A1c Too High help!!

[Tricia452008]

The last time i saw my endo was about 4-5 months ago and my A1c was 7.8. I met with a diabetes educator and a nutritionist then too in order to help get my sugars down and turn my diabetes around. I switched my diet to more veggies and lean meats as opposed to flour and starches. I have been testing A LOT and i exercise at least 4-5 times a week and i follow the nutritionist and eat very healthy. Now my blood sugars were not getting better so about 2 months ago i called my endo and he gave me the usual advice to up my insulin which i did and still no good results. In fact i felt my sugars were getting worse. I went for blood work again last week and saw my endo today and the news was horrible. My A1c Shot up to 10.7!!!!!!!! What the **** is going on here??!!!!! I did everything they said and im on sooo much insulin i should be having hypos like crazy......What is happening to me??? I can't handle this anymore. And on top of it my endo started yelling at me accusing me of being careless and lazy I was in tears. I can't stop crying here. Does anyone have any suggestions? I have been incredibly high in the mornings which leads me to feel i am suffering from the dawn phenonomon. and my sugars will go between normal and high all day. The highest i have been in the last 5 months that i know is over 500. And i have had several times where my meter has just read HIGH. But no ketones at all. The lowest i have been is 80. What should i do? Should i look into a new endo? Should i keep increasing my insulin like he said? He wants me to go up to over 50 units a night JUST of Lantus. Any suggestions anyone? Thanks.

_Tricia

PS dont suggest me getting a pump cause i already asked and he said no. So i need other options. He called me a bad diabetic how am i supposed to handle that?!?

[JediSkipdogg]

I know a woman shouldn't be asked her weight, but how much do you weigh? A good estimate for normal non-insulin resistance is you should take about 1 unit of insulin for each Kg you weigh.

My next question is I guess you are also taking insulin with your meals? What kind? Do you carb count?

Do you rotate your injection location quite often?

This could be a tough one to figure out.

[Tricia452008]

Ok Yes i do insulin with my meals. I am on a 1-4 carb ratio. 1 unit for every 4 carbs. I am on novolog flex pens as my fast acting insulin. I do rotate but i feel im still getting rough patches everywhere. And i'm very sad to admit this but my weight is around 150. Yucky i know im fat im working on it.

[xMenace]

It sounds like you may have a mental block against upping your dosages. Have you had bad hypos in the past? Don't be too concerned about the quantity of insulin. It's perfectly fine to have to take a lot. Ignore the units and take what you need to to get good numbers.

[Tricia452008]

i think i have that mental block cause i used to be told in the past that having too much insulin in me was bad. Is it? I have had some bad hypos in the past but not lately. My whole thing is i feel im on MORE THAN ENOUGH insulin and im still not getting my sugars under control.

[xMenace]

i think i have that mental block cause i used to be told in the past that having too much insulin in me was bad. Is it? I have had some bad hypos in the past but not lately. My whole thing is i feel im on MORE THAN ENOUGH insulin and im still not getting my sugars under control.

You are on too much insulin when you are hypoing. Insulin is a natural hormone. This whole mangement routine can cause you to eat too much and gain weight, and I think those are the only real negatives. Just look at Wjp's doses. He takes enough in a day to kill an elephant, something like 400 units!

[JediSkipdogg]

150 lbs and fat? I highly doubt you are fat at all. Now back to the problem at hand.

Would you do me a favor and we can see where we go from there.....

For 2 days do nothing but test and record it. If you need a very useful spreadsheet I can email you one in excel. Really, all I'm looking for is the time you test, what the reading is, when you give insulin, how much, etc. Record 2 days worth of your life as a diabetic and then either post on here or PM/email it to me. Then I can see if there is some pattern that you are missing.

You are far from a bad diabetic. Keep your head up high and you will get over this small hill.

As for the taking too much there's no such thing. I personally think my basal rate on my pump (equivalent to lantus on MDI) is too much but yet it works out perfect for me. Actually, the past few weeks my morning numbers have been nothing short of perfect and I have no idea how it's happening. I think only twice in the past two weeks I've been above 150 waking. You may think great for me, but if you looked at my past you'll realize it's a huge improvement.

We can do this, stay strong.

[Funnygrl]

Has your endo considered adding oral meds or symlin? It definitely seems like you have a bit of resistance going on.

