Not Waking Up From Lows

[lawlazy]

My spouse frequently has lows in the late afternoon and during the night. For the most part they have been annoying and frustrating, but uneventful. Lately, however, my spouse is not waking himself up during a low. Specifically, my spouse was taking a nap and I thankfully woke him up because he had been asleep for over an hour. His blood sugar was a 35.

I am greatly concerned about this and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. Also, we have tried everything to get the control over the lows - especially every suggestion in Think Like a Pancreas. Any suggestions or innovative ideas would be much appreciated.

[TenderVittleS]

Take less insulin and test, pretty simple if you ask me.

[lawlazy]

He tests 8 - 10 times a day. His blood sugar can go from 120 to 50 in an hour even when he eats the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day and takes the same amount of insulin.

[Moreno]

If he takes like lantus in the morning or something similiar of the same. He should maybe consider taking 5 units less. Or talk to a endocryologist about it. but like we said. take less insulin and maybe if you are carb counting. add 5 more carbs to every shot of insulin.

[EasyType2]

Is Mr. lazy seeing an endocrinologist? If not, he should be.

Is he Type 1 or Type 2.

[lawlazy]

Yes. He is seeing one and has been going regularly every three months for a couple of years. He is Type 1.

[EasyType2]

I wasn't just being nosy, Ms. lazy. Though both types are diabetes, the approach to control may have to vary.

I think Mr. lazy should have a good sit down with his endo and perhaps a diabetic dietician.

[DanG]

I wasn't just being nosy, Ms. lazy. Though both types are diabetes, the approach to control may have to vary.

I think Mr. lazy should have a good sit down with his endo and perhaps a diabetic dietician.

I think Mr. Lazy should take that bull by the horns and do it himself.
I am proof of that approach after 34 years.

Sure, there are idiosyncrasies in this thing called diabetes, but he can figure them out much better than some out of body doctor or endo. Get in touch with what is going on, and as someone else mentions, take less of the juice and be high instead of low. Whereas long life of high is not good, I would doubt that too many lows are good.

Have Mr. Lazy get a handle on the problem himself instead of relying on the doctor. The doctor is only as good as he can understand what the indices say. Mr. Lazy has all that knowledge in random access memory for immediate retrieval and use. Use it - plus, lower some of the insulin. I would say eat, but then Mr. Lazy might get to be heavy.

[Erin]

It sounds like this is a chronic problem, which means a few things could be going on.

1. his basal is too high. That'd be too much long acting insulin, lantus or the like.

2. His insulin to carb ratio or the dose of insulin he takes at the meal before the lows, in this case dinner? Is too high.

3. If he's still on a peaky long acting insulin like NPH, it's peak and the short acting peak may be overlapping

In any case, it's too much insulin at that time of day.

That is unless he's got an unusual diet, or drinks more than 1 or 2 alcoholic drinks a day, or has another medical condition that could be causing this.

[jen_slc]

What insulins is your husband on, what kind of doses, and what type of injection schedule?