It really seems like you are taking too much insulin. We are both lean, recently dx'd and tend to go low. My sensitivity to insulin is 72, which means each unit of insulin will lower bg by 72. Post-hospitalization was taking 10 units of long-acting in the morning (levemir) and 8 units fast acting (humalog) at mealtime. Once my bgs were normalized, the scary lows started. I ended up with 2-5 units humalog at mealtime. Reducing insulin at mealtimes is ok. Even if it's just 1-2 units, you should start to notice some things and get a feel for what will work best for you. If you are regularly testing in normal ranges, the modest highs you experience every once in a while will not hurt you, and it really does get sorted out. One more thing, exercise will most likely reduce your bg's, maybe substantially. Are you testing pre and post exercise? Mine have dropped 78-100 after even modest exercise. Now that I have a pump, managing is even better. I think I'm on about 22 units of insulin/day. (this is basal and bolus). Or, you could just have one enormous snack at bedtime ;) Madison, you are doing so, so well, trust us, you are! One day, you'll say, "I need a D vacation; and then you'll have something decadent." Just smile, and move on.
Indeed, life and death are intertwined. It is not pointless to contemplate both.
Back to the night time treatment for a low. I don't like having to chew glucose tablets for minutes when I am really low. I fear going to sleep and choking on it. I keep a small glass bottle of grape juice at bedside (my favorite taste in juice and very quick acting). It has a screw top so it keeps OK even without fridge. Now though I have a small (4 soda can size) cooler at bedside. It is electric but even a small cooler or lunch bag with a freezer pack in it would work if you prefer cool. No getting up for a trip to the kitchen. Sometimes, if I go extremely low, I will go to the kitchen after the juice and have some milk that will last longer and has some protein in it, Or eat a spoonful of peanut butter. to avoid a repeat low later in the night.
If you're extremely low, don't consume milk or anything else with protein or fat in it if you can avoid it, because it'll slow the sugars you're consuming that you need to raise your BGs as fast as possible.
"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." Prediabetes it was easy but postdibetes almost impossible.
Even zazen is different, prediabetes I would return from my inner world refreshed/renewed; postdibetes I return with fear, fear of what I don't know.
I take Lantus twice a day as instructed by the doctor at the hospital. I take it at bedtime with a bedtime snack and just before lunch.
It didn't occur to me until now to ask about this. When I was on MDI, Lantus (aka glargine) did not exist so I have never used it. Instead I use an insulin pump to supply my basal insulin.
But my understanding is that Lantus is active for not quite 24 hours. I believe only one dose/injection of Lantus per day is more common. Have you talked with your doctor about this?
The other alternative for a basal insulin when using MDI goes by the brand name of Levemir. It lasts for approximately 12 hours versus the 24 of Lantus.
I would worry that taking two shots of Lantus a day would lead to "stacking" your basal insulin. If it were me, I'd want to be given a good explanation for why this is being done.
Fear of the unknown is what we do, even tho what we fear is a construct of our minds. Have you tried counting or following your breath? I went through a bad time a few years ago, and counting the breath helped me to focus. Count to ten, and then count again. When you find you have drifted off, bring yourself back to the counting. Thich Nhat Hanh is also very comforting (at least he is to me), and he has a book called Calming the Fearful Mind that may be of interest to you.
Madison, some different advice for you: Chillax, and back off a little bit. This is all overwhelming for anyone, especially so a teenager.
Some other facts to consider as you adjust: At 14/15, your body is much, much more forgiving of mild high BG, <150mg/dl lets say, so getting worked up about being in the 100-150 range is not justified. You certainly don't want to average those sorts of numbers for the next decade, but if you run a bit high for the next few months it won't have any bad consequence. Again, this is because you're very young, healthy, and haven't suffered any long-term damage from chronic high BG.
So, while learning to manage this, guarding against hypos should be the priority. As others have said, you're taking too much insulin -- probably both types. Shoot right now to stay under 140 -- forget trying to hit 80-100. The most important thing right now is getting to understand diabetes and how your D works. Once you're intimately familiar with your own body in this regard, you can focus on tightening up control. Reading through this discussion worries me that you're heading in a bsd direction psychologically with this. You are not going to die. I'm sure of it. You have a community of thousands and thousands of fellow diabetics here that survive this condition with aplomb; we have our scary moments, and D is quite serious, but certainly not the risk that justifies being fearful all the time. Your birthday is coming up. I'd recommend spending some time focusing on planning a smashing day to celebrate, and take you mind of the diabetes.
Hello Madison, I just read what had happened to you, and to be honest I have had those type of moments as well, they are a headache once your blood sugar starts climbing up slowly, for my hypo's I have to check and re-check until I'm at least in 140 so I can go back to sleep comfortably, I tend to take syrup (pancake syrup) since before I would just take plain white sugar (which did not help) and the tablets well.. for me they were a bit difficult to swallow.
You are really handling it very well, there are a bunch of reasons to why blood sugar goes low and specially during the night, all I can say is check what you are taking before you go to bed and also have a good hearty protein snack before going to bed if you take fast acting insulin.
You could use syringes and 100ml vials for long acting while using the pens for short acting. That would make it harder to mix them up. I split my long acting dose in 2, and I fill my syringe right after my 2nd dose. That way I know if I've already had my first or 2nd shot of the day. A CGM (continuous glucose meter) helps too.
Stacking isn't an issue here because she is taking half as much. I think by splitting a basal dose up one can negate some of the peaks and valleys they have from slow acting insulin..
the tablets well.. for me they were a bit difficult to swallow.
Kary, just to be sure, what tablets are you referring to? If the standard off-the-shelf dextrose tablet about the size of a quarter and about a 1/4 inch thick, you're supposed to chew those up, not swallow them whole. They're basically candy, and pretty much taste like it.
Ironically, NOT chewing them thoroughly will slightly delay getting the glucose into your bloodstream.
I’ve had those sweaty low too but not for years now. Exercise changes the metabolism a lot and does not help diabetes BG control. Exercise requires drastic insulin dose changes. I’m talking about my diabetes not that of some random reader with a different experience. I take 21 basal units but in an active work day it’s 13 basal units and no meal bolus.
For me, exercise helped a lot as it provided the focus I needed to get my BG in line. It also was motivation to try a pump. It’s been a huge thing for me and had really helped me a lot.
