9 Months Now

[thisstinks]

and it still makes me sick to get bellow 250..no mater what my bs want to stay at 280ish..doc said it would get better 6 months ago..well it hasn't....
i take 120n night and morning and 75 r before meals...i feel like **** all the time..i cant even feel my feet any more..
my ears ring all day long..i can't fall asleep..and if i do i wake up in a matter of hours then can't fall back...

this sucks
i felt better when i was in 400s and losing weight......

[NoraWI]

Definitely change doctors! Are you really on NPH for basal and Regular for meals? That is SO antiquated! No wonder you can't get your BGs down! An MDI regimen should include one of the long-lasting basals, either Lantus or Levemir. And for meals you should be using a fast-acting insulin such as Humalog, Novolog or Apidra. You should also consider omitting all starches and cutting down on the number of carbohydrates you consume, at least until you get things under control. Do you know how to count carbs?

[thisstinks]

Symptoms of low blood sugar include:
Abnormal behavior, anxiety, blurred vision, cold sweat, confusion, depressed mood, dizziness, drowsiness, fatigue, headache, hunger, inability to concentrate, light-headedness, nausea, nervousness, personality changes, rapid heartbeat, restlessness, sleep disturbances, slurred speech, sweating, tingling in the hands, feet, lips, or tongue, tremor, unsteady movement ... i get this at 150

:confused:

[thisstinks]

they started me on lantus..the first week/and last week...i still have huge lumps from it 9 months later..and now hearing how it causes tumors realy worries me...


Definitely change doctors! Are you really on NPH for basal and Regular for meals? That is SO antiquated! No wonder you can't get your BGs down! An MDI regimen should include one of the long-lasting basals, either Lantus or Levemir. And for meals you should be using a fast-acting insulin such as Humalog, Novolog or Apidra. You should also consider omitting all starches and cutting down on the number of carbohydrates you consume, at least until you get things under control. Do you know how to count carbs?

[thisstinks]

also excercise makes my bs go way up...sometimes..sometimes it drops way down..makes no sense to me

[mraymond]

I sometimes get symptoms of low blood sugar when my numbers are elevated. I find that exercise, a low-carb snack (preferably with some protein) and drinking water helps.

I think that for me, the exercise perhaps helps my insulin resistance. I think perhaps that I feel low when I am high because the glucose isn't getting into my cells. Are you taking anything like metformin? Perhaps you are not getting the benefit of what you eat and your cells are starved for glucose because it is not getting into them. I'm no expert, but I wonder if that is what is happening.

As for the exercise raising your numbers, that happens to me sometimes, but then the numbers come back down and stay down longer, so I suspect it evens out.

If you are so uncomfortable after 9 months, perhaps you should get a second opinion.
I hope you get things sorted out.

mary

[Tattoo azz]

thisstinks, CHANGE YOUR DOCTOR PLEASE!!

The reason you are feeling hypo when you're only at 150 is because you have been high for so long, this causes your body to think being high is normal, so coming down to around 150 will make it react in a similar way that it would to a real hypo. I know lantus reacted badly with you, but please don't panic, different people react in many different ways, i take lantus and i'm fine, if i took levemir i may have similar symptoms you had.
Is your doc a diabetic specialist? ifnot find one who is. Getting your blood sugar to a reasonable and stable level should be your main aim, take it in baby steps don't just inject a huuuuuuuuge amount, because this will make you hypo for real, and that is not what you want. Reduce your carb intake, drink lots of water, exercise and most importantly test, test, test.

[fgummett]

Does not sound as if you are control of your BGs yet.

If you are taking the same amount of insulin before each meal, then you are probably eating to feed the insulin rather than the other way around... this could likely mean you are eating too much... which leads to higher BGs and so it goes around.

What do you eat? Can you ask your Health Care Team about carb counting and a sliding-scale of insulin?

Many here report feeling "Low" at first when they actually still have high or normal BG levels... the body has become used to these higher levels... but with better control (sustained over time) this situation seems to improve; based on what I have heard from many others here on DF.

For me at least, moderate exercise can lower BGs while more intense exercise can raise it... probably resulting from a Liver dump of Glucose.

[Subby]

Thisstinks, I can only mirror that you need help sorting out your doses, change docs if need be. Your doses are simply not doing their job at the moment and it's not going to get better without intervention.

