Basal Testing...

[Cleo]

Vix have you tested for ketones?? I know you said you feel fine, so its probably not that, but it just seems like you've tried everything - might be worth a go??? you wont lose anything. I bought mine from the pharmacy - GP kept on messing up my prescription so I bought the D**M things myself in the end (for ?5).

Also, splitting my lantus has changed my life forever - respectable BGs in the morning and respectable BGs before bed. No night time hypos and hypo hang overs...I am not saying that this is the answer to everything 🙂 but know that there are other options / strategies that can be pursued!

When's your next appointment?

 

[Vix]

Thanks 🙂 I'm now at 5.9 so all good so far!

I'm willing to try anything at the moment @pamper_sue - although a pump is the absolute last resort for me! Hee hee, love that - it's going to be my new acronym 'dumb silly nurse'! That's how I was convinced to go onto 4 injections a day because it would give me more freedom etc but my DSN 😉 said that I had to have snacks still and I was having a nectarine as a morning snack (I've worked hard to be the weight I am so don't want to have to eat unhealthy/carby food all the time) and she said it wasn't enough! I thought that the whole point of basal/bolus was so that we could choose what we ate and when... it's worrying that DSNs give such advice isn't it! We'll see what she says when I call her this afternoon as I'm scared to tell her I've done a basal test because she said there's no such thing to test my background insulin and that I should never skip a meal!!

I have had a look at the carb counting info on diabetes UK and I think I'm ok in general at counting my carbs (to be honest I don't think it's my carbs/diet that are the problem as I can eat the same today as yesterday and do same insulin and it will be high one day and low the next!!) I just struggle with what veg/fruit to count - I'm a veggie so I eat a lot of fruit and veg

Cleo - I checked ketones when high yesterday and they were 1.5 (urine) so I didn't bother checking blood ketones as I can't get the strips on prescription and only have 2 left! I am thinking that splitting my doses might be the next answer as I don't know what else to do I was going to ask if i can have one of the monitor things that you were for 72 hours to at least try and see if there's a pattern!

My next appointment isn't until 21 May, and next hba1c is on 12 May so we'll see if that's gone up!

Thanks everyone for your encouragement and support, it's just what I need today 🙂

xx

 

[Vix]

I know it could be worse but now gone up to 8.0... I was going to eat at 12noon but going to give it half an hour as it was about this time that it shot up to 12. then 14.8 at 1pm

xx

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Bdec explains how to adjust insulin and carb ratios etc. It's not just about counting carbs. 🙂

As you have shot up to 8 I would suspect your basal is running out.
Perhaps leave your lunch until 1pm just to see what happens? Then just correct for the high number and have a very low carb lunch.

Pamper Sue 😱 Try Pumper Sue

 

[Lauras87]

DSN (Dumb silly nurse)

sue, i like the new name!

Also, splitting my lantus has changed my life forever - respectable BGs in the morning and respectable BGs before bed. No night time hypos and hypo hang overs...I am not saying that this is the answer to everything 🙂 but know that there are other options / strategies that can be pursued!QUOTE]

cleo, i've found splitting my lantus is the worst thing ever (ok it stops the night hypos) but my waking bloods are into the teens & sometimes very high teens even if i go to bed on bloods of 6/7/8 or 9


vix, i'm putting yours & mine diabetes on a boat without a paddle or any way of getting back onto dry land!

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Please note Not all DSN's are dumb silly nurses. There are just a few that earn that title. Which does rather spoil it for the ones that are excellent.

Laura,

cleo, i've found splitting my lantus is the worst thing ever (ok it stops the night hypos) but my waking bloods are into the teens & sometimes very high teens even if i go to bed on bloods of 6/7/8 or 9

Have you tried altering the split? It doesn't have to be an even split.

 

[Cleo]

cleo, i've found splitting my lantus is the worst thing ever (ok it stops the night hypos) but my waking bloods are into the teens & sometimes very high teens even if i go to bed on bloods of 6/7/8 or 9

Thats exactly what I find so frustrating about the D !!! - there is no one size fits all . I don't even understand why you'd wake up in the high teens if you take some before bed. Maybe like PumperSue suggested - your split could be 70:30 as opposed to 50:50? what are you doing now?.

All I can say is....if you're going to include an extra injection it better be worth it 🙂

 

[Lauras87]

I've just changed to a 70/30 split now.

I want to scream with it as anything I do seems not to work 😡

 

[Cleo]

OK....maybe give it a few days to see the pattern and to see whats happening? I hope you get it sorted soon - its very frustrating !!!

 

[Vix]

Ooops sorry Pumper Sue 😉

It was 8.4 at 1pm so it's not ridiculously high like it has been but still as rise of 2mmol/L, although much better than the rise of 6 yesterday!!

I'm nervous about splitting my dose without speaking to somebody about it first, I already feel out of my depth... It was bad enough just changing my lantus from morning to evening and I'm still getting to terms with that! I'm gong to try and get hold of my DSN now and see what she says, although given previous advice I'm not holding out much hope. Admittedly my last DSN was a Damn Super Nurse, just a shame I had to change hospitals and ironically I had to change to build up a good relationship with my new DSN at the hospital we will have antenatal care at but to be honest I'd rather travel the hour and a half to see the previous one. Ok, must go into this with an open mind!

Laura, it's a deal - just make sure there's no way of getting back 😉

Let's see what this afternoon has in store...

Xx

 

[MaryPlain]

I know it could be worse but now gone up to 8.0... I was going to eat at 12noon but going to give it half an hour as it was about this time that it shot up to 12. then 14.8 at 1pm

xx

If I had a sudden increase like that during a basal test, then unless my previous results (non-fasting) showed that this usually happens at lunchtime, I might be tempted to put it down to a liver dump - especially if I'd missed breakfast. I find the morning basal test the most difficult one to do because of this.

Of course it might be because the background insulin is running out but I would have thought that was unlikely in the middle of the day.

I think that's why we are recommended only to do basal tests by missing one meal - the trouble is missing breakfast means not eating for an extended period which can sometimes trigger the liver to release glucose.

 

[Vix]

thanks @maryplain - it seems to be a general pattern even when no basal testing... I thought it might be my lunchtime bolus ratio that needs changing but now I'm not sure if it's my basal!! Would a liver dump make it go up from 8 to 15 in an hour?? xx

 

[Lauras87]

Laura, it's a deal - just make sure there's no way of getting back 😉

I've got some calls out so when the boat is ready, ill give you a call to arrange it 🙂