Carb counting... not so bad

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Ruth Goode

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I have started carb counting, now its been only 4 days. I must admitted I was dreading it and didn't really want to do it from the start and now it was NOT that bad, it is quite easy once you get into it. It will be worth it in the end when Carly get more freedom in eating what she like and I will be able to adjust her insulins
 
yes Ruth, I know exactly how you feel. I started carb counting for C about 18 months ago, but I only had to do it for the evening meal then. About a year ago C managed to do her own injections, which meant she could go on MDI properly. We did have two meetings with the dietician and she also gave me some carb lists. I also did the BDEC online course, which helped a little bit too. http://www.bdec-e-learning.com (just in case you don't have the address already)

So don't worry too much, it will get even easier as time goes on. Carly will really appreciate all your hard work. I have asked C several times whether she'd like to go back to two injections. Her reply: NO WAY!!!🙂

Good luck x x
 
A lot of people carb count and benefit greatly from it. As you have made a brilliant start things can only get better.
 
Ruth Goode said:
I have started carb counting, now its been only 4 days. I must admitted I was dreading it and didn't really want to do it from the start and now it was NOT that bad, it is quite easy once you get into it...
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Hi Ruth

Congrats on the great start. Hope you continue to find it a system that helps Carly's control 🙂

I'm very interested to know what your old system was. What you understand by 'carb counting' and how it differs from what advice you were following before. Could you give me a quick description?

For instance, how did you know that Carly was eating 'enough' of whatever sorts of food so as not to go too high or too low, before you started counting?

If you caught any of this thread you'll know I'm confused about the advice given to folk put on insulin who aren't taught to count carbs.

Thanks!
Mike
 
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I would say that the main difficulty I have found is not the carb counting itself, but the need to make adjustments to the calculated value according to all the other factors that seem to come into play occasionally. For example, I was running a lot before I went on holiday recently (waddya mean, you didn't notice I was gone? 😉), but did far less on my holiday so I've had to take this into account when adjusting my insulin. The carb counting knowledge definitely gives you a head start though - the task would be ten times harder without being fairly accurate and knowledgeable about carb amounts and changing ratios. Must be even harder where a child is concerned with all that growing and energy involved, but gives you (and them) much greater flexibility.

Everyone should be offered some sort of education by their PCT, particularly in the use of insulin and factors affecting it. This may be DAFNE, or possibly something your own PCT has devised (as in my case), so if you haven't been offered anything, please do ask at the earliest opportunity! 🙂
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
I'm very interested to know what your old system was. What you understand by 'carb counting' and how it differs from what advice you were following before. Could you give me a quick description?

Mike
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Mike - I never replied to your carb counting question/thread.
But here it is: At diagnosis C was put on a mixed insulin. We weren't told to carb count. We were just told what she could or couldn't eat and only have small occasional treats at mealtimes. It was horrible, as C had to eat when she wasn't hungry and wasn't allowed anything when she was!!! I found it very hard to find something she could have without carbs in, she ended up having lots of cheese. Luckily, when we changed to MDI, we ( well actually just I) also learnt to carb count.
 
Monica said:
We were just told what she could or couldn't eat and only have small occasional treats at mealtimes. It was horrible, as C had to eat when she wasn't hungry and wasn't allowed anything when she was!!!
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Thanks Monica

I'm guessing this was on a mixed insulin.

Does that mean you were given set amounts of carbs to eat at each mealtime? (ie x grams at breakfast, y grams at lunch...). Or just general advice about make sure she eats 'some' (unspecified quantity of) starchy carbs at every meal. Eat low fat. Avoid sugary things. Blah blah blah...

Thnanks again for the info. 🙂

Mike
 
It is the same as what Monica said and also Carly's level go too high and too low on 2 injections a day (narvomix) and use narvorapid if its go too high. Now she is on 4 injections (narvorapid at meal times and levemir at bed-time)
This morning DSN visited and worked out Carly need a unit for every 20g of carb so I can feed her, well it's more IF she eat more or less I can adjust her insulin, that way she can eat what she like. (still low sugar for now as we have just started)
 
Hi Ruth,

I've been diagnosed T1 for 7 months now and was put on to 4 injections a day (3 mealtime, 1 night time), but told what doses to give myself at each meal which turned out to be far too much and I was having hypos on a regular basis. I was educated about carb-counting until a couple of months in, and realised that I was giving myself far too much. Carb counting is great. It puts you back in control of your diabetes - I can't believe I was put on 4 injections a day without being taught how to carb count!!
 
Thanks Ruth

So the only guide you had before you started counting was if Carly went too high or two low? You just treated the hypos and/or hypers after they had happened?

Is that right...? (sorry, being a bit of a thickie!)

