I'm back, it's been a while

[Sensorium139]

So it’s been a while, Fudiabetes. It’s been ages lol. I figure I’d come back to see if anyone had advice. I’m finally on a job insurance and have been for a while, not been on medicaid for over 3 years now and I think I’ve had a new job since I last posted here. I still have the same primary care doctor though, no endocrinologist still as they’re hard to come by in my area besides going out of state like I used to before.

Why am I posting? Because my a1c, no joke, has gone up so much I need motivation! I need help! All these 8 years of being diabetic and having it pretty good I guess either finally came to an end or there’s something else at play. My a1c went from 5.7% in May to 7.3% in December so that’s frustrating. I’ve also gained so much weight in the past few years I’m up to 180 lbs at 5’5". I’m basically obese, and it’s embarrassing to me as someone who never was really ever overweight until recently. I used to weigh 130 lbs from the time I was in the 8th grade until I was like 26? Then I was 145-ish for until I was like 29 and I’ve been gaining since despite a good diet. I do eat junk, but I try not to eat it every day and I mostly eat veggies. I’m a vegetarian, so traditional low carb diets are kinda difficult and kinda out of the question for me. I don’t plan to change that because meat made me sick and that’s why I stopped eating it, so I hope I don’t have to go back to it . For those who don’t know me: I’m a type 1 diabetic that’s 31 years old, I was diagnosed at 22 and misdiagnosed with type 2 only for that reason. I used to be really skinny and sick due to my gallbladder being broken as possible (I no longer have it for a reason!) and I have a history of pancreatitis and issues related to my gallbladder so my pancreas just hates me.

Three possible things are at play at least, if not more.

1. Just life stress , covid and stuff like that. I work in healthcare , it’s not easy on your mental health but it’s all I can do right now. This would be the most difficult to change.

2. Weight gain. Where is it from? Just getting older and my body not handling things like they used to, or my dr’s current speculation that I have PCOS? I had an incidental finding of an ovarian cyst ( at least one , they weren’t sure if there were more but at the angle of the ct they couldn’t tell) when I went to the ER for norovirus in April. I’m having an ultrasound to examine it further on January 5th, so we’ll see I guess? I have SOME of the pcos symptoms like weight gain and period issues (heavy, VERY PAINFUL and I have pelvic pain when I’m not on that time of the month at all most the time actually, comes on time but might last 1 day might last 10…or come back twice in a month??? who knows??? ) and I get skin tags on my neck, odd thing but whatever it’s related? I don’t have extra hair or acne though so that’s weird. I started the birth control pill ENTIRELY for this on friday, too early to tell but my sugars have gone nuts anyway apparently? Why not add more chaos right?

3. My insulin needs to change, can your body get tired of a long acting insulin? That’s another speculation I personally have. I use Basaglar (biosimilar to Lantus) and have used that or lantus exclusively through the 8 years I’ve been diabetic, can that do it?

Does anyone have a clue? I don’t know where to go with this. My dr wants me to start dexcom but if you don’t know me already, I had the libre and wasn’t a huge fan (though I didn’t hate it) and hated the pump way back when I was a new diabetic. Besides the dexcom app not being compatible with my fairly new phone (Google Pixel 5a 5g) I don’t really like a lot of high tech on my body diabetes stuff, so I’m thinking instead I’ll try harder to test more and ACTUALLY use the app that came with my accuchek guide! Another thing is trying type 2 drugs. I think he was suggesting Ozempic if my insurance covers it, but idk if it’ll do anything for me as a type 1, I’d hope for weight loss but idk? I doubt it’d do jack sh*t for my sugar but we can see if it’s not completely stupid? That or maybe metformin?

tl;dr: Any type 1 ladies been here before? Preferably ones that gained some weight they didn’t want , maybe have pcos, maybe have tried type 2 drugs to help lose weight and whatnot?

