I’m 21 and currently a student and have had type one since I was 3. Through my teens i needed a lot more insulin as most people do. However lately i have had to cut my insulin in half and am still going low all the time. This was a sudden change that occurred where I was going very low over night and struggling to wake up in the morning. I would usually go to the gym approx. 3 times a week but have had to give this up as my blood sugar plummets later in the day or at night. My doctors don’t seem to have any answer apart from to reduce my insulin but that has shown little improvement. Was wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar with their diabetes? Or might know why or any thing i could try to keep my BG up?
Of course, the easy answer is that you’re taking too much insulin. As we all know, it’s more complicated than that. You’ve taken that crucial first step in recognizing your problem. Congratulations on that. Persist in your effort and you will find answers!
What kind of eating style do you use? What kind of foods do you typically eat? Can you list a typical day’s food? When do you eat, especially the time of your last meal of the day? Do you snack in the evening? If so, what do eat for snacks?
When do you exercise and how strenuous is it? How long do you exercise? Is there any connection between overnight lows and the previous day’s exercise?
I’m concerned most for your safety with the overnight lows you talk about. These can be dangerous and should be the first thing to focus on. If you don’t use a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), I think it could prove valuable to solving this challenge, even if you just use it temporarily.
Do you fingerstick check regularly? How many times per day? What times do you check? If you regularly check, what is the typical first blood sugar number in the morning?
Sorry, I have more questions than answers! More info is needed for any us to provide some concrete suggestions. Welcome to TuD, @Hannah1!
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You need to reduce your basal insulin immediately.
Basal is the background insulin (like Lantus) that you take.
If you want to post your insulin dosages, we can help walk you through this process.
It sounds like your basal is so high that you are in real and immediate danger.
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^^^^^ This.
@Hannah1, do you use a CGM? If so, get it into play and share data from it with the group here.
Your activity has changed so your pump profile needs to change. You may need two or more profiles to keep up with the way you body metabolizes carbs. The profiles may need to last for 24 - 36 hours because you may get your body in high gear and it will stay there over night and into the next day.
Use your tools and do the profiles. Let us know what you did. It is how we learn.
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There were times in my undergrad when my basals were set so high that I had to stop taking bolus completely. You can get by like this for a surprisingly long time, but there will be problems.
I recall once, shortly after 9/11, when there was just a general state of prevailing fear in the atmosphere (because one of the attackers was trained at the flight school in my city).
One night, there was a very popular, late night, rockin’ piano show that released a bunch of drunk kids onto the streets. It was 2 am and they were all yelling and lighting off fireworks in the streets. I woke up outta a dead sleep with low BG, stumbled outside to see what was going on. Groups of kids were running this way and that, past my apartment.
I was convinced we were under attack and that the nearby nuclear power plant was the next target. I started loading the car with supplies to evacuate. But, I think I was just too weak and could barley see straight. It would have been a disaster if I had actually started to drive.