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Heat

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New type 1

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I got diagnosed at the end of last year at the age of 36. I'm still very new to being a type 1. I've discovered there is a LOT to learn. I was put on 10 units of Lantus and 4 units of Novorapid. I have recently started carb counting because I often have more carbs than 4 units covers. I didn't agree this with my healthcare professional which I realise is probably not a good idea. But it has been working. The past two days I've been having three or four hypos a day and I think it's because of the heatwave. I've mostly been 3.6, 3.7 when having hypos during the last two days which doesn't seem too low to me but tonight I was 2.7. I'm thinking I need to alter my Lantus not my Novorapid but want to confirm without my healthcare professional who I won't be able to see until Monday. If anyone has any thoughts I would be grateful
 
Probably lowering your Lantus makes sense. You didn't mention hypos overnight (which would be a clearer sign). Remember to put it up again (since Monday is expected to be quite a bit cooler), but even if you don't it's no big deal. Safer to be a bit high for a day or two than to have lots of hypos.
 
Welcome @New type 1 🙂 I’ve lowered my basal a little but I’m finding that the biggest cause of hypos and sudden drops in this heat are my boluses. So, I’d also reduce your meal-time Novorapid. I’ve reduced mine significantly and I’m not alone.
 
I've knocked 9 units off my basal insulin in the past 3.5 days as I was getting 3-4 hypos each day despite lowering my basal by about 3 units each day. I eat low carb and usually just twice a day but have found my morning bolus needs a little reduction too but levels are creeping higher on an evening so evening dose isn't needing much if any adjustment and I have actually needed a couple of corrections before bed to bring levels down.

For being quite newly diagnosed it sounds like you have a pretty good grip on how things work and well don on taking the initiative with your NR dosing. Cautiously experimenting and learning how you body responds and what works with your diabetes (and menu) is the best route to good diabetes management in my opinion. Far better than relying on instruction from a nurse or doctor who you just see once every few months or yearly and are likely very over stretched at the moment. I hope you will take heart from the fact that many of us are experiencing multiple hypos at the moment. The important thing is what you do about it and you have clearly given that thought and come here to seek confirmation of your suspicions. Hope you feel OK after your nasty hypo and that you (and the rest of us) have a better day tomorrow.
 
Welcome to the forum @New type 1

Sorry to hear the heat is throwing some curveballs your way. There is a lot to learn in the early years with T1. And in the middle years… and in the later years too! One of the amazing things about being part of a forum like this is how it enables you to continue to pick up new nuggets of information, hints, tips, and strategies - however long you’ve been playing the game!

Sounds like you have a good analytical approach, and are trying to spot patterns and adjust things based on your results. Those are pretty key skills to have picked up. There are no ‘right doses’ with T1… only the right doses for now, in these circumstances.

Now that you’ve started experimenting and adjusting things, you might want to get a few pointers

BERTIE and DAFNE are free online courses in insulin therapy, which will help you juggle doses agains food, activity, exercise, alcohol, illness, and… heat.

www.bertieonline.org.uk

And

DAFNE - (dose adjustment for normal eating)
https://dafne.nhs.uk

You might also find these books really useful - they are often recommended by forum members:

Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas. Don't be put off by the title - this book is relevant to people of all ages!

Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner - A practical guide to managing diabetes with insulin

Good luck, and hope you can lose a few of those hypos soon. Might be worth asking your DSN for half-unit pens?
 
Thanks for all your replies. There is, and I suspect there always will be, so much to learn! I started using the libre sensor a few days ago. It started to come unstuck on day three so I attached a new one. I reacted to it after a few hours but now seems to be ok. I lost 4 stone before I was diagnosed and I was adamant that it was all the exercise I was doing. I've now accepted that a lot of it but not all (I like to take some credit for the effort) was the diabetes. I have put some back on and now I'm struggling to lose that. I was so happy when I lost the weight, thinking I'd got to a good place. I also chilled out a bit with the exercise when I got diagnosed which obviously helped the weight gain. I've read about low carb and how it might not be a good idea for T1. I'm waiting to speak to a dietician to ask about a good safe level of carbs that will help with this. I had a telephone appointment (bloody COVID) with one but then didn't respond to a letter they sent me (silly me) so they took me off their list. I will say it has been so annoying being diagnosed during the pandemic. I'm a person who prefers face to face. I actually work in a hospital and so I'm aware of all the people who have been waiting a LONG time for ops and other treatment. I did some waiting myself for two days. My doc sent me into hospital because I had ketones in my urine (gone now) and was very overwhelmed. The waiting in the hospital was the most frustrating and upsetting thing about all of it to be honest. Anyway I could really blabber on for ages. I just wanted to share a snippet of my experiences so far.
 
Ah yes! The pandemic certainly made appointments hard to come by for anyone newly diagnosed. It has been very tricky for people for sure. :(

As to carbohydrates for someone living, personal experiences (amd preferences) will vary, but the overall advice is to follow the usual basic guidelines of a healthy diet for everyone - and to adjust insulin doses to match.

Some people find that they need to avoid certain sources of carbs or reduce their portion sizes where they seem to give them unpredictable or unwanted glucose variation, but generally speaking people using multiple daily injections should be able to eat a normal, healthy diet.
 
Already needed to increase mine again.
 
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