So i recently started a new mechanic job and im constantly moving around and burning a lot of energy so that could be while im always low but ill drink sometimes 3 sodas in a 8 hour shift and that cant be normal, or it just seems likes ill be low a lot after meals and its usually the opposite. And atleast once a day ill get a matalic taste in my mouth no matter my gloucose levels. I just have no idea whats going on.
Welcome Emily,
… to a new lifestyle with T1d. you have correctly figured out that your “lows” have something, a lot, to do with your increased activity and your medication. You do not say here, and your profile doesn’t indicate how you treat your diabetes, nor for how long.
Do you use a pump? Do you treat with MDI [multiple Daily Injections]? do you customarily adjust insulin levels on your own, or do you first consult with a medical advisor?
I’m not a medical doctor, but I strongly suspect, based on the fact that you need to drink 3 sugar-loaded sodas a day, that your insulin dose[s] is/are way to high for your workdays. Talk with your doctor or CDE about how much you should decrease your background / basal insulin for work days and if you should adjust the insulin/carbohydrate ratios for your meals. I’ve been through this many times during the last 58 years and have become fairly efficient at making adjustments - often times we must consider activity and meal content on a period of successive days.
Good luck, and keep up the good work.
Hello Dennis,
I have only been diagnosed since October of last year but i have an uncle that is type 1 so it helps a lot to be able to bounce ideas off of him. And i use a pump so sometimes i will decrease my insulin rate hutni havent got around to going to a doctors so ive been hesitant to do it. Thanks for the imput tho and i will for sure test it out more.
Emily,
Depending on the type pump you use, I use a Medtronic MiniMed #523, you can create a pattern and select that for workdays. You will need to do some experimentation to get it right - just watch how your BG levels respond.
Based on what you said above, you may need to have your workday pattern at significantly lower basal rates than your standard settings. I do recommend that you do not make significant changes on bolus ratios and basal rates on the same days unless you are very comfortable in knowing how those changes will affect you. Work on basal changes first, wait a couple of days and then adjust bolus ratios if needed.
Emily!!! Get thee to a physician! You may be experiencing the “Honeymoon Phase” where your body is still producing some insulin and you will need to cut back your insulin with the guidance of your health care provider. It is very dangerous to be going that low all the time! Call for help today before you end up in an Emergency Department!
Emily, definitely go see your doc, but I’d like to give you a little advice. You said you’re drinking a lot of soda to keep yourself from going low. Soda is a very high glycemic index food. It will raise your blood sugar very quickly, which is OK when you need to spike up quickly, but it’s not good for keeping you level and sustaining your blood sugar at an even keel. For that you need lower glycemic index foods. Foods that do not burn off so quickly. You’re yoyo-ing up and down and that’s what you need to try to stop. Also, a drop in your basal insulin may be necessary on work days and even a drop in your carb to insulin ratio. You may need different rates for different days. Good luck, Susan