[3cTim]

@Sensorium139

My a1c went from 5.7% in May to 7.3% in December

I think 7.3 would make most doctors very happy…i have never been as low as 5.7 in fact when i went as low as 6.2 once…the doctor was very concerned that it was too low since I had been having many low events. I am usually at 7 - 7.5 after starting dexcom and now omnipod I think my next a1c will be 6 because Im getting better control.
i am experiencing the weight gain recently (about 15 pounds in the last 5-6 months) and prior to that I had been at a steady weight for 15 + years…since I lost a ton of weight before being diagnosed… im sure my gain is from increased eating…since I can more accurately track blood sugar and insulin with dexcom and omnipod I can eat more so I do…particularly since I quilt smoking after 35 years…anyway I dont think it is anything other than too much eating and not enough exercise (i like to pretend im not getting older but that could play a part). I also had a gallbladder /pancreatitis leading to chronic pancreatitis…leading to diabetes event (I was 40) and was also not diagnosed correctly…16 years later and my medical chart still says type 2 which no one will ever change for me
the gallbladder has been removed and the repeated attacks of pancreatitis have stopped but it caused a lot more damage to my insides, pancreatic damage makes me need to take digestive enzyme pills with food and I now have pretty bad IBS (which is the medical catchall term for “I don;t know why your abdomen hurts so much and so often” (and being a man I know it is not that time of the month) This took several years after the last pancreatitis event happen so there continues to be changes over time.
I will say even with all the drawbacks of teck issues etc, I wouldnt want to go back no dexcom or omnipod
hope it is all resolved soon
Tim
one other thing I forgot… Ozempic can cause pancreatitis, so given your history I would be careful

[bkh]

@Sensorium139

I figure I’d come back to see if anyone had advice.

I’ll offer some mansplaining in the hope there’s something here you can use.

If my A1C were higher than I wanted, that means kind of by definition that my BG is higher than I want, for hours each day. So the first thing I’d do is look for any regularity in what time of day. Is my BG rising all by itself in the afternoon? (Try more basal during that time of day.) Am I routinely finding my BG high 2 hours after eating and it doesn’t come back down? (Change the insulin:carb ratio to get bigger meal boluses.) Am I taking correction boluses when high but it turns out they don’t actually bring my BG back down? (Change the correction ratio i.e., insulin sensitivity factor to get larger correction boluses.)

The easy way to find the patterns in high BG is with a CGM: just look at the graph each day for a few days. The hard way is with frequent fingersticks, including the ones at 2am and 5am.

With too high BG, there are 3 main fixes. More insulin. More exercise. Less carbs. I use the first one, other folks lean on the second or third way.

If my BG were rising at random times during the day, I’d definitely be looking into a pump + CGM + closed loop. It really helps because every 5 minutes it looks at the BG and decides whether to give a little extra insulin right now. But there is the nuisance factor of having the pump and cgm. For me personally it’s totally worth it. I use the DIY LOOP but I think the best commercial system is the tandem t:slim pump with dexcom G6 CGM. They talk to each other directly and don’t need any phone to be involved.

@Sensorium139

can your body get tired of a long acting insulin?

I haven’t heard of that one. But it is possible for one’s insulin requirement to increase over time. Alternately, it’s possible to develop “scar tissue” from reuse of the same injection areas (e.g., from injecting in the belly for years, never in the same place twice in a row but 10,000 shots in 20 square inches over 8 years can have a cumulative effect on the sub-cutaneous tissue.) The easy way to rule out scar tissue is to start giving the injections in a completely new area of the body for a few days and see if the problem goes away.

I’d better stop here in case I’ve already overstayed the invitation.

[T1Allison]

@Sensorium139

my a1c, no joke, has gone up so much I need motivation!

So from what I’ve read from your post, I really don’t doubt your motivation! It sounds like you’ve been through a lot and you’ve done your best with it and you continue to try to find solutions for yourself. I think you’re a badass! Because your health rap sheet looks unpleasant, which means you’re a trooper and you’re still trying. (If you want to see my health rap sheet, feel free to check out my commandeering of @daisymae’s colonoscopy thread. I successfully made that all about me and a paramedic that looked like hot Tom Selleck from the '80s.)

Welcome back to FUD!

I’m Type 1, mid-30’s, diagnosed at 21 years old. Misdiagnosed as Type 2 due to my age and was started on Metformin. Then was correctly diagnosed as Type 1 six months later. I used Lantus and Humalog for about 8 years. Then I switched to the Omnipod eventually with Novolog. I use Dexcom and have used it since around 2012, I think.

