[RichM]

i dont know what is going on with me. i have been having many highs lately and it seems like im not reacting to the insulin anymore. my original ratios for the day was 1/30carbs morning, 1/20 afternoon, 1/10 at night. now its like 1/20 morning 1/10 afternoon and night. i have been starting to drink one protein shake every afternoon and i always have good BG readings after that. right now im wondering what the problem is. lemme first off tell you my everyday diet ive been on.

Morning:
60carbs for a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats
0 carbs for grilled fish (i love fish. ill eat it anytime of the day)

Afternoon: usually the protein shake with 17 carbs. sometimes sushi.

night: greatly varies. i usually eat like 100-150 at night. i work at o charlies and i tend to eat there which i know is bad for me but what else can i eat at work?

i need to know your opinion on my carb intake. am i eating too many carbs? do you think the cereal has too much sugar for me to be eating? i talked with my doctor recently and he said "oh you are doing fine. you are going to have your highs and lows." im thinking to myself, wtf. IM DOING FINE AND IM ALWAYS HAVING UPS AND DOWNS!? its really making me worried. ive been getting so upset lately over this and dont know whats up. im hoping the protein shakes arent the problem. please help guys. if you have carb plans, food plans, anything to help me out, please let me know. thanks.

[soso]

Hi Richm
how high are your highs?
do you have any extra weight that could be contributing to some insulin resistance?
sounds like your job might be active...if not, getting any exercise?

ss

[confuzed]

I do not take insulin, but being on diet control, I've learned to watch my carb intake. For me, 60 carbs in the morning is way too much. Even 17 carbs during the day is too much. And 100 to 150 at night, I cannot even phathom. I've tried having oatmeal for breakfast, but found that though oatmeal is good for lowering cholesterol, it does contain sugar and your BG will go up in points. For me, a bowl of oatmeal would make me go up about 30 points in BG. I would change that Honey Bunches of Oats if you can to something with less carbs. Secondly, your protein shake has 17 carbs. I would try and find a protein shake with less carbs as well. As for where you work, I would bring my own food, since that way you can control the carb intake, as well as the salt and sugar that is added in. I found sugar free Jello to be zero carbs and a great source of protein. Also eggs, fried, boiled or scramble is completely protein and has zero carbs. Fish is a great source of protein as well and has zero carbs, however some seafood have sugar in them like scallops. I'm not saying to cut out carbs altogether, but just limit the intake. Even if you have to half the bowl of honey of oats.

Hope this helps.

[HollyB]

RichM, how long have you been diabetic? Is this a long-standing pattern that's being upset, or something more recent?

I ask because a 1:30 ratio sounds like an awfully tiny bit of insulin to me for a Type 1. I don't think my son ever took that little, even right after his diagnosis when he still had some pancreas function. I'm not sure you need to be upset about your required dosage increasing. I think 1:10 is pretty common and 1:20 still quite low.

[LancetChick]

If you were previously controlling your BG well while on the same diet, then I doubt you need to give anything up. Have you tried opening a new bottle of insulin? Insulin doesn't often go bad on me, but when it does, it feels like I'm injecting water for all the good it does. Also, although protein doesn't have carbs, it does convert something like 40% into glucose over a much longer period of time than carbs do, so I have to shoot up for it (either double bolus with Humalog or use Regular). That 40% figure, btw, seems to vary greatly from individual to individual. Also, if you are still honeymooning, your beta cells may have just taken a nosedive. By the way, your doctor sounds like an imbecile.

[DeusXM]

Your ratios have changed, that's all. Just take more insulin to cover the carbs. I think the average ratio is something like between 1:5 and 1:15 so I'd hardly start worrying just yet.

As a T1 you don't need to watch your carb intake except as a guide to how much insulin you need to take.

[RichM]

well for my high BGLs, it ranges from 180 to 300. whats really making me scared right now is the fact that my friends has a buddy who is 27 and cant get an erection......THAT SCARES ME TO DEATH! uh anyways, as for weight, my doc said im normal. im 5'10 and weigh 180. ive put on some weight because of the protein shakes. as for me having some extra weight, yea i guess you could say that. i dont have a gut but ive got some fat there.( im trying to go for the ripped abs lol.)

exercise is pretty good. i am doing the nintendo wii workout routine lol. ill play wii boxing for about 30mins and i tell you what, it really helps. i also run a mile a few times a week. as for my job, im a server so i am constantly running around.

also, can stress be a factor in higher BGLs? my job is really stressful when its like a friday, sat or sunday night.

[LancetChick]

Stress hormones can absolutely raise your blood sugar. And so can exercise, oddly enough, although it shouldn't raise your basal numbers. If you're worried about a blood sugar problem you can't identify, my suggestion is to test every hour or so and log all your BG readings, insulin doses and food. I do this as a matter of course these days, because it paints a picture that fills in many of the blanks my brain leaves behind. It may not be just your I:C ratio, it may be your basal dose as well, possibly acting as the sole culprit while putting the blame on your I:C ratio. More information would be helpful, such as how long since you've been diagnosed, if you're on a pump or MDI and how often you test. Stress EATS insulin, but if your BG readings were off because of stress, you'd notice an overall (basal and I:C and how many points 1 unit of insulin will bring down) hike rather than one based specifically on your I:C ratio. Whatever the problem is, it isn't some nebulous force messing you up, it's tangible and fixable.