Thanks
M
 
Ruth Goode said:
I have started carb counting, now its been only 4 days. I must admitted I was dreading it and didn't really want to do it from the start and now it was NOT that bad, it is quite easy once you get into it. It will be worth it in the end when Carly get more freedom in eating what she like and I will be able to adjust her insulins
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That's great to hear as only by knowing the carb content of a meal can you give the correct amount of insulin, which in turn should help stabilize and keep good blood glucose control. Try involving Carly as much as possible in the process of counting carbs, you could do this in a fun way which would keep her entertained but at the same time teach her to carb count as she grows older. Good luck and hope your progress continues! Toby.
 
Bunny74 said:
but told what doses to give myself at each meal which turned out to be far too much...
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Hi Bunny

Glad you feel more in control now you are carb counting 🙂

Did you get told anything about how many grams of carbohydrate to eat as part of your meals before you started carb counting? The reason I ask is that there seems to be a big gap in many people's initial training/introduction to insulin.

It seems people get told what doses to take, but nothing about measuring/monitoring how many grams of carbs they should eat to match those doses. I find this quite worrying, and I'm thinking of writing to DUK to get them to look at the advice the NHS gives people when they start on insulin.

I'm just trying to gather some info so I don't end up looking silly 🙂

M
 
Yes, its can be confusing. I use a unit for every 20g carb, also if Carly's level is over 15 then I need to add half unit, if over 20 I need to add another unit.. do that make sense? or am I answering right?
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Does that mean you were given set amounts of carbs to eat at each mealtime? (ie x grams at breakfast, y grams at lunch...). Or just general advice about make sure she eats 'some' (unspecified quantity of) starchy carbs at every meal. Eat low fat. Avoid sugary things. Blah blah blah...

Thnanks again for the info. 🙂

Mike
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Yes, as mentioned above😉 she was on mixed insulin. And No, we were not told about set amounts of carbs. It was Blah blah blah🙄. For the morning and afternoon snack, she said to give her a piece of fruit. When I sarcastically asked what fruit was, she said to give her 2 digestives or 2 hobnobs ( Who wants to eat 4 boring biscuits a day?). Well, C soon got bored with that. So I looked at the carb content of 2 digestives and tried to find something else with similar carb content for a snack. She also gave me a recipe for flapjack, but never told me how many pieces I had to cut it into to make them the right amount of carb. So I hardly used it.
 
Thanks Ruth.

So pleased that carb counting is working so well for you and Carly. It should give you so much more confidence and freedom (and more chances for occasional treats too!) 🙂
 
Monica said:
Yes, as mentioned above😉 she was on mixed insulin. And No, we were not told about set amounts of carbs. It was Blah blah blah🙄. For the morning and afternoon snack, she said to give her a piece of fruit. When I sarcastically asked what fruit was, she said to give her 2 digestives or 2 hobnobs ( Who wants to eat 4 boring biscuits a day?). Well, C soon got bored with that. So I looked at the carb content of 2 digestives and tried to find something else with similar carb content for a snack. She also gave me a recipe for flapjack, but never told me how many pieces I had to cut it into to make them the right amount of carb. So I hardly used it.
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Thanks Monica. That's very helpful. I am thinking of writing an open letter to D UK so I want to make sure any [non-specific] anecdotal accounts of 'what people are being told' are accurate.

Mike
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Thanks Monica. That's very helpful. I am thinking of writing an open letter to D UK so I want to make sure any [non-specific] anecdotal accounts of 'what people are being told' are accurate.

Mike
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When I was diagnosed they gave me specific doses but no indication of what to eat. At first I thought, 'Ah! They're basing it on what I was on in hospital!', but then thinking further I realised they hadn't been monitoring what I was eating there either (to my knowledge, at least). I'd often shoot up into the high 20s after eating there. For my first couple of weeks at home I rang through with my readings and the suggested changes to my insulin to combat the highs and lows - still with no real idea of what I was eating. After a short while I got used to guessing how much more or less I needed with certain meals and started to build my own internal 'database' of what was required.

It was about 3 months after diagnosis that I was taught the rudiments of carb counting, although I have to be honest and say that I don't really do it with any precision, more an ability to mentally compare meals and pre-/post meal results - I've got a pretty good memory and my diet is varied but is generally composed of certain meals, mostly home cooked.
 
hi Ruth

I have been carb counting for about 3 months now. At first we were carb counting with teaas jack moved onto 3 injections and now we carb count all meals now that Jacks is on MDI. I was very worried about it aswell, thinking how the heck do you carb count but once you know how it aint so bad. I'm now remembering certing things without weighing or looking in my books. x
 
Not sure if this has been asked before, but is there a carb counting course similar to DAFNE which is specifically aimed at children? My understanding is that DAFNE is for adult type 1's, but I suppose if parents or careers were allowed on the DAFNE programme they could pass on these skills to their children. Toby.
 
Toby, DAFNE is NOT a carb couting course its much more than that. But I take your point about children not being able to do it. I believe a version is being considered but is some way off so that not really an option. There is an online carb counting course by the same people that do BERTIE I beleive its at http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/ . I can't recommend it as I have never tried it but it might be an option worth trying.
 
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