BS disastorous results - looking for some comments / help please

[lauraw1983]

Thank you so much to you and to Northerner also and anybody else 🙂 🙂

The next time I will probably be eating will be about 3pm ish then 7.30pm ish.

Breakfast is usually about 10am - 11am ish, that's because I just can't eat early, I'm just not an early bird 😱

I'm the same re; morning eating.

I do get a rise between getting up and eating though, and although being on Levemir has reduced that rise a bit it still happens! Sometimes, depending what kind of day I am going to be having, I will inject 1 or 2u to stop that rise happening if I know I won't be eating for a while....was trial and error for that though.

I do the same if I wake up higher than my target range though (6-8mmol), I will correct that then see it come down a bit before I would then eat & inject again.

 

[mum2westiesGill]

Tuesday 23/10/2012 (cont)
15:29 Lunch - 16.4 (5CP = 5u +4u corr)

My DSN (also the practice nurse at the surgery) rang me this afternoon. I explained what's going on atm re my BS levels & also about the help I'm recieving on here 🙂.
Without me waffling on too much basically my HBA1c wasn't due until next month (November) so she's brought it foward to this Thursday 25/10/2012 😱. She said I'll get all my bloods done and maybe see if there's any lingering infection anywhere. worried.com.
I've also got to take a sample in 😱 nervous.com.
I'll book to see my DSN a week later for results etc.
She asked me how I feel in myself because she noticed I'd seen one of the GPs re depression - I feel great in myself again now, very very calm etc - a few weeks back one of the GPs put my dose of citalopram up from 10mg to 20mg.
Lastly I've got to put my BI / lantus up by 6u so It'll go from 30u to 36u. When doing it myself I only ever change my BI / lantus by 2u but she explained that upping it or downing by 4u, 6u shuoldn't cause too many problems.
She very kindly said during the phone call "I'm just eating a toffee!" "Oops I shouldn't be saying that cause your diabetic lol"

 

[Northerner]

It will be interesting to see what the increase in lantus does for you Gill, hope all goes well with the tests 🙂

 

[mum2westiesGill]

My first thought would be that certainly for breakfast you need to try 1.5:1 ratio.

But honestly, before ratios are looked at you need to sort the basal out, seems like something is WAY out with it. Don't be afraid of splitting your lantus, at first you could try a 15u/15u split 12 hours apart, as it's well known in many people it does not last 24 hours! however before doing it I think you should seek advice and support from your DSN about it.

Yes once I get this very annoying basal sorted I'll maybe up my breakfast ratio but like you say the basal needs to be sorted out first - a bit like babysteps or one thing at a time.

I mentioned to my DSN about the splitting of lantus but she said to try upping it first, who knows even though I've been diabetic for 20 years maybe my pancreas has been still producing a very slight amount of insulin and now it's not and I now need more insulin. Then apart from upping the BI / lantus is to have my HBA1c done.

 

[mum2westiesGill]

It will be interesting to see what the increase in lantus does for you Gill, hope all goes well with the tests 🙂

Hmmm yes it is worrying me although I won't see anything probably for a few days. Thanks for wishing me well with the tests. I don't think I dare post them on here, I'll feel so shown up. I do have an andriod app on my phone called On Track and when I compare the results on there to other results they seem to be fairly spot on and atm the HBA1c is showing 8.2% 😱!!!! It was 9.6% in August 2011 then 6.8% in December 2011 🙂.

 

[Northerner]

Hmmm yes it is worrying me although I won't see anything probably for a few days. Thanks for wishing me well with the tests. I don't think I dare post them on here, I'll feel so shown up. I do have an andriod app on my phone called On Track and when I compare the results on there to other results they seem to be fairly spot on and atm the HBA1c is showing 8.2% 😱!!!! It was 9.6% in August 2011 then 6.8% in December 2011 🙂.

