insulin amounts

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colinw

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi I hope everyone is well and enjoying themselves,I have a question
I take 12 units of slow acting and inbetween 12 and 14 units of quick
I have worked very hard to keep my requirements at the same level after reading about the insulin trap.I get very hungry sometimes to the point where I feel that I have a eating disorder as I watch my weight.
My consultant has told me that if I can keep my weight and insulin requirement the same I can control better,My ratio is 21 grams to 1 unit so if I have a sarnie its two units 3 for breakfast and about 6 or 7 for tea,I am starting to correct on a night so my quick is going up but if I adjust my slow I get hypo a lot.
The nurse said that there are children who take more than me,what sorts of numbers do you take I am not overweight and exercise.
I dont know why but do you take less or more
hoping that I get some replys
colinw
 
colinw said:
Hi I hope everyone is well and enjoying themselves,I have a question
I take 12 units of slow acting and inbetween 12 and 14 units of quick
I have worked very hard to keep my requirements at the same level after reading about the insulin trap.I get very hungry sometimes to the point where I feel that I have a eating disorder as I watch my weight.
My consultant has told me that if I can keep my weight and insulin requirement the same I can control better,My ratio is 21 grams to 1 unit so if I have a sarnie its two units 3 for breakfast and about 6 or 7 for tea,I am starting to correct on a night so my quick is going up but if I adjust my slow I get hypo a lot.
The nurse said that there are children who take more than me,what sorts of numbers do you take I am not overweight and exercise.
I dont know why but do you take less or more
hoping that I get some replys
colinw
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Oh dear Colin, personally I think your consultant needs shooting. He seriously needs to come and join the 21st century.

The whole idea of MDI, which is what you are on (multiple daily injections) is that you match the insulin to what you eat. Obviously you need a healthy diet (!) but for ever carb you eat you give the required amount of insulin.

You have been given a ratio of 21 carbs to 1 unit of insulin. Is this the same for the whole day ? It shouldn't be. You should have been made aware of how to tweak your dose as you see what happens with your levels. If you are a classic type 1 (and most are) you will need far more quick acting insulin with your breakfast than you will with your tea. People are insulin resistent in the morning and sensitive at night.

My daughter is 9 and regularly has 6 odd units for a meal. Her 10 year old friend regularly has 11 or more units for a meal. Their ratios are very different. My daughter is taller and a bigger build than her friend yet her friend needs a lot more insulin that my daughter.

What is the insulin trap they have told you about?

There is no trap. Whatever you eat, you count the carbs and give yourself a bolus of quick acting insulin. If they haven't told you that or taught you to carb count properly then ask them. They are failing you. If they say they do not do that or can't do that, then they are not following the NICE guidelines and therefore get referred to a hospital that does.

I hope I haven't frightened you or anything but I get so cross with these medical professionals or whatever they call themselves. 😡
 
I agree with what Adrienne said! What is this insulin trap?

You shouldn't be getting hungry, you can eat as much as you like and it doesn't matter how much insulin you take.

Where do you go for your treatment? GP surgery by any chance?
 
this is one thing that really annoys me, when so called professionals make people believe it is better to have less insulin, i have heard this so many times, it is ludicrous!! even on my dafne course there were people still taking set doses of insulin and therefore eating at set times and the same things!! they didnt know there was another way!!😱

Everyone is different and needs different amounts, Adrienne has answered this so well, I cant add anything other than please seek better help, you deserve it.
 
Hi Colin,

Hope you are well, you sound a bit confused by your consultation. Its awful when this happens. I also would be interested to know in what capacity you are recieveing care, either at hospital or at the GP.

Adrienne makes good sense. We all have different requirements anyway. I have heard of the insulin trap theory but I was thinking it wasnt current. I have googled briefly to jog my memory, this was what I found....

How your body reacts when you consume carbohydrates is called your
“Glycemic Response.” If your daily diet consists of too many highglycemic-
response carbohydrates (carbohydrates that cause a rapid and
dramatic increase in blood sugar levels), your body can be in a constant
state of rapidly moving between “hyperglycemia” (too much blood sugar) and
“hypoglycemia” (too little blood sugar).We call this the “Glycemic Roller
Coaster,” and it happens to tens of millions of people every day. If your diet is
causing you to ride the Glycemic Roller Coaster, you are probably also in the
“Insulin Trap.”This means that you’re probably maximizing your body’s need to
create and store fat, while at the same time minimizing its ability to burn it.
This makes it difficult for you to lose, or even control, your body weight, and
can increase your risk of diabetes and heart disease, both of which can lead to
early death.

I would concentrate more on taking the right amount of insulin needed to keep you in range and optomise your carb counting to benefit the best way possible. If it is possible that you feel your eating habits arent what you feel are right then I definately suggest seeing the dietician and/or psychologist affiliated with your clinic (there is a specific "disease psychologist" with mine and I have found her very understanding and helpful).

All the best colinw x
 
Hi Colin,

I agree with the others. The main benefit of going onto multiple daily injections and carb counting is to allow you to eat what you want and as much of it (within reason).

NiVZ
 
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