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Finger Prick tests

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
I'm glad you think he isn't worth the effort !! For you that's great.

But who else's life is the miserable child of unmarried parents already adversely affecting or going to adversely affect in the future? You wouldn't want to have to ask him to lance a boil on your bum, would you!
 
Been about a month now, So I'm doing an update today. Since I was last on here, My meds both went up by 2 units, no change now, I am using 50 unit at night of Insulatard and novaRapid 18 units 3 times a day. Todays finger prick readings are high again 25.6.
I have kept a diet sheet of everything I have eaten and what meds I'm using and at what times taken, also finger prick test 4 times a day all results kept, my levels have not been below 16 since I was last posting on here. I have a review tomorrow with diabetic nurse. it will be interesting what happens next.
 
@Mags as I have already stated your main problem is the way you are delivering your background insulin.

It does not last 24 hours and is designed to be injected twice a day. Hence why your numbers do not come down.
 
Have you made any adjustments to your carbohydrate intake as I suggested in my previous post?
Your increased need for insulin suggests that you are becoming increasingly resistant to it and needing less by eating less carbs would almost certainly help because if you are not putting as much food into your system that converts to glucose, then you will need less insulin to remove it.
If you can tell us the sort of things you are currently eating and drinking for breakfast lunch and dinner and any snacks, we could give you some suggestions for low carb alternatives.
 
rebrascora said:
Have you made any adjustments to your carbohydrate intake as I suggested in my previous post?
Your increased need for insulin suggests that you are becoming increasingly resistant to it and needing less by eating less carbs would almost certainly help because if you are not putting as much food into your system that converts to glucose, then you will need less insulin to remove it.
If you can tell us the sort of things you are currently eating and drinking for breakfast lunch and dinner and any snacks, we could give you some suggestions for low carb alternatives.
Click to expand...
It's all very well ramming LC @ Mags, but the bottom line is she isn't getting 24 hour cover from her insulin and until that is sorted her numbers will not come down end of story.
 
Mags has been diagnosed as Type 2 and from the doses of insulin she is using, it strongly suggests that she is insulin resistant and that resistance is increasing.
The first course of action with Type 2 diabetes should be to reduce carbohydrate intake, so I personally feel that my question about what she is eating is relevant and appropriate.
 
Without being ride Barbara - have you considered that Sue has FAR more experience of diabetes than most people around this forum to begin with - she isn't actually as old as me but was diagnosed in childhood so more experienced than I. We also remember well trying to get decent BGs ourselves with older insulins plus the problems with them consistently reported by other people on the internet before and since forums had even been invented in the first place.

It doesn't really matter whether @Mags is Type 1 Type 23 MODY LADA or XYZ. We can't rediagnose her.

The ONE thing we absolutely know is that Insulatard does NOT last 24 hours hence if she does need insulin, only taking it once a day is NBG.

Once she gets onto long acting insulin that does work 24 hours a day, THEN is the time to start adjusting diet and exercise. If the basal insulin is not titrated as well as it can be, you may as well forget it cos you won't thrive.
 
rebrascora said:
Mags has been diagnosed as Type 2 and from the doses of insulin she is using, it strongly suggests that she is insulin resistant and that resistance is increasing.
Click to expand...
Considering her background insulin lasts for about 18 hours and I was always taught that there were 24 hours in a day, it stands to reason that she is 6 hours short on insulin coverage. It then takes a few hours for it to kick in so in effect Mags is probably about 8 hours short on her insulin coverage.

In all probability when someone wakes up and realizes this her insulin total dosage could probably be halved. But then as you have pointed out I know nothing.
 
I don’t think anyone is suggesting your comments on the duration of insulatard are wrong @Pumper_Sue, and certainly not that you ‘know nothing‘! But Mags’s levels are consistently unpleasantly high, so maybe a combined approach might help?

It certainly seems like you need a lot more support @mags1234 - and asking about different insulins, or even just taking half of your current insulatard dose 12-hours apart to spread its action across the full 24 hours may well be a good first step.

In the meantime, your BG levels are probably making you feel pretty grim, and as @rebrascora has suggested, your Novorapid insulin and your carbohydrate intake need to be in balance, in a waybthatbthey don’t currently seem to be. If you are not confident to adjust your insulin doses yourself, would you be confident to gradually reduce the carbohydrate content of your meals to see of you can improve your BG results that way! Eg one slice of bread rather than two... a spoonful less rice... two or three potatoes rather than four or five?
 
Update, my results are still high 25.1...…not able to see nurse or doctor due to covid, I can only talk to my nurse on the phone, she was wonderful and listen to everything I told her, I gave her a list of times I ate and when I did my insulin and told her how my blood count are up and down like a yoyo, she told me she thought I needed to speak to specialist at my local hospital, she arranged that phone call within a couple of hours. So to cut story short, my nurse will be off now till Tuesday next week. When the hospital phoned me they told me I needed my Insulatard changed and would arrange that with my nurse at my GP's office. I'm looking forward to trying new meds and pray they are better than insulatard. started new diet yesterday.
 
mags1234 said:
Agree with you Sue, been waiting for month for someone to listen to me.
Click to expand...
Please note I am not saying do it but if it were me I would split the dose myself. Most often this med comes in a mix basal/bolus thus injected before breakfast and evening meal. So basically there is no reason what so ever to split your basal in he same way and use your bolus for meals.
 