Lists help me organize my thoughts. These are just things I’m thinking of from the outside. Take what resonates with you and ignore what doesn’t. So here it goes:

1. Do you have an OB/GYN? I know you said endo’s are hard to come by where you’re at. Are there good OB/GYN’s? Like any practices that might also have OB’s for high risk pregnancies? I find that practices who have high risk OB’s tend to be a little more current on their medical knowledge and problem solving for all women’s health issues. This could help with addressing potential PCOS and anything else hormonal going on.
2. Has anyone discussed the type of birth control pill you are taking and its impact on blood sugar? There are some good threads on this in the Women’s Health section here on FUD. In a nutshell, it could make your body slightly more insulin resistant overall…but it could smooth out fluctuating insulin sensitivity throughout your cycles so that you are more consistent in your insulin needs. So it could really help you overall. Doctors tend to have no idea about any of this. I discovered this phenomenon in my body after going OFF of birth control and all hell broke loose. If you have irregular cycles right now, it’s no wonder you cannot get a handle on your blood sugar. That is an unfair, losing battle with a moving target. I say that to tell you that IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT. You are doing great. This is just not a fair fight right now because fluctuating female hormones CAN impact your receptiveness or resistance to insulin. (We have a huge thread on this in the Women’s Health section regarding Basal Rates and Hormones.)
3. As far as the Basaglar, have you ever checked to see if it lasts the full 24 hours for you (if you’re taking one injection per day)? I took Lantus for 8 years not knowing that it only lasted about 20 hours for me. I thought I was just really bad at dosing my dinners and nighttime snacks…but it turns out that was when Lantus was out of my system and I was effectively without basal. If you want to see how Basaglar works for you, you could try fasting for a day or half day and checking your blood sugar every hour during your fasting. That would tell you how well matched your Basaglar is working for your needs which could help you zero in on better meal dosing. If your hormones are constantly fluctuating, you may need to tweak your Basaglar throughout your cycle. I had to do that for Lantus. There are threads on that, too. Or we can message or whatever.
4. Do you track your calorie intake? That might help to do for a week or whatever you’re comfortable with to help narrow down if your eating or your hormones or some other underlying health issue is the culprit with your weight gain. I suspect it’s hormonal but that’s just a guess.
5. Have you considered consulting with Integrated Diabetes Services (Gary Scheiner’s group in PA) for targeted support? I have worked with them three times and they are great. They are a group of nurse practitioners, dieticians, etc who are all Type 1’s themselves. I have worked with them on a month retainer for dosing and troubleshooting help twice, and I did a one hour one time consult once for some targeted questions. They also state that they can be flexible on pricing if you cannot financially meet their typical rates. They are all great, but Jenny might be perfect for you and your concerns. I worked with her for a month, once. Love her.
6. Do you have a good emotional support system? You are facing a lot of challenges that are not your fault. And they impact your well-being every single day. And it can be invisible to people who are not living it even if they think they know what you are dealing with. And this stress can sometimes show up as new issues in our body. I have certainly lived through that before. If you need to talk, I know myself and many others on here are happy to pay it forward because we have all been helped before. Especially by the wonderful people in this community. I just hope you know that you are dealing with super unfair health issues that are not always well understood, and that takes a toll on anyone no matter how tough we are. Give yourself permission to be proud of yourself no matter what your “results” currently look like, blood sugar or weight wise. Feel free to message me if you ever want to talk about anything, vent, whatever. Or don’t if you’re not comfortable with that. I won’t be offended or anything either way. Whatever works for you.

I had a girlfriend who developed PCOS as a result of the emotional stress from tragically losing her boyfriend in a plane crash. That stress tore her body up. She manages it now but I was with her most every step of the way to finding it out and getting adjusted to it. She lives a full life again now and has had a successful pregnancy since. But it was tough there for a while.

As to taking medications aimed at Type 2’s, others on here are more knowledgeable than me. I do not currently use that regimen.

I wish you very well and please let me know if I can support you in any way.

[elver]

@Sensorium139

I don’t know where to go with this. My dr wants me to start dexcom but if you don’t know me already, I had the libre and wasn’t a huge fan (though I didn’t hate it) and hated the pump way back when I was a new diabetic. Besides the dexcom app not being compatible with my fairly new phone (Google Pixel 5a 5g) I don’t really like a lot of high tech on my body diabetes stuff

Hola! I can’t stand the Dexcom app. I use Pixel phones, have used the phone you mentioned (moved on …) but use instead XDrip with Nightscout and Tidepool for all my data modelling needs. XDrip works similarly to the Dexcom app with the CGM of choice. Nightscout and/or Tidepool (both free btw) will do data modelling. They both have pros and cons. Your Dr will most likely love either as the data sets are everything they could hope for and yet…more.

