ill and unable to talk to anyone of use

[Lizzie G]

hi can anyone help. i have a throat infectiom, headache etc and have been to my family doctor and got antibiotics. she said i should call the diabetic nursing team to make sure im doing the right thing in taking extra shots of novorapid to bring me down. what i have been doing is this - bg has been high and coming up higher with meals, so where i would normally have been covered by 2/3 units im taking 4 then testing an hour later and taking more if needed. the woman i spoke to (a secretary i believe as the diabetic nursing team is unable to take calls from diabetics not that i am angry...) told me i shouldnt increase the frequency of shots just take more, so for example take 6 units in one go. to me this is insanity and extremely dangerous and i cant see an alternative in my current predicament to taking a sensible amount, re-testing then taking more and keep testing. what would anyone else do? am very irritated by this, and the total lack of support from the medical profession in my area.

[ant hill]

Hello Lizzie :), Having a throat infection will most certainly bring your BG up to no end. Can you drink? If you can then drink some more if you can and for your BG's its getting your Basel up a notch rather than the short acting doing all the correction and of course test test test.
Get well soon Lizzie. And I will look forward to your future posts.
Also Welcome to DF. :D

[Jan B]

Hi Lizzie,

The lady you talked to may be close to right. Have you checked for Ketones? I use Ketostix & have a sliding scale for how much extra insulin to take if Ketones are present. (One extra unit for small, 2 for moderate and 3+ for high. I take about 25 total units daily.)

The problem you might have with taking insulin in smaller amounts at a higher frequency is "stacking insulin", since the fast acting really lasts 3 or 4 hours (or more) & you wouldn't know how much was still working. I used to think that idea the lady gave you was crazy, but from my experience, I think it has merit to it.

Hopefully, more opinions will be coming soon! I also hope you can talk to a doc or nurse who can explain and give you the confidence you need. Get some Ketostix if you don't have any.

[REDLAN]

Jan is right - the danger with following shots close together is stacking your dose.

I use correction ratios - and I will correct at the 2 hour mark, BUT I estimate the quantity of insulin remaining, and take it into account into my calculations.

Ask for some ketostix - if your urine shows ketones, this is an indication that your insulin is not working properly, and you will need more insulin.

It is better to increase your dose to start with rather than try to correct at a later mark. If you are anxious about doubling your normal dose, what about increasing it by 50% instead - it's better to take those extra 1-2 units when you eat, than wait and give them to yourself later when you have already gone high.

once you are well, your insulin needs should return to normal again.

[kgm0612]

Get Well Soon, Lizzie!

Karen

[xMenace]

Agree. Avoid stacking several doses. It is harder to figure out the impacts, especially when you are sick. Use your best judgement on doses and test at least every two hours until six hours after your last dose. Four hours is fine for normal doses, but when you are aggressively attacking hghs, expect late drops. Trust me on this one; I've been there too often.

[Lizzie G]

thanks guys - your advice is really appreciated! i forgot to get out the ketostix, they're one of the few fun things about diabetes!