• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
  • We seem to be having technical difficulties with new user accounts. If you are trying to register please check your Spam or Junk folder for your confirmation email. If you still haven't received a confirmation email, please reach out to our support inbox: support.forum@diabetes.org.uk

High sugar levels following trauma

Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.

Cliff5643

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
A week ago I thought I was having an heart attack but after hospital visit OK 2 days later I fell backwards down the stairs again no bones broken, however my sugar level is normally around 10/11, however this has suddenly increased to 17/22 and I can't seem to get the level back down, have increased insulin intake, followed strict diabetes diet but to no avail any suggestions I know in trauma glucose is released by the body to help recovery
 
Aaah - but in trauma, the body also releases adrenalin/cortisol. (You know , adrenalin, AKA the 'fight or flight' hormone) And what does adrenalin do? - it increases the BG!

When you say 'strict diabetes diet' what do you actually mean? How many grams of carbohydrate per day does that allow you to consume (I've never had T2 so have never seen such a thing) - and have you upped your exercise too in an effort to reduce your BG?

What medication do you currently use either for your diabetes or anything else?
 
Hi thanks for the reply my strict diet means cut out sugar bread and generally eat light and sensible meals associated with diabetes type 2.
What is worrying me at the moment is my blood sugar levels l have always manged to keep in the zone, but after falling down the stairs backwards last week, didn't break any bone or knock myself out they have averaged 17 to 21 instead of 9 to 12, have tried everything to bring levels down but to no avail, does the body take weeks rather than days to recover
 
Whilst you did not break any bones, I assume you caused yourself some injury. Maybe some nasty bruises.
If so, your liver will be releasing additional glucose to provide the required energy to heal.

I hope you are ok, feeling better and more stable, especially near stairs.
 
What is actually happening now?
Diabetes isn't just about BG, something caused you to suspect a heart attack, then something caused a fall to happen.
Those two may be nothing to do with diabetes, but may be having an effect on your BG as well.
Are you getting any follow up?
 
Which insulin(s) are you on and how much have you increased it/them? You need as much insulin as it takes to bring your levels down into range. If you are not confident of increasing your insulin or you are on a mixed insulin which means that you are limited in how much you can increase it then you need to speak to your nurse to get advice because you don't want to remain that high for too long. You will of course need to be extra vigilant if you do increase your insulin further for it needing to be reduced again as your body recovers from the trauma and as @travellor suggests, you need to have further investigation of the issues which caused these incidents. Very lucky you didn't sustain more serious injury. Good luck getting levels down.
 
mmm i have kemo and after that day 1/3/4/ blood s sugars up to 18 19 20 so i now have basel rate two on my pump use between .070 .080 every hour of the day some total of 17 units per day BASEL
THIS WILL BRING IT DOWN ALSO FREE STYLE LIBRE I CHECK HOURLY to see if and when i need to reduce mostly 3/5 days going lower
so what i am doing is using yes two a blood sugar testing machine one ACCU -CHEK SPIRIT COMBO and my FREE STYLE LIBRE ADI TELL WHAT have two life saving operation s one month in hospital you soon learn fast how live with pump and diabetes i yes i should know 65 years on insulin yes vic novorapid now
 
Cliff has not told us whether he has insulin in his armoury - which is why I didn't say anything about increasing doses and instead asked what medication he was using.
 
Hope your BGs begin to behave themselves soon for you @Cliff5643

It can take a while for the body to settle down after a bot of a shock.

Perhaps it would be worth booking a phone appointment with your GP or nurse next week if you are concerned, and things are not starting to come back into line?
 
Cliff has not told us whether he has insulin in his armoury - which is why I didn't say anything about increasing doses and instead asked what medication he was using.
I assumed when he said that he had increased insulin, that he is in fact injecting insulin...

"A week ago I thought I was having an heart attack but after hospital visit OK 2 days later I fell backwards down the stairs again no bones broken, however my sugar level is normally around 10/11, however this has suddenly increased to 17/22 and I can't seem to get the level back down, have increased insulin intake, followed strict diabetes diet but to no avail any suggestions I know in trauma glucose is released by the body to help recovery"
 
Oops - sorry all. I entirely missed that, despite reading it twice.
@Cliff5643 - I broke a bone approx 2 years ago and was utterly gobsmacked how much more insulin I suddenly needed - literally 3 times as much (Basal and bolus) for about a month afterwards and gradually reducing it back down to pre-accident levels over the next couple of months as the fracture healed. So - don't under estimate how much extra - but do keep testing for ketones if you can - buy some Ketostix to test urine if you haven't got the means to test blood. That's not as critical for a Type 2 as a Type 1 - but you still don't want them to be too high for too long - cos it is/they are, dangerous.
 
Hi thanks for the reply my strict diet means cut out sugar bread and generally eat light and sensible meals associated with diabetes type 2.
What is worrying me at the moment is my blood sugar levels l have always manged to keep in the zone, but after falling down the stairs backwards last week, didn't break any bone or knock myself out they have averaged 17 to 21 instead of 9 to 12, have tried everything to bring levels down but to no avail, does the body take weeks rather than days to recover
Hello Cliff and welcome to the forum.
Do you think your fall down the stairs has anything to do with balance problems associated with badly controlled diabetes as 9 - 12 is way to high if that's your normal numbers?

Any injury or fall will also make your blood sugars increase so you need to counter act this by increasing your insulin and regularly monitoring your blood sugars.
Hope you can soon heal.
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Back
Top