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Insulin not working as normal. Type 1 diabetic.

Posted , 5 users are following.

PeaceNLove35429
PeaceNLove35429

So, ive been a T1D for 14 years. Im now 19 years old. I never really had good control of my diabetes over the years, and as a child my parents would more so react to blood sugars than control them. Through my teens i have been clueless about the dangers of having this disease, until about 2 years ago when i sh*t myself and started getting really bad anxiety because of my health. Thus i started taking much better care of myself. I am using novorapid for corrective doses and 1 bolus during work days for lunch, and novomix 30 twice a day. Since ive been checking my blood sugars loads i noticed and worked out how my insulin acted. I try to get my sugars between 5 and 9 for long acting injections. i would always get a spike to around 10 - 14 and then 2 and a half hours after my novomix by bloodsugars would be between 4 and 10 and i would snack very lightly to stop a hypo and keep them at a steady rate... however, in very recent times it seems that my insulin is being unpredictable. peaking sometimes at 3 and a half hours sometimes 4 or 5 then sometimes it would work as it normally would. But today for example i had a BGL of 9 before my tea and long acting dose. had some green tea and went for a walk.. after an hour my sugar spiked to 14(fair enough)... 2 hours (id expect it to be heading down; would usually be around 10 and heading down) still 14... 3 hours - 15!!.. usually by 3 hours id have had a snack to prevent a hypo! but its still high.. all this is making my life very difficult, and i cant exactly just go out with friends as i could be risking a hypo if it peaks all of a sudden. Any advice? im trying my best to get a cgm but up here my doctors are all cheap skates! i test 30 - 40 times a day as i must see where im heading, and also see fluctuations. i do 2 long acting doses of novomix30 and 1 dose of novorapid to cover my dinner at work(dont have dinner on weekend so dont bolus. My blood sugars tend to very good between 5 and 9 until the spike from eating, then after 2 and a half hours itd be around normal and id keep it stable by snacking lightly until my next dose. I dont eat supper as that cuases high blood sugars through the night but im in a bit of a predicament... i just want my insulin to work as it always has so i can get about as normal! Sorry for the length of this, and i bet it sounds like a jumbled mess but any advice and support would be greatly appreciated. Much love people.

 

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • matt66
    matt66 PeaceNLove35429

    Posted

    Hey there,

    I'm T2 so won't be able to help on some of the above, but do you carry anything with you for a hypo? I have glucogel in a small squeezy bottle. Try not to let it stop you doing what you want, like going out with friends. Carrying the right stuff with you can give you a lot of freedom and give you a normal life. Don't be scared of it....just recognise the symptoms & have a plan in your head to cover the what ifs. Do your friends know about your condition? It's worth educating them on how they can help if you have a really bad hypo, whether it's "get me a coke straight away" or "I keep glucogel in my pocket...If I crash, plus get some in me".

    That's just my 2 cents on hypos as a T2 (and when I get them it's bad. ...I'm out of it)!! I'm sure other T1s will have more to add.

    Good luck & don't let it get you down. You can have a normal social life with the right preparation.

    • PeaceNLove35429
      PeaceNLove35429 matt66

      Posted

      Yo, cheers for the reply man. I carry absolutely loads of snacks and stuff all the time, and lucozade incase i go really low. The snacks would be for if i was heading low, and the lucozade incase i didnt get any warning signs and just hit hypo all of a sudden... my hypos have never been so bad, ive always been with it- just feel shaky and anxious and know im low... but in recent times theyve been pretty bad i get confused and very very anxious and start panicing... i had a hypo the other day after 4 hours from my novomix dose, before the hypo my BGL was 6 so i ate a packet of crisps to try and keep it level.... however 2 minutes later i checked and i was 3.7 and feeling really terrible. i drank the lucozade slowly at first but my blood sugar just wasnt going up and i was getting terrible feelings in my body and my mind, so i ended up necking most of the bottle!!(i linked this to the fact id ate something and it slowed the absorbtion but i was low for aggges, nearly an hour before my blood sugar shot up to 15 - then i walked home and it ended up at 10). My friends never stop hearing about my diabetes haha, so yes theyre well informed. but the only thing i can tell them to do is if i have a fit put me in a recovery postion and ring an ambulance asap! i havent had a fit in 7 years thankfully. id like to carry a glucogen injection also but i believe that has to be stored in the fridge.. its never ever put me off doing what i wanna do until that attack the other night, it was dreadful and my friends all saw me in that state for the first time ever. they were very supportive. I now just have this fear of it happening again... id like to go skateboarding now but im worried incase i go low, or if i eat something to prevent this i could be too high... its complex but ill do my best!! hopefully if i get this cgm i will get peace of mind. just wish my insulin would stop acting wierd!!!! im 10.2 now and have had no food since breakfast, i have been for a walk. i did my insulin and brekky at 11:10 this morning, by 1:30 i should be around 5 or 6 and snacking to keep me level but im still 10 now at 14:44. Cheers again for ur advice, all the best in your journey.
  • matt66
    matt66 PeaceNLove35429

    Posted

    No worries! Yeah, I have an emergency injection in the fridge, but glucogel can be left out....it's about the same consistency as yoghurt but doesn't need to be kept cold. There's probably about 3-4 hits in a bottle, smush it in the cheek to absorb or swallow. Ask your doc about it. I'm the same, always carry snacks with me & the gel. It lives in my bag! Good luck to you too. Don't ever let it get in your way!
  • matt66
    matt66 PeaceNLove35429

    Posted

    This is a pic of the bottle.....remote is just so you can get an idea of the size. Comes in 32g bottles and is basically concentrated dextrose.
  • karlek
    karlek PeaceNLove35429

    Posted

    i'm 26, female, type 1 since march 2014.

    i am on Apidra and Lantus.

    Maybe you can try to change your insulin?

    stress also can affect your sugar level, do you haveore stress than before?

    hope ur bg level would be perfect soon( sorry about my bad english, i am not a native speaker )

  • adele91468
    adele91468 PeaceNLove35429

    Posted

    It could possibly be due to your age! If you are still going through puberty, my blood sugars were very unstable at that age, although on the whole my problem was low blood sugars! I am quite surprised that you aren't on a long acting insulin like Lantus (someone else mentioned this). I don't want to tell you about respecting the fact that you're a diabetic, however in early Jan this year, I was found by my husband in a diabetic coma, when he got home from work, I was having seizures! I was admitted to GWH hospital in Swindon, spent a week in ICU! Which I don't recall as I was unconscious, & another 3 & a half weeks on 1 of the wards, the entire episode has left me with a brain injury, which I now have to attend GRH in Gloucester, since my discharge I have had appointments with Physio's, Occupational therapists, speech therapists, psychologists & a dietician!! I am also seen by the Diabetic team at GWH in Swindon. I have been off sick long term ever since, am not sure how soon if ever I will be able to return to work. I wish you all the best in getting your blood sugars stabilised.
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