Potatoes...

[Vix]

I'll try and cut a long story short...

I've just changed from doing my lantus in a morning to night (3 days ago) and my waking sugars have been perfect so far but then I get highs in the afternoon and evening, presumably it wears off before the 24 hrs and I inject at 10pm. But yesterday it went to 15.4 at 2hrs after dinner - bangers and mash, and then today it was 14.7 at 2 hrs after lunch - jacket potato... Both times it was 6 before my meal. I'm wondering if I need to increase my bolus ratio at lunch/dinner now I've changed my lantus from morning to night, but then I wondered if it was the potato that makes it spike at 2 hrs???? Does anyone else have problems after eating potatoes? I'm self taught at carb counting so waiting for a course to start in 3 weeks and it's a guessing game until then!!

Xx

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Perhaps skip the spud and see what happens? 🙂
If you look in the pump forum there's a sticky for basal testing, perhaps try some basal testing before any changes are made so you know what you are dealing with. It might just be a question of splitting your basal.
Mash and jacket spuds are killer on blood sugars anyway 😡

 

[Cleo]

Interesting question.....
I spent YEARS taking my Lantus in the evenings but then also had hypos when sleeping so the consultant suggested that I take it in the morning.....didnt work as the following morning I was high as I had run out of the Lantus. I now split the dose and it works much better - - but I dont remember ever having to change my bolus due to this. Do you remember how much you gave yourself for the mash and for the jacket potatoe? Maybe its just a minor issue with the carb counting??. Also, my insulin to carb ratio is different at lunch time (2:1) whereas dinner its a 1.5:1 ratio, so my requirements differ throughout the day. This may (or may not!) be the case for you - if its is it can easily be identified and sorted on your dafne course.

Also, I read your other post re the brown rice....have you ever used this ?
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/Documents/catalogue/Carbs_Count_Reference_List_2012.pdf . Might be helpful if you're ever in a dilemma between packet info and carbs and cal info!

Hope thats helpful.

 

[LeeLee]

Further to Sue's suggestion re: cutting out the spud, you could try having exactly the same sausage and mash meal, except for substituting cauliflower mash for the potatoes.

 

[Vix]

Thanks for your replies...

PumperSue, I had rice for dinner (the problem here being I have no idea if I counted the carbs right - so thanks for that Cleo, I've been hoping there was something like that somewhere!!!) and it's 13 now... but it's been high before my lantus for the last 3 nights since I changed the time of taking it! I've been told if I split my basal I'm probably best switching to levemir so my DSN is suggesting alternative (i.e. changing to evening) before that... Think I need to give it a week on the new timings and see if there is a logical pattern, which there seems to be at the mo - perfect in a morning, then high in afternoon/eve whereas before it was a completely irrational pattern!

Cleo - I've been having night hypos which is why I'm surprised it was insisted upon that I change to eve as I thought it would be more risky, but so far (only 3 days admittedly) I've had no hypos, although high before bed, and woken up with bloods of 5! I work out my humalog as 1:5 CHO for breakfast and 1:7.5 CHO for lunch/dinner - I was doing more for lunch/dinner but my dietician told me to decrease it to get rid of hypos first... think maybe I just need to give it a week on the new regime and see what happens!

I'm doing a very short version of daphne (3x 2 hour sessions every 3 weeks) as there's no funding for a full DAPHNE course, but it's better than nothing and guessing, which is what I'm doing at the moment.

LeeLee - I was told by my DSN that I was under-eating (i'm not exactly of large build but I'm certainly not skinny) and told to increase my carb intake which is why I've gone back to having mash and such like, but this doesn't make sense as I seem to be 'feeding my insulin' and having to have snacks to keep my sugars up, and I thought the point of going to 4 injections (was clinging onto only 2 for aaaaages) was the freedom, and NOT having to eat all the time!

Thanks for all your help 🙂 I really hope something clicks and it all falls into place as I'm fed up of a year of erratic sugars and nobody seeming to be able to work out why

xx

 

[sweetsatin]

Have you tried sweet potatoes? I find them better for me.

 

[Vix]

I love sweet potatoes but can't eat much... To be honest it's still only 3 days since I started taking my lantus at night so I'm adding things into the mix slowly, but sweet potatoes will be added to my list - thanks sweetsatin xx

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Thanks for all your help I really hope something clicks and it all falls into place as I'm fed up of a year of erratic sugars and nobody seeming to be able to work out why

Vix, invest in the books using insulin and also think like a pancreas. There's also an online carb counting course called Bedc. Just google it and it will appear. Join up and learn at your leisure 🙂

The idea of MDI is so you can eat as you want, not as someone else wants 😡 There is no way you should be feeding the insulin.
For best results on the spud front try a couple of new potatoes. Or sweet potato as Sweetsatin has suggested.
As I said in a previous post, you need to sort out your basal insulin first. If you keep on changinging everything without any set pattern, you wont know what's right or wrong.
Look in the pump section there's a basal testing sticky at the top of the page, it's aimed at pumpers but just as useful for people on MDI.

 

[Cleo]

When is your dafne course ? I am sure your treatment plan just needs a bit of tweaking 🙂. I think it makes sense to leave things as they are for a week so you can see whether there is a pattern or not. Are you able to contact / email your DSN or dietician to get some feedback?. As some of the members have already said, you may need to sort out your basal first and then fine tune the carb counting situation. Its a pain Vix, but once you've nailed it you'll be very pleased with yourself!!

Also, this might sound really stupid, but are you rotating injection sites, leaving the injection under your skin for long enough so ALL the insulin goes out etc.?. The DSN talked about the importance of this on my dafne course and I think there might be some truth to it 🙂

Good luck with everything and let us know how you get on!!!!

 

[Vix]

It's a 3x 2hr short version of DAFNE... I was trying to keep things as they are but I was at 15 today for about 4 hours and I just couldn't take any more so did a correction dose... and now 4.1. The annoying thing is I can only call my DSN on a Tues/Weds afternoon and the receptionist rarely passes on my messages so virtually impossible to speak to her!! I did a couple of basal test when doing it in a morning and it seemed to be working, but think I just need to keep going until 24th April which seems a mile away, especially given we are desperate to start a family and get my hba1c down...

i rotate my sites - had major surgery on my right hip so was doing in my left hip and arms until a couple of months ago then was told not to do in my arms (I've done it there for 18 years as that's where I was told to inject and no-one ever said anything different) so now do in tummy and thigh, as struggle with buttocks as can't twist to reach because of my hip!! All my sites have been checked and they're ok apparently

Let's see how tonight's cauliflower cheese works out 😉

Xx