Well, this is my first post. It might not even be in the right spot. I have a huge suspicion that I have LADA and I'm currently talking to my doctor about getting the tests to prove it. I was diagnosed with Type II August of 2010, and everything was going a long fine, and then boom, oral meds just stopped working. I am a low carber through and through, Yet my BS has been terrible for a few months now, and I was desperate to figure out what is going on. Fortunately I already Had Lantis at my disposal and now my doctor has me on fast acting, which I'm slowly getting used to.
It's only been a week. I'm getting used to when I need to use what, and how much. My only time I having a huge hard time with is mornings. I understand that the body, all of a sudden, produces hormones that increase sugar in the morning time. How does everyone handle this? I am slowly increasing my dose of lantis before bed but it seems like it still jumps up like crazy.I was at 150 at bed last night. I know that is not great but realize I've only been doing this for about a week so I'm still adjusting. At 6am I made lunch for the kids and I took my sugar. I was at 130. I didn't have to go to work until around 9 this morning so I went back to sleep. Woke up at 8:30 and I was 207. I didn't have anything to eat! So frustrating. All comments and help are appreciated. I actually feel better writing this because I feel like I haven't had normal people to talk to, just doctors and nurses. Thanks for such a wonderful outlet.
Welcome Chad. Lots of folks here with a similar story, I'm sure you will be hearing from quite a few. It does take a while to get things squared away with insulin. Don't let yourself get too frustrated with it. Be careful and methodical (sounds like you are)until you understand how it works for you.I started taking my Lantus in the morning from the start. Most do it in the evening. Don't know what difference it makes, but it works well for me and the lowest I've ever been in the morning is 66. Most days I am between 90 and 120,. Usually around 110. Unless sleep in I am rarely higher than when I went to bed. They say DP tends to happen in the last few hours of sleep. around 4:00 am. You might try testing in the early morning to track what is happening when. Congrats on the low carb.It works great for me. I eat about 100 per day and usually only take 4-6 units of Apidra on a typical day.
Well, I have to run, but wanted to acknowledge your post and add my 2cents. I'm not great with all the technical hows and whys, but others here are. They have been a life saver for me. I have no doubt you will fing the help you are looking for. Good luck and take care.
Randy thanks so much for the reply. I'm so impressed that you are taking only 4-6 units of Apidra. Right now I'm taking 10-15 twice a day to get things under control. I'm hoping I can back off. I have been taking half of lantis int he morning and half in the evening so I might start taking the majority in the evening instead and hope that it makes a difference in my morning numbers. I know no one is a doctor here but I am very curious as how everyone gets by. Thanks again!
Hi Chad: Welcome! I am hoping we hear from some people on MDI to help you. I use Novolog in an insulin pump, and that is how I deal with dawn phenomenon. I use a super-low basal for much of the night, and starting at about 4 a.m. my basal is about double what it is during the night. This keeps me in range in the morning. Sorry to not be of much help; I am hoping that others will chime in here with assistance and experience.
Chad, I think a lot of us have similar stories with the mis-diagosis. If you are younger than 40 and reasonably thin it's more than likely LADA. In some ways I was happier when I found out I was LADA because at least it wasn't anything I could have prevented. I also recently started Insulin and stopped oral meds and I have to say I feel much better. The oral meds worked really well for me but I felt lousy all the time. Injecting is no big deal once you do it a couple times. Good luck and keep us posted
I am also new to insulin and trying to figure it out. I feel like my first week was bad. I was discouraged because my blood sugar still wasn't where it needed to be. Still high! So frustrating. But since then either I'm getting better at it or my body adjusted or something because I've finally starting seeing my numbers stay down consistently. I'm also doing Lantus and fast acting at meals. I was just able to decrease my Lantis at night for whatever reason!? And my novolog too. I kept going low, but every once and a while I'll go high and then get mad at myself since I didn't give the dose set by my doctor. It is very overwhelming to me. I need to do some more research. I too really appreciate the community here. It helps to read what others are doing and that I'm not alone in my frustrations!
Overwhelming is exactly what it is. The thing is that there is no where to go for a solid straight forward answer on how exactly to manage you D and use insulin. We are all so different and our lifestyles are different. The answers can only come from you. It takes patience and careful experimentation to get this dance right. The other thing it takes is education. You will need to learn a lot of things about D, the food you eat and how YOUR body works.
The good news is that once you get some of this figured out it gets less overwhelming. It pays to do a little reading too. There are some great books and websites to help with the learning process. "Think Like a Pancreas" and "Blood Sugar 101" are two that I found very helpful. As a fellow T1 all I can do is tell you what I did and do that seems to work for me.
One thing I did in the beginning was to "choke up on the bat" as far as my diet went. I dropped down to about 50 carbs per day for a week or so in order to get a grip on some basic foods ans insulin. Once I began to understand how things clicked I began to expand my menu and develop an eating schedule that fit how I live.I continue this process today. During this process I tested like crazy. I had to understand how food and activity affected my BG and how I felt. I had one terrible low where I passed out. This happened in the first few weeks of using insulin and I had not taken a bolus since the night before. Afterward I realized that I had not eaten correctly the night before and had been exercising before dinner. Most likely you will have a low at some point. Most all of us have had them. Keep glucose tabs, box juice and/or a tube of frosting handy. Especially while you are wortking out the kinks. That is the only time I have gone that low (34), but I have had to treat a few less severe lows along the way. Test often and learn as much as you can. And always be prepared with your meter and supplies. Lows are a given. Passing out is not.
Knowledge is power. As you gain knowledge of D, yourself and the tools available you will be less overwhelmed and confident in your control. TuD is a fantastic resource. I have spent hundreds of hours here reading posts and blogs, following links and reading study reviews. Lots of people with tons of knowledge and experience are ready to freely dispense the same to you. Not to mention the support offered no matter what the issue is.A year ago I could only hope to feel as well as I do today. If I can do it so can you.
