Hello,

I am writing in need of help for my aunt who is insulin dependent diabetic. You are taking insulin, Lantus 27mg once a day, pm, prandin 4mg am, noon 2mg, dinner, 2mg, glucophage xr 500mg tablets, 2 pills am, 1 noon, 1 pm.

She is visiting me from Maine. Whenever she comes to my house she is able to control her diabetes. At home, even with meds, sugar is usually between 220-400. Within the last couple of days she has had her sugar down to 80-120. That is great except when she wakes up, around 8AM her sugar has been dropping lower and lower, 59 hitting lowest.

Now she is so used to her sugar being high, that is when she feels good. When her sugar is regualated, she feels crappy. When she gets her sugar level controlled and she starts feeling really crappy she just wants to bring her sugar back. Does anyone have any ideas? She is eating correctly here where at home she is not. Please help me help her, i don't want her to want to bring her sugar back up to 280 because that is where she feels the best. This has been long going, many years, and she lives in maine, so i am not sure (not to offend anyone, but she way lives in the boonies, so I am not sure how great her doctor is) She has all the faith in him, but the way I think (being a non-diabetic) that after all these many many years, they should have figured out how to control this monster.

Any help will be appreciated, whether it be eating a cracker, or something so trivial, you never know what we don't know.

Thank you in the premature hopes that I get answers, and thanks for reading.

dayna http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/angel.gif

My mother is on insulin, all I know is that the doctor
changes her insulin dosage, or the amount of food she
is to eat. But my mom has regular checkups, and a staff of nurses she can call. My mom is 73, and recently has said he blood sugar can go as low as 59.
I got on her right away to call the doc, go see him,
maybe it was time for an adjustment in diet, dosage.
My mom lives 20 miles away from her doc. If your aunt is alone, she may not care what she eats. I have days when that mood strikes--I just don't care. But I do have family that comes in the door at the end of the day, so I am not totally isolated! Their presence
in my life gets me back in line.--I want some grandkids
to enjoy so I better take the best possible care of myself! Perhaps she can meet others with diabetes in
her area?

Thank you for your quick reply. I think I figured out the problem. I think.....while she is at home, she is eating really not healthy foods. (they have little money, so eating correctly is expensive, no excuses, just true) Her doctor adjusted her meds to her sugar levels in maine, where she was eating wrong, she is now eating right, but is keeping her meds at same level as in Maine. Wouldn't it make sense that would be the cause of the dropping of the sugar. She probably is "over-insulined", lol....not sure if that's a word. I just suggested to her that she go back to 25 of insulin as to the 27 the doctor just increased. If i am way off base, let me know cuz i am not diabetic and i don't want to hurt her.

I agree with the support system of Maine other diabetics but she is so far away from civilization that the closest store is like 20 minutes away. (and to think i'm think of moving there, lol)

I think, since she does so well here, other than the dropping of sugar in the am, she should move here...so if ya'll pray...pray for her level's and maybe a little selfish prayer for me to have her come to stay with me so i can take care of her.

Thanks a bunch, still any suggestions greatly appreciated,
dayna http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/angel.gif

Does your Aunt take her Lantus at night? I did when I first started taking it and always had lows in the morning. I started taking it in the morning and things improved quite a bit.

My Aunty is back and still looking for advice to keep her sugar stablized. I gave her all suggestions, and she really appreciates everything. I already told her that if her sugar is down to sixty again, she is going to the hospital.

thanks again,

dayna http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/angel.gif

Dayna -
I think you've got the problem in a nutshell...when she's at your house, she's eating healthy foods, and not overeating; therefore, when she's at your house, she is way over-medicated. And, she probably feels "crappy" because she is having frequent low blood sugars, which are exhausting and can really take a toll.

