Struggling

[Gardener1]

Good morning @Gardener1

There is an expensive test that can be done to check the amount of insulin you are producing, but in general the indicator that we have at home is by measuring our BG regularly before and after meals to see how our bodies deal with the glucose from what we eat. Are you able to test your levels. If so keeping a record of these can help them make decisions about any changes needed to your doses.

Yes I am now testing 4 times a day

 

[Gardener1]

Gardener, in your shoes, if I was seeing blood sugars in the high 20s, despite following the instructions of my diabetes care team, I would be calling 111 for advice.

As a T2, I doubt you have blood test strips to test for ketones, but at 28 and feeling rubbish, personally, I want to check.

I don't know what you're eating for your evening meal, but I wonder if a few days of seriously low carb might help show up if your numbers are being very much influenced by what you eat, but your long acting insulin not lasting long enough, or another underlying case - like an infection, or whatever the other conditions you mention are.

Are you taking any additional, or different medication for your other conditions? Things like steroids can send blood sugars very high, for example.

Just a bit of a brain dump from me. I'm not an insulin user myself, so just being clear about that, but just trying to think inthe bigger picture.

Fingers crossed for you.

Thankyou for advice it has helped, I am trying to cut down on carbs and the cravings seem to have eased. I did not know these were caused by High sugar levels. I do take other medication but not steroids. I am feeling better my sugar levels have come down although still High in the evening. I have increased the Novorapid from 5 to 6 and will go up a bit more if they remain High. Hopefully I will be able to get some help from my surgery soon.

 

[Welsh Wizard]

I've only just registered as a newbie but have had diabetes for 15 odd years and I can certainly empathise with some of the comments in this forum. Last year I was diagnosed with arthritis of the hip (finally) and am awaiting a hip replacement which has seriously hampered my exercise routine, especially with the leisure centres having been closed and being unable to undertake regular swimming. I should have had two visits to my GP for Diabetic checkups but again due to covid theses have been cancelled. I now have a blood testing kit and was horrified when I started to record the results. I thought that I was managing my diet fairly well but the readings seem so erratic and inconsistent I just don't know what to do other than to try and get a further test through the GP.

 

[Gardener1]

I agree with you both @Inka and @helli

While it is technically true that some insulin users prefer a lower-carb approach (we have some on the forum) these are people who are experienced insulin users who have a good understanding of the way their body reacts to carbohydrate, and the need to carefully balance insulin and carb intake (along with other factors).

I don’t think ‘going seriously low carb’ is a very sensible or safe strategy for @Gardener1 until they have a good deal more experience and training in dosing and adjusting insulin - which is after all a potentially lethal substance if misused.

However it is also true to say that regular readings in the 20s are not ideal (or safe) either! And it is clear that @Gardener1 needs a good deal more help and support from their HCPs than they are currently able to access.

As this sudden change is happening only 2 yesrs after diagnosis I am wondering like others about the current state of insulin production, and whether @Gardener1 might be LADA rather than T2, which would need a much more comprehensive insulin regimen than basal-only with ad-hoc Novorapid.

I would speak to NHS111, your Dr or rhe Diabetes UK careline (number at the top of the page) about how to correct these very high BG levels safely.

It may also help to begin keeping notes of the carbohydrate content of meals and snacks (a reasonable estimate is accurate enough) to see of there are patterns, and whether some cautious carb-reduction might help - not immediately canning all carbs, but just carefully reducing portion sizes to see if better numbers result.

Hope the other illnesses and health problems improve, along with the high BG cravings.

Thankyou for this now I know, thanks to other replys that the sugar cravings are caused by High sugar levels I have been able to bring them more under control and this seems to helped me feel better. I will look up LADA as I don't know about it. I have a phone appointment with my surgery on the 3rd of November and I am hoping to get some blood tests done.

 

[Gardener1]

I've only just registered as a newbie but have had diabetes for 15 odd years and I can certainly empathise with some of the comments in this forum. Last year I was diagnosed with arthritis of the hip (finally) and am awaiting a hip replacement which has seriously hampered my exercise routine, especially with the leisure centres having been closed and being unable to undertake regular swimming. I should have had two visits to my GP for Diabetic checkups but again due to covid theses have been cancelled. I now have a blood testing kit and was horrified when I started to record the results. I thought that I was managing my diet fairly well but the readings seem so erratic and inconsistent I just don't know what to do other than to try and get a further test through the GP.

Hi All you can do is keep trying to contact your doctors, I have now managed to get a phone appointment in November. I hope it is the diabetic nurse this time.