Greetings from long-time diabetic...

[mst3kmoxie]

Hello!
I've been dx'd T2 since 1995, and since then, except for a few wobbles due to apathetic depression (couldn't be bothered to take care of myself), I have managed my diabetes fairly well on oral meds (most recently metformin and victoza). Then in October I finally caught Covid, and from there my health spiralled out of control and I ended up in hospital with diabetic ketoacidosis, kidney infection, and sepsis. Not my best times.

To protect my kidneys they immediately switched me to insulin (Humulin I kwikpen) and want me to stay on it until my kidney infection completely clears and the magic bloodwork numbers are back to looking stable. I've only ever had to take insulin when I was pregnant, and that was back when we had to draw it out of the glass bottle with the needle. ;-)

Long story short, I hate taking the insulin because my eating times are not consistent and no matter how much I increase the Humulin my numbers are nearly always outside my recommended range (under 10). I don't know if there's an upper limit on Humulin dosages, but it feels like I'm already taking a lot. (54 units 2x a day). Anyway, I don't know exactly what I'm asking - but I'm hoping being here might give me some ideas on how to best manage until I can get back to my normal non-insulin regime.

Thanks for reading.

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi @mst3kmoxie I'm a low carb T2 in remission myself, so I will tag a couple of Type 1's @rebrascora @Inka for their experience of dealing with Insulin.

 

[Inka]

Hi @mst3kmoxie 🙂 The Humulin i you’re taking is a slow/background insulin. It’s not meant to deal with food, which is probably part of the reason you’re finding your blood sugar is above target. Can you give an idea of your blood glucose levels over a typical day?

You might be better off on a fast/meal insulin as well and possibly then reduce your Humulin i a bit (because the fast insulin will help deal with your food). Your other option is to adjust your diet gradually until you find a level of carbs that the Humulin i can ‘mop up’.

Bear in mind that your kidney infection could well be pushing your blood sugar up. Also, if you’re on any meds for that, they can cause higher sugars too. I once had antibiotics that did that.

 

[trophywench]

I agree with what @Inka has said but can I ask - has anyone medical considered whether you could now have Type 1 diabetes or done any further blood tests to rule that possibility out?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @mst3kmoxie

Goodness! What a rollercoaster you have been on recently. How are your kidneys doing now?

It does sound like your insulin regime isn’t quite suiting you at the moment

It does sound like an additional meal insulin might be really helpful.

When are you next due to see your Dr / clinic?

 

[mst3kmoxie]

I agree with what @Inka has said but can I ask - has anyone medical considered whether you could now have Type 1 diabetes or done any further blood tests to rule that possibility out?

No, it's unlikely. I was actually T2 in remission (lost over 100 lbs) before a stress/depression weight gain required restarting metformin and victoza. I was successfully relosing the weight before the Covid-instigated body crash. Here's hoping to get back on the path in 2023.

 

[mst3kmoxie]

Welcome to the forum @mst3kmoxie

Goodness! What a rollercoaster you have been on recently. How are your kidneys doing now?

It does sound like your insulin regime isn’t quite suiting you at the moment

It does sound like an additional meal insulin might be really helpful.

When are you next due to see your Dr / clinic?

I just had blood work today; two weeks ago they said it still wasn't fully back to normal. I'll call early next week to see where I stand.

I admit I have been putting off calling the diabetic nurse because I have phone anxiety, but I know I need to call next week as well. Part of my problem is that I am used to being an intermittent faster, so I never eat 3 meals a day. I've stopped fasting until I'm better, but I eat brunch and dinner and my appetite is so much lower than it usually is. That's why I don't understand why the numbers are so high (average about 12 in the am and 11.5 in the pm). I've been off antibiotics for a few weeks now, but I do wonder if my kidney issue is somehow still throwing it off.

Thanks for all the responses, everyone. 🙂

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

That's why I don't understand why the numbers are so high (average about 12 in the am and 11.5 in the pm). I've been off antibiotics for a few weeks now, but I do wonder if my kidney issue is somehow still throwing it off.

Illness and injury can definitely mangle your BGs - and not necessarily with the timings you expect, or what happened last time 🙄

Sometimes I get disruption before, sometimes afterwards and lingering… and other times not at all!