Things are not going well :(

[am1977]

Things are not going well for me lately regarding my blood sugars. The last few days, my blood sugars have been through the roof...in the 200-300 range :eek: . I have tried changing the battery, changing the infusion site, and I'm back on the Untethered Regimen. Not too mention that I have increased my insulin doseages and talked to my CDE..and nothing has helped. :( I am feeling very helpless right now. :mad: . I hate feeling this way...yet, there's nothing I can really do.

I know some of it might have to do with work. I am dealing with some stressful issues and have been quite upset the last few days, but I have been stressed before and my levels haven't shot up to the levels I am seeing now. I also haven't been feeling that great today...I am feeling out of sorts. I do have a headache and my stomach is a little upset too, so I may be coming down with something (though that's really the last thing I need :eek: ) .

I just needed to vent...I hate feeling this way. It's awful :mad: . If it gets anyworse I don't know what I am going to do :( .

Thanks for letting me vent.

[duck]

Take a deeeeeep breath, relax, listen to soothing (or raging) music...

Okay, now that we've done that, do what you have to do to get your sugars normal. If that means a correction bolus, do that. If that means checking your sugars every half hour, then so be it. After you get your sugars under control, things will get easier.

Stress is hard on a system--It's effects on your sugars are unpredictable, as you can see. Try having a light workout to clear your head, do some walking or some crunches. As far as your pump, try a new vial of insulin as well, if you can.

It happens to ALL of us, don't let it get you down.

[mg_2204]

I'm so sorry to hear it's not going well at all AM! I'm really lost when it comes to insulin and I'm afraid I can't offer clever ways to deal with this... but if you really don't know what to do next, is there someone you can talk to about this? Is your health care team available and ready to see you through this? A great big hug to you. This situation sucks. I wish for you to go back to much better levels and the sooner the better. Take good care!!

[Eri's mom]

Sorry to hear about that :(

Eri had been waking up w/ sugars in the high 300's...I believe 383 was yesterday morning, or the day before...or else she's been in the 200's...and that's w/ a lot of proteins and a certain amount of carbs. I even changed insulin pens...but she's stressing a lot lately...and today, this mornings reading was 73...so for her, she was low....but right now, it was just 256...so a shot of humalog and off to play.(then a ton of homework).

I hope you start feeling better soon!!! Venting is good, very good.
Keeping you in thoughts and prayers :)

[Tony]

I know what your going through because I am going through it right now too. When things get out of control like this it takes so long before your back to good. And if your insulin needs adjusting that takes even longer.
There is no easy fix with Diabetes. It can be very frustrating.

I ate a small snack last night and forgot to bolus, bg went up to 350. This morning I woke up fine. Now I am 520. Maybe from some stress I had late this afternoon.

You never know what life of Diabetes is going to throw at you next. I try not to let it bring me down. But it doesn't always work out that way.

I was always told not to do any heavy work or excerise if your blood is over 250. You could do some damage to your eyes. You might pop a blood vessel.

Funny thing happening,my bed is calling me.

[duck]

I know what your going through because I am going through it right now too. When things get out of control like this it takes so long before your back to good. And if your insulin needs adjusting that takes even longer.
There is no easy fix with Diabetes. It can be very frustrating.

I ate a small snack last night and forgot to bolus, bg went up to 350. This morning I woke up fine. Now I am 520. Maybe from some stress I had late this afternoon.

You never know what life of Diabetes is going to throw at you next. I try not to let it bring me down. But it doesn't always work out that way.

I was always told not to do any heavy work or excerise if your blood is over 250. You could do some damage to your eyes. You might pop a blood vessel.

Funny thing happening,my bed is calling me.


I asked my CDE and endo about the exercise while high thingy...They said it really depended on your ketone production--If you had none, both said it was okay to exercise. But if you had ketones, abstain. I'd be interested in what others can find out.

[am1977]

You guys are great! :thumbsup: I really don't think I would be able to go through times like these w/o you all. I'd probably fall apart. Thanks so much, everyone! :)

Duck, Marie: I am trying to stay calm, I have taken a few deep breaths, and am not to let it bring me down (but it's really hard :( ). I hate having to increase my insulin by so much to bring my sugars down, but it that's what it takes... This afternoon I tried to just take it easy, even took a little nap (which I know I needed). I tested and it did come down a good deal, so I did go to the gym for a short workout.

