Hello
I am somewhat new, diagnosed with type 1 in August of 2007. I was wondering if anyone else experiences unexplained high blood sugar (250+) 4 or 5 hours after a bad low (50s or lower). If so, do you do any preventive measures to manage the high blood sugar or just correct down when you catch it?
Also interested in theories on why this happens. Mine is that my liver is dumping sugar in reaction to the low, but that it takes several hours for my sugar to spike.
Yep, that is a “bounce”.
One thing you can do is to make sure you don’t consume too many carbs when correcting your low. Once it gets up there tho, you have to correct to get it back down. Mine usually spike like that within a couple of hours
rebound effect, like Scott said, you have to try not to over correct(hard to do)!
I would however not call the high " an unexplained high" …the liver is trying to save us …even by eating 4 Dex pills , I’ll rebound . I try eating only fast acting carbs , however cookies do me in sometimes .Such is life …
Thanks for the responses. I guess why I call it unexplained is that 2 - 3 hours after I have treated the low my blood sugar will be in range. It is 4 or 5 hours after the low that I spike which is so frustrating. Last night I had a low at 7:00PM went to bed in range at 10:00PM, woke up at 2:30AM with a BG of 238! Is that similar to what you have experienced?
I like the “bouce” and “rebound” naming conventions. Thanks.
In addition to what the others have said, something else to consider is not properly timing your insulin, or what you’ve eaten. If you’ve eaten a lot of protein &/or fat, you could have highs later on. I’ve got delayed stomach emptying (gastroparesis) & hope you don’t. What happens is that my insulin is gone by the time I actually digest. So, lows after meals, followed by highs hours later. I have to inject after I eat. Of course, if your situation doesn’t happen regularly than it probably is the rebound.
If you often wake up with high BG, that could be dawn phenonmenon.
well explained Gerri and another reason why this is such a complex disease because of lots of variables ; keep records and keep working on it !!