Anyone else have high sugars of 300-400s during the day even when taking insulin and eating a healthy meal?
Hi @Pris804 and welcome to the forum.
If your numbers are okay until you eat, my first thought would be that you need to check your carb ratio - you may need more than you used to, to cover the same amount.
If you don’t mind my asking, how long have you been on insulin, and do you manage with injections or with a pump? That can help us give some suggestions. If you are new or not comfortable adjusting on your own, do check with your doctor as we are only giving suggestions, not medical advice.
Hello @wadawabbit !
I have been on injections for a month now and my medical doctor has increased my dose however I don’t see an improvement on my blood sugars. I will definitely speak to my doctor about my carb ratio! Thank you!
1 Like
Hi @Pris804,
I’m only a month from being diagnosed. I stuck with a low-carb (still do) eating habits of around 20g of total carbs per meal with my Dr recommended default insulin units and scale. By doing this I’m able to keep my BG to an average of 134. Without that I was in the 250 range (similar to you). I find that limiting my total carbs per meal helps me maintain a more consistent BG levels, and a walk after dinner also greatly drops my BG levels so I’m not going to sleep with high BG.
I write down my BG before each meal in a table for a quick view of how I’m trending. My Dr found this to help him as well when I showed it to him - he made a photo copy of it as well. Then he recommended I add a test and eat a 40g meal and up my default 5u dose to 8u. After doing so I found that 7u would have likely been better as my BG dropped after the meal.
@Pris804 welcome. Using insulin takes practice and patience. A lot of patients. It can take a long time to understand how your body reacts to carbs (carb ratio is only 1 thing) in different situations. Low carb can work, because few carbs means less mistakes and errors, but you can learn how to take insulin for candy, deserts, restaurant food, and anything you would like. I like carbs, so I learn how to take insulin to manage my blood sugar even when I’m eating a higher carb meal. Diabetes management can mean changing lifestyle, or not. It’s up to you and your preferences.
1 Like
Your quite welcome. I highly recommend you check out the book Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner. He has diabetes and works in the field so has a unique personal perspective that is particularly helpful. It will be a great addition to your learnings with your doctor or nurse educator.
Keep detailed records of what you do and when - there are lots of apps available or of course you could use pencil and paper. Glooko is a free one that in using now.
PS - is your doctor an endocrinologist who specializes in Type1 diabetes? Not all do.
1 Like
@Pris804 Welcome Priscilla, to the JDRF TypeOneNation Community! We hope to see you here often as you begin this lifelong journey.
To answer your question with one word, YES! To add a little bit more, I’ve experienced 300 - 400 hundreds, maybe thousands of times, during almost seven decades trying to effectively manage my diabetes. I’ve also experienced severe hyperglycemic multi-day events [NOT DKA] in the 500s that were not caused by eating plenty of carbs, 225 gm per day, or lack of sufficient insulin.
You will learn gradually how much insulin you need, and when you need that insulin; work with your doctor and “listen” to your body. There are many, many factors that will affect your body or blood glucose level other than food and insulin; some of these bits that affect your glucose level are out of your immediate control.
Right now, while you are just beginning to “learn diabetes”, I’m still learning, no one here knows you well enough to offer you advice on what adjustments you should make in diet or insulin dosing - stick with YOUR doctor’s advice.
The bottom line, you can live a wonderful life with your diabetes; diabetes will not prevent you from living a full active and productive life. Don’t hesitate to join in the fun!
Hi Priscilla @Pris804! There have been a lot of really good comments to your question. I would just like to add that certain foods increase my blood sugar rapidly and I need more insulin than my usual insulin: carb ratio to keep up. For example, my normal ratio is 1:7 (1 unit of insulin for 7g of carb). When I eat pizza, I use a 1:4 ratio. Also, because some foods really increase my blood sugar quickly, I eat them for lunch not breakfast when I am more insulin resistant. For example, I eat cereal later in the day with a 1:4 ratio. Your ratio will be completely different from mine, but you will eventually be able to minimize your high blood sugars with trial and error. I say minimize because just yesterday my cereal brought my blood sugar up to 320. 