February 18, 2006

My Diabetes: Day 135

It's now over four months since I was diagnosed as having the Big D. My BGs continue mostly in the 80's to low 100's (lowest to date 48, highest 293 -- and that was the very first time I ever checked. Averaging about 105 mg/dl recently). Checking my BGL about 4 times/day, and giving myself shots about 5-6 times/day (doses of rapid-acting insulin after every meal, sometimes as corrective boluses if after-meal sugar too high, plus 2 shots a day of a long-lasting insulin).

Today, I'd like to mention something that Amy (from DiabetesMine.com) and I discussed yesterday: a new observation I have about treating hypoglycemia -- treating with insulin as well as food! That's against the rules:

The Humalog USPI states:
Humalog is contraindicated during episodes of hypoglycemia...
Novolog USPI ditto
NovoLog is contraindicated during episodes of hypoglycemia...

It had never crossed my mind until it after it happened to me: treating a hypo with a big bagel (which usually needs about 6 units of insulin to cover) was too much carb and kicked my BG to the 200's. But I love bagels, and at my workplace, for some reason or other, they seem to be everywhere every time food is around.

Anyway, when hypoglycemic, I'm frequently ravenously hungry, and one bagel resolves the hunger. But the subsequent hyperglycemia was annoying. So, why not cover the hypo with a lesser dose of insulin? Well, it works. If I'm somewhere in the 50's or 60's and feeling hypo, one bagel plus 3 units of insulin fixes everything and the BGL ends up in the expected near-normal range.

Well, almost everything. If I do it too often, I'll inevitably gain weight...

Bill the diabetesdoc
wwq@diabetesmonitor.com

Diabetes.Blog.Com is a blogcompanion to our main website, the Diabetes Monitor, which you can find at www.DiabetesMonitor.com.




Posted by Bill the diabetesdoc at 00:00:00 | Permanent Link | Comments (2) |
Comments
1 - Dr Bill,
I share your sentiment about the "roller coaster" effect of treating a hypo with carbs and then shooting way over. Since a whole bagel is too much --and often very slow to get digested and thus increase BG-- I usually go for a lump of sugar (yucks!) and hold off the carbs until next meal. Only if it's 3 or more hours until say breakfast, do I add a snack as well.
Of course, I'm lucky not to be ravenous most hypos!!
Thanks for the interesting thought: something to keep in mind.
Regards,
peter J. (Comment this)

Written by: Peter J at 2006/02/21 - 11:12:07
2 - I know one unit of insulin will lower my blood sugar 50mg/dL, so if I am eating a meal anyways, and am low, I'll leave out half a unit from the meal bolus, knowing that will raise me 25mg/dL. If I need to come up more than 25mg/dL I'll treat the low separately from the meal. (Comment this)

Written by: Megan at 2006/03/02 - 20:45:47
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