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Help please?

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lauraw1983

lauraw1983

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
I'm not sure what to do and no DSN available to speak to until tomorrow morning so I know you guys can't give medical advice, but WWYD in this situation please?

My BS levels have been all over the place since boxing day :(, and today have not been lower than 12, at the moment they are 19.4. Sigh.

I have a slow and quick acting insulin in my fridge, but haven't used any yet. The DSN said before Xmas if I saw my numbers rising at certain meal times, to take the insulin after the meal time before at first, and as time goes on the MDI would become normal ie; before each meal.

She said to start with taking long acting overnight and see how that sorted things out...6 units I think? (I will check what she wrote down in a minute for certain tho)

I won't be going to bed til about 11pm tonight, would you wait until then to take it, or take quick acting as a "correction" dose and try to bring levels down before bedtime, if so how quickly would it work and how many units etc?

Just looking for any advice really, not sure if I will take any but I feel rubbish with my levels so high, very irritable and tired :(
 
I would take a correction dose of fast-acting insulin in your situation, but I know fairly well how much I need to take in order to lower my levels by a certain amount, which unfortunately you don't know yet. The fact that you are on a relatively small dose of slow-acting insulin would suggest that you are quite sensitive to insulin, so your correction doses would also need to be small in order to avoid hypos (although having said that, your slow acting is probably a bit too low at the moment if you aren't going below 12 at any time). A unit of novorapid lowers my levels by about 3 mmol/l, but it might lower yours by more. For most people novorapid starts to peak in around 1-2 hours and lasts for around 4-5 hours.

Hope this helps a little! 🙂
 
Sorry, just read your post again and see that you haven't started taking your slow acting yet. In which case I would be tempted to wait until bedtime and have the slow-acting then. I'd also be setting my alarm for 3 am so I could check what effect the insulin was having overnight. 🙂
 
Sorry I was probably unclear - I haven't had any insulin yet - short or long acting. It was given to me before Xmas, my levels were behaving well, but given as a "just incase" (as they were closed obviously) and am going to see them in the New Year again.

So basically, I don't know what "correction dose" to take either - but want to do something, don't want these levels when I go to bed. I won't sleep unless they have lowered a bit.

NHS 24 will probably be useless to talk to and want me to go to hospital, which I can't do tonight.
 
It's tricky because you've not been treated as a fully fledged T1, even though you are if I remember rightly.

I would do as Northerner suggested and try to correct with the quick acting (humalog or novorapid) but cautiously at first to see how much effect it has. If you leave it too late, you'll be up in the night, either testing or hypo.

At least it will have time to peak and show the strength of its action on your BG. Worth a test before injecting. Then correct, noting number of units, and then test again at about 2 hours to see how you've come down.

Beyond that, I don't know what you should do with your long acting (lantus or levemir). They shouldn't leave you to guess or just suffer high BGs. They should at least have given you access to an emergency number.

Rob
 
Try just 1u of fast acting. And test test test* - that way you'll find out tonight exactly what 1u of it lowers your BG by.

* 30mins, 60 mins, 90 mins, 2hours ..... test again pre bed.
 
THe emergency number is NHS 24..... 🙄

She did tell me how to deal with it kind of, as above, but I'd rather try to get it down tonight before bed and then see how it is in the morning too.

I'm about to have a bath and watch a film, so I think take some quick acting (it's humalog I have btw) and test at regular intervals.....?


Yes Rob, I am T1, though LADA is the official diagnosis really, hence why metformin is (was?) working to keep levels down for now....my pancreas is obviously having a bit o f a moment....I have read the honeymoon period is tricky at the best of times, never mind Xmas! A couple of 10's on Xmas day didnt worry me too much as it came down again but for 2 days now it;s been high all the time except for a random 7 yesterday when I hadn't eaten for ages and had been quite active!
 
trophywench said:
Try just 1u of fast acting. And test test test* - that way you'll find out tonight exactly what 1u of it lowers your BG by.

* 30mins, 60 mins, 90 mins, 2hours ..... test again pre bed.
Click to expand...