@Sensorium139

I think he was suggesting Ozempic if my insurance covers it, but idk if it’ll do anything for me as a type 1, I’d hope for weight loss but idk? I doubt it’d do jack sh*t for my sugar but we can see if it’s not completely stupid? That or maybe metformin?

I have taken Ozempic for the last 2 years. I have lost 22 lbs without attempting a single dietary modification. Make no mistake, the first week or so as you titrate up can be rough. You can feel like you have the flu. Beyond that, my BGs are way more stable, I am less hungry, I have far fewer cravings, I tend to eat better without resorting to impulse snacking. I would not have lost the weight on my own, and I simply am unable to tolerate metformin.

@bkh uses a method that many of us used at one time or another to chase high bg patterns:

@bkh

The easy way to find the patterns in high BG is with a CGM: just look at the graph each day for a few days. The hard way is with frequent fingersticks, including the ones at 2am and 5am.

With too high BG, there are 3 main fixes. More insulin. More exercise. Less carbs. I use the first one, other folks lean on the second or third way.

It’s much easier with a cgm (any cgm) than without. If you use the fingerstick method, get lots of strips, you will need them to plot your graphs. Factor in Carbs (what you ate) and any potential variables such as stress (poor sleep, work, hormonal cycles, life, relationships, cr** going wrong, the moon is in the 3 phase of the 4th house of the Pokemon paradox, etc)

If and when you make changes to your I:C ratios, Correction factors, etc, do one at a time. Make a single change and stick with it for a week or so and see how it affects you before making another change. Don’t rush into another change - give yourself time to adjust to the first change. Small incremental changes are best. Large changes can be dangerous. Be safe.

[Chris]

@Sensorium139

I’m a vegetarian, so traditional low carb diets are kinda difficult

Do you eat eggs and dairy? If so, you can eat a moderately low carb diet for a while to see if that helps. It should be pretty easy to eat a healthy vegetarian diet and live in the 100 carb range. If you don’t eat eggs and dairy, it is quite a bit more difficult.

edit - Welcome back!

[Sensorium139]

Even longer post than before sorry y’all

@3cTim

I think 7.3 would make most doctors very happy…i have never been as low as 5.7 in fact when i went as low as 6.2 once…the doctor was very concerned that it was too low

Hey, I get it. I’m just different because I’m used to being in the lower a1c range. This is not to make anyone feel bad btw, I just prefer my a1c below 6.4%. I have what I feel is enough to deal with, so I am trying my best to to not have complications from my t1d. Thanks for the ozempic warning though. I don’t wanna deal with pancreatitis ever again.

@bkh

With too high BG, there are 3 main fixes. More insulin. More exercise. Less carbs. I use the first one, other folks lean on the second or third way.

Tbh the most yes I agree thing here, I do more insulin, this may be my downfall, but no exaggerating, I used to not correct ever and then this past year or so I’ve had to a lot. I’m trying different sites , not making a huge difference so far, but after the pump I had to not use one side of my belly for a long time as it scarred up. Thanks for your response, even though I’ll not go back to the pump , I like reading other’s perspectives.

@T1Allison

Do you have an OB/GYN? I know you said endo’s are hard to come by where you’re at. Are there good OB/GYN’s

So far I’ve not found a good obgyn . Lord help me I’ve tried, but most of it was pre diabetes in my life as well. I had awful experiences with two, can’t help it. The one treated me like I was mentally challenged and also beyond her help and idk why??? The other started to get somewhere, but only tested me for a genetic blood clotting condition and then never got back to me after I didn’t have that? Looking back, the first one was on to something, I had more PCOS like periods then, didn’t ovulate and had off the wall long weird colored periods. But eventually it changed back to just heavy semi regular on when it came periods that may last 1 day may last 10. I feel like I can’t win with specialist drs. My PCP is like one of those in depth kinda drs who really wants to help though so that’s a thing. He has a passion for helping type 1s it seems. He’s a family practice dr so he can handle most of my care before passing me on to a specialist, so I have that at least.

@T1Allison

Has anyone discussed the type of birth control pill you are taking and its impact on blood sugar?

