Ok so two months ago, I started on insulin. Oral meds were not doing anything but giving me side effects that were unbearable. 3 weeks in, I started to get the hang of things and was starting to feel better. Then all hell broke loose!
2 days ago, I was taking the dog for a walk, hadn't planned on going far so like a moron, I didnt bring anything with me. I had just eaten a bagel with PB&J, coffee. Normally I would have taken 4 units of humalog with that. But because i knew I was going for a walk, I only took half. (2units) I also lowered my basal from 12 units to 8 units.
It was a leisurely walk and it was a beautiful day, I was only gone maybe an hour and a half tops. About 3 blocks from home I had a very very bad low. I have had lows before but this one kinda scared me. I usually get all sweaty and hot, then I start to shake. This time my heart felt like it was going to pound right through my chest and I knew that even though I was only 3 blocks away, if I took one more step.... I felt like I was gonna pass out. I knew my neighbor was at home so I called her to help me. She brought me some stawberry marshmellow candies which I wolfed down 2 handfuls. I have no idea how low I really was because as I mentioned, I was without ANYTHING including my monitor.( No lectures please I know it was dumb) I sat for about 15-20 mins and began to feel better so I walked the rest of the way home. When I came in I grabbed 3 cookies and ate those too and sat down to recuperate. Within an hour I was at 7.3mmol suprised really as I figured I would be so much higher. But its a good number so I didnt think much of it.
The rest of the day was ok but I did start my period so knowing that, that usually brings me lows I ate low carb and didnt take any shots. I took my basal for the night but also lowered it to 8 instead of 12. I woke up on the verge of a low.. (4.7mmol) I decided not to take any insulin at all the next day and my levels were not bad but tended to be on the lower side of good. No basal that night either. So this morning I woke up at 6.7mmol which is good for me. I figured I was getting back to normal but would only take half of my humalog for meals just to be safe.
My dad called me in the afternoon and was going to come pick me up so I could hang out with him and my mom at the lake for the day. (They were worried and wanted to keep an eye on me I think! LOL) I thought It was better than sitting at home alone so I agreed. Just before he picked my up I was feeling kinda weird so I check my blood sugar and I was at 3.3mmol (BAD) I took 3 glucose tabs and had 2 slices of leftover spinich pizza, and had a hard time managing the stairs to the car. about half an hour later I retested and was at 7.6mmol (good) I was not wanting to go low again so I ate my supper early, potato and egg salad and some chicken breast and a small handfull of cherries. My blood sugars were at 5.6mmol pre meal and 5.9mmol post hardly a movement at all! I did not take any insulin with that meal.
Any thoughts or ideas??? I know my diabetes is weird always has been but this is even weirder even by my standards!
Thanks super_sally, I didnt realize that the pancreas could start working again. I thought once it was done, it was done. Im going to try lowering my basal tonight to 5 units see what I wake up at and go from there. And I was just getting the hang of this too! LOL
From the start of your post I figure you are a T2 (oral medications then insulin). I go through this from time to time although it has lessened since I started dialysis in May.
I had an endo that explained to me essentially what Super_sally stated above.
Like any organ in the body if give the proper rest it will repair itself. After going through a period where it had to pump out lots of insulin it finally decided it was tired. So you go on insulin and get you BG levels stable. The pancreas has time to rest and then decides it is time to get back to work and starts putting out insulin. This along with what you inject causes some pretty bad lows. I wrecked a pickup truck near Philadelphia airport some years ago because of this very thing. I too had no supplies and had no idea what was going on (until I was at the hospital).
Unfortunatly there is no way for your pancreas to tell you that it has decided to stop or start working but when it does turn on and off it can cause some rather strange occurances.
Just hang in there, your levels will stabilize back out. You can do it!!
And I'm sorry about the scary low. It can be hard adjusting to insulin use, finding the right levels. I also find my insulin needs have changed up and down. Eating a bagel right before an hour and half walk might be something to change as well. The bagel is like a simple sugar, big spike, then gone. After an hour, you may have fully digested the bagel and had the exercise bring you back to a normal blood sugar. But walking for another half hour with insulin on board may have caused a hypo. Perhaps you could eat a more protein based breakfast next time, it will digest slower and longer.
Nothing is written in stone w/ D. When you think you know what you are doing, your body throws you a monkey wrench. All I will say is, Never leave home w/o something to raise your BG. Even if you "Know" you will not need it. I always carry glucose tabs or skittles even if I don't thing I will need them. Experience is the best teacher.
I did a bit of research and I already knew that my menstral cycle dramatically affects my BG. I usually run high the week before and super duper low the week of. This will be my first cycle having been on insulin so I now see that I need to pay more attention to the dates. Here is what I found;
"Diabetes and the Menstrual Cycle A woman's glucose levels are controlled by certain hormones, just as hormones regulate the menstrual cycle. Indeed, the interaction between certain hormones can lead to irregular bloods sugar levels. For women with both type 1 diabetes as well as those with type 2 diabetes, fluctuations in blood glucose levels that are associated with menstruation can be a cause for concern.
Most commonly, women with diabetes will experience a rise in blood glucose levels the week prior to menstruation, just after ovulation. Once a woman's period begins, her blood sugar levels will tend to drop. This fluctuation is caused by a rise in estrogen and progesterone levels, which interfere with insulin activity."
Log everything...food, shots, activity, that way if something isnt working... it will be easier to spot and adjust. Its a lot of work, but well worth the time.
