Any pregnant Type 1 diabetics?

[dieciocho]

Hi,
I'm looking for other pregnant Type 1 diabetics in London, just to have someone to keep in contact with and share advice/horror stories/support each other etc.
I don't actually know anyone at all with Type 1, despite having had it myself since 1989

Hi Bonadea! Do you find orange etc does the trick as quickly? I just want maximum impact on a hypo but would love to switch to something more nutritious.

That's exactly why I wanted to find other people like me BonaDea; no-one else understands - not consultants, not friends, not GPs, not partners, not family members.
I hate being asked how things are going with the pregnancy, because if I stop to think about it an answer honestly...I'm not enjoying it at all: I'm tired, worried, hypo, confused, hyper, worried that the worry is hurting the baby...

Urgh, sometimes I could cry.

littlepuds - yep, I find fresh orange juice etc is just as quick. I think anything in liquid format (milk is another good one) is the quickest way to go but with a glass of that I am far less likely to go high than with evil lucozade.

dieciocho - I am soooo with you. I could cheerfully punch my diabetes specialist nurse most weeks when I see her. You would think they would get a sense of how hard and demoralising the daily grind is, wouldn't you?

In particular, I couldn't understand why she and the nutritionist are soooo critical of my saying I am moderating my carb intake. To me it is so OBVIOUS that if you eat fewer carbs, you shoot less insulin, so you have a reduced chance of going way over or way under on the amount you take, and hence are less likely to go either hypo or hyper. I'm talking about doing the flaming atkins diet - I still get plenty of carbs and fibre through the occasional slice or bread, lots of veg and some 'friendly' fruit, but I just don't load my plate for every meal. They are still very anti it so now I just lie about what I eat. Of course, they are delighted with the good readings I'm getting and are no doubt congratulating themselves when it is all my hard work!

Anyway, it is lovely to speak to people who understand!

No one can understand unless you've been through it. Last pregnancy I think many family and friends - and particularly work colleagues - just thought I was overreacting to my situation. "yeah, yeah - stop worrying, it'll be fine." Oh will it now? Do you have to wait 20 weeks to see if you've damaged your own baby's heart?

Now everyone's saying "Oh it's fine - your DSwas so this one will be." Yes that's how it works...Even DH guilty of this.

And if I have to eat one more glucose tablet...

Bonadea - I don't eat that many carbs. For lunch today for example I had salad and a few new potatoes. I think as long as you try and have about 30g of 'good' carbs with each meal that's just being healthy isn't it?!

I did once when not pregnant get so fed up with my wayward levels that I stopped eating carbs altogether. I did get quite poorly. But we're not talking about that are we?!

Nope, not talking about that... 30g is a sensible aim, but if you listen to the offical nutritionist line, if 60% of your plate is made up of carbs for each meal, you're probably talking about double what you've mentioned. You're eating what I would call a carb-moderate diet rather than low-carb. It's what works for me too - it's a decent balance...

I also know what you mean on the "oh, it'll be fine, have a slice of cake" brigade. I mean, really, would people say "oh, it'll be fine, have this tequila shot". Of course they wouldn't. And this idea that because so-and-sos sister's niece who is diabetic had a healthy child suddenly means that I will is of course rubbish and really undermines what I feel I'm going through!!

Hello, just found your thread. Can I join you? 26+4 with dc2 been diabetic for 13 years. Had a bad time with dd towards the end so expecting the same this time. I haven't read the whole thread I'm afraid, anyone else split their background insulin? I have 17 units of levemir at night and 10 in the morning (it's not usually such a high dose but levels have been gradually increasing over the past eight weeks, as expected). I also have started injecting ten minutes before eating, I had to do the same with dd :)

Hi Spotty and welcome!

Sorry to hear you had a bad time, last time. did you have particular complications?

Yes, I also split my Levemir and have done since I started it about 4 years ago. It has always worked much better for me that way. My doses are quite strangely split even before pg - 7 units in the morning, 20 at night. But it works....

I'm now injecting up to 20 minutes before eating too and find it is helping keeping those post-meal spikes at bay.

Welcome Spotty, yep, I split my Levemir, but I only take 8 + 2
You all seem to be on lots more, maybe I should raise it with them at clinic...

I've also started injecting before eating - sometimes it works, sometimes not.

I've always injected before I eat but usually immediately. Pre pregnancy my levemir was a lot lower (probably half the dose, I have forgotten though, baby brain!).

Last time I had pre-eclampsia and obstetric cholestasis. I also started having frequent hypos so they induced at 36 weeks, I was pretty poorly and dd was 8lb!

I've gone from having 4 units for two slices of toast to 12 currently!

I'm still on Insulatard on a night - is Levemir more 'modern'? I was offered Latnus but didn't dare switch thinking that I know where I'm at with what I'm on.

Ooh what's this about splitting long acting - what are the benefits of that?

Also I'm going to give injecting 10 mins before a try too - sometimes hard though.

