Bolus for meals average.

[Tom1982]

Just curious, what kind of amount do people have? Would it be unheard of to have, say, 15 units of novorapid for a big dinner?

 

[rayray119]

Just curious, what kind of amount do people have? Would it be unheard of to have, say, 15 units of novorapid for a big dinner?

It will depend on how many carbs I'm having the most I proberry done for one meal is around 9 or 10 I think. But not all in one go.

 

[rayray119]

It will depend on how many carbs I'm having the most I proberry done for one meal is around 9 or 10 I think. But not all in one go.

Just to add this add this isn't a typical day and as everyone says "you need what you need")

 

[rebrascora]

I follow a low carb way of eating so 2-4 is normal dose, 5 is unusual without a correction and 6 units or above is a special occasion (eating out etc) for me, or I am trying to bring levels down from a real high (mid teens) in which case I wait until my levels drop below 8 before I eat. I use a standard 1:10 ratio.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Just curious, what kind of amount do people have? Would it be unheard of to have, say, 15 units of novorapid for a big dinner?

Certainly not! I rarely have over 20, but I do, sometimes. 10-12 is more usual for lunch, but even then (if I'm having a pub lunch or something) I might use a bit more.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Just curious, what kind of amount do people have? Would it be unheard of to have, say, 15 units of novorapid for a big dinner?

Everyone's answer would be different due to carb ratio's 🙂
The most I eat in one meal is 75 gms of cars as I know anymore will cause issues and it's very unusual for me to have more than 4 units as a bolus might be a bit more if I need a correction.

 

[Inka]

Just curious, what kind of amount do people have? Would it be unheard of to have, say, 15 units of novorapid for a big dinner?

When I was pregnant, I needed 19 or 20 units for a bowl of cereal 😱 That was insulin resistance. Usually, I have 2-5 for the average meal if I start with a normal blood sugar. I’ve had 9 units split into boluses for various courses at a celebration meal. I find if I eat enough to need 9/10+ units I’m best splitting the boluses else I hypo (because my body takes longer to digest the amount of food).

Obviously for pregnancy, illness, insulin resistance, steroids, etc etc the doses will probably be higher, but I admit that I feel anxious if I go too far above my average bolus.

 

[Sally71]

I think my daughter has occasionally had large boluses like that, but usually for things like kids’ parties and buffets where the food is particularly carb-heavy and you might eat more than normal. When she got her first pump she was only 6 so the maximum bolus size had been preset to 12, by the time we finished with that pump 4 years later we were sometimes having to do two boluses because we were going over the 12 unit limit. Subsequent pumps have been set with a limit of 25 and it isn’t a problem, and normally boluses are less than that. Can’t say exactly any more because she just gets on with it herself.

 

[trophywench]

15u would be fat too much for me since it would cater for over 100g carb and I honestly doubt I could eat that much for one meal.

 

[rayray119]

15u would be fat too much for me since it would cater for over 100g carb and I honestly doubt I could eat that much for one meal.

I've eaten over a 100 carbs in just a simple burger and chips meals 🙂

 

[Bruce Stephens]

I've eaten over a 100 carbs in just a simple burger and chips meals 🙂

Me too. Or (on holiday) a nice plate of pasta at lunch, followed by ice cream. Can easily be over 100g. (Not the kind of thing I want to eat too often, but it can happen.)

 

[nonethewiser]

Breakfast is 5u lunch 4-5u tea 5 -6u in general.

Can go up to 10u for meals like Chinese takeaway & meals high in protein & fat, these kind of meals are gift that keeps on giving as they raise bg levels many hours after eating, not so much hassle as being on pump can extend bolus to cover that time period.

Of opinion that you need what you need, so no prizes for those who need less or more insulin as our bodies have different needs.

 

[Microbe]

Breakfast is 5u lunch 4-5u tea 5 -6u in general.

Can go up to 10u for meals like Chinese takeaway & meals high in protein & fat, these kind of meals are gift that keeps on giving as they raise bg levels many hours after eating, not so much hassle as being on pump can extend bolus to cover that time period.

Of opinion that you need what you need, so no prizes for those who need less or more insulin as our bodies have different needs.

I have the same issue with Chinese and high fat meals, how do you tackle the extended high? I was told not to dose with rapid insulin more than once in 4 hours, not sure this is still current?

 

[Bruce Stephens]

I was told not to dose with rapid insulin more than once in 4 hours, not sure this is still current?

It's still the recommendation, but I think most of us do it (sometimes, very carefully) anyway.

The danger is that you lose track of how much insulin you've injected and so end up going hypo, but when you're doing it consciously like this for a specific meal that's surely much less of a risk.

