and going out etc. and takeaways was really something to look forward to and just as you say then it's taken away from you. It was very hard to deal with and left me feeling terrible mentally but nearly a year later I have the urge to eat under control.

Hi Donerg

No you are not alone. There are a few of us type 1.5s or type unknown on here that I have chatted to. I was exactly the same in regards food. All my life I just eat because I had to but not very much and never carried any weight at all although I always had a sweet tooth. Then in my 30s I discovered food and different food and I loved it and enjoyed it so much and the wright started piling on. Dinner and going out etc. and takeaways was really something to look forward to and just as you say then it's taken away from you. It was very hard to deal with and left me feeling terrible mentally but nearly a year later I have the urge to eat under control.

Thank you. I had a sweet tooth too but not anymore. Now I have a different challenges with the continuous eating and urge carb counting. This is going to be fun as I was what they called a grazer. I do enjoy a challenge so it will be interesting to see how I get on. I have some questions on carbs so I think I will start another thread.