periodic, almost seasonal, shifts in BG levels?

[rmmcdona]

History:  59 year old Male..Type I Juvenile diabetes since age 12..eyes & kidneys seem perfect, however, neuropathy in both feet/legs..had surgery to convert veins in both legs to arteries..lost one toe ..stroke one year ago but damage almost 100% reversed
Problem: over the years have observed periodic shifts in avg. BG readings..in early May I observed a new 'shift' ..had to inflate Insulin-to-Carb ratio by almost 50%..now, a full 3 months later, and VIRTUALLY OVERNIGHT, my system has reverted back to my 'normal' (old)Insulin-to-Carb ratio ..Note- shift does not seem result of infection, hot-to-cold climatic shift, Holiday eating or job stress
Question: Any idea what causes these cyclical shifts in BG level (insulin resistance)? ..Frustrating when shifts to high BG ..Dangerous when shifts to low BG levels.    

[JDRF-VOL-SG]

I am female and have been a type 1 diabetic for 38 years. My experience has been that only stress (both good "happy events" and bad emotional stresses that cause adrenalin dumps) or hormonal shifts have been the only things that cause me to have glucose level changes. Maybe worth asking your endocrinologist about male mid-life hormonal changes... not nearly as much is written about male hormone levels since they are not as obvious as female hormonal level changes, but I know that some changes DO happen, and hormones do effect glucose levels. It is worth doing some research about.

[rmmcdona]

Yes, I do exercise and can definitely count on my BG to drop 100 pts ater 2 hours of vigorous exercise ..I have learned to forecast and manage that quite well ..exercise fluctuations are now much easier to manage with the pump (temp basil, etc) ..and yes, I've queried 3 different endocrinologists and multiple internists about this ..it seems beyond their training or vicarious experience ..when I'm in one of those 2 to 3 month inflated BG periods or cycles, I get hyper cautious about when the metabolic shift and increased insulin acceptability will occur - - especially when I go to bed at night  ..I can obviously live with this ..would just like to understand and be able to predict (i.e.,control) it ..thanks for your interest and feedback ..surely I'm not the only Type I who experiences this ..would welcome their thoughts/understandings

[Forum-VOL-CB]

Wow, this is a good question. Unfortunately, I have no qualifications to answer it. Do you see an endocrinologist? Does he/she have an opinion? Do you have blood pressure changes/issues?

The most typical answer is a change in activity level, but even though you didn't mention that, I presume you've ruled that out. Or have you? That can have a huge impact on BG.

It does sound very frustrating. Does anyone out there have experience with this?