Novorapid for the first time ... bit scared!

[Kei]

F has so far never had to use Novorapid to correct a high. At bedtime tonight, however, she was at 21.6, with 0.1 ketones, so (as directed by our DSN on Friday) I gave her 2 units of Novorapid.

It may be slightly irrational of me, but I'm worried that, when the Novorapid and the long-acting insulin of the Mixtard 30 kicks in during the night, she might actually go hypo!

My husband pointed out that it's not unusual for her to go to bed with her BMs below 7 and not wake up hypo, so unless the Novorapid has a much stronger effect than the DSN expects (1 unit reducing numbers by 6), she should be fine.

What would you do? Would you wake her during the night to test? Would you wake her early in the morning to test? Would you assume it will all be OK and leave her to sleep till 07:30 as usual?

 

[Tom's-dad]

As it the first time you have used it, I would play it safe and test her after 3 to 4 hours. Novarapid works over this period, we do this with Tom but these days are confident with the dose and his response.

 

[Kei]

Thanks. I think I will do her BMs when I go up to bed later (which will be 3 - 4 hours after the Novorapid), just to reassure myself. She won't like me for it, but at least if she seems to be going lower than I'd expect, I can then give her something to counteract it.

 

[bev]

Not to worry you - but NR works differently for different people. I would suggest you check before you go to bed and then again at 3am- as this is the time that the levels are generally at their lowest.
Having said all of that, the higher the level the more the insulin resistance - so what may be ok for a level like 12 - will be very different for a level of 20 something. So if your correction factor is right - it would be fairly unlikely to create a hypo - given the fact that the starting level was 21. Hope you get some sleep!🙂Bev

 

[Kei]

Thanks Bev!! 🙂

 

[Adrienne]

Hi

Yes I agree with Bev. As this is the first time you have done this then test in the early hours ie 2.30 am to 3 am. This is the most likely time she will go hypo and you just never know what will happen. My daughter used to go hypo on mixes without me knowing until she wore a CGMS.

You shouldn't have to wake her up though to do a test. It is better to sneak in, test and sneak out, unless of course she wake automatically.

Good luck and I hope everything is just fine for you. 🙂

 

[Kei]

Thanks all!

I tested in the night without waking her, and she was fine.

This morning she woke 11.3, so obviously the Novorapid was needed! Her ketones were still 0.1 before school, but when I spoke to her DSN this morning she said that was fine. A happy girl has gone off to school.

The last few days have been a bit strange, because she had her flu and swine flu jabs on Thursday, so her temperature has been up, she has been achy and her BMs have been horrible! Fingers crossed the reaction to the jabs should have gone by today, and we'll be back to "normal"!

 

[Carynb]

Glad to hear things are a bit better Kei. J had his 2nd dose of seasonal flu vaccine on friday and it was much better than the first, no temp or crazy BM's just a bit of a sore arm. He also had his first dose of swine flu vaccine on saturday.
Hope F has a good day at school.
C x

 

[Kei]

J had his 2nd dose of seasonal flu vaccine on friday and it was much better than the first, no temp or crazy BM's just a bit of a sore arm.

Thanks Caryn! That's good to hear. 🙂