Ive been on insulin (pens) for about a month now. Heres a typical daily routine. I check my blood sugar level just before I start work at 7 am and it ranges from 130 to 150 which I understand to be relatively normal for a morning fasting. I check again around 9am and take 11 units of Lantus in the morning along with 3 units of Humalog, readings then are about 10 more than before. Then around 11am to 12pm I check again before I eat lunch and usually take 3 units of Humalog. Reading here is around 130 or lower. Between readings at work I sometimes get a low feeling, it just feels like its dropping quick (a slight dizziness and sudden but brief sweating, tingly lips) but when Ive checked its been above 120 which seems odd to me. I get home around 3:30ish and check again about 4pm to 4:30pm, the reading at his time is 80 or less but I dont feel low, a little irritated maybe but nothing that would really indicate a low. Oh and when Im at home my readings are typically higher (sometimes in the 200s) than when Im at work, Im figuring because Im more sedentary at home right now but I do walk more than I used to. When I was taking meds I didnt usually feel this way at all, but then again my levels were probably higher too. Im wondering why I would feel like its dropping when it isnt and dont feel it when it is. Could it be Im still adjusting to being on insulin? Not taking enough of one or the other? I havent had a hypo yet since Ive started the shots, Im a bit afraid to have a low at work, because I seem to work with some very diabeticly ignorant people to put it nicely.
Hi Charles: You are fairly new to using insulin, and it does take some time to work out the kinks. Do you have a CDE who might be able to help you figure out your patterns? I also have found the books “Think Like a Pancreas” and “Using Insulin” (by John Walsh) to be very helpful. Good luck! And welcome to TuD, it’s a good place to ask questions and get support.
I too am LADA and just started insulin a month ago as well. The feeling like you are going low while at a normal number is probably because you are used to being at higher numbers so the normal numbers feel low to you. Your body will adjust to this, I have been dealing with a little bit of this as well. Very shaky and to check and I am only in 80s or 70s which technically isn’t “low” yet but I’m sure I’m dropping quickly. Last night was my first real low at 54 and it took a lot to raise it, I was at a party with lots of goodies around but I still just stuck to my sweettarts lol I’ve been using sweettarts instead of glucose tabs because they have the same ingredients and sweettarts are less expensive. Are you more stressed in your home enviroment than at work?? More activity will def give you better numbers as I call it “helping the insulin move around”. Maybe you could try eating the exact same number of carbs at the exact same times everyday as well and get on a schedule. Also as Melitta recommended the book “Using Insulin” is EXCELLENT! Not sure if you have read it yet but it basically tells you everything in detail that your dr didnt take the time to explain and I refer to it almost daily!
During my wilder days, I’d fix highs w/ IV R shots that would drop me from 300+ to 50-70(-) in about 1/2 hour. I would note the onset of symptoms you describe in the 15 minute range, test my BG and it would still be in the 150 ballpark from which I have concluded that it’s not necessarily rthe number itself but the change in the numbers that can cause the symptoms?
Well, as others have noted, if your blood sugar has been high for a while, “normal” blood sugars will feel low. All this insulin stuff takes time. In the end, you will need to be smart about things. You wil move from having the doctor suggest simple doses to making informed decisions about every injection you take. It is not hard, it just takes some time to learn. Get the books Melitta suggested, they are very helpful.
I check my blood sugar first thing in the morning, if I need to correct, that is when I correct my blood sugar. If I have a morning blood sugar problem and I wait around, it gets worse and worse. Always take you Lantus at the same time every day. Based on your comments, you may actually find it can work better taking it at dinner time if you are always going low in the afternoon, check with your doctor.
Taking a fixed dose of Humalog (bolus) for meals, you need to eat the same amount of carbs for you meal all the time. If you eat extra carbs at lunch, you will be high in the afternoon, too few, and you may have a low. Learning carb counting and to adjust your bolus will help you be more flexible. Until then, remember that difference in the number of carbs will affect what your blood sugar does.
And remember, every day, just remind yourself that everything is going to be ok. Because it will be.