Back again, for new update. I am not a happy bunny. My sugar level have been very unstable for months, I spoke to my nurse in the GP's office and she told me she would phone the diabetic nurse at the hospital and ask her advise. My bloods were, 27.2. I was told stay at home and wait for phone call. The nurse from the hospital phoned me and said she couldn't understand why my sugar levels were so high and that she would change my insulin but had to wait until she talked to the nurse at my GP's office. In the mean time she told me to use 35 units in my thigh, on one side, then the 25 units in other thigh. which I did. Then was told I had to wait to hear from Nurse at GP's office and she will tell me what new insulin I would be using. Two days later the nurse at the GP's office rang me at home and asked me what my sugar count had been over those two days, it was still high but not as high as the last readings she had 22 and 19. she said she needed to talk to the other nurse again at the hospital. in the mean time I told her my bloods were 27.9 and she advised me to go to hospital to have a blood test done for ketones, I have asked this nurse for a machine so I can check for myself instead of spending hours wasting the hospitals time, she said she would look into it and get one on prescription, I got so fed up with waiting for her to do this, I went to chemist to try and buy one, couldn't get one for love nor money, the in the shop phoned my doctor and got a prescription send to Tesco's so I could go and get one, got there they didn't have one, he ordered It to be delivered the next morning, the post never turned up all day so still have got it. I asked what was the new insulin called and she said the other nurse at the hospital is not going to change it, instead they want me to take my insulin to the doctor office to see if I'm doing it right, I feel like I'm a bomb waiting to go off, got one nurse telling me one thing, the other nurse telling me something else. I don't know weather I'm coming or going, and while they make there minds up I'm sitting here worrying about ketones and weather or not I'm going to go into a coma. Now I have to wait another week for me to go to the doctors office so they can see me inject myself. I signed up on this site so I could get advise and I have to say you did just that, I have no where else to go. I'm scared and my husbands scared he'll wake up and find me dead.
 
When are you getting these high 20s results and what are you eating?
Whilst the insulin you are on may not be ideal, it will be working to some extent. You can help yourself by cutting down on your carbs, particularly if you are so worried about going DKA. I know if it is a choice between cake/bread/breakfast cereal/potatoes or ending up in hospital, it is not a difficult choice for me. With diabetes, you have to help yourself rather than just reply on medication.
Do you understand what carbohydrates are... ie sugars and starchy foods? These all turn into glucose in the digestive system and get absorbed into the blood stream. If you stop putting the glucose into your body it will stop pushing your BG levels so high.
 
Morning @mags1234

As @rebrascora has said, whilst you are waiting for advice on changes to your insulin, You could help to bring your levels down by reducing the amount of carbohydrates that you are eating. It is all of these that is converted into glucose that causes the rise in your blood glucose levels.

Information about hw many carbs you are eating at each meal will help the diabetes team to help you to make changes to your insulin and your doses. You can then work together to get these in balance. There is information on all packaging, or you could use a phone app Carbs and Cals which gives portions sizes alongside photos to aid estimates for each meal.
 
I am on a diet with no carbs, no potatoes, no bread, no cakes or sweet, no chocolate, diet for 1 day is NovaRapid 16 units at 8.am Porridge at 8.30am, 12.30pm novaRapid 16 units 1pm, small salad no cheese or potatoes, 5. 30pm novaRapid 16 units. Cottage pie cauliflower instead of potatoes. 11pm cup of tea with 2 McVities Rich tea light biscuits insulatard 48 units
This is a typical day of what I eat, I am including drinks now, which is tea with artificial sugar 1 morning, 1 dinner time, I late evening, I only drink water nothing added to it through out the day. I eat mainly roasted veg with chicken, never potatoes, and never bread. That's why I have concerns about my insulin, I'm not worried about carbs all food has been spoken between myself and GP's Nurse and she has been wonderful, explaining what I can eat and what I can't. I cannot cut any more carbs out than I have, I am so hungry all the time especially at night. If anyone can help advise without telling me I need to cut my carbs I would be very grateful. Any ideas please would help. I am adding a copy of 2 weeks diet plan.
Had no choice but to add diet this way, it won't add as an attachment, sorry.
Please not NovaRapid was taken after I did finger prick test and before eating each meal.

1595520895733.png
 
Pumper_Sue said:
Considering her background insulin lasts for about 18 hours and I was always taught that there were 24 hours in a day, it stands to reason that she is 6 hours short on insulin coverage. It then takes a few hours for it to kick in so in effect Mags is probably about 8 hours short on her insulin coverage.

In all probability when someone wakes up and realizes this her insulin total dosage could probably be halved. But then as you have pointed out I know nothing.
Click to expand...
I have just read over some of the comment and replies, I think you could be right about the coverage times, I think I'm going to try it, half then other half, it can't be any worst than what I'm doing now, I think that the insulatard of now 35un units in one thigh and then 25 units in the other side is a lot of insulin in one go, my blood count are still not coming down. I will let you know if it works. Fingers Crossed
 
Sorry to hear that you are still finding things tough @mags1234

Scanning your results above, it certainly seems that your breakfast choices are not working well with your doses. It’s great that you are trying to reduce your carb intake, but I think some of our lowcarbing T2s would steer well clear of porridge, weetabix and banana.

Maybe have a look at the ‘what did you eat yesterday’ thread for some alternative breakfast ideas while you get your doses adjusted?

Cheese will have no effect on your BG levels, and I notice that what looks to be your lowest carb meal (the cheese salad) gave your best bedtime reading. Fat is also very filling, and along with protein will make you feel fuller for longer. Many members who are reducing their carb intake find that ‘fat is their friend’.

I think you are closer to getting those BGs under control than you think. And while I know that losing any more carbs seems really tricky, I wonder whether if you can up the proportion of ’good fats’ and protein a little, whether the meals might rebalance with perhaps half their current carb load and still keep you feeling full?
 
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