Robin and Tony, I still don't feel right, but I do feel a little better (I guess that's a good sign :) ) . I'm relatively positive that it's stress that's at the root of it all. Things are NOT good at work, I have been really stressed out and upset in general, and I think it's taking a toll on my health. It's amazing how stress can do this. I did eat dinner just now, even though I have been a little apprehensive about eating. I'm afraid it's going to shoot it back up, but I guess I can't not eat. Well, I'll see what happens soon enough. I hope some of your stress subsides and your numbers improve, Tony...it's not fun dealing with stressful situation by any means. It sounds like you have a great attitude about things, which I think is very important, especially in dealing with something like this. Robin, sorry to hear that Eri is having her own blood sugar problems. Hopefully, the pump will help to even out the rollercoaster blood sugars. Gosh, I'm still hoping my pump is going to do that for me, but like it was said it's not a cure, just something to help manage diabetes. I'm sorry if I sound negative, I truly hope Eri's experience with pumping is everything you both hope it to be.

Anyway, thanks so much for everyones' replies. It means a lot to me. :)

[Eri's mom]

Wow...I was never told that!!!

Eri's sugar was nice and low this a.m., but higher this afternoon, and now she is super high(and she played football outside and skateboarded, and had chicken for dinner w/ one roll)....roasted chicken...and drank water and ate the ice cubes. She's flying...you'd swear she was on something.
Can't wait for her to get on this pump...the more I read about it, the harder it is to wait until Monday to get the class set up!!!

I hope you all feel better!!!

[gettingby]

Hey am1977. I'm so sorry that you are feeling so bad. I do hope things get better soon. Hugs to you. :D
Tony, wow 520 :eek: . I do hope you get to feeling better. I can't imagine how you must be feeling. Take care, please. We need you here. :D

[Eri's mom]

Andrea...

Stress is horrible for the body. I was just reading how it makes ppl gain weight...for some reason, I'm losing it(weird, huh?)...

I can't imagine the feelings you must all have w/ diabetes...the fluctuating sugars, etc. I try to understand Erica's mood changes, etc....and then I have some ppl telling me not to blame her attitude on her sugar...
Thank God Eri knows that the pump isn't the cure all...but it's going to help her tremendously(praying so, anyway!!!)...

I hope your situation at work calms down so your stress alleviates.

Always make sure you eat something....that helps w/ the nausea...even if you sip water or eat some crackers and broth or bread.(learned that from the GP days)...and making sure you are hydrated is a major key to stay nauseous free.(sorry about the rhyme...seriously didn't mean that!!!)

Take care!!!...and keep us posted!!!

[HeatherP]

**BIG hug Andrea**!

Sorry you're having such a horrible time of it! Hope you get back to "normal" (whatever that's supposed to mean) quickly.

HeatherP

[lgvincent]

I go through things like this, too. When it gets cold, I have to take more insulin to keep my blood sugar in the normal range. Right now, I'm going through days when it is high and for some strange reason I'll also go through days when it is low.

[David76]

Andrea,
Sorry things have been rough recently! Sometimes stress seems to have weird effects on my blood sugar too, requiring me to give a lot more insulin and raise my basal rate in order to compensate.

A few other things that have thrown my blood sugars off unexpectedly have been...
1) If I'm really absorbed in whatever I'm doing, I'll not notice a low and end up having a liver purge--sending my blood sugar from low to high very rapidly.
2) Sometimes exercising after giving a shot causes the insulin to absorb very quickly.
3) One measure of how successful the holidays have been is how much I have to raise my basal rate :) Since Thanksgiving, my dawn phenomenon seems a little stronger (or maybe it's just late-evening meals).

Anyway, as Duck said, it happens to us All, and I wish you the best with it.

Also, Tony, I hope you're feeling better and are getting to catch up on sleep after the all-nighter you, Shalyndria, and Harold pulled to set up this fantastic new domain!

Thanks,
David

[Brent44a]

I always try to remember the 11 Commandment, Hangeth in there!!!!

Remember, you are not alone. Others here have been where you are and at least one reason this group is popular is that we all struggle with a common foe. Look for small victories and then look for more.

You are in our thoughts and prayers, hang in there, you'll get through this.

[KrisinNM]

When you are sick or coming down with something the first indicator is a rise in bgs. Maybe a call to the doc is in order.

[am1977]

Thank-you all so much for replying...I do appreciate it! :) It's so nice knowing that you all are here for me and understand.

Robin- thanks for looking out for me. Thanks for your excellent advice :) I hate that I am so stressed out lately, but I guess all of us have to deal with stressful things at times. I think Diabetes does play a role in moods. I am not trying to use that as an excuse, but I know that the ups and downs of the disease can make someone moody. I know I can be at times myself. Good luck today with Eri's pump and let us know how it goes.

