I'm always so scared to go low. My sugars have been running really high for a few years now. My last A1C was like 11. Not good.
Is anyone else overly afraid of going low? How do you keep your sugars in a good range without getting lows? I have a hard time keeping my sugars steady. If I have a good blood sugar, the next one will be high. I just can't keep them steady!!!
Hi Kailynne,
I agree with you, low blood sugars can be scary. Try to talking to your doctor about your fears. Maybe together you can work towards lowering your A1c, and they may have some suggestions on changing you insulin doses. I agree with you it can be a struggle to keep your sugars steady. The best help for me in this area has been frequent mongering of my blood sugar. I still get lows and highs, and I am sure pretty much everyone else here does too. Take care.
One thing that might help is to make sure your insulin to carb ratio is on the right number. If that's not on it can make for some high swings in your blood sugars. Another thing that can help would be if your not on an Insulin pump maybe look into getting one of those . They give most people better control of their blood sugars because it figures out the insulin they need by inputting the number of carbs that you are going to eat.
I think you would be a good canidate for a CGM (Continous Blood Glucose Monitoring) system. It can tell you when you are trending low and high. It can also give you valuable information when you are high and low and help you make changes in your healthcare. I know insurance companies are covering these more day by day so if you have insurance it would not be a bad idea to look into. This helped me lower my A1C from a 10 to a 7.5 last time I had it done so it has helped me a lot.
Josh
I think know what you're going through even though I have the opposite problem. I'm so afraid of going high, I run way too low. I just told myself I'd try to aim a little higher w/o getting freaked out and look at my overall a1c, not the highs here and there. I also try to ignore the people on here who say they never go above 120 or whatever ... I mean, I'm impressed and happy for them, but I remind myself, that isn't for me. Gosh, I sound like I'm overcoming anorexia! But, I've been happy to bring my a1c up to 5.1 from 4.9. I'm aiming for 5.5 for my next one.
I know this isn't want you want to hear, but everytime I'm trying to make a change in my sugars, I test ALL the time until I settle into a new routine. That may help lessen your worries about lows if you are testing frequently? Also, I think of lows as a great excuse to eat jelly beans and drink juice, lol. (:
Kailynne,
A lot of people feel like you do. The problem with staying high all the time is that it can lead to health problems down the road. Lets think of a reason why you are afraid of going low. Are there certain times of the day that you are more afraid than others. I know for me I am usually scared of going low at night when I am sleeping.
I don't know if you are on a pump, but if you are there is a way to figure out if your basal rates are correct by fasting overnight or at certain times of the day. You can also do this on lantus as well. Which is why you may have the drops and then go high after. You are constantly feeding your highs and lows. if your background insulins off it can screw up your whole day. You can also check your insulin to carb ration and correction scale.
What I suggest is talking to your doctor and seeing how you can work together to help you overcome your fears and to get your blood sugars more stable as well.
I say not only talk to your doctor but talk to people around you in your life, and people here on Juvenation. If you talk to people that you are around alot that maybe know what your fears are that they can help you. As always we are here to help too.
Josh
Hi Kailynne
An A1c of 11 equals an average blood sugar of 280, which, as you said yourself, is on the very high side. When you have consistently high blood sugars like this, you become more insulin resistant and the potency of your insulin, as it affects YOU, decreases. For example, if when you are in a normal range of say 80 to 140, one unit of insulin lowers your blood sugar by around 30 mg/dL, at 280 the same one unit of insulin might only lower your blood sugar by 20 mg/dL. This will throw all your calculations off and cause your blood sugars to be even more unsteady.
So, from your present average sugar level of 280 you have a long way to go before going low should be a serious concern. If I were you, I would set a short term intermediate blood sugar goal of 180 mg/dL,, which if you reach it (or should I say "WHEN you reach it," because I KNOW you can and will do it!), would "earn" you a greatly-improved A1c of around 8%. Wouldn't that make you happy and set you on your way? At an average blood sugar of 180 not only will you benefit by the lower risk of future complications, but moreover you will benefit in the short term by your insulin dosages becoming more potent AND predictable. Only then should you set your average blood sugar and A1c goals any lower.
That being said, I want to add perhaps something I shouldn't say, both because it might instill false security in YOU and jinx ME! Anyway..., in almost forty years with Type 1 Diabetes and quite frequent low's, I have never gone into insulin shock or passed out, never had to be take to the emergency room, never had to be assisted by an EMT, and always been able to help myself... by myself. While there have been some close calls, I have never even fallen or been injured as a result of hypoglycemia. (Knock on wood, as my Mom would always say.) So while I don't want to downplay your fears and tell you that hypoglycemia can't be dangerous, I would like to say that your fears may be greatly exaggerated.
Because your blood sugars have been running so high for so long, you should expect to feel low even when you are not, perhaps even at levels of 140. And yes, it will be uncomfortable at first. But you will get used to it, and quite frankly, you must get used to it. I suggest that you push your blood sugars to lower levels when you are home or are in familiar surroundings at first. Always have your test kit and some fast-acting sugar (eg. glucose tabs, 4 oz. juice or regular soda, etc.) on hand, preferably on you even at home. Make sure your family and friends know that you are striving for lower blood sugar levels and discuss with them what you'd like them to do if you go low and can't help yourself. (But, like I said, this hasn't happened to me in 40 years!) Finally, monitor and keep a written log of your progress. Feel free to post your results on line in the "Daily Diet Exercise and Blood Sugar Log" thread. All we want to achieve at the start is a daily blood sugar average of 180 mg/Dl, perhaps trying to stay in the range of 140-210. Let's eliminate the 300's, 400's and even the over 250's at first. I know you can do it, and we're all here to help.
Paul
Hi Everyone,
Thanks so much for all of your replies! I'm new here on Juvenation. I feel really welcome :)
All of your responses are very helpful. I am going to aim for 180 as my goal at first. I like that idea.
Thanks again! Add me as friends on here if you'd like to track my progress. I'm still getting used to this site, so we'll see how often I post ^_^
Have a Happy Monday!