Suggestion: Rather than taking all that oral medication (glucophage, etc.), since she's used to taking insulin at least once a day(lantus), perhaps she should be taking regular insulin (R), before meals. She could do it on a sliding scale...the way it works, you test your BG before each meal, and decide how much insulin to take based on what your BG is. For example (and don't use this for anyone...a doctor has to work these up, because they're based on body weight, etc.)I take a sliding scale of regular as follows:
BG below 60, 0 units Regular Insulin
BG 61-100, 6 units Regular Insulin
BG 101-140, 10 units Regular Insulin
BG 140-200, 14 units Regular Insulin
BG above 200, 18 units Regular Insulin

Also, if I know I'm going to be eating a much larger or much smaller meal than is normal for me, I'll increase or decrease the dose by 2 units.

If she were on a sliding scale (and you can use regular insulin or humalog for before meals shots), she would easily be able to adjust when she's at your house. Also, she might not have to take 4 shots a day...maybe the lantus can be mixed in with her dinner shot. At any rate, it doesn't sound like her blood sugars are that well controlled when she's in Maine, and this way, she could have better control wherever she is, and she will start feeling MUCH better all around.

I hope this helps. It may be that her doctor in Maine is not truly an expert at diabetes...not his fault, but she may want to go at least once or twice to a diabetologist, even if she has to come into Boston to do so.

Good luck, I hope this info was helpful. You are a terrific niece to be so concerned!

Ruth

[This message has been edited by SamQKitty (edited 06-15-2002).]

[This message has been edited by SamQKitty (edited 06-15-2002).]

Thanks for the great advice. i have passed it on and she is following some of if. (like you said, it all has to be individualized.

Let me ask you a couple of questions. (ya more, lol)

What do I do if her sugar drops to sixty again. Orange juice? Candy? Hospital?

Second, when i was at the grodery store, I noticed a drink specically for diabetics. Do these work are they just a money making sceme?

Thats all the questions i have for now, but i am sure i will have more. OH ya, one more, how much does i run in h-the family? between her, my mom,nd mh gradfather, shold i be worried for mysef and my kids?

thanksagain,
dayna http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/angel.gif

Originally posted by dayna5:
What do I do if her sugar drops to sixty again. Orange juice? Candy? Hospital?

Second, when i was at the grodery store, I noticed a drink specically for diabetics. Do these work are they just a money making sceme?

One more, how much does i run in h-the family? between her, my mom,nd mh gradfather, shold i be worried for mysef and my kids?

http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/angel.gif

Question 1: Low sugar...if she's conscious and able to eat/drink, treat as follows: either 4 oz of juice, OR 6 lifesavers, OR 3 peanut butter or cheese crackers (the kind that come in packets of 6 - you can buy them by the box). Wait 15 minutes and test again. If her blood glucose is above 70, great. If not, treat again. Also, even if her BG goes up to 70 or just above, if you're not having a meal within an hour, make sure she has some of the peanut butter or cheese crackers, as the protein will keep her BG up longer.

If she can't eat/swallow, or is unconscious, call 911 and tell them it's an insulin reaction...and the person is unable to ingest anything. Oh, there is one thing you can try in this case...the kind of frosting that comes in a tube...rub some on the inside of her cheek...the sugar will absorb through her cheek...but call 911 first!

Question 2: Is this drink promoted to treat low sugar? What's in it? Sounds like it probably IS a money-making scheme, but get me more info and I'll try to look into it.

Question 3: I have to answer this with one of my two favorite quotations: "Worry is NOT preparation." No, I don't think you should WORRY, but I do think you should take steps proactively to prevent yourself and your children from developing Type II. It definitely runs in families. However, good diet and exercise habits developed young and carried throughout life can prevent the onset of Type II, or delay it until you're so old it hardly matters!

You can never ask too many questions, Dayna!

Ruth

Dayna -
I just found out that Lantus is NOT supposed to be mixed with anything else. I take NPH and Regular, which can be mixed, but someone on the board just posted to say Lantus can never be mixed. Sorry, I was unaware of that. Your aunt would have to take the Lantus like she is now, at bedtime in a separate shot.

Ruth

Hey,

Gotcha, thanks for advice and will pass it on.

love,
dayna http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/angel.gif