Type 1 diabetics and extremly bad hypoglecemia??

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Permalink Reply by Ron on September 26, 2009 at 8:21pm

Hi Tiera. What is your blood glucose reading prior to dosing? You say your bg is rarely high. Maybe you don't need any insulin at that moment. What type of insulin are you taking? Are you eating anything when you dose?(Bolus)

For me to get a bad hypo. I either dosed TOO much insulin or did not eat enough for my dosage. Early in my diabetic life, I would "guess" how many carbs I had for a meal and then dose accordingly. I would guess on the high side for carbs and dose for that, only to discover a couple hours later that I was getting too low. Why? Because I had taken to much insulin for my meal.

There are many people here to offer up advice, so don't give up.
Good luck,
Ron

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Permalink Reply by Kristy on September 26, 2009 at 8:42pm

Hypoglycemia is simply too much insulin; why are you getting too much is the question. Your insulin
to carb ratio may need to be adjusted or your basal insulin may need to be adjusted.. there could be many factors. This is something you REALLY need to touch base with your doctor on. They can't help you get the right dose if you don't make them aware there's a problem. You really need to keep a good food log with the amount of carbs in your meal, your BG before that meal and if you go hypo how long has it been since your last meal; your BG when you go hypo and how you treated it (amount of carbs) .

How long has this been happening and what is your current insulin/carb ratio and what is your basal dose and are you on injections or pump? It's hard to tell what could be going on with such little info. In any case it's not something you should take lightly. Please call your doctor Mon morn.

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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Sanders on September 26, 2009 at 9:19pm

Hi Tiera, are you counting carbs or using a set dose? When i was first diagnosed in the hospital, my endo had me on a set dose of 5 units of novolog but the hospital was only giving me 20 grams of carbs per meal. Well, about an hour afterwards, i'd end up hypo and having to have juice, soda, etc, but they were giving me too much insulin and/or not enough carbs. Now, three months later, i count my carbs and dose accordingly along with my correction factors and everything seems to be for the most part okay. there are days that no matter what i do it doesn't work, but then usually there's an underlying reason. For me it's stress, or I didn't get enough sleep the night before, things like that. I know for me last week, i kept having bad nighttime hypos and finally with the help of people here and my endo, we adjusted my nighttime dose of lantus by two units and increased my morning by two. Sometimes, it's as easy as a unit or two change, others not so much. it's all about keeping track of things. When I called my endo to get things switched around I was able to give her all the numbers she needed to help me. It is a pain, but it's the only way to see a pattern and make changes. I would call her/him on Monday for sure just to let them know you're having a problem, but then give it a few days of log keeping and see if you can see any patterns or whatever. Hope you get it figured out soon! Bad hypo's aren't fun!

Take Care!

Liz

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Permalink Reply by Dave   _ on September 26, 2009 at 10:25pm

Read Using Insulin, by John Walsh.

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on September 26, 2009 at 11:22pm

How bad are your lows?

Since you're not producing insulin according to the C-peptide test, you're probably taking too high doses. Timing of insulin is also important. If you're not taking injections at the right time, the insulin will hit before your food is digested & will cause hypos. For rapid acting, many people take15-20 minutes before meals. Like everything else, it takes some trial & error to find what works best for you.

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Permalink Reply by Kristin on September 27, 2009 at 12:52am

Tiera, I also produce almost no insulin, but I am still extremely insulin sensitive and my doses are smaller than many other people with type 1 diabetes. I think that this does not only depend on how much insulin we produce, but also on our own bodies. We are all different and you need to set you insulin doses that are right for you.

If you are having frequent lows, you need to reduce your doses before the lows.

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Permalink Reply by Tiera Wynn The Diabetic Diva on September 27, 2009 at 9:32am

whats your isulin to carb ratio, and how many points does 1 unit of insulin bring your bg down.

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on September 27, 2009 at 11:43am

Tiera,

Most docs start people on a ratio of 1 unit for every 15 carbs based on weight, activity level, etc. depending on the type of insulin & then adjust from there. A lot of people have different ratios depending on time of day also. People respond differently to different brands/types of insulin. Correction doses are individualized. The only way to learn what works best for you is to keep records so you can learn your patterns & for your doctor to make adjustments.

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Permalink Reply by Kristy on September 27, 2009 at 6:33pm

Are you on a sliding scale then? If you are how do you deliver your insulin and how do you determine how much to dose per meal? Are you seeing an Endo &/or a CDE? If you are not please get in touch with your doctor to get a referral to both. A CDE is very helpful because they teach you about how food effects your diabetes, how to count carbs and they typically spend quite a bit of time helping you understand. They will also help you find a insulin to carb ratio that works for you. Most of the time when you are diagnosed you are given a ratio of 1 unit of insulin to 15 grams of carbs... This is usually a safe starting point for most. So for every 15 grams of carbs you would take 1 unit of insulin..of course there are other factors such as fiber and fat. Please promise to call your DR. in the AM and ask for a referral to a CDE or cantact your Health Dept they may be able to help you if you don't have insurance. As Dave suggested, the book "Using Insulin" may help you~ Try your local library

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Permalink Reply by Steve Manwaring on September 27, 2009 at 6:04am

You must be very careful with insulin. Don't take any unless your b.g. is at least 200, and then only take 2 units. If you are about to eat, then count the carbs and take one unit per carb.

You may be experiencing insulin shock, which can be deadly or make u comatose. Please be careful

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Permalink Reply by MelissaBL on September 27, 2009 at 7:33am

Steve, that really depends on her type of insulin, her correction sensitivity, and her personal target range. For me, two units would knock me down 40-60 mg/dL and my goal is to never go over 140. Waiting until I peak at 200 would have me sustaining highs I don't want to sustain. Be careful about giving specific dosing instructions and target goals to the newly diagnosed. We all have different needs.

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Permalink Reply by Dave   _ on September 27, 2009 at 10:10am

One unit per carb??? DUDE!!!! No way!!! That is BAD ADVICE. First of all you should NEVER give dosing suggestions. Secondly, 1 unit per carb is way out of line with typical doses. Please be a little more careful with your suggestions in the future.

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