At what level do you start treating your highs/lows?

[BBWK55699 10]

Hi all,

 

I'm 24 weeks pregnant and been getting some more fluctuation in my BG lately and wanted to get some advice.

I was wondering when one supposed to correct their highs, especially those borderline highs (between 140-150).

 

Supposed I just had lunch and my 1 hour postmeal is at 200(over ate or miscalculation on carbs in the food), should I immediately take a correction to bring it down further? or should I wait a bit longer? At what level should one take correction after 1 hour, 2 hour, 3 hour post meal??

 

I got some advice from my Endo that I shouldn't take any correction unless my 2hr postmeal BG is 150+. I don't like the idea of being high for a couple of hours.

 

I had a couple of incidents where my BG was at 200, took 3 units to correct (MDI) and an hour later, it was still at 180!! I think my body is having insulin resistance or it might be STRESS (because of the high) that's keeping my BG up. Normally 1unit would reduce my BG by 30 points but not lately.

 

Getting a bit difficult to manage my highs and lows nowadays.. appreciate any advice or suggestion, trying very hard to maintain a steady BG level.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

-Mary

[Steal 16]

I kept my numbers in tighter control than what you are are being advised. I tested during eating and after and watched to see if I was spiking or reacting quickly. I corrected for anything over 130 and I also only considered low below 60. I hope that helps. I wouldn't be afraid to correct. I think you just don't want to overcorrect, but I would much rather react quickly, than sit in a state of high blood sugar. I just can't stand the feeling and wanted to make sure that I was keeping my body in the best state for my little ones.

 

Hope this helps.

[StringCheese 11]

I'm new to taking fast acting insulin, its only been about a month, so it may be better to take advice from someone else here, but I was told to correct for anything over 130-140 and eat some glucose if I go below 70. I was told too many lows, even in the 60 if it is frequent, can cause eventual mental delays (I haven't gone through the literature to check on this bit of info but this is what my dr told me). I've noticed that if I don't calculate correctly and end up at 200 2hrs after a meal that I need about 6-8 units to bring it down. It's kind of weird because if I'm at 140-150 it only takes 1-2 unit to bring my blood sugar down to about 80. I kind of wonder if there isn't some stress response to going high that makes a person more insulin resistant or something. Ah well, good luck to you!

[-Lee-B 10]

Personally I have the habit of staking insulin. Taking too many corrections too soon then things just get messy. I try hard to wait it out a bit and to see if it is leveling out on it's own, it often does. I find the more corrections I take the worse my numbers are in the end.

 

What really is key is making sure your basal rate and bolus ratios are correct (or background and short acting insulin). These change so often, sometimes every 1-2 days for me. Once those are tweaked then my numbers improve greatly reducing corrections needed.

 

Keep in mind that your correction factor will liekly change too. So while 1unit used to bring you down a certain amount, you'll possibly need 2units to bring you down that much.

 

Everyone and every doctor/diabetes team has their preferred way/time line for correcting highs after meals so you need to find what works best for you and what you are comfortable with. Just keep in mind that things can go wonky if you keep correctng without allowing time for the insulin to work first.

 

Sometimes it is really helpful to take your insulin before a meal to give it a head start. There were periods where I had to take it 1hour before I ate to prevent a huge spike!

 

Best of luck.

[patricia52 71]

Some foods cause a delayed spike in blood sugar. As you learn how different food affect you bg you will be able to figure your bolus. Also there are other factors that affect your bg. Through trial and error, you will figure this out.