I don't know what to do with my wacko bg levels!

[jen_slc]

They've been running high for a month now and I cannot get them down. I don't know if it's stress-related (started my new job 4 weeks ago) or illness-related (started feeling ill with some kind of stomach thing at the same time I started my new job). Maybe it's a combination of those, but whatever it is, it's having horrible effects on my bg and I'm so unbelievably frustrated. :banghead: My averages have surpassed 200 now. :banghead: :banghead: :mad: I don't feel stressed with my new job, it's been very easy and smooth thus far, and it shouldn't get stressful for another 5 weeks (when I'm supposed to be on call 24/7 for a week), though maybe I just haven't noticed it. I still do my yoga, I still do my gym stuff, it's not like I've been neglecting my "me, de-stress" time. I think I've been fighting some kind of infection because my stomach has been hurting on and off this whole time and I've dropped 10 pounds now, my pants are literally falling off me. I'm tired all the time and I know I'm not getting enough sleep since starting to work again. Though the pain wakes me up sometimes at night (like right now), the rest of the time it's usually mild and not that bothersome so I haven't seen a doc about it, plus with a history of my current insurance not wanting to cover my endo appointments I don't want to risk another huge bill for something minor, at least until mid-Feb when my new job insurance kicks in.

What I'm more concerned about is getting my levels down so that at least I can feel somewhat normal while I try to deal with the stress and/or illness. But I don't know what to do!!!!! It's like my novolog isn't working when it should be and then kicks in several hours later to bottom me out, before I spike high again. I'm having to give corrections after meals because my ratios have gone to ****, even with me trying higher doses for a meal every time. (I'm waiting 6 hours after a meal before I correct because I want to be careful about not stacking doses... is that right?) And so now instead of my usual ~18-20 units/day, I'm up to 40u to cover my meals, and I feel like that's a ton for me. I'm getting down to ratios of 1:5, 1:6 when I used to be 1:10, 1:12, and even those aren't working properly.... am I going to have to go to 1:4 and lower? It makes me nervous.

I wonder if I should bump my Lantus up a unit or two to see if that will help (I'm on 14u just now)? I'm wary of upping it too much because higher doses of Lantus (at ~18u) have made me hypo in the middle of the night. I've gone this long feeling "off" (i.e. the stress or the illness) that I'm sure I can make it till mid-Feb to see a doc about that issue with my new insurance, but the feeling ill due to high bg levels is something I can control, if I could just get a **** handle on it!!!!!! :motz: Or at least, I hope the nauseousness and headaches are just a bg thing and not part of my other stomach thing. Arrggghh!!!!!!! :argh: help! I'm going to try sleep again...

[Peter Lee]

I'm not Type 1 so I can comment very little but in my experience all the things you mention affect my levels, and sometimes significantly - stress, sickness (particularly virus infections), poor sleep, worry; and so on.

I hope you get sorted out soon, it really is aggravating when this happens. :bawling:

[jen_slc]

it really is aggravating when this happensNo kidding, I'm tearing my hair out, it's frustrating me beyond belief. :banghead: I've been bouncing around all day for no reason between 50 and 350 and 40 now and it's making me crazy. I don't know if I'm crying because I'm dropping or out of sheer frustration. :bawling: I can't trust any insulin doses right now which is why I don't know if I should mess with my Lantus. I'm being soooooo careful with my food and corrections and hypo treatments but it's all for naught. I don't know what to do because sometimes 1:4 doesn't work at all and sometimes 1:8 is waaaay too much, 1:10 just shot me under, and I can't predict anything, there's no pattern. Every meal lately has been a shot in the dark and I don't know if tonight after dinner I will be normal, high and throwing up in the bathroom, or passing out on the floor in a hypo. :motz: I just loaded up on test strips so I suppose all I can do is test every hour. Here's another thought: I also switched from humalog to novolog a week before my new job/stress/stomach pains started and had to reduce my doses because it was so potent. And then everything went erratic...

[Linn]

Jen my numbers have been high as well and I am SO sick of it:bawling: With me, I had been sick for a few weeks, but now am not. I had to have some cereal today and am still paying for it. But before today, had been doing everything right and numbers were still high!
I don't get it but am purely frustrated with it all :(

[am1977]

I'm sorry, Jen, that you are having this problem. I. too, am struggling somewhat. Well, let's just say that my sugars have been very erratic...and it is aggravating :hmpf:. I know, it makes me feel like crying (and I do cry) :bawling: too.

I'm no expert, but I think it's probably a combination of things. If you are ill, that can definitely impact things, as well as stress. I know you said that you don't feel stressed, but I think any time you start a new job it's a bit tense at first. Also, it's possible that the switch from Humalog to Novalog might have changed things up at first too.

