Hot Weather

[TheClockworkDodo]

Out of interest, a poll to see how the hot weather effects everyone's blood sugar levels. What does it do to you?

I used to get highs in the heat and lows in the cold when I was on Lantus, then for a while when I switched to Tresiba I got lows in the heat and highs in the cold. Now it's all over the place

 

[Lucyr]

None of the above - my blood sugar is fine but I require and so take, less insulin than usual

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I have to adjust my doses / basal / ratios in the warmer weather too @Lucyr

And one of the ways I can sometimes tell that my insulin sensitivity has changed can be a day or two of unexpected lows.

 

[helli]

Likewise, I adjust my doses in the hot weather to avoid lows.
The heat makes me more insulin sensitive.

 

[eggyg]

I would only go low if I was exercising in the heat , ie a long walk over rough terrain or up a fell. Because I know that will happen I usually reduce my insulin and take on lots of carbs. But funnily enough the last two days when I haven’t done any formal exercise, for want of a better word, but have been busy in and out of the car, shopping, etc. I have had two unexpected and unexplainable hypers, over 12, about four hours after last eating. I’m wondering dehydration maybe? I do struggle to remember to take on fluids unless it’s very, very hot. Today I will test it out, I filled up a jug with water before bed last night so I’ve got cold water, which is much more palatable to me, and I’m going to try and remember to drink it. I’m planning on just sitting in the garden this afternoon and I will fill my insulated water bottle and have it to hand.

 

[SB2015]

I have had to make adjustments in hot weather as I become more sensitive, and I will tend to go low.

 

[rayray119]

I Amit I find it hard to predict things in hot weather. Although I haven't even gone outside today but it seems i and I have just got down to 3.1. however I have recently changed my diet

 

[Inka]

Mine has gone mad - mostly fierce, quick hypos like all the insulin is being absorbed at once, along with a load of spikes 🙄 What’s strange is that I normally have to increase my basal in hot weather, but now I’ve decreased it by roughly 25%.

The strangest effect is on my meal ratios. Last night I purposely ate a carb-counted amount of rice (in a bag) that I’ve had a number of times before. It was 35g carbs. My evening meal ratio is 1:10g but I was so scared of another nasty hypo, I decided to inject 1 unit immediately after eating it, walk the dog (10 mins slow ‘toileting’ walk so nothing strenuous) and then do the remaining units when I got home. BUT my blood sugar wasn’t high when I got back - it was 6.8 and stayed at 6.5-6.8 all evening! I finger-pricked as well as scanned. No more insulin needed

So - 1 unit of insulin covered 35g carbs!! I’ve never had such a ratio in my life!

I’ve now drastically cut all my ratios and am simply monitoring post-meal.

 

[Inka]

Just to add to my above post, tonight I was very aware of my new temporary ratio and afraid of going low, so used last night’s ratio again to be safe. And……guess what happened?

Yes, of course - my blood sugar went high and I ended up taking corrections, all adding up to my normal ratio 🙄 What ‘excitement’ and random ratio will tomorrow bring?

 

[Daisycoo]

I’m a bit wary of levels in this heat. First summer with T1D. Was out today and felt low but numbers were in range of between 5/6.
I did eat a couple of jelly babies a few times to bump them up because I was walking. Felt I was dropping quicker than usual though but only by 1 or 2 points. Could be either the heat/walking or both.
See what the rest of the week brings.

 

[TheClockworkDodo]

Thanks all for your replies - and it's interesting, a lot of people are making adjustements, which is what I used to do when I was on Lantus, all my doses (not just the Lantus, the Novorapid too) gradually went down and down through the autumn as my sugar levels dropped, and then up and up through the spring as my sugar levels went up again, so I would need almost twice the insulin in the summer as I needed in the winter.

I would have counted that as "my blood sugar's too high when it's hot" rather than as blood sugar being fine, as it was only fine after I adjusted my insulin to stop it going up. So I'd say people who have put their doses down have blood sugar which is too low when it's hot. Hmmm, I'm sorry, perhaps the poll options could have been better phrased - what I meant to ask is does the hot weather make your blood sugar go up or down?

I've not had that at all the last couple of years on Tresiba, it's just been slight adjustements down in the summer, but much less noticeably weather-related, so I'd have said the weather was no longer really effecting me - but this summer I've been having the same sort of issues as Inka, completely unpredictable big spikes and random ratios, then just when I think I've got the ratio sorted I'm back to having hypos. Or vice versa.

Where do you inject when you get the "insulin being absorbed all at once" thing, @Inka? I find I get that (irrespective of weather) if I inject in my abdomen, a sharp plummet and then all the Novorapid's gone in 3 hours instead of the 5-6 hours which is normal for me if I inject elsewhere, so I spike up again. I only use my abdomen for correction doses now (or if I'm in a cafe and about to eat a cake).

 

[Inka]

Interesting @TheClockworkDodo , my boluses were in my stomach too. Just had another horrible plunging sugar this morning. Went from 9.9 to 2.9 in a very short period of time. Now I’m high. I’m so sick of this, I genuinely feel like not eating, and that’s something I’d never usually say.