 

[trophywench]

Ah, well, when you eat any meal with high carb and high fat - pizza is one! you can split your bolus for it into two (or indeed more!) doses. 40% (ish) upfront as per normal bolussing, then a gap of say half an hour (ish) followed by some more. It's a matter of experimentation to see what works for you on that day with that meal! Just one of the many things where everyone's reaction can be different.

I wouldn't normally choose to eat a burger in a bun with more carbs in the chips, knowing that I can't eat that many carbs in one go. Did have one such before last Xmas on the way back from a funeral in Kings Lynn - Maccy D's at Peterborough I think it was. The Xmas type burger I chose was scrummy. I left half the bun but enjoyed the filling and a few of the fries, Pete ate the rest of them.

You know Subways? How they do a 'one section' sandwich for little kids but with a restricted list of fillings? Well that's what I want, but with enough filling (of full choice) for a 6 inch one please! I don't cause ripples - I order a 6" one, and just leave some of the bread.

MacD's is OK, cos you can always empty the burger into the box and just eat however much you want and leave the rest, unhindered.

I by no means criticise anyone eating more than me - but please don't doubt me when I say I cannot eat the same amount. Well of course I daresay I actually could if I forced it down, but that would just be stupid!

 

[rayray119]

Ah, well, when you eat any meal with high carb and high fat - pizza is one! you can split your bolus for it into two (or indeed more!) doses. 40% (ish) upfront as per normal bolussing, then a gap of say half an hour (ish) followed by some more. It's a matter of experimentation to see what works for you on that day with that meal! Just one of the many things where everyone's reaction can be different.

I wouldn't normally choose to eat a burger in a bun with more carbs in the chips, knowing that I can't eat that many carbs in one go. Did have one such before last Xmas on the way back from a funeral in Kings Lynn - Maccy D's at Peterborough I think it was. The Xmas type burger I chose was scrummy. I left half the bun but enjoyed the filling and a few of the fries, Pete ate the rest of them.

You know Subways? How they do a 'one section' sandwich for little kids but with a restricted list of fillings? Well that's what I want, but with enough filling (of full choice) for a 6 inch one please! I don't cause ripples - I order a 6" one, and just leave some of the bread.

MacD's is OK, cos you can always empty the burger into the box and just eat however much you want and leave the rest, unhindered.

I by no means criticise anyone eating more than me - but please don't doubt me when I say I cannot eat the same amount. Well of course I daresay I actually could if I forced it down, but that would just be stupid!

I wasn't doubting but thought you meant you thought it would be slot of food. And I've found tthar what consider a normal size adult size portions🙂 it suprises me how much carbs can be packed into tiny things sometimes just 6 opinion rings in weather spoons have 37 carbs in s. 🙂(I put the 🙂 to avoid risk of it being taken in the wrong way) and I also took the question to include the split doses as it's the same meal)

There was aboueoully no offense or cirtiasim meant by the comment

If was meant as a friendly comment 🙂

 

[Inka]

I have the same issue with Chinese and high fat meals, how do you tackle the extended high? I was told not to dose with rapid insulin more than once in 4 hours, not sure this is still current?

Chinese and high fat meals sometimes need a split bolus. So yes, in practice, you’re injecting more than once. The only reason they tell people that is to avoid mistakes and hypos. As an example, if I had a main course of 50g and a dessert of 30g, and my ratio was 1:10g, I’d need 8 units of insulin, right? But I could choose to split this amount and have 5 units before my main course and 3 units before my dessert. That’s not wrong or bad. What would be wrong would be for me to test my blood sugar after my main meal, see it was 11mmols and add a correction dose to my 3 units for dessert. This would be wrong because the insulin for my main course is still acting and will lower my blood sugar further, so I wouldn’t need a correction.

Also, the 4 hr advice is to stop people over-correcting and stacking insulin which might later cause a hypo.

If you want breakfast at 10am and lunch at 12noon - ie two boluses in two hours - you can, but you need to be aware of your earlier breakfast bolus that will still be working, and be aware that the blood sugar reading you take before lunch might drop further. Therefore you shouldn’t be correcting it.

 

[Microbe]

Thanks Inka, useful info.
I was also thinking about a recent big meal I had at about 6pm, dosed for my estimated carb intake but 6 hours later still above 10mmol. Took a correction dose at bedtime but glucose stayed in the teens all night and awoke with a glucose of 10mmol. How do I deal with this?
Thanks

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Took a correction dose at bedtime but glucose stayed in the teens all night and awoke with a glucose of 10mmol. How do I deal with this?

Take a little more insulin, I think. For really big meals it can take a while for them to be digested so even your correction dose may have been before some of the meal was digested (so may have been a little too low). But it can be tricky, since obviously you can go low if you get it wrong.

 

[Microbe]

Thanks for the feedback, its what I thought but worried about taking too much and then going low. Nextbtime ill take a little more insulin and see how I go.