Hi everyone. I was wondering does anyone go high 2-2.5 hours after eating meals. Lately my son will be in range from the moment he eats until 2 hours post prandial, and all of a sudden will start rising above 150. Today this happened twice. The first time I gave a correction, and it still didn’t help. His blood sugar actually kept rising, almost like i gave him carbs instead of insulin. So we decided to go out and exercise, which of course always helps. I don’t get why this is happening? Is it because of what he’s eating. I haven’t changed the food he’s been eating. This didn’t happen before. I’ve been pre bolusing almost every meal about 15-20 minutes before the food is ready, and it’s still happens. What am I doing wrong here? He’s two months into T1D. I’ve been doing everything I can to understand this, but boy it can be all over the map sometimes.
Hi, Christine @Cca1502,
Just 2 months into T1D? In all likelihood your son is still in the late stages of the “honeymoon period.” His physician can explain more about this. The shorthand version is your son’s insulin need will continue to change, and may change a great deal, until well after the honeymoon period is over.
Other issues - your son’s age can make quit a difference in his insulin need. Teenagers, for example, often demonstrate a greater need for insulin than younger children and adults.
Our bodies are very dynamic; what this means relative to T1D is “what worked yesterday may not work tomorrow.” So you have to continue to monitor BG levels and, when patterns develop that indicate a need to change things, do it.
Yes, what your son eats can make a difference in how quickly his BG rises, and how long the BG rise persists. Talk to his nutritionist to get more complete information.
Let me ask you to do this. Let us know how old your son is and then others can target answers specific to his age range. It makes a difference.
I’ll quit for now. You’re doing the right thing in seeking a more thorough understanding of how to help your son manage his diabetes. Keep asking questions!
Hope this helps a bit.
Bill
Hi Christine @Cca1502, let me just say that in all likelihood you are NOT doing anything wrong - what your son is experiencing is TypeOne Diabetes, a condition that really can not be controlled but that we can manage well and live a good “normal” life.
What Bill @BillHavins wrote is almost exactly what I was about to write so I won’t repeat but I will add my experience. For some unknown reason, I have found that my body, my body glucose level [BGL], responds differently, on different days, to exactly the same foods and very similar activity. For a study I’m doing I ate the same [weighed] breakfast and lunch every day of the week and engaged in the same activity [bike & gym] and when looking at an overlay map of CGM readings, 288 per day, found that most days I fell within an 80 - 150 mg/dl range but for one day when my BGL would spike over 200 mg/dl. And this is after more than 60 years trying to take the right amount of insulin.
Personally I would not let what your son is experience bother you too [this is your call] much, but rather to accept what is happening and make note of exceptional days - if you find a pattern, it is probable that a change may be necessary in his insulin: carb ratio for a meal combined with a background insulin dosage change.
"Change" may be the one constant in diabetes management.
Hi Bill. My son is 10 years old.
Thank you Dennis l. I will look for patterns.
@Cca1502 hi Christine, adding to @BillHavins and @Dennis, the most likely thing you are experiencing is that the period of time after diagnosis, where your body stil makes insulin, is coming to an end.
This makes “control” of blood sugar a little more difficult.
If you make zero insulin, and start lunch with a sugar of 100 mg/dl, then your blood sugar will be about 150 mg/dl at 2 hours after eating. (at +2 hours, about 50 mg/dl higher than the starting point).
eating more or less carbs will have more and less of a after meal rise. eating slower or faster carbs will change both the duration and the maximum of the after meal rise. if all over the map at 150 scares you: my meter says my min and max blood sugars for the last 90 days was 400mg/dl to 40mg/dl and I have 40 years experience. There is no perfection in this, there’s approximation and there’s “good enough”. cheers!
Thanks this is helpful.
Hi! Something that has helped me is eating protein with my meals. This can help reduce blood sugar spikes because your body digests protein first and it lets the insulin take action more effectively. I’m 21 and in college and have been diagnosed for 15 years. I have definitely experienced those 2 hour highs. Especially after super carby things that just seem to stick with me forever. It’s super frustrating but sadly sometimes unavoidable. Lower carb meals along with protein and exercise make a huge difference though! Never underestimate the power of diet!
I will just share my personal experience I have found that we all react differently our bodys are not the same as the next. The weather plays a big role in my high blood sugar with meals. I have used others exsperience to figure out how to manage my diabetes the Dr have been great at diagnosis but how to live with it has came from the support of other diabetics.
I have this problem with high-fat meals like burgers, pizza, and cream-based sauces over pasta. Don’t even get me started on donuts and French fries! I can be totally normal and sailing along at 100 for 2 or 2.5 hours after eating a few chocolate chip cookies, but then I skyrocket to 270 or 320 and no amount of insulin helps. It comes down when it feels like it. Exercise helps, but I usually spend several hours regretting my meal/snack/dessert choice. These days I live off of high-protein meals and limit my carbs.
I would suggest that he consider cutting high-fat meals in half. If he orders a burger and fries at a restaurant ask them to bring a box when they bring the meal. Then cut the burger and fries in half and pack it away and take it home. It isn’t fun, but I feel MUCH better 3 or 4 hours later. If he’s a veggie eater, he can eat a salad instead of fries and eat the whole burger.
Diabetes isn’t fun and when I was in high school with type 1, it was brutal. I wanted to do what my friends were doing and I got in trouble a lot with my mom because I never tested my BG and I ate whatever I wanted. Teenagers have it hard already, but throw in T1D and it’s really a roller coaster ride. He will need your support and patience. Hang in there mom.