[mcneely]

Hey there,

I wouldn't worry about an errection problem. If that does occur your endo doc can fix you up with some samples of viagra.

Yes, I too want to know if you are using a pump. And, 60 carbs in the morning is really nothing for a guy your size. I eat like 100 carbs or so in the morning and I am 5'5 at 145lbs. I am not that active as I work from home. But, you should know that oats take longer to digest and the sugar is not absorbed as quickly as other foods. So, if you notice two hours after eating breakfast, if your bg is not where it should be I would use your square or dual wave on your pump (assuming you have one) and use the 30 min or 1 hour option for oats related foods.

As for your work, I would say keep track of what you eat. I know it is a pain but right it down, even that wing or slice of toast What this will do is see how much foods you are eating with high fats. If you eat high fat foods (esp at night) your blood sugars will be horrible for hours - unless you stay up late and monitor them. I know if I eat to much meat, like a nice double hamburger from my favorite fastfood joint, "culvers", I am going to pay for it for many hours. So, I dual wave it and sometimes even give myself a temp basal of 135% for several hours to keep the bg down. I can tell when I am getting low so I just turn the temp basal off. Watch the fatty foods at night. Pizza is another killer for me. I found that thin crusts helps though.

Like lancetchick said, get out another bottle of insulin and give it a whirl. And, if you are on the pump, check your reservoir to see if it has air bubbles in it. Mine does this all the time, the seals are not always 100%. And, check your site. 300 is not all that high for me, but, if it is anywhere near that after 2-3 hours, I will just give myself an injection as it gets into my blood stream quicker than the pump insulin (odd fact doc said).

Keep us informed.

[DeusXM]

Incidentally, why are you drinking a protein shake every day? I didn't see any mention that you do weights and unless you're bodybuilding there's no point whatsoever in taking on extra protein. All it's going to do is end up adding to your weight.

Once again, you simply need to take more insulin overall. Your daily insulin requirements have changed - this happens all the time and as I've mentioned before, you're another person who's suddenly found their insulin requirements have changed dramatically just as Spring appears to be beginning. Your insulin requirements will not stay static throughout your life or even throughout your week.

[RichM]

alright, ive never heard of basal. im thinking it is my long lasting insulin? i use lantus and take 19 units. i tried a new bottle of that and my bgls stay the same from when i go to bed and wake up in the morning.

as for the reason why i drink those protein shakes its because i do workout and occasionally lift some weights. i mostly do push ups and crunches. the reason why i enjoy them is because i noticed that my bgs are always fine after i drink them. ive been also trying to find a low carb alternative and this has helped.

finally, i dont use a pump. I REALLY WANT ONE THOUGH! im tired of the injections all the time and i did hear that the pump helps out a lot more with keeping your BGLs in check. oh yea, ive been a diabetic for almost a year and half.

[DeusXM]

alright, ive never heard of basal. im thinking it is my long lasting insulin? i use lantus and take 19 units. i tried a new bottle of that and my bgls stay the same from when i go to bed and wake up in the morning.

Yeah, your Lantus is your basal. If our BGs are staying constant on it, then your basal intake is just fine and doesn't need changing.

as for the reason why i drink those protein shakes its because i do workout and occasionally lift some weights. i mostly do push ups and crunches. the reason why i enjoy them is because i noticed that my bgs are always fine after i drink them. ive been also trying to find a low carb alternative and this has helped.

Low-carb alternative to what? To a proper meal?

I still don't think that you're really doing enough to warrant the use of protein shakes - they're really only of any use to people who are trying to build muscle fast, which means daily use of heavy weights. Not crunches or press-ups, which purely tone your muscles and increase your stamina. If you're always drinking them after exercise, then the reason your BGs are fine is because of the exercise, rather than the protein. T1 isn't a 'diet-treatable' condition. If a non-D doesn't have a biological reason to do something to keep their BG under control, then neither do you.

finally, i dont use a pump. I REALLY WANT ONE THOUGH! im tired of the injections all the time and i did hear that the pump helps out a lot more with keeping your BGLs in check. oh yea, ive been a diabetic for almost a year and half.

Debatable. I'd argue that 75% of the 'better control' from the pump comes from the fact that pump users tend to be much more diligent about managing their BGs and they usually have a much stronger understanding of the relationship between BGs, carb intakes, exercise, insulin resistance and liver function. The other 25% is the pump's increased flexibility of basal rates and the ability to square-wave your bolus, but the majority of the 'good control' on the pump comes from the person, not the pump.

In any case, all that'll happen with you on the pump is that if you stick with your current ratios, you'll still be running with higher BGs. Unless of course you tell your pump to infuse more insulin - which you could do anyway with MDI.

Seriously (and sorry if I'm sounding preachy here or whatever) if you current insulin ratios are now giving you high BGs, you're just going to have to bite the bullet and take more insulin.

[RichM]

i guess im just getting out of the honeymoon stage now. ****. lol. thanks guys for the advice though.

[DeusXM]

Ah it's nothing to worry about. Give yourself a few days or so to work out your new ratios and you'll be right as rain in a week and wondering what you were worried about.

Trust me, you ain't gonna lose your erections over this.

[LancetChick]

Personally, I think that erections are highly overrated, but just in case you do develop ED....... nearly all diabetic complications are reversible with tight blood sugar control, unless the situation is severe enough to do permanent damage.