Thanks ya’ll for the comments and suggestions, been busy past the few days.
Melitta I will look around for the books youve suggested, sounds like they might help. I have to ask but what is a CDE?
Lil mama, never thought about the sweettarts lol. Now that I feel umm less guilty about walking down the candy isle lol I will grab a bag of them. Glad to know Im not the only one that is new to insulin and adjusting to it and the “false” lows. For a minute I thought I wasnt doing something right lol. I guess it takes time for your body to adjust to more “normal” glucose levels. And no Im not married lol so my home life is relatively stress free lol
Acidrock, I believe youre right it must be the quick drop from a high to a low. Will take some getting used to until it all evens out I suppose.
Bsc, I talked to my endo about possibly changing the time I took the Lantus he said continue taking it around 24 hrs apart but if I wanted to take it at night that was ok but I would need to increment in between the change over, for now I’ll stick with taking it in the mornings at work. I am constantly checking my BG every 2 to 4 hrs while Im awake, especially at work, where I am on my feet more. I tend to take a fixed dose there usually 3 units but sometimes 4 depending on what my levels are, time of day and what Im eating. Home is where I need to “practice”, only because it runs higher and I eat a bit more. Sometimes its frustrating wondering if I took too much or not enough but I know its all still a learning process and in no time I’ll fortunately or unfortunately lol be a pro at knowing how much to take for most of the foods I eat.
Hi Charles: A CDE is a certified diabetes educator. If you can get an appointment with a good one, they are gold! Usually a CDE appointment is much longer than a doctor appointment, so you can spend some time working out any issues that you may have. I found that doing the chart-work in “Using Insulin” (or “Pumping Insulin” if you get on a pump) is invaluable. But you are new to all of it, so take it as slowly as you need to…to avoid being overwhelmed. And get support and ask your questions here on TuD!
I second these two books Melitta! I am new to insulin as well and these 2 books are wonderful!
130 to 150 is not at all normal for morning fasting. try 80-110. every medical professional i’ve talked to has indicated that you really have to fix the fasting BG because it really helps to determine how tight your control can and will be for the remainder of the day. agree with BSC that you gotta learn to carb count. i’m often 5-10 grams off the mark but the worst thing that happens is that i end up with a 143 or a 68 or something, which is not great, granted ,but usually doesn’t happen more than 10-15 percent of the time and is way better than the results i’d get with any other method.
Diabetically ignorance. Ha-ha. You’re right; that is putting it nicely! With Diabetes becoming a national health epidemic, you would think there would be MORE education for the public, than is available. As well, those of us that have it, seem to have this embarassment to tell people that we have Diabetes, and Insulin, in some cases. I realize this isn’t a usual conversation starter, but the more folks around us in our circle of family and friends know about this, the better it is for us.
At least you are wise enough to take a meter with you, and insulin, when you go to work, Do you have the Lantus SoloStar pen, or do you use the vial and syringe?
Yep, figuring out how to get your diet and insulin to deliver the best results is an adventure. I have been working on it since last December. The one thing that has helped me, besides just doing it and taking notes, was reading blood sugar 101. Yes, another book, but also the same info is on the website by the same name. There is one section that explains how your blood sugar behaves with a healthy pancreas as well as simple instructions on how to figure out your meals. Easy to follow and very helpful information. I wish I had read this before I started insulin.
Absolutely, your body could still be adjusting to insulin. They told me not only that it would take my body a few months when I started shots, but when I switched to the pump they said it could take as much as two months for my body to adjust to being on short acting (novolog) all the time.
Also, keep in mind that you can also feel the symptoms of a low when your bgs fall or rise quickly. So if you’re feeling it after lunch, it may be that you’re falling rapidly during that time - even a quick drop from 160 to 120 could make the difference. If it continues after more of an adjustment period, I’d recommend you try the iPro. It’s wearing a Constant Glucose Monitor, but only the docs download the results when you take it off a week or so later. So it’s a diagnostic tool rather than something that will give you a live feed on a monitor. That will catch any quick fluctuations you’re having. It’ll also let you know what’s happening when you’re asleep!