Couple of questions: How often have you been testing? I wouldn't test every hour- I think that will only end up driving you crazy :banghead:...but I'd test at each meal and 2 hrs post...and see what happens. Also, have you called your doctor? I know you might not have ins. yet, but he should still be able to correspond with you and give you some feedback on how to improve things.

I know how frustrating it is, but it sounds like you are really doing the best you can...and that's all you can do. :wink:

Hang in there :smile:

[jen_slc]

Thanks for commiserating with me... you know, I was thinking about this last night: I don't think about a cure very much if at all, it's never been a big deal for me, but the past few weeks I can't stop thinking about it. When you feel totally out of control and powerless to do anything it's all you can think about. Hopefully when things get back to normal, it will be out of my mind (I prefer it that way) :smile:

I am testing every couple of hours and it's a bunch of totally random numbers. I was doing well last night and thought that by my venting, I had solved my problem, :laugh: only to wake up 200 points higher this morning and it's a mess again. Maybe it's the sheer idea of an 8-5 job that's doing all this to me. :hmmmm:

Anyway, I am waiting to hear back from my doc, I hope he can help me over the phone.

[am1977]

Jen, I hope your doctor has gotten back to you. I know it's aggravating dealing with this disease at times :mad:. I' ve been there and I totally understand. I think what makes it even more difficult is that sometimes there is no explanation for the sugar readings we are seeing. IF we at least knew what was causing the problem, we might be able to solve it. But with this disease, there's often no clear cut answer.

I have actually been able to bring my sugars down (for the moment). I'm even afraid to say that, being that when I do, that's when everything changes :rolleyes:. Anyway, I have been trying to be more mindful of what I am eating and I think that is helping. I don't know if I asked this, but are you keeping a food journal or following a meal plan? This might be a good place to really examiine what is going on. Also, have you been recording your blood sugar readings? Ok, I admit, I am horrible about that one, but I think it's definitely beneficial in helping you to find any patterns or what have you in your readings. It also will help your doctor with helping him find what needs to be adjusted, whether it's your basal insulin (Lantus) or if it's your carb to insulin ratio that needs to change. I hope you can get to the bottom of this all.


Sending you {{{hugs}}} :smile:

[Cinnabon]

Hey Jen...
Hope things are a bit better. Everyone is right. It seems to be a combination of things affecting you. Before you were hit w/ all this stress. How were you doing w/ your BS? AIC?

[duck]

Jen, has it been really, REALLY cold out there this winter? Could any of this be S.A.D. related?

[sydneya]

This is such a unpredictable disease. :aetsch: You can do everything right and are high. :motz: You can do everything wrong and are high. You can do the same as the next guy and you are different than them. It is horribly frustrating. I hope you figure it out soon, because I sure can't. I know that sickness, stress, carbs, and frustration sends mine sky high. Just when I feel there is no hope, things climb into control and everything is fine for awhile. :elefant:
I can only say, I feel for you. I wish I knew an answer but I don't. I do know if you continue doing what you know you should :rock: it will come under control. It takes perseverance, and you are showing that. Don't let it stop you from trying.

[jen_slc]

Still no word from my doc yet, he's usually really good about getting back to me the same day, I just have to assume today was a busy day. I'm sure I'll hear something tomorrow.

Andrea - I do keep records of everything. I used to not, when I was in decent control and didn't need to keep a close eye on things. But since joining the forum I've been keeping track of all my bg levels, ratios, doses, everything, to figure out any issues I'm having. I kept a food diary for a month or so when I first started seeing my new doc, which helped me out, and I recently tried an online one - that one really helped me to see what I was eating, how much, etc. I don't record food anymore other than how many carbs I eat for each meal to make sure my ratios are correct. I'm a very data-oriented person and I will record and dissect everything to find patterns and problems, that's what I'm trained to do. Oh and I faxed all my records and statistics to my doc today, so I guess I will just have to wait for him. I always get embarrassed with the detail I present to him, but I think he's come to expect it from me now. :embarasse He knows he can talk numbers and statistics with me without my eyes glazing over.

Cin - Before all this started, my last A1c was 6.5, mid-Dec. I was expecting a 7 or 8.

Duck - It's always cold out here in the winter, but relatively speaking it hasn't been too too cold, I think it's been a mild January so far. And we've gotten a decent amount of sun. I admit I tend towards a depressive state, I was proud of myself that I had been doing so well until this last week. But I'm sure the cloudy weather doesn't help any.

I'm feeling a little less mentally aggravated since venting, but now I'm starting to feel worse physically. I really think some bug is trying to rip my abdomen apart tonight. It's time to chug the pepto. How funny would it be to call in sick to work with a foodborne-like illness given my new position in enteric foodborne disease surveillance. I'm getting all paranoid now, thinking back to the home visits I've been on with the nurses for giardia, TB and Hep A and wondering if I washed my hands enough, lol. :whistling

[am1977]

Jen- sounds like you are doing everything you can to get this under control. Sometimes I think that the more you stress or even focus on it, the worse it can seem. I would keep being persistant with your doctor...especially if things don't improve. Would it be possible to be seen w/o insurance or would that be too expensive at this point? I think health is very important, and as much as we don't want to spend too much on dr. visits, it's worth it if it improves things and makes you feel better.