 

[rayray119]

I'm diffinty looking forward to Wednesday where it's going to be cooler again thank goodness because I'm diferntyly finding it hard to get things right it in this heat. Today here was my thought process when deciing to how much Livermore to take "it's going hot today and I tend to drop it in heat however due however I'm not due to met office warning people not to go out in the sun I'm not really going to being going out so is that going to make me run higher so is a reduction really the right thing however yesterday I plumtled in the afternoon despite having not gone out" however this is my first summer so I might have a better handle on things next year.

 

[TheClockworkDodo]

Might be worth trying bolusing elsewhere, @Inka and see if that helps.

I've had several spikey days in succession and then today I've had 4 hypos, the last one plummeted down to 1.8 - that's my own fault for not eating a biscuit before going out to water the pots this evening though (I was 7.1 before I started, I thought I'd probably be 5ish and need a biscuit when I came back in ... ).

I'm looking forward to Wednesday too, @rayray119 ! I've been finding it really hard to calculate insulin doses too, but most summers are not quite like this one has been!

 

[rayray119]

.

I've had several spikey days in succession and then today I've had 4 hypos, the last one plummeted down to 1.8 - that's my own fault for not eating a biscuit before going out to water the pots this evening though (I was 7.1 before I started, I thought I'd probably be 5ish and need a biscuit when I came back in ... ).!

Oww 1.8 must have felt pretty rough when I plummeted yesterday I treated it a 3.1 but when I got to wash heads to recheck after treating i was certain I dropped further because felt awful and yep sure enough was 2.4.

 

[TheClockworkDodo]

That happens to me sometimes, really annoying - you feel you've dealt with it, it should stop now, not get worse! And then if you do have another hypo treatment is it suddenly going to spike?! But if you don't it might keep going down ...

Today's 1.8 wasn't too bad, I don't tend to get much in the way of hypo symptoms because I spend so much time hypo (not something I'd recommend, but I can't seem to help it) - it was just bad enough to get me out of doing the wiping up because I was a bit too wobbly to stay standing up, but I sat on the stairs and watched R doing all the work

 

[rayray119]

That happens to me sometimes, really annoying - you feel you've dealt with it, it should stop now, not get worse! And then if you do have another hypo treatment is it suddenly going to spike?! But if you don't it might keep going down ...

Today's 1.8 wasn't too bad, I don't tend to get much in the way of hypo symptoms because I spend so much time hypo (not something I'd recommend, but I can't seem to help it) - it was just bad enough to get me out of doing the wiping up because I was a bit too wobbly to stay standing up, but I sat on the stairs and watched R doing all the work

Well I did end up a bit high but resisted the edge to a correction just as well really because half a unit seems to have taken me down from 11.8 to 6.8 tonight (and I'm sat here thinking how can half a unit now drop me 5) big drop yesterday wasn't helped by the helped by the fact I slightly miscalculated my lunch but didn't think it was the whole reason(still not sure it is because I did dip this afternoon and I diffinaty for it right this time). But if half unit can bring Mr down 5 that means that I unit could potentially bring me 10(I'm this is just a random wired thing otherwise it might make corrections difficult on pens)

 

[Inka]

My correction factor has gone mad too @rayray119 I’m correcting less often and taking tiny corrections.

@TheClockworkDodo I bolused in my arms and legs yesterday. I’m not sure if it helped or not because there’s no pattern to the crazy sugars. This morning I’m going to delay breakfast and see if that has any effect.

 

[nonethewiser]

Windows open curtains shut facing sun, was up at 6 so took dog for long walk in woods before day gets hot. So many peeps were doing same, sensible as dogs feel heat like we do & paws can burn on pavement.

Staying indoors drinking plenty of cold drinks, have hospital appointment in afternoon so not looking forward to that, journey there will be OK as good aircon in car. By looks of things tomorrow's temp looks better & more comfortable.

 

[TheClockworkDodo]

Well I did end up a bit high but resisted the edge to a correction just as well really because half a unit seems to have taken me down from 11.8 to 6.8 tonight (and I'm sat here thinking how can half a unit now drop me 5) big drop yesterday wasn't helped by the helped by the fact I slightly miscalculated my lunch but didn't think it was the whole reason(still not sure it is because I did dip this afternoon and I diffinaty for it right this time). But if half unit can bring Mr down 5 that means that I unit could potentially bring me 10(I'm this is just a random wired thing otherwise it might make corrections difficult on pens)

I suspect it's just a random weird thing at the moment with the heat, but could also be there was still insulin in your system from your previous dose - I get that sometimes, think it's going to last 5 hours and it lasts 6 and suddenly drops my levels.

Or could be your body is still producing a bit of its own insulin from time to time - I get that too, had three nights the other week when I was, according to Libre, hypo all night (not compression low, graph was too wiggly), despite eating lots of biscuits before going to bed. My Libres tend to exagerate so I think I was hovering around 4, but it was a bit of a shock!