Newbie sheila

[sheila kimber]

Hello to all.
I am type 2 on insulin, have been for 8 years. although on insulin i still struggle to keep Bg under control, i also have quite a few hypos. I do try . But it is getting harder.. I am 66.

 

[Alan.tnh]

Hi Shiela, I'm Tablet controlled so cant help much, but welcome to the forum, I'm sure you will get some pointers from other insulin controlled t2;s

 

[Lynn Davies]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I too am tablet controlled so no help either!

 

[Aniaa_x]

hello I'm new to this.. i was recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes i was wondering if anyone could tell me its normal that I'm shaking a lot getting a lot of headaches and feeling so unwell?

 

[Lynn Davies]

Hi and welcome to the forum Aniaa.

Do you test your BG levels before and after meals?

 

[Ralph-YK]

Hi Sheila from a T2 on tablets.

 

[robert@fm]

Shakes, headache and nausea sounds like a hypo (your BG has dropped below 4) — or, perhaps more likely in the early days, a false hypo (your BG has dropped below what your body has become accustomed to as "normal", even though that level is actually high; or your BG has dropped too quickly, this can happen even to old-timers). A false hypo can be stemmed by a tiny amount of carb (much less than you would use to correct a real hypo), and the first type of false hypo should in time stop happening as your body becomes accustomed to the proper BG levels and resets its alarm thresholds, so to speak.

Welcome to the forum! We are a very friendly and helpful bunch. 🙂

 

[KookyCat]

Hi Sheila
What type of insulin do you take and do you adjust doses yourself or are they fixed? I think hypos are a fact of life for insulin users to an extent but it's quite easy to get into a pattern of highs and then hypos if the insulin isn't quite matching your needs. The folk here can be really helpful at getting to the root of the problem, so feel free to give a bit more info and we'll see if we can help 🙂

 

[KookyCat]

hello I'm new to this.. i was recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes i was wondering if anyone could tell me its normal that I'm shaking a lot getting a lot of headaches and feeling so unwell?

Hi Aniaa
I felt very unwell, shaky and had a constant headache for about 12 weeks after diagnosis, but I was in a bit of a mess after a bout of DKA that caused a lot of damage. What type of insulin are you taking? The headaches can be a sign of high blood sugar, low blood sugar or dehydration, so if you're not drinking plenty of water give that a try and see if it helps. Are you testing your blood sugar regularly, especially when you feel a bit wonky? It takes a while to learn the signals your body gives you about blood sugar so testing lots helps. How are your blood sugars generally? Don't worry, immediately after diagnosis they can be very erratic (my average was 25mmol/l in the first week 😱) and insulin doses take a while to stabilise, just trying to get an idea of why you're feeling off colour. It might be worth posting a thread in the general message board (we don't bite honest 🙂) and tell us what insulin you're on, where your blood sugar levels are etc 🙂

 

[sheila kimber]

Hi Sheila
What type of insulin do you take and do you adjust doses yourself or are they fixed? I think hypos are a fact of life for insulin users to an extent but it's quite easy to get into a pattern of highs and then hypos if the insulin isn't quite matching your needs. The folk here can be really helpful at getting to the root of the problem, so feel free to give a bit more info and we'll see if we can help 🙂

Hi Aniaa
I felt very unwell, shaky and had a constant headache for about 12 weeks after diagnosis, but I was in a bit of a mess after a bout of DKA that caused a lot of damage. What type of insulin are you taking? The headaches can be a sign of high blood sugar, low blood sugar or dehydration, so if you're not drinking plenty of water give that a try and see if it helps. Are you testing your blood sugar regularly, especially when you feel a bit wonky? It takes a while to learn the signals your body gives you about blood sugar so testing lots helps. How are your blood sugars generally? Don't worry, immediately

Hi Sheila
What type of insulin do you take and do you adjust doses yourself or are they fixed? I think hypos are a fact of life for insulin users to an extent but it's quite easy to get into a pattern of highs and then hypos if the insulin isn't quite matching your needs. The folk here can be really helpful at getting to the root of the problem, so feel free to give a bit more info and we'll see if we can help 🙂

diagnosis they can be very erratic (my average was 25mmol/l in the first week 😱) and insulin doses take a while to stabilise, just trying to get an idea of why you're feeling off colour. It might be worth posting a thread in the general message board (we don't bite honest 🙂) and tell us what insulin you're on, where your blood sugar levels are etc 🙂

cta

Hi KookyCat
Im on Novo Mix Slow release, fixed although recently i have been adjusting it t whatever my reading are. I alsg get a lot of headaches, but then i am blood pressure ablets so it may due to one of them.

 

[Northerner]

cta

Hi KookyCat
Im on Novo Mix Slow release, fixed although recently i have been adjusting it t whatever my reading are. I alsg get a lot of headaches, but then i am blood pressure ablets so it may due to one of them.

Hi Sheila, welcome to the forum 🙂 I would suggest asking to have your insulin changed so that you use separate slow and fast acting insulins. The slow insulin is used to help with the slow trickle of glucose that your liver releases constantly throughout the day and night in order to keep your brain, heart, lungs, digestive system etc. supplied with energy when you are not eating. The 'fast' insulin is used to help with any carbohydrates in the food that you eat, so would only be used at meal times. However, since you are on a mix of the two, altering the fast will also alter the slow at the same time, meaning that it is very difficult to get good control of your levels - you can end up going too high or too low. If you inject separate fast and slow insulins then you have much more flexibility and control. The regime is known as 'basal/bolus' or MDI (Multiple Daily Injections), please do ask about it 🙂 If your levels are swinging between high and low this can cause headaches, so getting on a better insulin regime may also solve the headache issue 🙂

 

[sheila kimber]

Hi Sheila, welcome to the forum 🙂 I would suggest asking to have your insulin changed so that you use separate slow and fast acting insulins. The slow insulin is used to help with the slow trickle of glucose that your liver releases constantly throughout the day and night in order to keep your brain, heart, lungs, digestive system etc. supplied with energy when you are not eating. The 'fast' insulin is used to help with any carbohydrates in the food that you eat, so would only be used at meal times. However, since you are on a mix of the two, altering the fast will also alter the slow at the same time, meaning that it is very difficult to get good control of your levels - you can end up going too high or too low. If you inject separate fast and slow insulins then you have much more flexibility and control. The regime is known as 'basal/bolus' or MDI (Multiple Daily Injections), please do ask about it 🙂 If your levels are swinging between high and low this can cause headaches, so getting on a better insulin regime may also solve the headache issue 🙂

Hi Thank you so much i will ask when i go for my diabetic check hopefully next month, I do wish they would explain these things at the time, I have mentioned my headaches so often, i get is Paracetamol for the pain, but i suppose when your only seeing a nurse twice a year there is a lot of time to do so.. Thank you again for your help,