HELP

[mbmac]

Hi! Type 1 for 9 months (diagnosed May 2019) and I’m 21 years old. For the whole time I’ve been T1, I have been using Semglee for basal insulin. I still haven’t found the right about of basal insulin and I’m having to increase it every month and I’m currently on 46U which is a lot. I’m starting to get lumps of fat on my belly now however injecting in my leg is so painful and I physically couldn’t inject in my leg that amount of insulin!

should I still be having to increase my basal after 9 months ?

sometimes I feel like my body can become resistant to insulin and my BG levels do not move

 

[KARNAK]

Hello @mbmac welcome to the forum is your Basal adjustment advised by your hospital team? In the early days its not unusual to gradually increase your Basal, my first year was gradually increased every week until I was on 56u in the morning and 34u overnight. Now I have learned how to adjust my Basal & Bolus and regularly alter it myself and I am now down to 18u in the morning and 10 overnight. The lumps on your belly maybe of a concern which does need checking by your DSN (Diabetic Specialist Nurse) and maybe a condition called Lipohypertrophy which means the injection site is used too often which will form fatty lumps in the injection area. I would also discuss with the DSN about different areas for your injection sites, are you carbohydrate counting with your food which can effect your BS`s (Blood Sugars) and are you testing before a meal and 2 hours after? Next port of call is to contact your DSN and tell the person what you have told the forum, please come back and let us know how you are coping we are here to help, take care.

 

[SB2015]

Hi! Type 1 for 9 months (diagnosed May 2019) and I’m 21 years old. For the whole time I’ve been T1, I have been using Semglee for basal insulin. I still haven’t found the right about of basal insulin and I’m having to increase it every month and I’m currently on 46U which is a lot. I’m starting to get lumps of fat on my belly now however injecting in my leg is so painful and I physically couldn’t inject in my leg that amount of insulin!

should I still be having to increase my basal after 9 months ?

sometimes I feel like my body can become resistant to insulin and my BG levels do not move

@KARNAK has summed up all that I wanted to say, so I won’t bother to repeat it.
Well worth talking to your DSN, as the lumps could be preventing the insulin getting active in you.

Do you rotate the sites you use. When I was injecting (now on a pump) I used to imagine three lines across my stomach and work across day by day. I also did use my legs, and found that moving more to the side was less painful. Bum and sides can also be useful to rest the tum.

 

[mbmac]

Hi! I just question how long is it going to take to get a good basal dose. I just don’t want to keep increasing it. My DSN advised me to keep increasing by 2U whenever I felt my sugars were increasing as a 1:10 carb counting is working fine for me, and it’s my basal i need to perfect.

I don’t mind injecting in my leg for bolus injections but I know I couldnt do such a large amount of basal in a leg, it can be really painful.
Thank you for replying, I really appreciate the support

 

[rebrascora]

I wonder if something like Levemir might be better as the dose is split between morning and evening so that you would be injecting perhaps only half as much twice a day rather than the larger amount just once a day. It also enables you to inject more for your waking hours when you are more active and less during the night and can be more easily adjusted to take exercise and alcohol etc into consideration. It would definitely be worth discussing the problems you are having with a DSN.
Increasing your levels of activity will also help with insulin resistance and may help to lower your insulin requirements if you are concerned about the increasing amounts. It doesn't have to be anything overly exertive. A brisk 20 mins walk each day will help.... apologies if you already do much more than this, but just trying to suggest possible options.

 

[trophywench]

Have you actually been doing 'basal tests' ? if not see https://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/info/?page_id=120

You mention 'pain' - tell me as I've not used it, does the Semglee sting as you inject it? Cos, some people including me, find that insulin glargine which Lantus and Semglee both are, does that to them - Owwww. Absolutely ask for a change to another type of insulin immediately if it does that to you. You cannot spend the next 80-odd years with that misery and nobody could possibly expect you to!

