When I was first diagnosed I was put on a 2:1 ratio a few weeks back I started having 3 hypos a day so I changed my ratio to 1.5:1 but this last week I have started to hypo alot again with a total number of 5 on thursday so today im trying a 1:1 ratio and have put my lantus up 1 unit which so far no hypo (a nice break if im honest) but my levels have spiked to around 12 which made me feel rubbish. Has anyone got any tips on what I can do???? Thanks 🙂
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trial and error...
- Thread starter Ginnie
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novorapidboi26
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your changing too many things at onece and so you will not know whats causing the lows.......
if they are scattered over the whole day it may indicate a need to decrease your Lantus.......
if they were occurring at the same time of the day it may indicate a need to decrease your quick acting insulin.....
When are the lows occurring........?
if they are scattered over the whole day it may indicate a need to decrease your Lantus.......
if they were occurring at the same time of the day it may indicate a need to decrease your quick acting insulin.....
When are the lows occurring........?
I was told to increase my lantus by the dsn to help with high readings in the morning and it will account for decreasing my novo :/ generally im having hypos 2 hours after a meal but I had two the other while I was in bed about to go to sleep hours after I had eaten anything??? Its annoying when it all changes...
Northerner
Admin (Retired)
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7 isn't the best you could hope for, but I certainly wouldn't call it too high, or high enough to start changing basal. How much lantus are you currently on?
I was on around 12 units but the past month or so iv been carb counting so it depends what I eat.... I didnt think 7 was that high I just dont want to hypo loads in a day but also want to aviod being high, my problem now is to find a solution 🙂
Northerner
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When you wake at 7, what were you when you went to bed?
Well to add confusion it doesnt matter I have been to bed in the 5's and woke at 7 and been to bed at 12 and woke at around 7 this what confuses me obviously I have the odd time where im maybe at 6 or 9 but the majority of the time its 7???? Oh the joys of lifes little complications ay 🙂
Northerner
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Sounds like you could do with a CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) so you can find out what's going on. Unfortunately, they seem to be quite thin on the ground, but it might be worth asking your DSN for one for a few days.
Northerner
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It's a special sensor that you put in your skin and it takes a reading every minute or two so you can see how your levels move up and down through the day. They will also warn when levels are low or high. The sensors are quite expensive though, so they don't usually like lending them out.
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/About_us/Our_Views/Position_statements/Continuous-glucose-monitoring/
🙂
Northerner
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trophywench
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Right.
That will be because the banana is terrible choice for some of us and only OK for others. Rare to find anyone where they are wonderful. Most people have trouble with them, frankly. I can only do half a banana, and that's a bit risky. Patti can't do any banana. LOL
Very fast-acting so you had what, 30g in the sandwich, maybe more depending on bread and filling and ? 20g or more in the banana. So at least 50g, all fast-acting SPLAT it lands all together, simultaneously, at the same time too, in your blood. Nothing much to slow it down. The butter on the bread isn't enough to save you from that amount of carb. Unless the sandwich also contained half a pound of cheddar?
50g fast acting carb = a rise of 15.0 on my meter. OK some of the insulin will get there by 2 hours, but depends on how long it lasts in you. Usually between 4 and 5 hours, but it tails off in the last hour-ish unless it's Humalog, which sometimes has a sting in it's tail. Probably gonna do most of what it does in the first 3 hours.
Try not eating a whole one, or eating a whole one and not the sandwich, or something. And test test test !
That will be because the banana is terrible choice for some of us and only OK for others. Rare to find anyone where they are wonderful. Most people have trouble with them, frankly. I can only do half a banana, and that's a bit risky. Patti can't do any banana. LOL
Very fast-acting so you had what, 30g in the sandwich, maybe more depending on bread and filling and ? 20g or more in the banana. So at least 50g, all fast-acting SPLAT it lands all together, simultaneously, at the same time too, in your blood. Nothing much to slow it down. The butter on the bread isn't enough to save you from that amount of carb. Unless the sandwich also contained half a pound of cheddar?
50g fast acting carb = a rise of 15.0 on my meter. OK some of the insulin will get there by 2 hours, but depends on how long it lasts in you. Usually between 4 and 5 hours, but it tails off in the last hour-ish unless it's Humalog, which sometimes has a sting in it's tail. Probably gonna do most of what it does in the first 3 hours.
Try not eating a whole one, or eating a whole one and not the sandwich, or something. And test test test !
You've been given some good advice so far. Just wanted to add what works for me... you can do a ratio other than 1:1, 1.5:1 or 2:1! Health professionals never suggest this (do they think we can't do anything but basic maths?) but I use 1.1:1 for breakfast and tea and 0.9:1 for lunch. It's quite a big difference to going from 1.5:1 to 1:1 - 5u if it was a 100g carb meal!
It's best if you get a pen that does half units (eg Novopen echo) then you can be more accurate with your ratios and fine tune them.
As you say, it's very much a case of trial and error!
It's best if you get a pen that does half units (eg Novopen echo) then you can be more accurate with your ratios and fine tune them.
As you say, it's very much a case of trial and error!
Thank you everyone.... Well usually I have two toast and a banana for breakfast with 11 units with no problem!!! Today has been another guessing game I hit.16 after a bacon butty but then after a couple of hours havent been able to get above 4 hmmmm back to the drawing board. I am rubbish with maths but ill give anything ago ill get on to the dsn about a different ratio and possible new pen with half doses see if it gets me anywhere. On the up side because my levels have been low this afternoon iv got out of driving in the snow 🙂
trophywench
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Oh there's a bonus to almost everything if you look for it Ginnie ! LOL
Ask your nursie for a meter that helps you calculate your insulin dose!
That's either the Insulinx or the Accu-Chek Expert. You set it up with your carb ratio, it reads your BG, you tell it the carbs you are about to eat and it tells you what to inject. You've also programmed into it what your BG ought to be (say between 5 and 7 or whatever) and if you are a bit hig or a bit low to begin with, it adjusts for that too.
THEN say 2 hours later you just fancy an orange or summat, it not only does the above, but also takes the insulin you had 2 hours ago into account whiole it's doing it. Great bit of kit usually and v useful for the mathematically challenged LOL
Ask your nursie for a meter that helps you calculate your insulin dose!
That's either the Insulinx or the Accu-Chek Expert. You set it up with your carb ratio, it reads your BG, you tell it the carbs you are about to eat and it tells you what to inject. You've also programmed into it what your BG ought to be (say between 5 and 7 or whatever) and if you are a bit hig or a bit low to begin with, it adjusts for that too.
THEN say 2 hours later you just fancy an orange or summat, it not only does the above, but also takes the insulin you had 2 hours ago into account whiole it's doing it. Great bit of kit usually and v useful for the mathematically challenged LOL
Haha that made me laugh mathematically challenged I just hate the time it takes up especially because I hate doing it.... That does sound pretty good though nice and easy and bet it wont take long. I have found out more on here whats on offer than any professional has ever told me about! Well if I didnt look for a bonus it would drive me crazy 🙂 im going to ring the dsn and hope I get a phone call back this week....
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