Gill, never be afraid to share your numbers here, no-one will judge you. Everyone here knows what a struggle this can be at times, and just when you think things are going well someone (The Diabetes Fairy) will shift the goalposts and things have gone to pot again. The main thing is that you are doing your best to overcome your current difficulties, and we are all here to help you succeed 🙂

 

[mum2westiesGill]

Gill, never be afraid to share your numbers here, no-one will judge you. Everyone here knows what a struggle this can be at times, and just when you think things are going well someone (The Diabetes Fairy) will shift the goalposts and things have gone to pot again. The main thing is that you are doing your best to overcome your current difficulties, and we are all here to help you succeed 🙂

Thank you so so much for this. And yes I will share when I get those numbers which someone (The very bad Diabetes Fairy) is making me have. I have my HBA1c on 25/10/2012 (Thursday) then while I'm at the surgery I have to make my appointment to see my DSN for about a week later so I'll post then. I'll keep you posted as to the date I'm seeing the DSN for my results.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Hi Gail after reading through this lot 😱 a couple of things spring to mind.
1 your basal appears to be well out and not covering 24/7
2 What level are you eating at? The normal is wo wait until blood sugar is below 8 before you eat. If you are bolusing and correcting at those high numbers and then eating before your insulin has worked, you have no chance of getting a normal number.
3 If it were me I would stick to very simple meals and lower the carb content as well until you have sorted your self out. Also stick to the same carb content for each day.

First priority is to sort your basal. Fix that before you start messing around with anything else. Also even your meals out so you have at least 5 hours between them and don't snack at all until you have sorted yourself out.
Then you can see exactly what is going on.

Another thing just to make sure you have done so........... have you checked to see if your pen is delivering your insulin? IE no cracked vial or faulty pen. Is the insulin def ok?

 

[mum2westiesGill]

Tuesday 23/10/2012 (cont)
20:20 Dinnr - 8.6 (4CP = 4u)
00:21 Bed - 7.6 (36) (put BI - lantus up from 30u to 36u as per instructions from DSN)

Wednesday 24/10/2012
02:30 Night (basal test) - 8.7
08:29 Fasting - 9.0 (test done before getting out of bed to go downstairs)

 

[Northerner]

Tuesday 23/10/2012 (cont)
20:20 Dinnr - 8.6 (4CP = 4u)
00:21 Bed - 7.6 (36) (put BI - lantus up from 30u to 36u as per instructions from DSN)

Wednesday 24/10/2012
02:30 Night (basal test) - 8.7
08:29 Fasting - 9.0 (test done before getting out of bed to go downstairs)

Those are looking much better Gill 🙂 It would be worth it, if you don't intend having breakfast for a while after getting up, to test just before you inject/eat to see if/how much your levels have risen. In the past I have tested as soon as I woke, then tested again when I was ready for some breakfast about an hour later and my levels had risen from 5.5 to 11.00! So you can see how big a climb this can be. I now test as soon as I get up, and also inject, even though I may not eat for 30-45 minutes and this helps lower the rise and also any spike from when I eat. Even so, I tested out of curiosity this morning and despite a waking level of 6.0 and injecting immediately, 45 minutes later I tested again just before eating and my level had gone up to 7.3 - so it just goes to show how powerful this dawn effect can be. Basically, most of my morning injection goes towards combating the rise caused by my liver rather than the food I consume, so this is something I need to factor in over and above the carbs I have counted for my breakfast. Not saying it is the same for you, but something to bear in mind. 🙂

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Tuesday 23/10/2012 (cont)
20:20 Dinnr - 8.6 (4CP = 4u)
00:21 Bed - 7.6 (36) (put BI - lantus up from 30u to 36u as per instructions from DSN)

Wednesday 24/10/2012
02:30 Night (basal test) - 8.7
08:29 Fasting - 9.0 (test done before getting out of bed to go downstairs)

That's a great improvement 🙂
Make sure you don't make any changes for at least 3 day's, then see what else can be done.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

That's a GREAT improvement Jill! Well done and long may it continue 🙂

 

[mum2westiesGill]

Hi Gail after reading through this lot 😱 a couple of things spring to mind.
1 your basal appears to be well out and not covering 24/7
2 What level are you eating at? The normal is wo wait until blood sugar is below 8 before you eat. If you are bolusing and correcting at those high numbers and then eating before your insulin has worked, you have no chance of getting a normal number.
3 If it were me I would stick to very simple meals and lower the carb content as well until you have sorted your self out. Also stick to the same carb content for each day.

