• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
  • We seem to be having technical difficulties with new user accounts. If you are trying to register please check your Spam or Junk folder for your confirmation email. If you still haven't received a confirmation email, please reach out to our support inbox: support.forum@diabetes.org.uk

what's going on!

Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
helen603

helen603

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1.5 LADA
I'm T1 LADA, and have been on insulin for nearly 4 years. My usual readings are between 4 to 8, with occasional blips one way or another which are easily sorted and settle down quickly. Then yesterday morning I had a reading of 18 in the morning. This had happened once before when I had forgotten to take by Lantus (long lasting) injection at night, but I didn't remember not taking my injection the night before. So carried on, thinking it would settle down. Eat very low carb meals, no extras, and did a fair amount of exercise in the day (I'm a farmer - so lots of striding up and down hills carrying feed and hay,etc). On each meal I increased my novo rapid by 1 unit. But the sugar level were still at 13.6 in the evening. Last night I definitely took my normal lantus dose, but this morning i'm 18.4! What's going on!
 
Have you changed pens/cartridges to see if its as simple as the insulin has somehow become compromised? If so then next thing I'd suggest would be a basal test, also it could be that your away to come down with something as generally that will affect BG levels before any other signs appear xx
 
you fast for different time blocks throughout the day (so is a time consuming process as it can take a couple of weeks to build a clear picture) and if your basal dose is correct then you shouldn't see much movement in your BG levels, if you do then use the data to adjust basal dose accordingly, if your basal isn't as close to spot on as it can be corrections wont work like they have in the past, if you google it I think MySugr has a section fully explaining basal testing and how to go about it xx
 
Hi.l welcome to theforum
I found this info on basal testing., I hope it helps Basal testing

I have a couple of ideas of what could be up other than what @Kaylz has already mentioned .
You could be going down with something, my BG levels often know several days before I do that I am going to be ill.
Could your pen be faulty and not delivering the right dose.
 
I'm also due my B12 injection in a couple of days and always feel really tired before this
 
helen603 said:
I'm also due my B12 injection in a couple of days and always feel really tired before this
Click to expand...
Possibly your high BG levels are making you feel tired too, I know it does with me.
 
Are you able to test for ketones?
 
no. I have an appointment with the diabetic consultant next week - i'll ask him about this. He checks this on my visit with him, but has previously said that I didn't need to do this.
 
Ljc said:
Possibly your high BG levels are making you feel tired too, I know it does with me.
Click to expand...
Yes high Bg levels do make me feel tired - feel like all my energy has been sucked out. Real effort to stay awake, and I do quite a physical job, which at the moment is feeling exhausting
 
helen603 said:
no. I have an appointment with the diabetic consultant next week - i'll ask him about this. He checks this on my visit with him, but has previously said that I didn't need to do this.
Click to expand...
You really should have a way to test for ketones, they need checked when ill and if above 14mmol, I'd get that sorted sooner rather than later as it isn't safe to not have a way of testing for ketones, I'd personally call your diabetes team today and get things moving ASAP xx
 
Thank you. I think this too, though was reassured by what the consultant said. Are you UK based? Because I have asked other diabetics and none of them have been given a way to check ketones
 
helen603 said:
Thank you. I think this too, though was reassured by what the consultant said. Are you UK based? Because I have asked other diabetics and none of them have been given a way to check ketones
Click to expand...
Yes I'm in Scotland and most other insulin users on this group certainly have a meter capable of testing ketones and the majority of regular posters are in England xx
 
maybe just Shropshire then!
I've got an appointment to see the nurse tomorrow, so will talk over with her. For today, I'm going to try adjust using novo rapid, see if I can get the BG level down a bit.
Thanks for your advice. Did try to contact my diabetic team, but no answer, and have left a message
 
Good luck hope they get back to you quickly. What meter have you got as some meters can test for glucose and ketones but require differnt strips which are more expensive.
 
If your BG is high enough to produce ketones - anything over 14 basically - for any length of time, then most people start feeling nauseous and just completely wiped out, then either fall asleep spontaneously or physically go to bed/lie down somewhere to do that.

Actually it isn't just sleep - it's comatose! ie SERIOUS.

One of the only things you can do to try and get rid of them - and this does help, honestly - is to drink plain water. This literally flushes em out so you'll need the loo!

I've been T1 since 1972 and never had a ketone meter until I fell over a couple of years ago and smashed one of my kneecaps. My BG was silly high - c.18 to c.high 20s - and I needed 3 x the amount of insulin I normally needed for at least a month. So the hospital gave me a meter.

Anyway the meter and spare strips went in the drawer here when I came out of hospital and they've been there ever since cos I've simply not needed them again - I just so very very rarely become ill, and that's how I've been my whole adult life.

So in essence - no not everyone needs or has a ketone meter.
 
Hi. I've had readings of 18 twice recently with no real explanation. Normally I'm fairly well controlled below 10'ish. These highs do happen occasionally for no obvious reason. I've not been given any ketone test stuff and I suspect most T1/LADAs aren't. I know my body well enough that I know 18 for a short period will not risk any immediate problem. I also have no obvious symptoms. We are all different so the main thing is to know how your body reacts to both high and low blood sugar.
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Back
Top