Correction insulin doses before a meal

[mum2westiesGill]

1. At what blood sugar level would you give a correction dose, if you're about to eat a meal?

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Correct if it's above your target level is the simple answer. 🙂

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Easy on a pump or smart meter as a small (or not so small!) correction will be factored in to any bolus. And indeed a small amount shaved off if below target but above hypo. For me that means anything either side of 5.5 🙂

 

[Northerner]

1. At what blood sugar level would you give a correction dose, if you're about to eat a meal?

If I was above 8.0 I'd include extra insulin in my meal dose 🙂

 

[MaryPlain]

Easy on a pump or smart meter as a small (or not so small!) correction will be factored in to any bolus. And indeed a small amount shaved off if below target but above hypo. For me that means anything either side of 5.5 🙂

I don't have that facility on my pump, but my target is 5.5 as well, although I don't bother unless I'm more than 2 above as I only deal in half units and my correction factor is 4 (and my carb estimates aren't that accurate!).

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

That's intersting... Which pump are you using Mary?

 

[trophywench]

5.5 is my pump target too, and it is easy.

But on MDI I'd work it out mnually and factor it in to the blus calc on the basis it was carbs. So as my correction rate was 1u to 10g (or 1u:1CP) and 1u reduced my BG by 3.0 - if it was 3 above, I'd add 10g carb, 2 above add 6g carb, 1 above add 3g carb - and do it that way to the nearest unit (or half unit if you have a half unit pen)

And if you want tight control, then you need a half unit pen when your ratio is small like mine. And defo if it's less. If it's way more than mine you might do OK on a 1u pen. Horses for courses!

 

[Ivy]

For me, above 8. I try to keep my sugars around 7-8 if I am moving about doing daily activities as once my sugars dip below 7 I go hypo unless I'm being sedentary. Which is almost never. 😛

 

[lauraw1983]

For me if I was above about 7 at a mealtime I'd correct it as 1u brings me down 2mmol.

I do have a half unit pen now though which I love, so in theory I could add a half unit to bring me down by 1mmol too, have never really used it that way though as normally if it's above target I know why, and it will be above 7 or 8 anyway so require more than 1 unit correction lol.