I am 23 years old and have been a type 1 diabetic since the age of 11. Up to about 1 year ago, I had very well controlled blood sugars. Then my diet changed. I work for a utility company on the go and am out on my feet all day. Good exercise but not good to have 3 balanced meals per day. I was taking 15 units of Humulin R and 25 units of Humulin N in the morning (7am) and about 15 units of Humulog at dinner time to take care of any extra carbs. Well lately ive been going out alot with friends and having a few beers and ive been eating alot of extra proteins. Lately for the past several months my blood sugars will not regulate. My regular is about 12 to 15 right now. On top of that, its seems as hard as I try, I cannot get my blood sugar to drop low. I can take a extra 20 units of humulog which should take it from 15 to 3 in half an hour, but it will only drop it to 9. I feel like my body has built up a resistance to insulin. On top of all this crap, I feel like my lower back is trying to escape through my skin, its aching alot. I went to the walk in clinic and they did a quick urine test and said I had blood in my urine, but no keytones. I am more than worried and cannot get into see my family doctor for a week or so. Any thoughts or suggestions?

It's possible you may have a urinary tract infection, and that may be causing your back pain, blood in the urine, and blood sugars out of control. Drinking lots of water may help a little until you can see your doctor.

I agree on the UTI. Did the clinic say anything about that?

Secondly, congrats on controlling your blood sugars successfully for such a long time. That's going to go a long way in controlling your health and risk of complications.

Thirdly, it sounds like a drastic change in insulin is in order. N and R are rarely used for type 1 anymore. Newer insulins are often more successful. These include Levemir and Lantus as the long acting "basal" insulin, and humalog, apidra, or novolog with meals. The down said is 4+ shots a day, the upside is a lot of freedom and more stable blood sugars. The other option is a pump. If insurance doesn't fund this though, it's not likely a viable option.