Yes, as you have no previous information you'd need to be very cautious and possibly not achieve what you were hoping for this first time, but you would learn something to inform future decisions.
 
Be careful not to have the bath too hot. When you get hot (bath,shower or beach), the insulin may (will) speed up in your system and the peak can be a lot sooner than expected.

So follow Trophywench's advice and test lots 🙂

Good luck. And you can always come back on if things don't go as expected. Such as the bath sending you even higher.🙄

Rob
 
Tested again, now 20.1, grrrr.

So just before I take it, it should peak at about 1-2 hours, that's the lowest it should make it go?? But the effects will last 4-5 hours?
 
lauraw1983 said:
Tested again, now 20.1, grrrr.

So just before I take it, it should peak at about 1-2 hours, that's the lowest it should make it go?? But the effects will last 4-5 hours?
Click to expand...

No, the insulin peaks at 1-2 hours, but will continue to lower your levels until it has 'expired' after 4-5 hours, so you would go lower. When your insulin starts to peak, this is when you will see the most rapid drop in levels.
 
It also depends on why it's gone high, and still rising. If it's something you ate, it could come down and stay down or might have a long, delayed spike which can keep it going high for a while to come.

If it's your liver trying to feed your muscles, brain, etc because it doesn't know there's no insulin on board, then it should calm down once you inject.

If it's stress/infection then it may come down or go higher. It follows its own rules !🙄

Rob
 
How have you been feeling ? ive had some sort of virus and my normally very good bs are like yours all over the place .
 
Well I was up at 5am this morning being sick actually. Felt ok since though. :confused: I am thirsty and irritable and lethargic, the usual hyper signs. Ugh.


Last night at 1.30am I was 16.1 (we'd had a chinese 🙄 )
This morning fasting was 9.2
Before lunch was 15.4
Before dinner 12.3 (we were out, quite early dinner)
When home, 7.30pm checked again, 19.9 (no ketones, I checked)
An hour later 8.30pm again 20.1

Took 2 units humalog, at 9.30pm I was 16.9
Just did it again now at 10.00pm and now am 13.7.......


So my main face is like this :confused: - who the h*ll knows?!?!?

My next question is, I am hungry, and wanted some fruit to snack on - is this is a very bad idea at the moment?!? If it is, what should I eat? :confused:
 
Do you mean that you took the 2 units at 8:30 and then tested at 9:30 and 10:00? If so then it looks like it is working well and you can expect your levels to drop lower until about 12:30-1:30 am. I wouldn't have any more humalog.

I'd also avoid having anything containing carbs as this will inevitably push your levels up again. How about some cheese? I usually have some sugar free jelly in the fridge in case I fancy something non-savoury.
 
I took the 2 units at 8.50 then went for my bath, was 10 mins late testing then lol - had children "helping" me in the bath, as you do 🙄 :D Their routine is rather off over Xmas time....lol.

I have brie there, good idea! I really wanted a satsuma though, waaah. AND I do have sugar free jelly in the fridge infact too -it's the kids' but I will make them more for tomorrow, lol. :D
 
lauraw1983 said:
I took the 2 units at 8.50 then went for my bath, was 10 mins late testing then lol - had children "helping" me in the bath, as you do 🙄 :D Their routine is rather off over Xmas time....lol.

I have brie there, good idea! I really wanted a satsuma though, waaah. AND I do have sugar free jelly in the fridge infact too -it's the kids' but I will make them more for tomorrow, lol. :D
Click to expand...

I know just how you feel - I wanted a satsuma earlier but my levels were too high, so I had some double Gloucester instead! Hope that things are more settled for you very soon - at least you have learned a little tonight! 🙂
 
Northerner said:
I know just how you feel - I wanted a satsuma earlier but my levels were too high, so I had some double Gloucester instead! Hope that things are more settled for you very soon - at least you have learned a little tonight! 🙂
Click to expand...


Yeah I guess I have. 🙂

12.7 now at 10.30pm....brie consumed, yum. Fizzy water to drink...rock and roll!

My finger tips hurt though now tonight :(
 
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