Another option to consider would be going on a pump. A lot of people cut down on their insulin use when they go on the pump.

[kgm0612]

Tricia...

Push over girl, cause I'm not far behind you. My A1c keeps creeping up, dispite the fact that I count carbs and walk 3 miles almost every night. I go from having a day of highs to a day of lows. I'm so fed up with this disease!

All I can say is "hang in there" and keep at it! It's frustrating, I know, but we have to keep moving forward!

Karen

[nicole]

I know what you mean, I say that all the time. The only person to understand a diabetic is another diabetic. My doctors have told me the same thing too. And I tell them, no you don't understand what its like. walk in my shoes for a day and then you'll see.

[Jan B]

I wish you the best; you have already gotten excellent advice. Take all the insulin you need, ok? Those little head block things need to be pushed aside. For years, I tried to put my feet in a size 6 1/2 shoe. I just knew that was my size. Well . . . after finally going up a size, my feet no longer hurt!!!

[peej07]

I'm in the same boat. My 2 week average right now is over 200 :mad: The more stress I have the harder it is to control. I'm so fed up I don't what to do. It's almost like I suddenly have major absorption issues. For example last night I woke at 4am and was 309 so I bolused 6.5 units of humalog and woke at 8am at 229. This has been a normal occurance for me lately.

[Alice]

First of all...the doctor needs to treat you with respect. If he/she is not...then I would start the next visit with a simple statement that you expect to be treated like an adult. Explain that you are not in "denial", a "bad diabetic" or "non-compliant". If he/she can't continue to offer treatment for your disease (and it is a disease...not a behavorial problem) then you need to find a new endo.

I've been to some good ones...and some excellent ones. I've luckily never had anyone treat me horribly. But, I do demand respect. I dress for endo appointments like I would a business meeting. I have my questions written down ahead of time. I ask questions and write the answers down so I can understand them...that includes asking the doctor to spell words...(hey, I'm good at some things...not medical transcribing)

I've heard at least 3 people this week tell me of their relatives that were "bad diabetics"..so I'm on a little rage about this kind of attitude right now...

[xMenace]

Well **** happens to all of us.

I was 12 to 14 (216 to 252) all day yesterday until bedtime when I finally plumetted to 3.1 (56) :mad: Then I had to eat like a cow to keep from dropping off. 5.1 (92) this morning.

[peej07]

Well **** happens to all of us.

I was 12 to 14 (216 to 252) all day yesterday until bedtime when I finally plumetted to 3.1 (56) :mad: Then I had to eat like a cow to keep from dropping off. 5.1 (92) this morning.


So true but I've never had this for like a week straight....some days are better than others.

[Tricia452008]

Thank you again everyone for your support. And Kev i will keep good track for 2 days and PM the info to you. And Pee i understand your frustration. If my sugars would go up and down i would be a little happier but they just stay up and keep going up. And i know more insulin will me more weight gain and since i am getting married in April im sooo upset about that. You see what i mean? I would never risk my health so im upping my insulin i just feel there should be other things i can do as well.

[bryan42]

One piece of advice...get a new doctor! Any doctor that puts you in tears, is a disgrace to their profession. Good Luck with you numbers. :)

[gettingby]

Tricia, hon, I have to agree. It sounds like you need a new endo.
Also, I know these wedding plans are stressing you out too and that's not good on the bgs. Hang in there and we will help you get through this.:)

[Jan B]

One piece of advice...get a new doctor! Any doctor that puts you in tears, is a disgrace to their profession. Good Luck with you numbers. :)

Yeah, what Bryan said!

I think some of those docs need to go back and learn that putting people down doesn't usually motivate them at all.

[Tricia452008]

Thank you soo much everyone!! I have good news i found a new endo at the University of Penn hospital that comes highly reccomended so i have an appt to see her next Wed! she had a cancellation and i got right in!!! I am very excited and i have tons of stuff to give to her and talk to her about so i will keep you posted and hopefully i will be back with good news soon.

[Alice]

It is not necessarily true that you will gain weight taking more insulin. You wouldn't be taking "excess" insulin that type 2's are talking about...that's a form of insulin insensitivity.

You are just taking the additional insulin your body needs to "balance"...no more. You'd have to eat more to gain weight...normally.