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How many units do you inject daily?

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missev1

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Type 1
Hi,
I am new to the site. I was diagnosed type 1 in 1997. Controlling my sugar was not a problem then but of late I have had difficulties maintaining levels in the normal range.
I find it hard to remain positive when a future with diabetes often sounds bleak. I was listening to an excellent program on radio 4 this evening about diabetes yet during the whole program nothing positive was said:confused:
Any advice please.........
 
Missev1 hi and a warm welcome to the forum as you may see im a type 2 so cant help with your actual question about injecting units but I did just want to say we hear a heck of a lot more negative then positive when it comes to diabetes it just seems that thats the way it is,personally I find rising above the negativity which is not always easy but it does make me stronger when it comes to handling my D.

Have a good look around the forum and ask anything anytime no question in this forum is a stupid one
 
You probably need to evaluate your control again, kind of starting from scratch checking that your background insulin is doing it's job and reworking your quick acting carb/insulin ratio's..

diabetes is like time it doesn't stand still, so what worked a couple of years ago isn't right now, you slightly older your activity levels change what stressed you out several years ago doesn't now but been replaced or added to... all end meaning that we've end up doing some serious testing and data stints to work out our control again...

As to a gloomy future.. The media can not mention diabetes without tagging 'complications' in to the affray it wouldn't be newsworthy otherwise, nothing like scaremongering to grab attention...

Take a look around the forum for ideas, ask some questions and I suspect amongst us all we can come up with some ideas, tips and knowledge to help you out to gain the control again..
 
Hi Missev and welcome to the forums.

If your hoping to get a snapshot of how many units people inject and then be able to apply that to you, then I am afraid that won't work. Diabetes is so individual and the amount people need varies so much.

So a couple of questions what insulins do you inject ?
Have you been taught to carb count?
Do you have a DSN who you can call on to help ?
What is your latest HbA1c?
Are there any particular times of day that you struggle?

If you can answer these questions - then it will be easier for people to try to help.
 
I inject humalog daily 4-5 times depending on how often i eat between 2-5 u. then Lantus Optiset 10u. at night.
My last HbA1c was 8.8, in September last year which for me was good even though it was higher than it should be.
I do have a DSN at my local hospital and I am also monitored at my surgery so I am lucky.
I do carb count and try to eat low GI foods.
Sometimes control is so easy when I Feel positive yet I often feel low with no get up and go and then my control goes to pot.
 
Hi missev1. Welcome 🙂

The key is to test as often as you feel able. 6 to 8 times a day is not too much and if you write each on down along with carbs eaten and notes about exercise, mood, etc you may see where you can easily improve.

If you are less active when you feel depressed, perhaps you could adjust your ratios and/or lantus to reflect that. ie. a good day regime and a bad day regime, so that the lack of exercise aspect is covered by extra insulin.

If your DSN or GP aren't suggesting ways of improving, then maybe you could ask if there's another DSN you could see ?🙂

Rob
 
Welcome missev1.

Best thing to remember is that with good care by yourself, the risks of complications from diabetes are much lower than if you don't know what to do.

In the recent Radio 4 File on 4 programme, most of the sad stories of death and amputated foot would not have happened if the young woman had known about sick day rules so that she could manage her own blood glucose levels when unwell with infection / vomiting and the man would not have lost part of his foot if he'd inspected his own feet everyday, particularly after an injury. True, health professionals should also play their part, but a person with diabetes can almost always act quicker than if they wait for an appointment.

As an example, last week, I reluctantly went to GP to ask for antibiotics as my sinuses behind my cheeks were infected, making my head feel woosy and affecting my balance if I moved my head. He asked if my blood sugars were "all over the place" and I truthfully said "not really, because I'm adjusting my insulin doses". Last time I'd been for anything other than flu vaccines or twice because of a knee injury, was 7 years ago for a similar sinus infection. In the meantime, obviously, I've had several colds etc, but never needed any help, as I had learned how to adjust my insulin (upwards) when I have an infection.

As an example of Sick Day Rules with Diabetes, see http://www.diabetesuffolk.com/managingdiabetes/Sick day rules.htm
 
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