Dropping levels

[mummyange]

My sons levels have been dropping quickly all day and no matter what he has to eat or drink to bring them up, they only stay up for a little while then drop again. He has injected the correct amount for each meal but nothing is keeping them up! Can anyone give me ideas as to why this would happen?

 

[Inka]

Dropping how much? Either he’s overestimating his carbs, has too much basal, is more energetic, or has an impending illness or stress, both of which can cause lows as well as highs. Other less likely possibilities are coeliac or rarer conditions.

 

[mummyange]

Dropping how much? Either he’s overestimating his carbs, has too much basal, is more energetic, or has an impending illness or stress, both of which can cause lows as well as highs. Other less likely possibilities are coeliac or rarer conditions.

He has done everything he normally does and if anything he is less energetic! I just don't know what is going on at the moment.

 

[Inka]

Sometimes stress or lack of it can affect levels, eg a day of work when you’re more relaxed can cause lows because there’s less stress pushing them up.

If this persists, he might want to reduce his mealtime boluses slightly.

Remember - you can do everything right and exactly the same each day with Type 1 but still get different results. This is the nature of Type 1.

 

[rebrascora]

Would you like to post a screen shot of his graph. It may be that his beta cells are having a bit of a revival due to the insulin he has been using and are having a last fling (honeymoon period can do that) or depending upon the type of basal insulin he uses and certain people's body chemistry Glargine can trap in the tissue as crystals to dissolve and release weeks or months later I believe, so if he is using a Glargine based insulin like Lantus, Abasaglar or Toujeo, that is a possible explanation although rare.

Is he carb counting .... or on fixed meal time insulin doses? ie. Takes x units of insulin regardless of what his meal consists of?

 

[Satan’s little helper]

He has done everything he normally does and if anything he is less energetic! I just don't know what is going on at the moment.

Hello, do I remember rightly your son spends time on a computer? If he is a “gamer.” Problem solving can (believe it or not.) can burn BG with the brain. Even creative stuff could do this? From memory he’s been diagnosed 2 years or so. If he’s a “late developer,” hormones could be at play?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Any alcohol consumed in the last 24-48 hrs? That can have a knock-on effect of making his regular basal dose too much for the following day. I have a friend who refers to alcohol as ‘ginsulin’ because of the BG lowering effect it has on her!

And I’m always stunned at how a tiny amount too much basal can need carbs and carbs and carbs to correct the general downward trend.

Best bet is to try to firefight today - and try to resist the ‘urge to splurge‘ by over-carbing out of frustration. Maybe try a follow-up 10g of something starchier if he doesn’t usually do that, just to have something continuing to drip-feed carbs in after the rapid carbs have landed?

If tomorrow follows the same pattern, maybe consider reducing doses by a small percentage?

 

[SimonP]

I run low for the ~24h before I come down with something (e.g. one of the colds my children have kindly shared with me this term 😉), presumably my body is gearing up.

I now know that I'll probably be feeling a bit off colour the following day if this happens without any other reason (exercise, stress, etc.)