Transitioning from very high BGs to lower BGs commonly feels like "hypos", all the symptoms you list, going from member's experience (including mine). The thing is, unless you STAY in the lower range, you body will not eventually adjust. You are jumping between the frying pan and the fire at the moment. You need help to improve your doses so that you get a distinct improvement in blood sugars across the boards and through the day - you need to grin and suffer the "hypo feelings" for at least a few days (could be a week or two from my experience), and once your body has aclimatised, you will have achieved improved control and your body will be incredibly relieved and less stressed. Even if there is damage that becomes apparent (through nerve endings reawakening, as is likely to happen), even if there is some side effects to contend with after that, getting doses sorted and reducing your blood sugar substantially, is the only way to give yourself a chance at health in the future. The only way.

Get to the doctor, if you haven't given them the right chance to "fix" your doses, or get to another one quick smart! I believe you are in about the worst situation an insulin dependent could possibly be in, short of no insulin. Deadly dangerous in the short term, and very hazardous to your health in the medium. Go well, just do it.

[xMenace]

now hearing how it causes tumors realy worries me...

Nobody has ever said Lantus causes tumors!

Insulin has long been known to promote tumor growth, but it doesn't cause any cancers. IMO this Lantus study was out of line. It should not have been published the way it was. They should have compared many insulins. It smacks of bad science!

You need to get your sugars down and keep them there. You need to follow a comprehensive plan od insulin, diet, exercise, and other medications. Your doctor should draw out a whole list of things for you to do, and you should follow them.

We all know this disease sucks. We're with you in this!

[thisstinks]

ok example i was 180 this morning took 120n .my work is lots of heavy lifting on feet all day...had an apple with my 75r...tuna sandwitch for lunch with 75..came home can barly walf from walikng all day and im at 389...so much for exercise..now if i was home all day sitting on the couch it would be 250's..all i keep hearing is.it shouldn't do that

[Cluck]

ok example i was 180 this morning took 120n .my work is lots of heavy lifting on feet all day...had an apple with my 75r...tuna sandwitch for lunch with 75..came home can barly walf from walikng all day and im at 389...so much for exercise..now if i was home all day sitting on the couch it would be 250's..all i keep hearing is.it shouldn't do that

The kinds of readings you are reporting are VERY dangerous, you probably have ketones (do you test for these with urine strips?) which means your body is basically toxic and you could be in DKA or go into a DKA coma.

I don't mean to frighten you or get out of line in what I am saying, but everyone here is trying to help you realise how dangerous your situation is right now.

Please stop the denial, find another doctor and get some help NOW.

[thisstinks]

I HAVE NEVER HAD KEYTONES...I USED TO BE AT 500+ FOR YEARS... YEARS AGO I HAD A HEART ATTACK AND THE DUMB ASSES SENT ME HOME.. I SUFFERED FOR 5 DAYS WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO DO ANYTHING..THEY ASSURED ME IT WAS JUST A VIRUS..5 DAYS LATER I GO BACK..OH GEE YOU ARE HAVING A HEART ATTACK..WELL NO SHEET...NEEDLESS TO SAY 5 DAYS MESSED UP MY WHOLE SYSTEM...MY TEMP RUNS ABOUT 95..EVERYTHING IS WACKED..AND ALL YOU GET FROM DOCS ARE BLANKS STARES..:mad:

[thisstinks]

hmmm this place doesn't autoshrink caps..

[thisstinks]

the diabetes started within months of using thiazides...when ever i used them i would pee like crazy...but after a while it wouldn't stop...now if i take them my bs goes sky high.. i told the doc and they looked at me like i was a nut...the ALHAT study shows the risk..but no one seems to care..
and docs wonder why its on the rise..meds are killing everyone..

**** vioxx killed more people than most wars

[Subby]

It is incredibly unfortunate and understandable you feel very sore about that. However, in the simplest terms, this is what is going on.

Your numbers are still dangerously high. They may be better than when they were 500, but seriously, that is not really saying much. They are still well out of range and you will feel terrible and risk illness until you get them down.

The logical reason, is that your insulin dose is incorrect.

So you need to see a doctor that will do the bare minimum and help you adjust your dosage up so that you reduce you blood sugar levels. Insulin is not like paracetamol that may work a bit or not at all. Insulin is ALL about getting the right dose. There will always be a dose that works for you, you just are not using it.

The hypo feelings will stick around a few days but are likely to recede if you stay down.

Often in life we have a lot of doors we can choose to walk though. Options, always. A few times, we may face only one door, there is only one direction to go. That is the situation you are in at this junction of your life. You have really only one realistic alternative that will lead to your safety and having a future.

See a doctor and insist they help you fix your doses of insulin.