Spotty I'm now on 11 fast acting for toast!

I used to be on Lantus about three years ago. I don't know anything about Insulatard, but I know Levemir is pretty 'new'.

I started splitting because my levels were rising towards the end of the day, they don't do it anymore.

It is hard to change your injection times when you're so used to doing them at a certain time!

If you're unsure about your Levemir dose, the best way to test it (certainly for your day time dose) is to test in the morning, inject your Levemir, then do not eat anything until lunchtime. If your Levemir is right, you should not go high or low during that morning period. If you drop down, your Levemir might be too high. If you go high, you need more. You would then need to repeat the test for other times of day (ie the lunchtime to dinner time slot) to check what it is doing at those times.

Nighttime doses, you need to do the dreaded 3am check to find out what is going on...

I used to be on Lantus, too, but it is supposed to be less flexible and is not good for dose-splitting. Splitting the dose means that if you need more background insulin when you are sleeping you can inject more for that part of your day than for your waking hours when you may need less.

Hi

Can anyone tell me where the best place to inject is? I used to do it in my stomach but because I'm getting bigger now not so keen on doing it there but not sure if doing it in my leg is allowing it to be as effective as am finding my sugar readings can higher for no reason? I'm 23 weeks and am now on 12 units for lunch and tea normally of novo rapid, 8 novo rapid at breakfast and have increased my lantus to 24 at night now to see if that helps? Had a blood sugar of 5 today an hour after lunch, then 2 hrs later it was 12 despite eating nothing after the 5 reading, all so worrying! Totally agree with others re no one else understanding what responsibility you feel.

X

I injected in my stomach right up until I had dd last time. I go high up towards my ribs and out towards my hips. What are your morning readings like? What time do you give yourself your lantus? I'm no medical professional obviously but I think if it was my nurse she would be splitting the lantus, can you speak to your nurse?

Hi

My morning readings vary from about 4 to 9 but on the whole they are about 5 to 7. I take my lantus at 10 pm every night.

X

Hi Newbie - that's happened to me a few time recently. I've had a goodish reading at an hour and a half after eating and then my level has randomly risen despite not eating anything more!

In my experience it's to do with what I've eaten - for example if it's something quite 'fatty' (like on a rare occasion I have fish shop chips) it will do this as your body needs to process the fat first. This has also happened with pasta on odd occasions, perhaps as it takes longer to process but when it really starts to your blood sugars soar. Hope that makes sense! I have to say though it's also just randomly done it without a reason. I've put it down to hormones!

Thanks everyone, will just keep checking them every few hours, sore fingers here I come :)

5.3 this morning after a hypo at 2am

Ha ha! I'm on 20 units (Novorapid) for 2 slices of toast!!!

My long-acting is split because I was waking up low most mornings.

I was told that Levemir/Detemir has only recently been approved for use in pregnancy. It's a gentler insulin than Lantus (my old one) as it is released in "drips" apparently.

Fat can definitely slow down the release of glucose into your system, so if you are eating a fatty meal, it can delay the spike to up to 2 hours after you've eaten. If you are eating something fatty with lots of carbs such as chip shop chips, pizza or curry/rice, it can be a good idea to take a second dose of novorapid an hour or so after you've eaten.

Another possible explanation for a rise after a good one-hour reading is that you might have had a hypo without realising it and liver has dumped glycogen into your system. Could that be a possibility?

For injection sites, it is fine to keep using your tummy if you can still 'pinch and inch' but another alternative that I have started using recently is the fattest bit of your arm. Be warned though -this seems to release insulin faster, so just keep an eye on your levels!!

A question: the DSN this morning ticked me off for giving a correction dose before bed on a couple of occasions. I seemed to have got my evenign dose wrong and was sitting around the 9.8 mark before bed, so I gave myself a single unit of novo before bed. It seemed to work and I woke up in the region of 6, which I would expect. However, she warned me never to take insulin jsut before bed in case of hypo in the night.

However, I know this is just not happening as I'm testing when I wake - which I do every night to go to the loo. I understand they want me to avoid night time hypos, but I am just not comfortable leaving a reading of 9+ unchecked for 7/8 hours while I am in bed sleeping. It seems stupid when I can quite easily - and in my opinion not dangerously - correct it.

Thoughts please? Do you / would you do this?

Bona what I do is have a snack with a bit of extra insulin. It probably seems counter productive but seems to work well and stops me worrying about a night time hypo. Plus I'm always hungry these days so any excuse to eat

spotty - weird isn't it, but often diabetes IS quite counter-intuitive (not that you would think that listening to the nurses!!).

have to say i have actually been welcoming the odd hypo as an excuse to eat extra and the occasional sweet or otherwise naughty treat!

I do correction doses before bed - like you just a unit. A unit in pregnancy is nowt so personally wouldn't worry! Before I was on CGM I'd have just perhaps tested when I got up for the loo.

I'm just fancying peanut M&Ms... Not good!