Keep us posted with how things go- feel better :smile:

[jen_slc]

Alright, I have my orders from my doc. He thinks my body is in sick-day mode but that it is all due to stress. So I'm to increase my Lantus 2 units to 16 and hope that I don't drop during the night, increase my correction factor to 1:40 during the day and try 1:4 ratios for meals. Yikes, I'm a little worried about lows, but all I can do is try this for a week and fax him more results. I'm still not convinced it's all just stress, the pain last night was too much and I was so nauseous I was in and out of the bathroom all night. I'll see how the rest of this week goes, think I may have to load up on the pepto. My doc is very willing to work with me over the phone, I will stick with that for now. Even though I have my job now, I can't afford it, I just barely scraped together enough money to pay off my last 3 regular endo appts!

[am1977]

Jen- looks like my last response vanished, since I posted either yesterday or the day before. (guess that means my post concerning how exercise is causing me problems is gone too :confused: ) I'm not sure what I posted, but I know I responded to your last posting.

Anyway, hope things have improved. Have a good weekend :smile:

[jen_slc]

Hey Andrea, I'm sure there was a post of yours there too. :hmmmm2: I was going to get in touch with my doc today if I didn't feel any better, even have an actual office visit and suck it up (the bill) if need be, because last night I totally crashed and burned. But I felt almost completely normal today so I didn't bother, I thought it was all getting better and my levels all day had stayed under 160, it was amazing! And then I got home and I was over 300 and didn't even feel it. And now even though my levels have come down I'm worse than I was last night :puke: and it's Fri evening. Why do things like this always happen at the most inconvenient time? :hmpf: I will for sure be getting in touch with him on Monday, I think I've gone long enough to show him the adjustments sometimes work too well and then not at all. I'm so so glad it's the weekend though, my bed feels so far away, I'm going to crawl off there and try not to get out until Monday morning. :vollkomme

[jen_slc]

Ok, I'm out of my weekend hibernation - my endo now wants me to see somebody else.... He says my bg levels are looking more stable (I didn't think so), that it looks like I'm getting more readings < 200 so he doesn't want to make any more drastic changes at the moment. What he wants me to do is find a primary care physician for my abdominal pain because now that concerns him more than the sugars. I don't have a PCP and I hate trying to find a new doc, especially since I'm about to switch plans in 2 weeks. Do I find someone now on my old crappy plan and possibly have to switch in 2 weeks, or try to find someone on both plans, or wait for a couple of weeks for my better plan? If my endo were my PCP, he would have me get a pelvic exam and a pelvic/abdominal ultrasound to check everything out. Because it's started to hurt after I eat, he thinks it could be gallstones. I don't even know what that entails or how you get rid of them... am I even at risk for gallstones? Does being pale/yellower than normal have anything to do with that? I am a pale person anyway and my eyes are always dark, but lately more people have been commenting on my 'sick' face and panda eyes. I thought it was just serious lack of sleep. :boring:

[Eri's mom]

I was going to suggest gallstones as well. I'm not diabetic, my daughter is, but it's like ,all the sudden, what you are describing(with vomitting and all that) is like what happened to me a few years ago...I had gallbladder disease AND gastroparesis...I only digested 43% of my food, the other 47% came right back up and out. I had to have an endoscopy, hidescan, xrays and gastric emptying test...and my gall bladder removed.
Believe it or not, I was healed of the gp from a homeopathic/holistic route.

Eri has a different form of gp(they are saying now), where she has a slow digestive tract(although she does vomit)...

Gallstones are literally a pain, and the stress from that, well, I suppose that could cause your bg's to be all over.
(I lost a ton of weight through all that...about 20/25lbs, and had NO energy)...I know w/ me not having diabetes myself makes it a bit difference, but the symptoms sound familiar.

Also, they sent me in for all those pelvic u/s's as well. It all led to my stomach and gallbladder.(oh, not to mention I had an ulcer as well).

