BGLs from 7/8 - 12/8

[mum2westiesGill]

You do seem to be struggling to keep things on an even keel, so I wonder whether you should consider a more consistent amount of carbs for your meals. I know you can correct and adjust your insulin but having similar amount of carbs for each meal each day might help your body to stabilise.
That might be a silly suggestion so I apologise if it is.

No suggestion is a silly suggestion.

Carb amounts for breakfast - 9 times out of 10 are usually the same



Carb amounts for lunch vary a bit



Carb amounts for tea vary a lot and this would be the hardest time of the day to try and do your suggestion

 

[mum2westiesGill]

Only if you don't feel hypo and you haven't just been for a walk or done a spell of gardening or hoovered the stairs or some such activity that might drop your levels... ie it is an unexpected and unexplainable low reading.

I've lost my hypo awareness so when I do a test and find my meter tells me I'm hypo I never feel hypo

 

[rebrascora]

There will hopefully be a point at which you do feel hypo before you lose consciousness, it's just that it is not at these levels. ie your hypo awareness is impaired rather than lost.
Did you understand the other part of my post about having done something to cause your levels to drop low. So, say you had cleaned out the kitchen cupboards yesterday afternoon or hoovered the stairs or been up and down steps hanging some curtains or even changing the beds depending upon how fit you are.... or shopping, that is notorious for dropping your levels. Basically if the low reading has happened some time after doing an activity that is a bit harder work than your normal everyday stuff, then that would explain your levels being low and you could take the initial test at face value. Whereas if you have been sitting reading a book most of the afternoon and get a low reading then you might think...

"Oh, that doesn't seem right! I would expect my levels to have gone high rather than low, so that reading might not be right. I had better double check it!"

Do you understand what I am getting at?

 

[mum2westiesGill]

There will hopefully be a point at which you do feel hypo before you lose consciousness, it's just that it is not at these levels. ie your hypo awareness is impaired rather than lost.
Did you understand the other part of my post about having done something to cause your levels to drop low. So, say you had cleaned out the kitchen cupboards yesterday afternoon or hoovered the stairs or been up and down steps hanging some curtains or even changing the beds depending upon how fit you are.... or shopping, that is notorious for dropping your levels. Basically if the low reading has happened some time after doing an activity that is a bit harder work than your normal everyday stuff, then that would explain your levels being low and you could take the initial test at face value. Whereas if you have been sitting reading a book most of the afternoon and get a low reading then you might think...

"Oh, that doesn't seem right! I would expect my levels to have gone high rather than low, so that reading might not be right. I had better double check it!"

Do you understand what I am getting at?

Yes I understand and with most of my hypos (and highs) I've not been doing anything harder than normal everyday stuff

 

[Sally71]

I've lost my hypo awareness so when I do a test and find my meter tells me I'm hypo I never feel hypo

I believe you can get your hypo awareness back if you keep your levels a little higher for a week or two, e.g around 10 rather than trying to keep them perfectly in range all the time. It won’t hurt you long term to be around that level for a little while.

 

[mum2westiesGill]

I believe you can get your hypo awareness back if you keep your levels a little higher for a week or two, e.g around 10 rather than trying to keep them perfectly in range all the time. It won’t hurt you long term to be around that level for a little while.

I've heard that too but how do you do that?

 

[Sally71]

I've heard that too but how do you do that?

I don’t know, maybe don’t correct until you’re over 14 for a while, and then only do half the correction or something. Have to admit never tried it myself, maybe someone else can help!

 

[trophywench]

Easiest way Gill is to always round DOWN the carbs in any meal - with a half unit pen if the carbs have a 1 to 5 on the end, round down to the whole number. eg 41g = 4u, 45g = 4u. 46g = 4.5u, 50g = 4.5u. With a whole unit pen anything between 41g and 50g = 4u.

You leave your basal dose completely alone.

You have to do this for several months UNTIL you re-establish recognisable hypo symptoms at a sensible level.

I have never done it without discussing it with my DSN first - but I have had to do it twice in my life and they have always helped me by providing the blood test forms so I can get another HbA1c test at the 3 month point, and also discussing the result and my own observations with me at that point when we have agreed either to continue the reductions in dosage for longer, or to stop them.

So - please discuss with your nurse FIRST.

 

[mum2westiesGill]

Easiest way Gill is to always round DOWN the carbs in any meal - with a half unit pen if the carbs have a 1 to 5 on the end, round down to the whole number. eg 41g = 4u, 45g = 4u. 46g = 4.5u, 50g = 4.5u. With a whole unit pen anything between 41g and 50g = 4u.

You leave your basal dose completely alone.

You have to do this for several months UNTIL you re-establish recognisable hypo symptoms at a sensible level.

I have never done it without discussing it with my DSN first - but I have had to do it twice in my life and they have always helped me by providing the blood test forms so I can get another HbA1c test at the 3 month point, and also discussing the result and my own observations with me at that point when we have agreed either to continue the reductions in dosage for longer, or to stop them.

So - please discuss with your nurse FIRST.

Thanks @trophywench and I wouldn’t do it without discussing with my nurse first.

I'd best leave it a while now though before I email or phone her....look out for my new thread about DSNs

 

[Lucyr]

I've heard that too but how do you do that?

You can just do negative corrections. If you’re 7 before a meal and want to be 10, then if 1u drops you 3mmol you’d reduce your dose by 1u

 

[mum2westiesGill]

You can just do negative corrections. If you’re 7 before a meal and want to be 10, then if 1u drops you 3mmol you’d reduce your dose by 1u

How would you do that on MySugr calculator?

 

[Lucyr]

How would you do that on MySugr calculator?

Just change the dose to whatever you want to take

 

[daducky88]

Thanks @Sally71 and yes I also think to leave everything as it is.


The first of the lunch highs on 7/8 of 12.4 was when I thought I had only done 4.5 units instead of 5.0 units at breakfast time - I've no idea about the second one and like you say there was only 2 of the highs.


I show all my readings to my DSN ever since I had dka. I think I've had 3 or 4 different DSNs since then. Ever since I had dka I just need that bit of reassurance. I had very high BGL levels caused by I think being stupid ie skipping injections and meals.

Can you recall the levels of your ketones during your DKA?

Can anyone tell me whether there is a consistent definition of DKA?

 

[daducky88]

I've lost my hypo awareness so when I do a test and find my meter tells me I'm hypo I never feel hypo

You've lost it as your living close to tbe boarder of hypo generally. I used to chase down my hba1c and got to 4.4% when i didnt have a car and walked to save bus fares ( ended up spending on choccy bars and cans of coke anyway). I now let my target sit at 6mM and i can nicely feel tbe sweat coming on e.g. i was in bnq - a cafeless store- t'oher day and had to excuse myself from a chat with another customer as i could feel the sweat slowly beading on my forehead. So i could either put down all tbe things i taken an hr to find or w
pay. So i went for later which was quick, then i saw the key making machine was on and needed 2 copies of a key so did which took bout 10', then walking out the store i noticed one metal strip i'd bought had a twist, so i told the asdistant i was just going swap it and did so, but coming back through the tills, she was busy so i went through another walkway and security asked for my receipt. I had a lot of receipts in my pocket. Security had no table and i was barely managing to hold onto 10 things without a carrier bag.I had to them put on the ground, lean 2 x 2.5m metal strips against a wall, sort out my receipts, make the guard happy and just as i was leaving the store i noted a vending machine in the exit doorway of bnq. If i'd seen it earlier... Anyway made it back to the car. Had coke. And stumbled over on foot for a McFungus and chips which bcos of an army of takeaway couriers to be served took.a surprisingly long time. Thank goodness for the coke. My car door is the perfect for a 1.5L bottle of coke. I have a backup in the passenger door. And another 2 in footwells in the boot. Well you never know... Better safe than...

 

[daducky88]

You've lost it as your living close to tbe boarder of hypo generally. I used to chase down my hba1c and got to 4.4% when i didnt have a car and walked to save bus fares ( ended up spending on choccy bars and cans of coke anyway). I now let my target sit at 6mM and i can nicely feel tbe sweat coming on e.g. i was in bnq - a cafeless store- t'oher day and had to excuse myself from a chat with another customer as i could feel the sweat slowly beading on my forehead. So i could either put down all tbe things i taken an hr to find or w
pay. So i went for later which was quick, then i saw the key making machine was on and needed 2 copies of a key so did which took bout 10', then walking out the store i noticed one metal strip i'd bought had a twist, so i told the asdistant i was just going swap it and did so, but coming back through the tills, she was busy so i went through another walkway and security asked for my receipt. I had a lot of receipts in my pocket. Security had no table and i was barely managing to hold onto 10 things without a carrier bag.I had to them put on the ground, lean 2 x 2.5m metal strips against a wall, sort out my receipts, make the guard happy and just as i was leaving the store i noted a vending machine in the exit doorway of bnq. If i'd seen it earlier... Anyway made it back to the car. Had coke. And stumbled over on foot for a McFungus and chips which bcos of an army of takeaway couriers to be served took.a surprisingly long time. Thank goodness for the coke. My car door is the perfect for a 1.5L bottle of coke. I have a backup in the passenger door. And another 2 in footwells in the boot. Well you never know... Better safe than...

But anyways, i recovered myself. And rhe McDonalds was a good way to let myself sit for 15 mins so the coke could act fully.

I also the ideal approximation of coke cho load from a finger's width from a 1.5l bottle = 18g cho and from a 2.5L bottle =50g cho, which i can use more or less as i'm drinking it.
If we recall the area of a circle is pi r^2
so the volume is pi r^2 x depth drank.

So lets say the estimated diameter of :
1.5L bottle diameter =15cm, radius 7.5cm, and area of a circle = radius2 x pi, so
radius squared =56cm^2 x pi (3.14) = area of bottle 177cm2. A finger is ~ 1cm wide
So volume= area x depth = 177x1= 177cm3. Coke is 10% carb. So 177×10%=17.7g CHO or 1.77 portions

2.5L Big bottle if they still.exist
Diameter 25cm radius 12.5cm radius2 156 x pi(3.14) = 490cm2.
Volume =area X depth = 490cm2 x 1cm = 490cm3, x 10%, as coke is 10% cho= 49g cho or 4.9 portions.

And after all that i think i need a lie down ;-)

 

[mark king]

I keep a small Lucozade bottle in my car door Pocket along with 3 loose tubes of Hypo-gel & a tube of gluco-tabs and replenish back as used. I don't require them every day as I'm very stable but they are there just in case of need.
My wife is also aware of their existence and they stay there until used or I've date stock rotated.

PS. I should add that is just the car, at home there are stocks of the previously mentioned items and about my person at all times when I am out & about I have a part tube of gluco-tabs plus my Asthma puffer. 😎

 

[rebrascora]

You've lost it as your living close to tbe boarder of hypo generally. I used to chase down my hba1c and got to 4.4% when i didnt have a car and walked to save bus fares ( ended up spending on choccy bars and cans of coke anyway). I now let my target sit at 6mM and i can nicely feel tbe sweat coming on e.g. i was in bnq - a cafeless store- t'oher day and had to excuse myself from a chat with another customer as i could feel the sweat slowly beading on my forehead. So i could either put down all tbe things i taken an hr to find or w
pay. So i went for later which was quick, then i saw the key making machine was on and needed 2 copies of a key so did which took bout 10', then walking out the store i noticed one metal strip i'd bought had a twist, so i told the asdistant i was just going swap it and did so, but coming back through the tills, she was busy so i went through another walkway and security asked for my receipt. I had a lot of receipts in my pocket. Security had no table and i was barely managing to hold onto 10 things without a carrier bag.I had to them put on the ground, lean 2 x 2.5m metal strips against a wall, sort out my receipts, make the guard happy and just as i was leaving the store i noted a vending machine in the exit doorway of bnq. If i'd seen it earlier... Anyway made it back to the car. Had coke. And stumbled over on foot for a McFungus and chips which bcos of an army of takeaway couriers to be served took.a surprisingly long time. Thank goodness for the coke. My car door is the perfect for a 1.5L bottle of coke. I have a backup in the passenger door. And another 2 in footwells in the boot. Well you never know... Better safe than...

Are you saying that you don't carry your hypo treatments (and testing kit) on your person? It also sounds like you didn't test before treating your hypo or possibly afterwards?
I generally only sweat when I get a bad hypo ie low 3s or below (which I wouldn't consider good hypo awareness), but if you don't test at the time, how do you know how good your awareness is?

You do know that you need to wait 45 mins after you come up above 4, before you drive again? So you need to test the hypo and treat, test again 15mins after treating it to check your levels have come back up, and if not, treat it with more fast acting carbs and then start the timer for 45 mins after you get test above 4 (whilsy you have some longer acting carbs if necessary) for you to drive safely and then double check you are above 5, before you set off. At least that is my understanding of the situation.

 

[mum2westiesGill]

I keep a small Lucozade bottle in my car door Pocket along with 3 loose tubes of Hypo-gel & a tube of gluco-tabs and replenish back as used. I don't require them every day as I'm very stable but they are there just in case of need.
My wife is also aware of their existence and they stay there until used or I've date stock rotated.

I keep dextrose tablets in my diabetic pen case which is in my handbag. I've got some 150ml cans of non-diet coca-cola which are in a bag at the moment in the utility room.
I've also got rich tea biscuits in the biscuit cupboard for my slow acting snack

The treatments are my new treatments instead of jelly babies and they've been working great but last night it took 2 lots of dextrose tablets until I was back above 4mmol