I checked my blood sugar at 11:30 and it was 125. After feeling dizzy I checked and it again 15 minutes later and it was down to 60! This has happend to me on other occassions too. Has anyone else experienced this? and what casues this to happen?
I’ve been on the insulin pump for about 1 month now.
When you tested at 125, you were plummeting, and could have been a lot lower in most of your body. There is a delay for your fingertips to catch up with the rest of you, depending on temperature/circulation at the time. Maybe you need less insulin in the morning if you don’t have a huge carby breakfast?
I’m not on insulin pump, only shots, and I had this experience. At 10 and my blood sugar was 147 and twenty minutes after I was down to 54. It was six years ago and I wrote on this day that my shot started busy after a long time, but it was what I wrote. Really don’t know maybe I injected my insulin in a very bad place?
I’ve had this happen a few times. The first was after a basal insulin dose. I dropped from 120 to 34 in 20 minutes. I attribute that to possibly injecting straight into my bloodstream. Perhaps I need more fat : )
The other times were just random…I chalk that up to life with diabetes!
It totally happened to me this past summer. I was unusually hungry, but other wise fine, and 98. I had just done by basal insulin and I was working in the kitchen. About 20 mins later, I was feeling way, way off and seeing weird light blobs so I tested again and I was 28. My first really bad low and still my lowest. Its amazing how fast it can happen.
I have had something similar happen during a long bike ride years ago. Long story short, I tested at 290 just before a bolus 3 hours earlier was starting to peak, then I rode hard for 35 minutes and dropped down to 104. It dropped so fast I felt as if my bg was low the whole way. This was surprising, and I am not sure if it could be attributed to my hands being contaminated when I tested the first time.
Still, since I have gone on the CGM I can see the glucose trend line plummeting straight down when exercise coincides with a peaking bolus. So rapid and unexpected lows can happen. And the CGM - which alarms at a projected low - has kept this sort of thing from happening.
This happened to me last week and I was wondering how it works. I had eaten a bunch of Christmas crap at my office, and was testing every 15 minutes or so just to see how the sugar was affecting me. From the highest point (186) I dropped to 156 in about 20 minutes, and then 15 minutes later was at 59! I don’t know if that qualifies as a “real” low but it’s very low for me, so low I almost didn’t believe it. So I tested again just to make sure, and two more tests were 61 and 60. Then 20 minutes later it was back up to 100.
I’m type 2 and usually I only worry about going too high. This kind of scared me though! I still don’t understand why it would fall so low, so fast, and then bounce back up again. Does this mean my pancreas is getting worse?
If the problem continues and you find yourself having to eat just to stay around normal or are bouncing all over the place I would recheck your basal rates (i.e. Basal Test) just to be on the safe side. I had this problem a few months back and had to knock down my daily lantus dose. The more basal insulin you have in your bloodstream the more action you get out of the humalog and vice versa. So your carb rates would change and bolus insulin would be more dramatic if you have too much basal insulin working. I’ve become more sensitive to insulin as i got older and found that i need to check this whenever i get really quick drops.
If found this handy guide online.
Rules for performing basal tests:
-
No Food Being Digested
You may not eat for at least 4 hours preceding the basal test.
The meal/snack preceding the basal test should be low in fat.
Do not eat during the basal test, unless your blood glucose is below 70*.
You may have water or diet beverages during the test
No caffeinated beverages during the basal test. -
No Bolus Insulin Working During the Basal Test
Do not bolus for at least 4 hours preceding the basal test.
Do not bolus during the test, unless your blood glucose is above 250**. -
No Changes in the Body’s Normal Glucose Output
No hypoglycemic episodes for at least 6 hours preceding the basal test.
No illnesses during the testing (fever, infection, virus)
No steroid medications being used
Avoid testing during major stages of menstrual cycle if blood glucose changes are usually noted -
Allow Basal Insulin to be Delivered Uninterrupted
Do not put the pump into suspend
Do not disconnect from the pump. -
Maintain low-moderate activity level
Do not exercise starting 4 hours after last meal/snack.
You may perform light/moderate exercise soon after last meal/snack if it is your normal time to do so.
Perform usual daily activities during basal test. -
Monitor blood glucose levels
Start testing at least 4 hours after last meal/snack/bolus.
Use the same blood glucose meter throughout the testing.
Check blood glucose level every 2 hours.
Testing may be performed for 4-12 hours.
- For readings below 70, take carbohydrate and stop the basal test.
** For any readings above 250, stop the basal test and check for ketones. If no ketones, bolus with pump. If ketones are present, give an injection and change infusion set.
I had this happen to me many times. Couple days ago I checked and I was 134 then around 15 min later my head starting spinning and the meter couldn’t ever read the sugar. This was also four hours after my meal.
Hello Kathy:
Too much insulin.
You could have experienced that “free fall” due to many factors, but the end result is excessive insulin on board kicked your butt. Reduce your bolus coverage in that time frame, make absolutely sure it does not happen again tomorrow. If it does, in spite of that change, perhaps your basal needs reduced too?
GIven it appears to happen at different times of day for you it sounds pretty clear the basal rates are set too high for you. And its a very common problem whether on a pump or not. (ie too much long acting, and or too heavy with the short acting coverage/correction, BANG… identical issue)
Stuart