So far , my Dr says to try this one for a bit, if I have issues to quit. I’ve had my worst blood sugars in forever that I see myself through testing since starting it so who knows? It’s lo loestrin. The internet provides me with horror stories so I’m not optimistic , but idk. I was suicidal on yaz, and desogen was highly recommended for PCOS but I bled through my clothes and was even more of a cry baby on that so??? Not sure if bc is for me. I don’t even know if I can get pregnant and all so I am not heartbroken if it is off the table to use bc.

@T1Allison

As far as the Basaglar, have you ever checked to see if it lasts the full 24 hours for you (if you’re taking one injection per day)? I took Lantus for 8 years not knowing that it only lasted about 20 hours for me.

This has been a huge speculation of mine, and until just last night I couldn’t find my formulary, but if it doesn’t change, I might try to get toujeo or tresiba. Until then I didn’t know i could get something else. I question my dosing regularly and usually seasonally I go from needing like 15 units or less to over 20?? I also do adjust my basaglar and novolog with my cycle. Until recently it all worked but wtf now?? I think it’s time to switch that. I am going up to 22 u tonight, despite the Dr not suggesting I change it. My fasting numbers have been garbage for a while but until recently I’d stay in the 90s at most! Now I’m like 130 mgdl or more. Keep in mind: I work nights. I eat at like 8am and 4-5 pm and have a snack at night around 1am that’s like 30 ish carbs. I take my basaglar at 9:20pm every night, one shot. Like I do find at night/ early morning I’m lower , afternoon and evening I’m higher. It’s making me think basaglar doesn’t cover me well when my next dose is within a few hours.

@T1Allison

Do you track your calorie intake?

Started using my fitness pal again. It’s iffy with some home made meals and restaurants where I guess the best I can ( which usually works) I’m doing good at staying below 1,640 calories, which is what I was recommended based on my activity and weight loss goals . I’m a CNA, I lift people regularly, walk a bit, this month I added only taking the stairs unless I’m doing laundry with a cart. I’m using a recumbent bike at work for 15 minutes 3 days a week for a starting point, started last week. Always confuses me why I gain weight so bad. Likely it’s hormones, but gotta nail it down for sure.

@T1Allison

Have you considered consulting with Integrated Diabetes Services (Gary Scheiner’s group in PA) for targeted support?

Might try it, I liked his book think like a pancreas, and it really helped me when I read it as a new diabetic. Keep in mind I also had an endocrinologist at first, I had to go over a state to see him, but he got me through like my first 4.5 years, he was a type 1 diabetic himself and had a type 1 daughter. Those two things I attribute to my low a1c for years, but IDK if I really wanna go back when the weather is going to go to crap and I have no idea if he’s still in practice, mostly because he’s an older man. So I might try that service if all else fails.

@T1Allison

Do you have a good emotional support system?

I think I do. My fiance supports me a lot and my mom tries, so that’s something lol. I have quite a few healthcare friends with diabetes, and while most of them are type 2, it still helps. They still mostly get it. I also have my cat, she’s not a person I get it, but she’s a lil sweetheart and really calms me on crappy days.

Thanks for your response, I appreciate it.

@elver

Hola! I can’t stand the Dexcom app. I use Pixel phones, have used the phone you mentioned (moved on …) but use instead XDrip with Nightscout and Tidepool for all my data modelling needs.

Ayy another pixel user. This is my second one, upgraded from the 3a I loved for years to the 5a 5g. Good to know there’s options then. I am a nerd , so I am sure I’ll try that if I can get a dexcom. It’s now just making sure my insurance covers that.

@elver

I have taken Ozempic for the last 2 years. I have lost 22 lbs without attempting a single dietary modification.

Promising if I even lost a little of that, but now reconsidering with the pancreatitis risk. I also have ibs so if it didn’t have that risk I’m like between that and metformin and have to decide between nausea and whatever or noxious farts ( was on it when misdiagnosed, could evacuate an entire building with my farts ) and diarrhea if I go that route. It’s a pick your poison situation. I figure if small careful adjustments and diet+ exercise doesn’t work, I’ll go from there to possibly metformin, which might help if I also have PCOS.

@elver

the moon is in the 3 phase of the 4th house of the Pokemon paradox, etc

Pls explain lol what meme did I miss? Thanks for your response

@Chris

Do you eat eggs and dairy?

