AR,
I lowered basal today & also am taking my two Levemir doses further apart. Still had a bit of a low today, but nothing like yesterday's journey into hell. Am going to lower basal further tomorrow. It must be the basal, as many of you suggested. Very grateful for everyone's kindness in helping me sort this out.
Sally,
I've had the same doses for a long time, but clearly time to revamp. Lesson learned is never to get complacent. Still seems odd that I was hit so hard.
Hey David,
All thoughts are most welcome. Hoping this discussion will help others. Excellent point that I'm looking for one cause & it could be the synergy of many & heaven knows there are innumerable variables at play. Hard to sort out the many:) The great appeal to me of Dr. B's approach is that consistency & being as precise as possible (without becoming OCD) helps weed out some of the variables. I've typically needed less insulin in warm weather & this summer may be having more of an impact than past ones. I won't discount the mental state either. Thanks!
Yes!
Hi Gerri, I haven't been around much and I just popped in and saw you were having some troubles with a capital T. I'm sorry to hear it. (((hugs)))
One idea: I read somewhere (Jenny's blog???) to inject long-acting insulin into the thighs because this is an area of slower absorption, and to inject short-acting in the abdomen because this is an area of quicker absorption.
Just a thought.
Did have a fleeting thought that my beleaguered pancreas may be sending out some insulin. Would explain the current strangeness, but I have no way of actually knowing if this is happening.
I've missed you! Hope you're doing well & strumming up a storm.
Good thought--thanks. I use my thighs, legs & rear end for basal. I must have read that on Jenny's blog because hers was one of the first I found when diagnosed that I really read thoroughly.
Gerri,I had to do a recent revamp of basals..always have to do so in the summertime..: I am more active and schedule changes abound. But I aM so glad you are alright now.
God bless.,
Brunetta
I want to thank everyone for sharing their experiences, insights & info. You all have helped tremendously. As soon as I was coherent, I wrote you all because here's where I learn. Told my husband my Tu friends will have answers & suggestions & will bring smiles (who wouldn't smile at jrtpup's gremlin?). Your kindness & caring have touched me once again.
Basal is such a pain! Glad you've got your summer rates set now.
Thanks, sweetie.
Hey Terrie,
Hope this discussion helps others. So glad you're ok!
Geesh, being overdosed at the hospital:(
Yea, I was thinking if I would have been better if I had been awake to have felt the low creeping in. Was so tired & that was the low also, though I didn't think of that at the time. Just figured I was tired because I don't get enough sleep. New rule--no naps without testing.
I felt buzzy in my head also, so can imagine how you felt with two glucagon shots & dextrose. Quite a jolt to our systems being low & falling lower & then to shoot sky high. Man, I was amazed how quickly BG came up. EMS wouldn't leave until I ate either. Are you kidding, you want me to eat with 315 BG? Yep. So I did. They told me I'd drop & I did. Don't understand that part either. How did BG come down so quickly? How much insulin could I have possibly had to drop almost 100 pts in 10 minutes? It went up some hours later from the crackers & peanut butter I ate.
Hope the numbness heals.
First I threw them away but then I have realized that the argument is only potency. I refill always and keep this one in the fridge. But instead of throwing the old one away I put it in my bag. This one might be not as potent as the new one but what is the problem with that. The kit is at home in the fridge and you are in trouble far away from home. To inject the expired kit is better than nothing in my opinion. Very likely 60% of the potency of the hormon glucagon will still be there - enough to get out of the danger zone.
My experience with lows taught me that I always need to choose the fastest carbs. Just to make sure that I will leave the danger zone as soon as possible. The digestion of jelly beans is just too slow for me. The digestive tract even needs to invest some carbs on bowel movement to get the carbs out of the jelly. In my thinking this might consume 20% of the carbs of the jelly to digest. With glucose tabs you will have a direct absorbtion by oral mucosa and digestive tract. Kristin has given me some of the glucose tabs available in the US. If found them horrible and was glad that we have a better tasting brand in Germany. Kristin even bought some of those:
Love the pic of Kristin. I got to meet her when she was in the US for her brother's wedding. Wonderful stroke of luck that the beautiful inn where they got married was only 20 minutes away. A bonus that I also got to meet Kristin's lovely family.
Agree that American glucose tabs taste awful. American glucose gel, which works quickly, tastes even worse. The flavors are sickening. Send some German tabs:)
Great idea about not throwing away expensive glucagon. Some loss of potency would be acceptable. I'm a small person & that might actually be a benefit. Have you ever used glucagon? I kept mine at home, unless I was traveling, thinking the chances of having someone with me who know how to inject it would be slim.
Having experienced the instant effect of IV dextrose, that's the way to go for a severe low with none of the side effects of glucagon. Must be cheap also & has no expiration. I was thinking of starting a discussion on IV glucose to see if others had opinions on using this. I wasn't exactly clear-headed when mine was done, but it appeared simple enough to learn to do. Hope you'll chime in on that discussion.
That's great that you've already fixed it yourself, without needing to see the doctor!
This is actually a good point. With a basal insulin, it should always be injected into the fat layer. If you make a mistake with Levemir, it is bound with a protein and it won't cause a big problem, but Lantus is another story. Lantus "must" be injected into the bodyfat where it forms little crystals. When injected into the bloodstream, Lantus can act like a rapid insulin. Generally, this effect is rapid, causing a low to set in within the hour. This doesn't explain Gerri's lows out of nowhere, but a caution for us all.
He looks a bit like an escapee from the Harry Potter stories.
bsc,
Thanks. I have been working to convince my Dr. to start me on Levemir and not Lantus (per Dr. B) and this gives me an additional reason I can cite. Thanks for pointing it out.
David
Time will tell if I fixed it with basal adjustments, but couldn't have done without a little (a lot) help from my friends!
I get by with a little help from my friends....... :)
Heard the song in my head:)