Praying things get better for you...and you get your answers!!!
Once my gallbladder was removed, things were a lot better, especially after the gp went away :)

[Harold]

......Because it's started to hurt after I eat, he thinks it could be gallstones. I don't even know what that entails or how you get rid of them... am I even at risk for gallstones? Does being pale/yellower than normal......How long after you eat do you get sick?
The yellowing bothers me. Yellowing usually indicates liver problems, but a bad gallbladder may bother the liver as well as the pancrease. With a bad gallbladder I would wait the 2 weeks especially if it's better insurance. Normally after discovery of a bad gallbladder they wait 6 to 8 weeks to remove it. Mine was bad enough they took it the following week. Suspect you had blood tests done and they were not abnormal in showing liver damage. Check your eyes a couple of times a day while your waiting, and if the whites turn yellow then call your doctor. Oh BTW if it is a bad gallbladder cut way back on the amount of protein and fats you are eating and see how you do. The bile released by the liver and stored in the gallbladder are what help you to digest them when they enter the small intestine. Not enough bile things get backed up and take a long time to go through your system.

[Eri's mom]

When I went in for the consult w/ the surgeon, he had me in surgery two days later.

It was a lot of the fats and proteins as well...along w/ anything fried...

[jen_slc]

I had never even considered gallstones and now it's worrying me. :eek: Surgery?? I've never had any surgery other than a stomach biopsy and wisdom teeth out so going under the knife freaks me out. I'm still going to hope that it's just a bug and that they'll give me some pills for it!

How long after you eat do you get sick?
The yellowing bothers me. Yellowing usually indicates liver problems, but a bad gallbladder may bother the liver as well as the pancrease. With a bad gallbladder I would wait the 2 weeks especially if it's better insurance. Normally after discovery of a bad gallbladder they wait 6 to 8 weeks to remove it. Mine was bad enough they took it the following week. Suspect you had blood tests done and they were not abnormal in showing liver damage. Check your eyes a couple of times a day while your waiting, and if the whites turn yellow then call your doctor. Oh BTW if it is a bad gallbladder cut way back on the amount of protein and fats you are eating and see how you do. The bile released by the liver and stored in the gallbladder are what help you to digest them when they enter the small intestine. Not enough bile things get backed up and take a long time to go through your system.It hurts pretty soon after I eat, within 15 minutes and then intermitently after that for the rest of the day. And then sometimes in the middle of the night, those are the bad episodes. My eyes aren't yellow, it's just my skin I've noticed, with my dark eye sockets. I actually haven't had any blood tests done for a year, besides A1cs, I know I'm overdue for complete panels, but again, its the insurance. Everything was normal at my last complete panel a year ago. I'm vegetarian and I try to get a decent amount of protein but I don't think I'm overdoing it at all. As for fat... I eat a lot of cheese and I could do with cutting that down. Otherwise, I feel I have a decent diet and I don't eat a lot of fried foods. I realized at a young age that pizza did horrible things to me so I avoid those kinds of foods like the plague. I know that fatty food puts me in pain, so I don't understand why I would be in pain now if I avoid it nowadays.

I've looked into my insurance plans and there's no way I can get someone on both plans. I'd either have to see one immediately and hope that it gets resolved within 2 weeks (which sounds unlikely), or just wait an extra 2 weeks for my new plan, which is what I think I will do.

In the meantime I guess I will go super easy on my stomach and try to limit the protein and fat some more.

[Harold]

A gallbladder attack usually occurs 3 to 5 hours after a meal. A gallstone that has lodged in the bile duct is a different story and occur anytime. You could have both or something else. Go as soon as you can. Good Luck

BTW Legumes and nuts have a lot of protien and fat. They did not bother me that much. However soy products made me think I was dieing and the first food that made me suffer. Then it was milk and then other animal fats, but it's diffeent for everyone or so it seems.

[jen_slc]

It's been a couple weeks since my insulin doses have been altered. I can definitely see a difference in my bg levels now, my averages are coming under 150. Still getting some occasional stress spikes to 300-400 that I can't prevent, and my 150 averages aren't fabulous, but at least they are lower and hopefully will come down further.

This week I will be eligible to see a doc about my stomach pain... except that it's gone! It just went away one day. So now I'm not inclined to go see anybody about it. Ok, maybe my insulin requirements are still higher than normal and my bg isn't quite where it was, but maybe this is a result of my job and this is the way it will be from now on. Now that the pain isn't there, I don't feel there's a problem anymore. I'm not bad off like I was a few weeks ago, I definitely have my energy back, can do my usual exercise and I haven't been dropping the weight (as quickly as) like I was. I'm still pale with zombie eyes and all that, but that's just me, that's the way I've always been... but then I think, well if I've been that way for so long, maybe there has been, and still is, some underlying problem all this time??

So for those of you who've had probs like this, did you go through phases where you would feel really awful, then feel pretty good? I hope I'm not just in a good phase right now. I'd say I feel almost 100%, except for when my bg is a bit off. Maybe I really did just have a lingering gastro infection for weeks and I've finally kicked it? :dontknow:

oh, and Harold, yes, one night (before I felt better) I did have lentils for dinner and that night and the next day the pain was not good... I think I will have lentils tonight and see what it does.

Thanks for the help! :ciao: