I haven't had a day like this in a long time. I have felt crappy all day as well as last night. I don't know if I'm getting sick and that's the reason for my blood sugar being so high, or my blood sugar being so high is the reason I feel so crappy. I've changed sets, corrected almost every hour, cranked up pump settings. The only thing I haven't changed is my insulin, and I think after Zoe's experience I may be looking at that next. (Weirdly, I use a Ping and Apidra, which I think is the same combination Zoe is using!)
I was sure it was my site, as it was very irritated when I changed it. But seems the new site isn't working much better. :( If I'm still high my next test I'll ditch the insulin in my pump and insulin pen and use a new batch for the next correction.
Nope. I was 297 before lunch, corrected, was 127 2 hours later. Then I got to CVS and tested in the car and was 34. (five hours after bolus) I took 3 glucose tabs and was then out of them, but figured I'd pick up my prescription then test again to make sure I was up and ready to drive. I tested in CVS and was 25 - officially a record for me. I told the pharmacist, "I'm going to open this bottle of glucose tabs and eat some right away and then pay, my blood sugar is 25." She said she was surprised I was functional.
Got my insulin finally today and will change my set with the new insulin and see what happens next. I know you deal with this kind of fluctuations on a regular basis. Have I told you how amazed by you I am?
Yikes! I think a combination of highs and lows is the worst. You never know what to expect. I used to hate the days when I had no idea what number my meter might spit out at me. I don't have nearly as many of those as I used to, since switching to metal sets.
I just tested at 9:29 and I'm still 14.4 (259). I think I'm ditching this insulin. I'm scared to crank my pump settings up any more because they are the highest I have ever had them in my life right now! But if new insulin doesn't work I will have to, I guess.
It's 11:25 and—yay!—I'm down to 8.5 (153)! And still four units of insulin on board, so here's hoping I don't crash now ... Looks like it might have been the insulin. So weird! I have never had Apidra lose potency on me like that, if that's what it was.
I just woke up at 2:23 with a blood sugar of 2.2 (40) with no additional corrections since changing the insulin in my pump. I think we can conclude that it was almost definitely the insulin!
I've been using Apidra since 2011 and today is the first time I've ever had problems with it. I switched to Apidra because I was unhappy with Humalog (getting a ton of occlusion alarms). Of course, it's hard to tell since I've had so many site issues over the years, but here's hoping this is a one-off problem that doesn't repeat itself!
Ditto on not having problems with Apidra - for me it's all I've used since I started insulin in 2007. Yes, let's hope it's a one time problem for us both! (I woke up at 145 this morning which is great compared to the last few days. Plan to change my set and to the new insulin shortly)
I woke up at 144! Not bad at all after treating last night's low (glucose tablets plus an entire small bowl of cereal with no bolus!) plus re-lowering all my cranked-up pump settings. I'll see how today pans out, but I think mine must have been the insulin. I can't think of any other reason I'd suddenly go so high and not respond to anything, and it has all disappeared since changing to a new batch of pen cartridges.
I looked at my history and I used OVER A HUNDRED UNITS of insulin yesterday! That's the most insulin I've ever used in a day in my life! And I was still running so high. I think if I hadn't piled it on like that things could have been much worse (DKA, etc.) ... I don't know many other medications that people depend on to stay alive just suddenly ceasing to work like that.
Wow, Jen–I just caught up with this thread and how it all played out, scary stuff…so glad that you’re okay and things are looking up (or should I say DOWN for the numbers)!
I just wanted to mention that I was on Apidra for the 2 months I was on shots before I got the Ping pump, and I had some wacky results that seemed Apidra-related, then I read in John Walsh’s book Pumping Insulin how Apridra occludes XX% more than Novolog, so even though I never used Apidra in a pump, I’d read enough about various problems with it that it made me ask the doc to switch me to Novolog and that’s what I’ve been on since.
Denise and all: this is what some Apidra users have observed : occlusions ...see the link previously posted and other reasons are given as well .In Canada ( BC ) Apidra is slightly cheaper than other brands ...for me not worth the aggrevations .
Just the other day I got my first occlusion alarm in the two years I've been using Apidra. But the problem was my site, not the insulin (as it flowed just fine when I disconnected and primed). When I was using Humalog I used to get occlusions that would occur even if the tubing was disconnected, which (combined with lots of problems I was having with highs, which in hindsight were probably more to do with infusion set issues than insulin) is the primary reason I switched to Apidra. I haven't tried NovoRapid yet, but that's the only one left to switch to if I were to start to have more problems with Apidra.
I see what you're saying, but since the Apidra is well-known to occulude within the set, isn't it then also more prone to "tack-up" at the site just as well? I'm just throwing things out there. So far, in my 8 months on Novolog, no site or set issues. I hope you get it figured out because no one deserves this, let alone issues on top of the issues--argh.
That's really interesting, jen, because this was the first time ever in my 3 years of pumping (with Apidra) I got an occlusion alarm. I'm not yet ready to conclude my saga is over until I get through the day, but I am seeing much more normal numbers today as I've switched to the new vials. I wonder if there was a funky batch we both got stuck with?? I finally threw away the box today as I'd already checked the expiration date at the pharmacy, so I don't have the lot number, but I bought it in October.
Hmmm, it's hard to tell if the problem is the insulin or my sites. Every time I've had an occlusion alarm (with Apidra or Humalog) my site has been super irritated with a big lump under it. That actually happened yesterday, too, but with no occlusion alarm. I was sure my highs were due to the site, but shots and a new site didn't help, only a new batch of insulin did.
I think part of my problem is Skin Tac - both super irritated sites were when I was using some of that. So I think I'm officially declaring "allergic" and avoiding that from now on, even though I have some left. I also have issues with metal, and that might be causing some problems, too. Yesterday I got a rash on my earlobes and both sides of my neck where my earrings touched my skin, and I think that sort of thing might be happening "internally" with some of the metal sets. So hard to figure out the culprit, sometimes!
I'll definitely keep this in mind in future, though, and would consider switching if I get any more occlusions or weird episodes like yesterday. Honestly, if not for the fact that my control is SO much better and irritation (well until this past wee) has been SO much less since switching to metal sets I think I would have given up on the pump by now.
I think it's possible! I bought my insulin in October, too, and the only stuff I had left was what was in my pump and the half a pen cartridge that was in my insulin pen. I threw out about 150 units in total. My blood sugars since this morning have been back on track with the new insulin.
Wow, that's really interesting! I only threw out the 30 units I had in my pump and maybe another 10 or so in the vial. But I don't mind throwing it away at all - this was not a good week for us! Too bad we can't prove it was the insulin and get a free vial!
I have sent questionable Novo Rapid back to the supplier ..( many moons ago ) ...they tested and reported back : " nothing unusual " .I started pumping in 2001 , using Humalog ; attended a Canadian Diabetes ■■■'n Conference with many suppliers sharing their ware ...one brochure stuck in my mind : NovoRapid comparing with Humalog ...NovoRapid no occlusion ...yes it is all very complex , except when all goes well , ha, ha
