I treated a low today it was 42 mg/dl and I couldn’t get it up so I kept treating and now I am in the 300’s. I did the 15/15 rule but it seems some of the food seem to take to long to digest and so now I am high? does anyone know how to deal with this or experienced this? should I wait longer next time maybe 30 mins? I just fear if I wait to long I will go to low where I won’t be in my right mind to treat myself. just so you know this is what I ate. tablespoon of peanut butter with gram crackers first. didn’t even make a dent but I think that one takes longer to digest since it is a complex carb, next 8 oz’s of oj still only went to 51 mg/dl, then three sugar cookies ( I think since they are low carb that might have been a prob) after that it was 64 mg/dl and then 8 oz of milk and then bg went up to the 300’s so crap I say how did this happen was I too inpatient?? to treat so fast or did my body just have a mind of its own? now to treat the high I was conservative and did 3/4th of the normal dose to see an improvement before I went any further and then my bg dropped to 201 mg/dl and since my target range is 100 to 140 mg/dl I treated one more time with half the dose and finally got to 127 so what is you’s guys take on this or what would you do?
The peanut butter should be taken after you eat you correction since it is a complex carb and will help a rebound low… I usually eat 3 glocose tabs or a half can of the small coke ( about 13 carbs). I will check in 15 minute but I usually wait for about 25 to 30 minutes b4 I correct again. I use the Dexcom sensor but rely on finger sticks in these situations.
Dear med,
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve taught the 15/15 rule - and since having diabetes, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve regretted everything I taught.
#1. How far up does 1 gram of glucose raise you? For me, 1 gram raises me 6.5. I therefore take 3 halves of glucose tablets, 6 grams, to get me up 40. I test in 15 min. again. I only note that it’s rising at that point. If it is, I don’t do anything except check in an hour or so.
If it’s not rising in 15 min., I give myself another 4 gm, which will just put a little impetus on it, but not put me in a place I have to treat.
1 gram raises you according to your body weight. I can give you the table if you don’t have one. Let me know.
Once you’re up that high, take it easy letting yourself down.
Glucose tablets are dependable in speed because they don’t take digestion to make you higher. Even OJ is slower. White grape juice is faster than OJ, but still slower than glucose tabs. Complex carbs are slower still.
I’m concerned what put you down at 42 - you’re pumping - since your insulin sensitivity may be getting better or your activity was immense! THAT needs discussion, too!
Agree with Leo. We’re all told the 15/15 rule & it doesn’t work for everyone. The full effect of a correction can take up to an hour, so no surprise that people over-correct waiting 15 minutes & taking 15 more grams. Like to know who came up this guideline:)
Fast dissolving glucose works the quickest. Whatever you use, keep it in your mouth to be absorbed.
You need to know how much 1 gram glucose raises you. For me, it’s 10 pts. If I took 15 grams to correct, I’d be way high. I use jelly beans because they’re 1 gram glucose each & pure sugar. Easy to count when I’m stupid-low.
Here’s the weight and grams it takes to raise that person 10 mg/dL:
105 lbs 1.5 gm - This is me. I need 6 grams to raise me 40 mg/dl, and if I take 15, I’m 140 and out of target range.
140 lbs 2 gm
175 lbs 2.5 gm - this is my husband. He needs 10 grams to raise him 40 mg/dL.
210 lbs 3 gm - this is my overweight father. He needs 12 grams - and he won’t be harmed by 15.
245 lbs 3.5 gm
280 lbs 4 gm - This person needs 16 grams to raise him 40 mg/dL, and if after 15 min. he’s given another 16, no problem.
315 lbs 4.5 gm
Now you can figure it all out using excel.
David does not like the glucose tablets. They are always in his emergency kit but he will only use them as a last resort. Typically he will drink a 25 carb, 200 ml juice box and that does the trick, but he does get impatient some times as overdoes the correction, especially if he does not have a juice box handy so takes a few gulps from a 591 ml powerade or gatorade instead.
When he was first diagnosed (age 10) we were told to correct for a low, using the toddler size, mini juice box, which I believe was around 12 carbs and to re-check in 15 minutes. If still low in 15 minutes give him another toddler size juice and check again in 15 minutes. I asked the question - What do we do if he is still low after the second juice - the response was that he won’t be and the CDE was right.
One thing, we were told is that if the next meal time is more than an hour away, a protein might need to be added to maintain the BG rise provided by the juice. In the CDE’s words for a ten year old to understand, the juice stokes the fire to get it burning bright and quickly, while the protein works like the log to keep the fire going steady.
Cheryl
Sounds frustrating! I would suggest that you skip all the food fixes for lows and just use glucose tabs. Yeah, I know they don’t taste great, but they aren’t THAT bad and think of them as medicine, not " goodies". I normally only take two to treat a low in the 50s, maybe for a 42 I would take 3 and then wait more like 20 minutes. As long as I start going up I really don’t do anything else but just test again in another 20 minutes/half hour. You really need fast acting carbs. That’s what the principal of testing after 15 minutes is based on. Otherwise you just keep adding carbs onto more carbs and next thing you know they all hit and you are crazy high!
I always treat lows like that with 3-4 sugar packets under the tongue.Or if i am at home i have a couple of spoonfuls of straight honey followed with OJ.If it is still low in 15 min i repeat the process. I will take a more complex carb. after i have come out of the low. I never liked the glucose tabs and dont use them…
Part of the “highs after the low” can be overtreating.
But I’ve convinced myself that for reasons other than overtreating, if I have a low after a meal, that a few hours after that I’m going to have a high bg.
What I think happens, is that the insulin kicks in “extra fast” sometimes, or maybe the food is digested slower than I expected. In either case, the “insulin gets ahead of the food” and I have to have some glucose to bring my bg up. But then, when the food from the meal is actually getting absorbed, the insulin has “been used up” and there’s nothing to match the food.
As for not overtreating in the first place… glucose tabs are my friend. I actually don’t like how they taste, so I don’t over do it, and they’re easy to count out grams of glucose. Unlike, say, opening the fridge and chowing down because of a hypo. Which, believe me, I’ve done plenty of times!
I think that those on pumps probably have this problem less, but they probably still have it to an extent.
- I u of insulin drops me 15 carbs so 1 carb but with the sen. facotor if i am doing this right my bg goes up and down 48 mg/dl for 12 grams of carbs and peanut butter sends me back up but this time it didn’t then my other staple of choice is juice juice. now for the low mt job is a paramedic and firefighter and we were working call after call and I had no chance to eat but had to treat for a high before the fire and apperently the insulin did its job to well. in my line of work there is no telling when we are getting a fire or ems call so there was no way for me to decide to take 3/4th of the correction dose. that and I forgot to switch my basal stupid me. I have two sensitivity factors one for day and one for nigh at work one is 48 and the other is 55
The lows have been considerably less but every once in a while they pop up in my line of work. before pump I was high and low non stop if was very upsetting. but with the pump major improvements have come on.
I only have two glucose tabs flavors I like and they are always sold out!! sour apple and fruit punch at walmart. other wise oj with sugar packets work great!
I think it has more to do with my CGM those reading every five mins makes you think it is not coming up fast but only because it is behind on readings by like 10 mins.When I am low I stare at the darn thing till I get the pretty rise I want which is prob. not the best thing to do.
I low juicy juice boxes toddler size they have 15 carbs each and the fruitables boxes has 17 which is great but I was out ugh!