Getting "stuck" high

Does this happen to anyone else? It drives me crazy!

I've done everything right today, same as usual. But for some reason I tested at 13.2 (238) after lunch. Random highs (and lows) like that happen to me literally every day, I'm used to them, but what drives me crazy is when I get stuck there. I've been stuck at 13-16 (230-290) ever since, for about seven hours now. I've done corrections, changed cartridges (and insulin), changed infusion sets, did an injection, went for a walk, set a temporary basal rate ... and I'm still stuck.

I don't think it's my pump, I think it's just my diabetes being temperamental. As usual! ... I just needed to vent!

I’m too impatient a lot in those situations, like 20 minutes later I’m going “where’s my bg?” But need to wait. But it sounds like you did that?

If seven hours counts as waiting?

I don't have any answers, Jen, that's for sure. But since you said you just needed to vent, I'm sorry you're having this issue. Sounds like you did everything you can think of and it's very frustrating!

Only caution I have for you is to watch for suddenly going low. Two reasons: I tend to have that happen when I correct and correct and then suddenly I go low (even though I, of course, keep track of my IOB)

The other thing is I once had a strange experience with absorption where I kept going lower hours after I had any IOB, so I think it somehow got "stuck somewhere" then absorbed hours later.

But I hope you just have a nice slide down to normal soon!

I just tested again and I'm 13.5 (243) so looks like I'm holding steady, still ... I'm definitely on the lookout for lows, as that happened to me once (I was high for hours and hours then woke up in the middle of the night at 2.0/36!). I am heading to bed soon and it looks like this might be one of those nights I'm up testing every few hours.

That's probably my least favorite part of the D: when it interrupts my sleep. I hope you get a good result soon and can get your rest and then have a good weekend!

Okay, this is so elementary that it’s probably a dumb question, but just to cover all the bases I’ll ask it anyway: is it possible that your insulin has gone bad, either from age or improper storage?

I changed out to a completely different batch of insulin when I changed cartridges, so who knows!

I accidentally slept through the night ... I woke up this morning at a perfect 5.6 (101) but now after breakfast I'm 14.7 (265). At least I did get a good sleep, even if my blood sugar isn't fixed!

Once I'm high I know it will take hours to come back down. I actually think it's worse if I try to overtreat it. So now I do a correction and ignore it for several hours. (I do drink lots of water tho)

I generally only have stubborn, multi-day highs if I'm on the verge of getting sick or developing an infection. You should probably go to the doctor, though. This may a sign of an impending infection OR some resistance to the insulin you're taking (especially if you've tried manual injections and changing out your site).

Also, sometimes when you get stuck in a high mode, it can take some IV insulin to bring you down and back into a range where you're responsive to insulin. This isn't common, but does happen to many of us over the years. When you're high, you increase your resistance to external insulin, especially when it is injected subcutaneously.

Well, my highs have continued and after checking my calendar I think I've figured out the cause, if you get my meaning ... In a way, I can't wait until I'm older! I think control will be a lot easier. I increased all my my pump settings a bunch (by a total of about 10 units!), so hopefully that will take care of the highs.

Yep, I have that issue too. About a week before my period my BGs jump significantly.

Yes Jen, week or ten days before my period it goes up and won't come down for love nor money. Craving food doesn't help the situation either.

It's crazy! My I:C ratio went from 1:10 to 1:7, my ISF went from 2.0 (36) to 1.4 (25), and my basal rates went from 25 to 29, and I should have done that overnight instead of a period of a few days. I went on a CGM for a week a few years ago and it captured this exact event. I literally went from spending 95% of one day between 4-10 (80-180) to spending only 32% and 21% of the next two days in that range, with no changes in schedule/diet/exercise/etc.

I agree, the cravings for food, and specifically for carbohydrates, makes things even worse!

I went through that the last two weeks, kept changing pods and doing correction boluses, running in the 200's consistently, finally this week I increased all my basal rates by .05 and that seems to have done the trick. I'm past menopause so the monthly thing definitely wasn't the issue. I'm blaming it on the change of season and cooler weather, since I have nothing else to blame it on.

This is grasping at straws, but it's a theory, anyway:

It's a fact that people respond (or don't respond) differently to different insulins. Humolog, for instance, is highly effective for many people; for me it's the next best thing to a placebo. Seldom does anything and when it does it can take hours to begin working. That's just me.

Where I'm going with this is, things change as time goes by. Is it possible that you have become less sensitive to the insulin you use? (I said it was grasping at straws; just trying to think of possibilities.)

I actually started using Apidra about two years ago because I was having the same problem. Before that I had used Humalog for about 13 years. It didn't make any difference, so I don't think it's the insulin. If only it were that easy!! I think my main problems are "hormones" and "variables."