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Confused

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Emmakeets

Emmakeets

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1.5 LADA
So I have read a lot on here about working out which carbs you react to and what you can tolerate and understand about a spike being classed as going up 3 units after food.

I'm insulin dependent and don't have a ratio yet, this is something I am trying to work out. My question is, if I spike after eating how do I know if it's the carbs that I can't tolerate or if I just haven't taken the right amount of insulin?

Any help would be appreciated.
 
Hi there Emma. The ways I would judge it would be by looking at what your level was 4 to 5 hours after eating. If it's back to somewhere near what it was pre meal then your insulin dose was probably right.

There are other factors of course such as what exercise you did and is your basal insulin (if any) at the right level.
 
Thank you @khskel. I do also take basal insulin which I again am not sure if I am taking the right amount!

I find it all so complicated and don't know how to work out if i'm taking the right amount of any of it! The doctor has just told me to take 20 units bolus each meal but sometimes that isn't enough and sometimes it is too much.
 
Fixed doses are a pain in the proverbial.

Do you keep a record of your meals and the amounts of carbs in them. This would help to give you an indication as to what a correct dose should be.

As regards basal insulin you can test for this by skipping meals, checking BG regularly and seeing what happens to your levels.

Having said all that I don't want to preempt your health care professionals if they are aiming to get you into carb counting with insulin to carb ratios.
 
Hi Emma have a look in the pump forum it tells you how to do a basal test which is as good for people injecting as it is for pumpers.

You need to sort out your basal first, then sort out your bolus. Trying to both at the same time causes major confusion.
No idea how much you eat but 20 units of bolus each meal seems rather a lot and that amount would cover 2 days worth of meals for me.
So start with your basal and see how you get on, remember Rome wasn't built in a day so slowly does it.
 
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