Is it my slow acting or fast that's too high?!
Question: Ok, I find that I'll start at 7 mmol.. (multiply by 18 I think it is?) so 126 when I wake up in the mornings, which is fine.
I take my fast acting, at the two hour mark I'm either around 6-7 (108-126) but I find around the third hour to fourth I freakin' crash every time. I go low, around 3's (54).
Is this my slow acting that's causing it or the fast acting?
I thought fast acting peaked at 2 hours and was gone out of your body by 3 so that's what is leading me to think it's my slow which is in my body 24 hours a day right??
Thoughts? I'm new to diabetes, I was diagnosed with type 1 in december 2007 at age 18 so I'm a newbie!
Answers: Ok, I find that I'll start at 7 mmol.. (multiply by 18 I think it is?) so 126 when I wake up in the mornings, which is fine.
I take my fast acting, at the two hour mark I'm either around 6-7 (108-126) but I find around the third hour to fourth I freakin' crash every time. I go low, around 3's (54).
Is this my slow acting that's causing it or the fast acting?
I thought fast acting peaked at 2 hours and was gone out of your body by 3 so that's what is leading me to think it's my slow which is in my body 24 hours a day right??
Thoughts? I'm new to diabetes, I was diagnosed with type 1 in december 2007 at age 18 so I'm a newbie!
It sounds like you may be taking too much of the long acting if you're going low at night. I would call your doctor and talk to him about it, discuss your regimen and see how he wants to change it (you really don't want to play too much without letting him or her know about it).
Fast acting insulin usually does peak in about 90 minutes and should not be having a significant effect in 4 hours after administration, so I would be inclined to believe that it's not what is causing hypoglycemia with the timing you're describing.
What kind of insulins are you on? What we used to call fast, regular, insulin, has been superseded by the newer super fast insulin's like Novorapid or Apidra, the NPH insulin used to be the only long acting ones, but petered out after 16 hours, with a peak after 6 hours, causing nightly lows, new ones are more stable: e.g. Lantus, also called insulin Glargine, but are a lot more expensive (about 5 times).
The way to determine your insulin needs: take 7 blood sugar measurements over the day: fasting, 2 hrs after breakfast, before lunch, 2 hrs after lunch, before dinner, 2 hrs after dinner, before sleep around 23 hrs. All measurements before eating are determined by your long acting insulin, so if these are low, take less long acting, if these are high, take more (2 units each time more of less), aim for around 7 mmol/L; the after meals part is determined by your fast insulin, same story, but between 5 and 10 mmol/L are acceptable. If you eat more, more fast insulin is needed, if you eat less, less fast insulin is needed, so plan ahead. Don't do this daily, every few days should do, more often if you are frequently high or frequently low until you are better, than once weekly or so.
Your fasting blood sugar seems OK, but nightly lows would point to to much long acting insulin, so start by lowering you long acting insulin by 2 units until no nightly low are experienced. See a diabetic nurse who has more time to help you cope with your diabetes than your doc, you should see a dietitian too to help you distribute your meals over the day evenly. If you are on old style regular insulin as "fast" insulin you need a small snack in between your three meals to prevent lows 3 to 4 hours after your fast insulin injection since they work 2 to 6 hours after the injection, not if you are on the new super fast insulin during meals which will only work 1 to 3 hours after the injection.
it should be the slow one... but that's quite strange, because then you should have a very lower level when you wake up... maybe you practise some activity that makes it go low?
How about the rest of the day?
Remember that your numbers before eating depend on the slow one; those after depend in the fast one.
3-4 hours is too much maybe to blame it on the fast one...
Talk to your doctor: you may have to reduce the slow one.
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Yes, if you go low during the night then it's definitely the slow one. You just need to reduce the dose. Tell your doctor anyway: you shold reduce it 1 unit at a time, see how things go for a few days, then if it's still necessary reduce it again... always let a few days pass to see the effects.
I'm inclined to think that it could be both that are too high. The big question is this: 2 hours after a meal, does your blood sugar go up by at least 20 mg/dL but less than 50mg/dL? If it's not rising, than the slow could be causing it to crash. If you're having overnight lows, your long acting could be too high. (Sorry, I only know the mg/dL)
Exercise can cause low sugars several hours afterwards as well, so if there's any exercise involved, look at the timing of that, because that can affect the sugars as well.
The best thing to do in any of these situations is to call whoever started your insulin or see them and they might make an adjustment.
Side note, I highly recommend the insulin pump after ou've done shots for a few months, if your insurance covers it. It makes life so much easier (not quite worry free, but a lot closer).
it definitely sounds like you are taking too much slow acting. keep a close watch on your blood sugars for a week or so, write down all that you're eating, and then call your doctor and have him adjust you insulin. as a new diabetic it will be good to keep a close watch anyways because that was you'll know how your body reacts with the way you're taking your insulin. feel free to email me if you have any questions.
i think that you taking to much