Correction factor

[palmoff]

Through some really cool fag packet math, i found my correction to be 1u of novorapid to every 10g of carb.
My dsn worked it out properly and said it was more like 12g to every 1u.

So at the moment I take 27u of lantus at night and roughly 6u of novorapid before meals my average carb is roughly the same for all meals.

I'm guessing that this is not insulin resistant but my pancreas is shot, your thoughts please.

Note: I have not been typed yet and it's doing my nut in.

 

[DaveB]

Hi. For a Correction you don't use any carb number but the amount the blood sugar reading is high (the '100 Rule' is one guide)? Do you mean the Bolus to Carb ratio which is typically 1u to 10gm carb and there is no formula for that so I'm wondering how the nurse worked out 12gm to 1 u?

 

[Robin]

and there is no formula for that so I'm wondering how the nurse worked out 12gm to 1 u?

Well, it's not a mathematical equation as such, but I assume what palmoff and the DSN did was to look at the Amount of insulin, the number of carbs, the starting BG levels and the level it had come down to before the next meal, and worked out what ratio was doing the trick. That's what I do.

 

[palmoff]

Yeah thats what I did the dsn just added on the basal to the total, something I forget to do.

 

[bilbie]

This may help a bit, it goes through a lot of things to talk over with your HCP
it covers correction and dosing
An Introduction to Carbohydrate Counting ,
The Next Steps

 

[trophywench]

Sounds to me @palmoff , that there's no doubt whatever that you are Type 1 and therefore not your whole pancreas, but at least the Beta cells in the islets of Langerhans (ie the bit that actually produces insulin) are shot. (Pancreases do other things as well as make insulin. We're just never aware of any of it - until it goes up the Swanee, of course!)

Not all Type 1s have a so-called honeymoon period either (why do they call it that? - I enjoyed my honeymoon!) - I never seemed to have one, anyway, so perhaps you aren't going to either - who knows?

It sort of goes like this - if you are a bod standard textbook Type 1 - 10g carb increased your BG by 2,5 to 3.0. 1u of fast acting insulin deals with 10g Carb, and will also reduce your BG by 2.5 to 3.0 when you are high, need to correct and haven't miscalculated carbs or bolus for them.

I AM that textbook T1 apparently because that's exactly what happens and makes the maths dead easy, but anyway, I've had a 'Smart' meter for years which calculates boluses for me. At one stage before I had the pump I was on a ratio of 1u to 11g.

Consultant - 'Gosh - doesn't that make calculating doses difficult, Jenny?'
Jenny guffaws. Then says 'No - of course not because I learned my 11 x table at school when I was about 7 I think - didn't you? We had to recite the lot up to 12x every flippin morning! But in any case - the meter (that you've just downloaded, that one ...) does the maths for me anyway!'

 

[palmoff]

Thanks all, I have had my suspicions on being type 1 the evidence being :
Sudden onset.. I went from fairly normal BG to a BG of over 31mmols virtually overnight
Metformin did nothing at all to my BG.
I dont need huge amounts of insulin to compensate for resistance.

 

[Northerner]

Thanks all, I have had my suspicions on being type 1 the evidence being :
Sudden onset.. I went from fairly normal BG to a BG of over 31mmols virtually overnight
Metformin did nothing at all to my BG.
I dont need huge amounts of insulin to compensate for resistance.

Another vote for Type 1 here, evidence seems pretty overwhelming! 🙂

 

[palmoff]

Thanks for your thoughts, I wonder if the consultant will share my our thoughts.
I shall have to wait and see, wait and see yes...

 

[Bloden]

Good luck getting a clear diagnosis, Palmoff. 🙂 What's taking them so long??!😱

 

[palmoff]

I have an appointment on Thursday, just hoping they have done the tests failing that then hopefully common sense prevails and the consultant sees what we see.

 

[Austin Mini]

1 unit of Humalog to 10g carb is what I use for before meals injection. For corrections for every 3mmol/L I am over (my aim is 6mmol/L reading as normal) I do 1 unit of Humalog for correction. Lantus before bed has been 14 units for the last 12 months.