I am on shots I get up at 8 Am, check my sugar, take my shot ,have breakfast . About 2 hours later I fell low or high not sure which one so I check and I am high like 250-290 . My BS is normal before I eat and normal to low at lunch time .
So if I take more insulin I would drop to low at lunch or before lunch ,so my question is what do I do ? It does not matter if I eat bacon eggs & toast or sweet cereal or a low carb bar .I am always high 2 hours after & low or normal at lunch. What is causing this ,is it normal I am 15 so whats UP ?
What kinds of insulin? How much of the long-lasting insulin at breakfast? I just had to revert back to shots for a week, and I forgot how tough it is to figure this stuff out sometimes. Hope we can help.
Tyler My Endo has me on a sliding scale of which goes like this:
Base dose of whatever your Dr recommends as a starting point for you … carb counting dose’s +
BG 81-80 mg/dl decrease insulin by 2 units and take humalog 30 minutes after meal
BG 81-119 mg/dl take Base dose.
BG 120-149 mg/dl add 1 unit of insulin.
BG 150-199 mg/dl add 2 units of insulin.
BG 200-249 mg/dl add 3 units of insulin.
BG 250-299 mg/dl add 4 units of insulin.
A. Always return to base dose of short acting insulin.
B. If you have type 1 and your BG is 300 or higher two times in a row, check for urine ketones. then follow sick day guidelines. Check BG every 2 hours.
C. Call your physician if your BG is elevated and you are unable to lower it…
Tyler this is what I follow for fast acting I also use Lantus for my basel long acting dose but please go by what your doctor recommends that’s what he is there for never use what you read or what someone tells you without the consent of your Endocrinologist. Hope you get a hold on it soon stay safe…
Hi Tyler,
I have had the same issue, whether I’ve been on shots or a pump. I think the breakfast tends to get absorbed quicker than the insulin! My endo suggested that I take my Humalog about a half hour before I eat breakfast. Same dose, just earlier. That way, it has a chance to start working and might help avoid that spike. Of course, it would be good to check with your endo/educator - I wouldn’t want you to end up too low before eating! But I hope that helps - good luck!
Tyler, talk with the endo about testing out the evenness of the Lantus dose throughout the day. This means skipping one meal a day and seeing what the Lantus is holding you at (or shoving you around at). Keep records of times of testing so he can know what’s happening. Your basal is always the one to check first, skipping breakfast the first day & testing hourly, skipping lunch 2nd day and testing when 4 hours have passed since breakfast and again testing about hourly, skipping supper 3rd day and testing again, and finally a test or two at night. Lantus may be giving you a low later and you may be shooting up due to that low. It has its peaks in some people
Just a thought to get you started researching it. Some people have to divide their Lantus in two doses in order to smooth out its peaks.
Check out the grams of what you’re eating and present him with the ratio you’re using. Maybe it’s too high, but the effect of the basal needs to be known first.You sound like you’re on top of what you’re doing! Keep up the good work!
Hey Alan this morning I had 20 carbs and took 3.2 units and I was 250 2 hours after . Yesterday I ate 60 carbs and took 9 .5 units and was 285 2 hours later .
Thanks everyone for your advice we are going to wait 10-15 minuites after I take the shot to eat tommorrow ,if that doesnt work then she will call the doc . Thanks again for all the ideas she can ask the doc .
And sometimes, eating a lot of carbs gives us these cumulatively high blood sugars, over time, that sometimes require being in a very lean diet to bring them down… Like lean meats, non-starchy veggies, nuts, and omega 3 fats, and no bread/grains/pasta for a little while… until things calm down. It’s easier to add a few carbs later, when things are more settled down.
I know you are young… but I also wonder if you have some dawn phenomenon going on, or some insulin resistance issues… Sometimes if we have really high blood sugars, we need a lot of dosed insulin, and it can cause insulin resistance in some people, over time… hmmm…
Also, there are sites that help calculating the “real” carb content of foods… Because food manufacturers are allowed to be off by 20-30% when they report their totals in the labels… I’d look into those, too. For what it’s worth.
We’ve been having this exact problem, Tyler, and just solved it. I checked out South Beach Diet from the library for the recipes and ended up reading it because he talks a lot about insulin production. One statement that struck me was “some people just cannot handle carbs for breakfast.” (That’s not actually a direct quote.) I also noticed here and in the book that a lot of people eat really heavy fiber with their breakfast - like really chewy wholegrain bread and steel cut oatmeal.
So we tried an experiement, first day, no carbs for breaksfast (eggs, bacon, and a side of broccoli). She stayed virtually level until lunch. Next day, high protein breakfast (eggs, Canadian bacon), glass of low carb milk. She went from 112 at breakfast to as high as 150 and then back down by lunchtime. (Like you, she’d been going over 200 many days). Today, she had high protein (egg again plus turkey bacon) and double fiber bread from Orowheat. Her highest climb was to 140. I am absolutely delighted.
We also give the insulin as early in the morning as possible, although sometimes that’s still just 5 minutes before she eats. I think 15 or 20 minutes is preferable.
mom said thanks for all yalls help she is going to get the book tommorrow . I do believe I have to eat eggs & turkey bacon . : ( Man I love my sweet cereal LOL
Hey Tyler, what good advice we are ALL getting from this. I agree about the protein/low-carb stuff, I stick to that normally, but hey, I love cereal too, and some days you just have to have it.
I think its important to note the “dawn phenomenon” can give you a need for a little more insulin at breakfast, as in you may need to increase your ratio for this part of the day if you are eating a lot of carb (i.e. - cereals, a bagel). For instance, I take 1 unit for 8 grams carb in the morning hours, and 1 unit to 11 grams otherwise. This has done wonders for me. Good luck to you and your mom figuring it out, you’re doing a good job in trying to pinpoint.
The problem might be as simple as doing the insulin and waiting an extra 15 minutes before eating. If your BG is going back to normal after the meal then it seems like the dose is correct but maybe the food and the insulin are peaking at different times.
Thanks for all the help I use novolog it hits me about 10 minuites after I take it I take 1 unit for eveery 6 carbs . This morning I ate 3 peices of turkey bacon and 2 pieces of wheat toast and 2 hours I was 161 . Maybe I can eat cereal at lunch . , thanks
Alan, I’m not in disagreement about a lower-carb life, but something like a breakfast you like, I would make smaller changes; no need to make diabetes tougher than it is! For instance, Tyler might try the low-carb toast instead and see how that goes? I think it’s important to find balance without taking all the things you love out of it…agreed?
