Help

I am struggling with a seasonal respiratory chest infection. I've finished a course of antibiotics and am snuffling etc. Over the past week my BG is ridiculously high. I have been correcting robistly but BG keeps rising. I have increased my BI by one. No effect. I am leaving work now to test for knes.. So far all ketone tests have been negative. I'm going to increase BI by 10% and keep correcting. Any comments welcome!

Hi Steve,

Have you applied the sick day rules to your insulin rates?

You can increase your previous TDD by 10% initially with a view to increasing to 20% if required.

Thanks, Nick. I may have misunderstood you but that sounds like the actions on a positive ketone test which I've not had. I'm increasing my BI by 10% and correcting as appropriate. I wonder if we mean the same thing?

Based on the results posted, I think it's a good idea to raise something because you need to get those numbers down across the day.

Are you normally okay on 4BI? I only ask because it seems to be a tiny amount... I think a carb free meal here and there will help spread some more light in regard to the BI situation should be done first before adjusting it. Tough call though when you say you are technically ill.

Get well soon!

Thanks, JWo. I agree that I need to get the BG down! I should have said that I give myself 9 units of BI in addition to the 4 in the morning. I am just rubbish at recording the night BI as it is not done at a meal time. I have just increased the night dose to 10. I've had a few better readings but still have highs. Feeling a bit better so I'm optimistic.

Oh I see! Glad you're feeling a bit better. Hopefully things will start returning to how things were before illness soon.

Usually if I was ill, I would be using my QA to compensate for the higher readings......

But this would be assuming it would not last for more than a few days, but it is lasting longer for you yeah?

In this case there might be need for dose adjustment in the general/permanent sense as well as for the illness/temporary.....

So as others have advised, increasing your BI would be wise, and once your feeling better, start testing your new BI dose and establish what its doing.....

Get well soon.......

Thanks to everyone for their comments. I am grateful. I am really starting to despair. I have increased both my morning and evening levemir (BI). I am correcting on the basis of 1 unit QA for 2 mmols (as opposed to the 3 we were taught). I was 17.5 this morning and so corrected heavily. I gave myself 14 units for my usual 8 CP breakfast (that's an eye watering correction of 6 units). I deliberately waited before eating to get the insulin into my blood stream. Three hours after this I was 15.4. I am at my wits end. I have changed my insulin in case it has gone off. Hasn't made any difference. It feels as if I have become immune to insulin. My last HbA1c was 6.7 and I am known for my sensitivity to insulin. I usually do a lot of exercise but haven't for the past week as I feel so rough. I'm terrified of developing ketones as I fear that my sick day rules won't work.

Feels better to get that off my chest!

I don't know what's happening and I'm starting to feel desperate!

Have you used the sick day rules when you have ketones? It's hard to faith in them if you haven't used them but they do work......

It's ver likely that you 6 units correction was no where near enough for a level of 17, for me personally, and this doesn't mean you too, I need 1 unit for every mmol over target....the higher you are, the more resistant you become, at least temporarily.....

Hang in there....

Not being as active as you normally are may mean adding on a few units of BI here and there, just take it back to basics, carb free background checks should get your dose to what you need it at.....

Hi, everyone.

Just an update. I'm over the illness and the readings for the last week have been brilliant. How different from two weeks ago.

I really appreciate all the comments and support.