Unexplained drops in blood sugars

N

nathan7

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi there, I was wondering if anyone has had any occurrences of continuous dropping blood sugars and it not being due to a typical factor like insulin, exercise, etc. I am type 1 and have had diabetes for 19 years.
Only this May did I have my first episode of unexplainable dropping blood sugars. I spent almost a week laid in bed constantly eating and drinking to keep my blood sugars up, with no short acting insulin (fiasp insluin aspart) for days, the only insulin I was taking was a reduced bolus of my long-acting (optisulin insulin glargine) to prevent DKA. It seemed to resolve itself eventually and I passed it off as 'one of those things'.
Unfortunately I have had two more episodes of this since, although not as severe. These times, I still can deliver some insulin but it is more than half what I would typically give, and even then I still experience some hypos.
I've had a full set of blood tests done and they've all come back normal. I've talked to an endocrinologist and specialist diabetes nurses and it is just as confusing to them as it is to me. my lifestyle has not changed much, only that I am less active nowadays as I am trying to reduce my hypos.
Please let me know if anyone has experienced anything similar. Thanks!
 
Welcome to the forum @nathan7

That does sound very unusual. Particularly for it to last so many days! 😱

We have one member @trophywench who has recounted an experience of insulin getting ‘locked up’ in scar tissue, only to later release providing an unexpected dose of insulin when it really wasn’t needed - but I’m not sure that completely reflects your description of events.

It’s pretty common to need less insulin in warm weather (increased insulin sensitivity and dilated blood vessels) and if basal doses and ratios aren’t adjusted it can feel like you are chasing impending low after impending low.

But again this doesn’t seem to be quite what you were describing!
 
It is interesting that you use insulin Glargine because that is the insulin which crystallizes when injected and can then in rare cases get trapped and release much later than it should, sometimes weeks or even months later I believe. It may be something to do with body chemistry which causes it to get trapped and then release later or perhaps overused sites where there is some lipohypertrophy

It might be worth asking to try a different basal insulin like Levemir or Tresiba which are not known to do this... assuming Addison's has been ruled out. Or inject your Glargine into a different site, like buttocks if you currently use thighs.
Where do you currently inject it and is that area lumpy?
 
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