Hello from newbie!

[kimsteer]

Hi All,

I'm Kim, been type 1 for 22 years, have 3 children (would hate that I have called them children!).

Currently annoyed that I have managed to get my average blood sugar down from 15 to 9.6, only to be told today that I must do better! Oh Hum!

Moving house soon and am a full time maths teacher at a local school. Looking forward to chatting with you and not ranting (much)!

 

[Copepod]

Welcome Kimsteer.

When you say "average blood sugar", do you mean HbA1c (in %) or average of readings you've taken on your blood glucose meter (in mmol/l)?

Who said you should get it lower? Did they offer you any help eg a DAFNE (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating) or other carbohydrate counting / insulin management course? They're right, of course, but identifying the problem is only part of the answer - a strategy to improve is also vital. Not all areas offer DAFNE or other courses, but there is a free online course available at http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/

Hope that's a bit of help to start with, but keep asking away - and offering experiences, too. 🙂

 

[Robster65]

Hi kim. Welcome 🙂

I would say that 9 still sounds high but as copepod says, it depends what you're defining.🙂

If you're only testing post meal, then it's probably ok. but if that represents a true average or HbA1c, then it is definitely too high and will come back to bite you later on.

The current recommendation for HbA1c is, I believe, below 6.5% and a true average of BG readings, taking several per day at different times over a long period should be in the 7s or below ideally, without too many hypos.

ALl this said, it has to be fitted into a lifestyle and there are ways and means of acheiving it.🙂

Rob

 

[Steff]

Hi Kim and a warm welcome to the forum, good luck with the move, cant help anym ore then that but wanted to say welcome onboard

 

[kimsteer]

Thanks for your comments!

I know that 9 is still too high, but I am working on it! I find it really difficult to balance life and diabetes, especially work. I was happy that I had managed to get my HbA1c below 10. It has taken a lot of hard work.

My nurse told me today that I was still double what I should be! I teach and find that my mind doesn't function well when at 6, I feel constantly as though I am going hypo, I have had lots now that I am really trying to get my sugars down.

I have never been offered a course, counseling, I was just told to get on with it, which I have been doing. When I meet diabetes professionals all they manage to do is make me feel like a failure.😡

Maybe I need to get more demanding!

 

[Robster65]

It is difficult to give diabetes the priority it needs a lot of the time.

Once you've reached the proper levels, it's often a lot easier. Your false hypo feelings, although worrying for you at the time, need to be ignored until you get to the low 4s really. If you've run high for a while, your body doesn't know when it's properly low.🙂

You should have access to a carb counting course and should be given support to help you acheive the targets they set.

What regime are you on ? eg. MDI, and what insulins ?

Have they ever mentioned a pump ?

Rob

 

[slipper]

Hello Kim, just popped in to offer a welcome to the forum, If you feel you are not getting the right support, say so to your Dr, in a nice way of course.🙂

 

[margie]

Hello Kim and welcome to the forums. If I was your team - I would congratulate you on the improvement whilst trying to encourage you to keep going.

You are feeling hypo at 6 because you body is used to much higher levels - hence it being a false hypo. As your levels continue to improve the false hypos will go.

Is there any time of day that you are particularly high ? What regime are you on. Sorry for all the questions but they may help others when they reply.

 

[pgcity]

Hiya Kim
It must be hard monitoring your diabetes being a mum and full time teacher but you have some really good skills that will be very helpful. I expect most of us with similar levels to you would feel awful at 6. You feel bad because 6 is much lower on average than you are used to and your body tells you this. The key for you may be to stop the variation in your levels and then gradually reduce them. Unfortunately the only way to do this is to get to grips with carb counting and test before and after meals. It is time consming at first but soon gets easier.

It became a little easier for me when I read Using Insulin by John Walsh. It has lots of forms to complete to help you understand how much insulin you should be taking and what effect it may have.

Good luck

 

[kimsteer]

Hi, thanks for the responses!
I am currently injecting novo rapid and glargine at night.

I have been working really hard to control my BG, however, I have now been experiencing lows of 1.8, which although I can still get myself sorted is not a good idea!

I have been cutting down on the carbs, when first diagnosed I was told to always have these to keep BG stable, so always include pasta, mashed potato etc in a meal. Maybe this is wrong.

I inject before I eat, I do not take the glargine at the same time each day, I just take it before going to bed. I do experience lows in the morning - 2.3.

My testing machine is telling me that my average over the last 14 days is 6.9, I am testing at various different times during the day before and after meals.

I must admit, it is a good job it is half term as I would find this difficult to maintain!

Thanks for your comments, any more would be gratefully received!

 

[novorapidboi26]

Hi Kim, welcome from me............

Some HCPs can be insensitive and uneducated..........yes, its recommend to get your HbA1c down to certain levels, but sometimes its not that easy.........

I have been Diabetic for 13 years, been putting in a lot of effort, as much as I will ever put in, and still haven't got below 7.9%, but I am happy, as I know what I need to do, and that I will get it down eventually..........

 

[Northerner]

Hi Kim, a belated welcome to the forum from me 🙂 Having read your posts there are a few things and questions that spring to mind, the frst being: do you adjust your novorapid dose according to the carbs in the meal you are about to eat, and take into account other factors like your pre-meal levels, whether you have been active or not, if you have an infection - I'm sure you know the kind of thing. Your levels do seem to swing quite a lot and must spend quite a lot of time in double figures if you struggle to get your HbA1c below 10 despite having some pretty low hypos.

You should definitely ask about what education courses are available to you in your area - DAFNE would be ideal, but your PCT may run something of their own. Another thing you definitely need to look at closely is your glargine dose. You should never be waking in the 2s (if this is what you mean by the 2.3), and the lows at 1.8 all indicate that your dose of glargine is too high. I'd suggest doing some basal testing - the link is primarily aimed at pump users, but the principles are the same for injections. Until you can be confident that your basal/glargine is correct it will be very difficult to get your novorapid doses right for your meals.

Another point is about you worrying or not being able to teach at below 6.0. Unfortunately, I suspect that you are accustomed to much higher levels than 'normal', and this is why you feel hypo below this level. A non-diabetic person will most lekely be around their highest at 6.0, so it is perfectly fine for teaching - you just need to teach your brain that it is by gradually tightening up your control!

Now, even though you have been diagnosed for many years, I would suggest you get a copy of Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents by Ragnar Hanas. Don't worry about the title, I use it and I am 53! 🙂 A lot of people that have been diagnosed for a long time do not get their knowledge updated as new ideas come along, as it is somehow imagined that you already 'know it all', which a number of our members have discovered, and is often a revelation resulting in much better control!

Please ask any questions you may have, even if you think they might be a bit obvious - nothing is considered 'silly' and there is an awful lot to be learned from each other by posing those questions 🙂