Tresiba has been great. I have noticed my mom has needed to lower her bolus a unit or two ever since she started this insulin which I think is GREAT! However, she experienced a random hypo earlier and I can’t make sense of why.
4 pm lunch- BS( blood sugar) 101
Bolus- 3 units, 30 grams of carbs ( turkey wrap, 5 mini carrots and a slice of pear)
6:30- BS 96
7 PM- snack: half of a rice cake with 1.2 oz of peanut salad
8:30 PM- BS 216 ( no Bolus here )
10:30- 68??!
Strange. Of course 68 is not a severe hypo # but I am just curious as to why her BS dropped so low in a matter of less than 2 hours without any bolus. Should I lower her Basal or lower her Bolus because clearly it seems as though Tresiba is working as the " Background Insulin".
Agree, if this were me I’d consider the 216 to be a false high. 68 is a perfectly normal blood sugar level for a person who doesn’t have diabetes… They only get concerned for people with diabetes on insulin because it could be 68 and plummeting…
I agree with the others. A drop from 96 to 68 over four hours makes much more sense than a spike followed by a drop, especially because IOB would have largely worn off by that point.
Several things to consider, in addition to the excellent ones mentioned earlier (esp. the salad dressing and possibility of a false reading).
Assume for the sake of discussion that the 216 reading was accurate, which it may have been. I don’t know how sensitive your mom is to carbs, but in my case, half a rice cake with NO bolus would bounce me close to 100 points, maybe more. Add to that a sweet salad dressing . . .
Also I have to echo the point about 68 not being scary, unless it’s accompanied by evidence of a continuing plunge, such as down arrows on a CGM. Personally I don’t view 68 as “low”.
To lend some perspective, a dear friend’s endo said this to her: “If you can figure out the cause in 10 seconds or less, great! Otherwise, just correct and move on.” In other words, eyes on the prize.
Actually yes, her hands were dry. I also had checked it twice ( 1 time each on a different finger with a different meter- 5 minutes apart and the readings were within the same ranges, 216 and 220).
I did not deliver a bolus for the 6:30 pm snack because Mom has had the same snack before on Tresiba and her reading only went up to 160 and then quickly, dropped to 102 within a short while, I believe it was less than an hr). She is given 24 units of Tresiba at 10 am, daily.
Also, last night- she didn’t eat anything from 6:30- 9:30, and her fasting BS was 237. Not sure if I should increase her Basal or what. Tresiba was working so well at 24 units. Not sure what happened. Maybe I’ll increase a unit?
The dressing on the peanut salad was an organic - lemoney- tangey something something lol- very very low carb and my mom only had 1/2 a teaspoon. But my mother has eaten the same thing before and her blood sugar was fine( while on Tresiba). Also, last night- her BS was at 237 after a 3 hour fast…not sure what’s going on here. I think I’ll up a unit on Tresiba.
I wish it was an incorrect reading but it wasn’t because I checked on two different meters/ 5 minutes apart and both readings were within the 215-220’s. What was more concerning was the very quick drop to 68. Then last night, she didn’t eat anything from 6:30- 9:30 and her blood sugar was at 237…she didn’t eat anything at all. She was taking a long nap for the entire three hours. Strange. I’m thinking of increasing a unit, I really really liked the way Tresiba was taking care of things once I got the corrected unit right ( 24) but it seems like she may need more at this time, not sure why.
Yeah her blood sugar was definitely within the 200’s as I checked on two different meters. Her blood sugar actually has been somewhat out of whack, such as last night…randomly at 237 while she was napping.
I too thought maybe 216 is false reading but then I checked her blood sugar again on a different meter 5 minutes after the first - and well, it was in the 220’s. And the quick drop to 68 from a 216…strange, very strange.
Also, last night…her blood sugar randomly during a 3 hour nap was 237. :::::::what in the world:::::::::
I didn’t bolus for the snack because, she has eaten this before with a reading of 101…her blood sugar would only go up to 150-160 and then gradually within a hour come back down to lower 100’s. ( while she was on Tresiba)
Man, I’m really thinking of investing in a CGM…sure it’s costly but it’ll lead to less headaches down the road unless CGM comes with it’s own headaches that I am unaware of.
It still sounds more like a bolus problem than a basal one. Basal effects are gradual, not quick.
Also bear in mind that you can’t tweak basal day by day the way you can a bolus. Basal changes typically take three or four days to settle and stabilize before you can reliably gauge the results. Adjusting it on the fly as you go along is spinning wheels, or going in circles, or whatever metaphor works best for you.
