The Blood Sugar Spike Correction Facility

Controlling diabetes can be an arcane art at times as there are so many variables to consider. In a non-diabetic person, the body is able to sense exactly when the blood sugar levels are getting too high and will instantly produce more insulin to ‘mop up’ the excess glucose in the blood. This can be extremely subtle, and it will switch off production the instant that levels are back in ‘normal’ range, so the levels don’t drop too low. A person with diabetes, however, does not have this fine level of control. Type 2 diabetics may still produce their own insulin, and not have to inject, but due to ‘insulin resistance’, it may be that the process is insufficient to ‘track’ and overcome the peak of glucose entering the bloodstream through food digestion. Those who inject insulin can have similar problems. They have to try and inject so that the peak action of the insulin being absorbed from the injection site coincides with the food digestion peak. If the timing is wrong, then the person’s levels can drop too low (if insulin ‘hits’ before food), or too high (if food ‘hits’ either before the insulin peak, or after – the latter being often the case with some foods).

Some people will counter this effect by testing their levels at 2 hours after eating, and adding a ‘correction’ dose of insulin if levels are too high. Sounds straightforward enough, except that there may still be active insulin from the original dose taken with the meal, resulting in an excess of insulin overall for the food consumed. This then has to be rectified by adding in a snack so the person doesn’t fall too low! Insulin pumps are particularly useful in these scenarios, as it is possible to either ‘dual wave’ or add in a correction dose without an extra injection. The dual wave splits the meal insulin dose so that there is sufficient active insulin circulating to deal with the late peak of glucose. Correction doses are also easier with a pump, as there are ‘wizards’ in the pumps that calculate how much insulin is already on board and adjust accordingly.


Welcome you inmates – and show some humility –
To the Blood Sugar Spike Correction Facility!
You’ve all been brought here, I think you know why,
For sending the blood sugar of people too high!

Pasta! Step forward! I don’t mean next week!
You seem to like dodging the Insulin Peak!
And you can stop sniggering Baked Potato and Beans,
You’ll be next to find out what the ‘Correction’ word means…!

Now, get in that stomach and don’t misbehave,
We’re going to subject you to a pump dual wave!
And Beans – on your own you seem to be fine,
It’s with Baked Potato you step out of line!

And all of you others – the Pizza and Cheese,
You won’t get away doing just as you please!
We’ll hose you with Insulin till you realise the futility
Of ending up here at the Correction Facility!

If all the test strips that I used…

Injections are one thing when you are an insulin-dependant person with diabetes, but fingerprick testing is another thing entirely. Taking blood glucose measurements can hurt more than injections (in fact, it usually does – in my case, at least!), and you also tend to do it more frequently. I will test before every meal, then again if I am going for a run, and when I get back. I might also test if I want to know how a certain meal has affected my levels – did my blood sugar ‘spike’ and go high above ‘normal’ range? Then again, I might need to test if I feel my blood sugar levels are dropping low, so that I know whether, and to what degree, I need to treat myself to some jelly babies – and no, I don’t let it go low on purpose! Another time I might test is to ensure that my basal (slow-acting) insulin is at the correct dose and working correctly. This might occur in the middle of the night, or several times during the day if I am ‘basal testing’.

All this testing leads to one thing – a huge pile of used test strips! I throw them in the bin, but they still seem to occasionally find their way into my socks, which can be an uncomfortable shock, to say the least! So let’s just quantify the magnitude of all those test strips…


If all the test strips that I used
Were laid out tip to toe,
They’d stretch the length of England’s coast
From Kent to Plymouth Ho!

And if those strips were all piled up,
They’d climb into the sky
And form a constant hazard there
To pigeons flying by…!

Consider then, upon each strip
A drop of blood must fall.
There’d be enough, if gathered up
To fill the Albert Hall!

But what about the missing strips,
That give us sleepless nights?
You’ll find them hidden in the feet
Of socks and ladies tights!

How they get there, who can tell?
It’s one of life’s unknowns,
Perhaps transported on the waves
Emitted by our phones?

Or maybe in the quantum world
Where all dimensions meet,
They can’t resist the attractive force
Of diabetic feet!

Riding the Beer-O-Coaster

Alcohol can have quite an effect on you when you have diabetes – it’s a far more complicated situation than just getting drunk! After I was diagnosed I didn’t drink alcohol at all for several months – not because I was scared to or anything, just didn’t fancy it at all. Eventually, though, life started to return to normal. I found that I had little choice when drinking in a pub, as nearly every drink contains sugar of some sort. Really, the only drink available in most pubs is diet coke, which I do not enjoy drinking. Even then, you cannot be sure that the barman has actually given you the diet version – getting the ‘full-fat’ version without knowing could have a big effect on your blood sugar levels without you knowing and accounting for. So, I decided that I would only drink something that was ‘predictable’ – beer! It expands my choice, and I know what’s in it and what effect it has on me and my levels.

The unusual thing about drinking beer when you have diabetes, however, is that in spite of the sugar/alcohol content of the beer, it can actually cause your levels to fall, and if you aren’t careful then you could have a hypo. Even worse, should you have a hypo whilst drinking, people may just assume that you are drunk and not accord you the necessary assistance. When you drink, as a rule, your blood sugar levels will climb. However, as your liver then begins to process the alcohol, it will be diverted from releasing the steady, low level of glucose that it normally constantly produces (the reason why we need ‘basal’, or background insulin). So, as a consequence of this, your levels will fall. Moreover, the liver will suspend this glucose production long after you have stopped drinking, and may continue through the night as you are sleeping, leading to the risk if a night-time hypo.

The solution is to make sure that you snack on carbohydrates as you drink – crisps, chips, kebabs etc. This will give you a store of glucose to keep your levels up without your livers assistance. Once again, you need to use ‘trial and error’ to determine just how much you can drink and need to eat in order to keep your levels within range – a tricky balancing act, and not always successful after a few beers!

Come, climb aboard the Beer-O-Coaster,
You’ll find it an exciting ride!
First you’ll find your levels rising,
Just before that rapid slide!

The Beer-O-Coaster makes you dizzy,
Are you high or are you low?
It will keep your liver busy,
Help reduce the glucose flow…

Through the night and through the morning,
Feel your sugars hit the floor!
Better heed the doctor’s warning –
Build a carbohydrate store!

When you ride the Beer-O-Coaster,
Eat some food with every drink,
And before your senses leave you,
Make sure you stay in the pink!