Yes on dairy, very limited eggs since I hate them unless they’re in fried rice or baked into food where it’s not like over easy or hard boiled eggs where I hate the smell. I am a cheese fanatic and that’s what’s kept me from going vegan besides also loving chocolate. I think I can go lower carb than now, but not like keto. I’m trying so far. Currently enjoying parmesan crisps as a low carb snack. My vices are chocolate and Asian food, I love rice. I’m trying to eat brown rice for now in smaller portions and I can deal I think? We’ll see. Thanks for your response

Edited to add: I’m quitting the birth control. I know it’s early on but I’m crying and feeling depressed as heck, was hoping for this to not happen, as I’m on 20 mg of Prozac and have been for years now, but it is. Just like yaz the dose before I got suicidal. My sugars are hard to keep under 200 too, and I’m cramping. So heck with the pill, it didn’t agree with me before, will not do this again.

[bkh]

@Sensorium139

I take my basaglar at 9:20pm every night, one shot.

Why not take half in the morning and half at night? That way you’d have 24-hour coverage.

[Sensorium139]

I don’t have a normal schedule. I have every Friday Saturday off, and I’m not awake in the morning on my off days… Just too difficult for me to get up early 2 days a week then not the rest, if that makes sense.

[bkh]

@Sensorium139

Just too difficult for me to get up early 2 days a week then not the rest, if that makes sense.

Sure, but it doesn’t have to be exactly 12 hours or exactly the same every day. A couple hours either way shouldn’t matter much.

@Sensorium139

I used to not correct ever and then this past year or so I’ve had to a lot.

Is that after a meal (needed more bolus from insulin:carb ratio) or is the BG rising “all by itself” for no reason (think about more basal during that time of day).

I eventually reached the point where MDI was no good because I needed less than 1/4u per hour during the afternoon but almost 1u per hour during the night. The pump with easily adjustable basal solved that for me.

[elver]

@Sensorium139

@elver

the moon is in the 3 phase of the 4th house of the Pokemon paradox, etc

Pls explain lol what meme did I miss? Thanks for your response

You didn’t miss any meme… sometimes sh** happens and you just have to roll with it and try to figure out why after the fact.

[Mariethm]

I used to have a crazily unpredictable work schedule, so I switched from Lantus to Tresiba. It did even things out for me, but YDMV.

[Sensorium139]

I’m thinking if getting off the pill and adjusting my basaglar and novolog doses doesn’t work , I’m going to try toujeo or tresiba, as long as my insurance actually covers it. I just don’t think I would remember two shots and I hate the pump. I hope I’m not hopeless to people here.

Also my stress level is impossible to manage. Can’t change careers, my old dog is sick , I feel overwhelmed by everything with trying to have better blood sugar and losing weight.

[Mariethm]

Nope, never hopeless!
I had to severely up my basal and bolus insulin when I gained weight (still working on getting the weight back down). I ended up changing needles from 4 mm to 8 mm. This really helped. And with the extra “cushioning”, no need to worry about hitting anything else. Just trying to think of small changes that won’t add to the stress…

[Sensorium139]

The fun part being all my extra weight is tummy. I’ve always had a lot of tummy, even when I was a little underweight kid ( I was a preemie and underweight until like Jr high when puberty helped). Then hitting 30 seemed to just add more. I’m sure that gives me some insulin resistance, even if PCOS isn’t the problem. I dunno if I can ever lose it, but I don’t wanna do surgery or something drastic.

Might try bigger needles. I know when my type 2 buddy (he’s pretty large though, like I think 500 lbs, now he’s like 300 something) was using 4mm needles, they didn’t work on him. He donated them to me before. I inject long acting in my thigh though, and I’m not as fat there so idk. Maybe 5mm instead of 4 ??

[Marie]

Hi!
First, really 7.-7.5 isn’t bad. A few tweaks and you should be able to lower it some. Getting back to 5.7 might be hard because of your work schedule and irregular routine.

If you have too high blood sugars, you need more insulin. However it’s not so easy as that because it is also the timing of that insulin. Which can be more difficult working. I know when I was working, not on a pump or CGM. I could never count on when I could eat at work, or if I would get to finish. So I had to wait until after I ate to dose. When that happens your blood sugars go up and stay up longer and it takes more insulin to get them down than with some prebolusing. One thing that helped me with weight gain and control is not eating a full meal when I got home. I would have a bowl of soup or a couple of tangerines. I kept any evening/night eating very light.