[shiftzor]

While I agree that an endo (Diabetic Dr) would be really helpful I can't stress enough how important it is for you to manage your own insulin regime. I understand that mentally you are not in a good place right now but you need to get some accountability. Have you downloaded your meter readings to your computer so you can look at the big picture? Do you know what complications arise from high bg? Do you know that all is not lost and that your body has amazing healing capabilities? I am not going to say that damage hasn't been done but you can definitely stop it happening in the future.

Insulin is not the bad guy here. I agree that you shouldn't take drugs for poor reasons but this really isn't a poor reason. It's a matter of life or death, diabetes is like a train crash waiting to happen, you can fly along the tracks with high bgs for years without any problems but at some point you will
crash.

Knowledge is power! So take control. Keep asking questions!

Had an HbA1c test? (http://www.diabetesmonitor.com/b59.htm)

Tips on control i.e. carb counting etc (http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_control_tips/)

Complciations (http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Complications/)

These Books explain everything you need to know and are a really worth while read:
Using Insulin By John Walsh
Think like a pancreas by Gary Scheiner

[thisstinks]

so here i am 3 in the morning..woke up at 2:30..cold sweat, confusion, dizziness, light-headedness, nausea, nervousness, rapid heartbeat, restlessness, slurred speech, sweating, tingling in the hands, feet, lips, or tongue, tremor, unsteady movement..basically sitting shaking like an earthquake..

bs is 159

[ant hill]

I would get to see an Endocrinologist and get him to run tests on you. As your BG's are all over the shop and feel quintessentially terrible. :(
Doctors in my view are idiots as they don't understand endocrinology. Please do this and stop being tossed buy two undecided doctors. ;)

[genie86333]

thisstinks,

What do you do when you feel that way? Do you treat with carbs? With protein? Just wait it out until a liver dump hits?

Perhaps (if you don't do it already) trying a protein snack may help. It won't raise the blood sugar much (which will allow your body to start getting used to that level,) but may make you feel better because it will stabilize your levels so you don't keep dropping.

[thisstinks]

RE..Doctors in my view are idiots as they don't understand endocrinology.

Neither does my endocrinologist

[thisstinks]

glass of milk...thisstinks,

What do you do when you feel that way? Do you treat with carbs? With protein? Just wait it out until a liver dump hits?

Perhaps (if you don't do it already) trying a protein snack may help. It won't raise the blood sugar much (which will allow your body to start getting used to that level,) but may make you feel better because it will stabilize your levels so you don't keep dropping.

[Paul W]

It is incredibly unfortunate and understandable you feel very sore about that. However, in the simplest terms, this is what is going on.

Your numbers are still dangerously high. They may be better than when they were 500, but seriously, that is not really saying much. They are still well out of range and you will feel terrible and risk illness until you get them down.

The logical reason, is that your insulin dose is incorrect.

So you need to see a doctor that will do the bare minimum and help you adjust your dosage up so that you reduce you blood sugar levels. Insulin is not like paracetamol that may work a bit or not at all. Insulin is ALL about getting the right dose. There will always be a dose that works for you, you just are not using it.

The hypo feelings will stick around a few days but are likely to recede if you stay down.

Often in life we have a lot of doors we can choose to walk though. Options, always. A few times, we may face only one door, there is only one direction to go. That is the situation you are in at this junction of your life. You have really only one realistic alternative that will lead to your safety and having a future.

See a doctor and insist they help you fix your doses of insulin.

Yes Yes Yes. When your blood sugar levels are high for a long time it can feel like you are having an insulin reaction when your levels start falling to near normal ranges. I have experienced this many times. YOU MUST get a new doctor. When you finally stabilize you will feel better and your body will adjust. You will no longer feel "low". The insulin regime you are on does not sound progressive at all. I was on that plan 20 years ago and it didn't work all that great then.

[thisstinks]

Is There A Name For Your Liver Thinking Your Bs Is Low When It Is Not?...i Have Asked The Docs And All I Get Are Blank Stares. I'm Asking Because When I Do Manage To Get Down Bellow 150 It Will Jump Up To 300 Within An Hour Sometimes For No Reason... I Have Had It With Doc Acusing Me Of Drinking A Soda Or Something That Is Causing That...btw I Am On My 4th Doc

[ant hill]

You know ThisSinks, As we learn our disease we get better at control so your numbers are high but that will get lower with the knowledge about food (What you can eat and the latter) and test and you will learn. Exercise is another too as that will bring down BG and take with you some fast carbs like sweets or OJ. ;)