Nobody on earth can tell you how long it will take to get to the correct dose of basal insulin for you personally since our bodies and metabolism are entirely different and individual. It is a whole lifetime of trial and error - we are each our very own individual scientific experiment - don't teach you this in GCE Biology lessons at senior school, do they? LOL

 

[mbmac]

Hello @mbmac welcome to the forum is your Basal adjustment advised by your hospital team? In the early days its not unusual to gradually increase your Basal, my first year was gradually increased every week until I was on 56u in the morning and 34u overnight. Now I have learned how to adjust my Basal & Bolus and regularly alter it myself and I am now down to 18u in the morning and 10 overnight. The lumps on your belly maybe of a concern which does need checking by your DSN (Diabetic Specialist Nurse) and maybe a condition called Lipohypertrophy which means the injection site is used too often which will form fatty lumps in the injection area. I would also discuss with the DSN about different areas for your injection sites, are you carbohydrate counting with your food which can effect your BS`s (Blood Sugars) and are you testing before a meal and 2 hours after? Next port of call is to contact your DSN and tell the person what you have told the forum, please come back and let us know how you are coping we are here to help, take care.

Have you actually been doing 'basal tests' ? if not see https://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/info/?page_id=120

You mention 'pain' - tell me as I've not used it, does the Semglee sting as you inject it? Cos, some people including me, find that insulin glargine which Lantus and Semglee both are, does that to them - Owwww. Absolutely ask for a change to another type of insulin immediately if it does that to you. You cannot spend the next 80-odd years with that misery and nobody could possibly expect you to!

Nobody on earth can tell you how long it will take to get to the correct dose of basal insulin for you personally since our bodies and metabolism are entirely different and individual. It is a whole lifetime of trial and error - we are each our very own individual scientific experiment - don't teach you this in GCE Biology lessons at senior school, do they? LOL

sometimes when injecting semglee it can really sting in my stomach and sometimes it’s completely fine.
When I inject my bolus insulin (Fiasp) in my stomach it’s also completely fine, but if I inject it in my leg, more often than not it can be painful....which is why I’m fearful of injecting so many units of semglee in my leg.

 

[trophywench]

Dunno what shape you are - but it is necessary to have sufficient flesh below the outer skin, in order for the tip of the needle to get into the 'gap' below that (where the interstitial fluid resides) before the fat layer underneath that (which lies above the muscles)

On the very front of my thighs and the outside of them there is zilch 'padding' whatever so I now have to aim very slightly off centre, slightly to my inner thigh, where it's still comfy to jab.

I've never used FIASP either - all these new brands! - so I dunno if that's common to sting - but anyway you need to tell your DNS what you've told us, cos like I say - every day for the next 80-odd years? No way in my book!

 

[Pumper_Sue]

I don’t mind injecting in my leg for bolus injections but I know I couldnt do such a large amount of basal in a leg, it can be really painful.
Thank you for replying, I really appreciate the support

Could you inject only half the amount and then the other half? It might help whilst you sort out a different basal.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Hi! Type 1 for 9 months (diagnosed May 2019) and I’m 21 years old.

You need to check your information as your profile states you are 29 🙂

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @mbmac

It does sound like you need to be having conversations with your DSN about your concerns. It could well be that a different basal insulin would suit you better. And possibly a split dose.

 

[mbmac]

U

Dunno what shape you are - but it is necessary to have sufficient flesh below the outer skin, in order for the tip of the needle to get into the 'gap' below that (where the interstitial fluid resides) before the fat layer underneath that (which lies above the muscles)

On the very front of my thighs and the outside of them there is zilch 'padding' whatever so I now have to aim very slightly off centre, slightly to my inner thigh, where it's still comfy to jab.

I've never used FIASP either - all these new brands! - so I dunno if that's common to sting - but anyway you need to tell your DNS what you've told us, cos like I say - every day for the next 80-odd years? No way in my book!

yes I have an appointment with my nurse in a few weeks. Would you suggest injecting half my bolus in one left and the rest in the other ?

 

[Pumper_Sue]

U



yes I have an appointment with my nurse in a few weeks. Would you suggest injecting half my bolus in one left and the rest in the other ?

Yes you can try that of make sure you leave a gap/space on the same leg.