But the other thing is generally, gaining weight is eating to much for your specific needs. One cause can be that people consistently eat for the dose they took, versus dosing for what you ate. I have found it works much better to take half as a prebolus and the rest when I eat so I can fit that second dose to what I actually ate. ( I can do that now as I’m retired) Because a big mistake people make is taking too much insulin and then eating something extra because of it or finishing something they might not have finished because now you took insulin for it. And if you find you are grabbing for a snack because you are dipping too low, it’s a sign you are taking too much insulin. Then you end up eating extra to make up for it.

Another biggy is the thyroid. Type 1’s are prone to thyroid issues as our thyroid can be attacked too. A sluggish thyroid and you gain weight easier. Plus your female hormones will be harder to control too. The thyroid is considered a mother hormone that regulates other hormones. But what doctors see as in normal range is often not the optimal range. You want a full panel of the thyroid if you can. Some of the tests will tell you if it is functioning well but not actually okay etc. Plus you want the results so you can judge. I use some supplements for mine and it has kept mine working well when I take them. Otherwise my numbers shoot up like crazy.

Give yourself a break, weight gain is easy unfortunately and it takes time to lose it. I am a vegan and I can gain really easy. Aging, working, hormones, can all play a part. You also might try Tresiba as it has better coverage than Lantus which has a tendency to run out before 24 hours. Your numbers could be shooting up part of the day because Lantus/Basaglar usually doesn’t have a 24 hour life.

[Sensorium139]

All good advice. I’m trying to eat lighter more protein and fat heavy snacks at work ( like cheese and apples or apples and peanut butter), hoping that helps. I strongly think if I can lose some weight I’ll at least get a better a1c… But we’ll see. I know my work schedule is somewhat different, 10 p to 6a Sunday through Thursday… but probably until this job , I had a grasp on control. Another factor that may be at play: I was on 12 hour shifts and super stressed at my old job when I quit it around my last Dr visit in May , now I’m on 8s again. My current job is way less stressful( and I get paid 3 more dollars an hour!), but slightly less physical and whatnot.

I last had good thyroid levels , I’d like to get tested on that if this ultrasound gives me no results of PCOS ( granted they go hand in hand so maybe still gotta). I’ve never had issues, unless that can onset suddenly. I do have a lot of the symptoms of hypothyroidism, except my cholesterol is great, I don’t think I have a goiter, and my heart rate is pretty normal. Otherwise I feel like it’s something to consider, but my levels have been good.

[Jane17]

I used pens when first diagnosed. Went to Costa Rica backpacking for three weeks with no problem. Used a Frio pack when no fridge available. Hoarded Medtronic supplies and had two boxes (large cardboard boxes full) when I went on omnipod. Gave away. Not sure if got used. Had to switch to FSL from Dexcom due to insurance. Had 3 boxes of sensors and three transmitters. All were current dates. Gave to a friends daughter. Going back to MDI with pens. Will try not to
hoard. Will see what insurance gives me for supplies. Off to Cancun in April. Should know how well working by then. Always that fear of running out. Got new fancy Frios for Christmas.

[Sensorium139]

Had some wonderful days there with like no issues… Then last night/ this morning happened. I know this may be ok to so many diabetic people , but it sucks for me.

I ate a small bowl of brown rice with a little teriyaki sauce , tofu, and broccoli, I ate a pack of whisps ( parmesan cheese crisps) before work , but I’m stupid and ate that before testing. I think I dosed appropriate for my dinner and I should not need insulin for the pack of whisps. Then I had an individual / tiny bag of pirate booty and a pack of quest peanut butter cups
… So like 24 carbs .
around exercise time, accepted the 143 the best I could. Then I did my 10 minutes of high intensity recumbent bike… And I’m 176 after work, took three units of novolog, showered, then tested again… It isn’t pictured, but my blood sugar was 151. I’m hungry so I rage bolused again to eat breakfast: peanut butter toast sandwich on Sara Lee multigrain delightful bread: 24 carbs, took 3 units for that. I’m gonna lose my mind if I’m still high later.

No new stress, no weird new foods, my period is over, I’ve tried to exercise ( 10 mins on the recumbent bike twice a week, 15 for 3. High resistance. I’m trying to take the stairs only as well) every day at work?? Debating metformin or something. I’m tired of correcting with no results. I’ve lost a few pounds at least, but I keep bouncing between 176 and 178.

[3cTim]

may be time to consider some new calculations for dosing Calculating Insulin Dose :: Diabetes Education Online