Thanks Cin, Heather, Ig, David, Brent and Kristin. I try to remember that I am not alone...but yes, sometimes I do feel that way. David, thanks for the insight about highs. I hate when I have to go through times like these and I think those factors definitely do impact blood sugar levels. I did contact my doctor's office and talked to my CDE. Like I expected, I had to increase my insulin, I guess that's really what you have to do when high like that. I am trying to remain calm and things slowly are improving.

Thanks so much everyone for thinking of me and for your positivity and support. I really am so grateful :)

[jacobsam622]

This is how stress works against us when we have diabetes


"Stress and diabetes have a unique relationship. Blood sugar levels tend to go up when you feel under stress. Blood sugar levels also affect your mood. High blood sugar can make you feel tired. Low blood sugar can make you become irritable or angry. Coping with a diagnosis of diabetes, itself, can be very stressful. You may have strong feelings about having diabetes and find it difficult to accept. You may worry about controlling your diabetes or be concerned about complications. Studies show that people living with diabetes are more likely than others to face depression"

What is “Fight or Flight”? When you are under stress, your body gets ready for action. This is called the “fight or flight” response that gets your body ready to flee from danger. During this response, the level of many hormones shoots up. These hormones increase your blood pressure and heart rate and release stored glucose. This makes your blood sugar levels.


What is Stree you ask ;)

:eek: Stress Is that overwhelming desire one gets when the mind over rides the bodys fundmental desire to choke the #$@ out of some @#$2hole who is in desperate need of it :eek:

;) Jeffrey ;)

[Littlebit63_99]

Andrea,

Like the others on here.......I know what you are going thru.

I think that diabetes(at least for me) has been a series of plateaus. You go along at a certain insulin/carb/protien/exercise level for a while and then for almost no reason.....sometimes.....things change. And, the first thing to change for us, often, is our insulin level.

Stress is unpredictable....that's what's so bad about it. Some kinds of stress will lower the b/s's and some will raise it. A week later the same stressful situation will do just the opposit. A deep breath and whatever works to calm you is your best defense.

When I am coming down with something my b/s's go thru the roof. A call to a doc may very well be in order.

Take VERY good care of yourself and remember......you are not alone.

Tony, I know what those highs feel like.........unfortunately......hope you are better now.

[Dewey]

Hi Am, sorry to hear you've been having such trouble lately. :( I really hope that you get to the bottom of whatever has been causing these fluctuations. As the others have said, stressful situations, illness and a host of other underlying issues can cause a roller-coastering of sugars. Believe me, I know how frustrating it is when sugar goes high. I have a fit if a set doesn't work, and have even cried when I got so angry over a sugar level not dropping after several steps were taken to lower it. As I always say, Diabetes is never an exact science, so sometimes it's extremely hard to get under wraps. I also agree with Kris and whoever else said that a call to the doc may be wise (although I must admit, sometimes docs just frustrate ya more). I truly hope you get everything squared away soon, and please keep us all posted!

[am1977]

Thanks all! I am doing so much better today, I'm almost afraid to say that for fear that my sugars will shoot back up :rolleyes: .

Jeffrey, that's really interesting info about stress. It really does make a huge impact, doesn't it? Of course, letting myself get emotional and overwhelmed during those stressful tiimes, doesn't make things any better. I appreciate your response :)

Liz, it sounds like you can relate to my experiences. I do go through periods when I do just fine and then...BAM, things change and I need to suddenly increase my insulin to get things back to normal. It does stress me out and I sometimes don't know exactly how to cope with these situations. it can be VERY frustrating :mad: , but letting myself get upset over it is probably not the answer. I did call my dr.'s office and spoke to my CDE, who said just what I expected...to increase my insulin :rolleyes:. I have done so and things today are SOOO much better..yay :) thanks so much for your reply. :)

Dewey, you aren't the only one who gets upset over problematic situaitions with blood sugar. One bad blood sugar reading doesn't get me down, it's when I see reading after reading after reading that's far less than perfect (especially hights :eek: ). Like I mentioned to Liz, I did call my CDE and I have increased my insulin and it has really helped..which I am so thankful for. I hate feeling so out of control! Thanks for your support and advice.

Thank-you ALL so much again :) :thumbsup:

[eevee]

am1977....I wonder, if all has has failed, if you have tried going low-GI. It sure helped me. Put nothing through your digestive system that has a value over 50. I'm sure you will see a difference....in your bgs and your mood. I doubt anything brings as much relief as lowering those bGs.

Cheers......Eve