First priority is to sort your basal. Fix that before you start messing around with anything else. Also even your meals out so you have at least 5 hours between them and don't snack at all until you have sorted yourself out.
Then you can see exactly what is going on.

Another thing just to make sure you have done so........... have you checked to see if your pen is delivering your insulin? IE no cracked vial or faulty pen. Is the insulin def ok?

Hi Sue,
The levels I'm eating at are the ones I've on posted this thread. I do bolus and correct at the same time but I think if I had to wait for my level to come down to below 8 before I started to eat I'd be waiting forever 😡.

What sort of simple meals with maybe a few less carbs would you suggest to try?
Breakfast I usually have toast
Lunch is usually a sandwich and maybe soup normal tinned or cup soup.
Dinner is usually a cooked meal: homemade fish pie topped with mash potato, cottage pie, spag bol, ready meal sometimes for quickness. Tonight we're having (homemade by OH) chicken in gorgonzola sauce (chicken fillets, cheese sauce granuels with gorgonzola cheese added) & rice.

Yes I'm going to try to sort out the basal first.

All insulin vials QA & BI seem to be ok ie not cracked or anything.
My QA pen when I do an air shot shoots out.
My BI pen when I do an air shot sometimes shoots out and sometimes a dribble comes out. Haha just tried it now doing a few air shots and it's shooting out perfectly each time! I am wondering whether to start using my spare BI pen because when I compare it to my current BI pen some of the numbers on the dial are starting to wear off. Then I'll request another spare one.

 

[mum2westiesGill]

It would be worth it, if you don't intend having breakfast for a while after getting up, to test just before you inject/eat to see if/how much your levels have risen.

Wednesday 24/10/2012 (cont)
10:55 Bfast - 18.7 (2CP = 2u +4u corr) (tested & injected then waited 30 mins or so before eating bfast to let BS level drop a bit)
11:32 Bfast - 17.3 (ate bfast, starving, couldn't wait any longer)

so it's gone from 9.0 at 08:29 to 18.7!!!!!! arghhhhh

 

[Northerner]

Wednesday 24/10/2012 (cont)
10:55 Bfast - 18.7 (2CP = 2u +4u corr) (tested & injected then waited 30 mins or so before eating bfast to let BS level drop a bit)
11:32 Bfast - 17.3 (ate bfast, starving, couldn't wait any longer)

So your levels more than doubled between waking and testing before breakfast? 😱 I think you should try having a little of something soon after you get up with your cuppa and see if this stops your liver from raising your levels so much. You could try something non-carb or just a small amount of carbs (I find Belvita biscuits quite good, about 8.5g carbs).

 

[mum2westiesGill]

I think you should try having a little of something soon after you get up with your cuppa and see if this stops your liver from raising your levels so much. You could try something non-carb or just a small amount of carbs (I find Belvita biscuits quite good, about 8.5g carbs).

I'll try this tomorrow. Maybe a plain rich tea? Plus injecting?

 

[mum2westiesGill]

I'll try this tomorrow. Maybe a plain rich tea? Plus injecting?

A thought has come into my mind. I'll be able to do my fasting test before getting out of bed but I won't be able to have a biscuit or insulin because I'm having my HBA1c done tomorrow @ 09:30am which has to be fasting.

 

[Northerner]

A thought has come into my mind. I'll be able to do my fasting test before getting out of bed but I won't be able to have a biscuit or insulin because I'm having my HBA1c done tomorrow @ 09:30am which has to be fasting.

I didn't think the HbA1c had to be fasting as what your levels are like on the day is insignificant - presumably they are testing for other things (cholesterol maybe?) which may require fasting.

 

[mum2westiesGill]

I think she (DSN) said she wanted to check all my bloods worried.com.

 

[mum2westiesGill]

So onto Friday after I've done my fasting test on waking would it then be maybe a plain biscuit and an injection when I go downstairs to do the brew?