Amity Island
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi all,
I had an appointment today with the diabetes consultant. I was explaining how I was having problems with proteins as part of a balanced meal, converting into glucose, hours later after a meal. In particular, the problem has been with proteins like chicken and nuts. I also explained that proteins eaten on their own, including for example things like a cooked breakfast, would cause a substantial rise in blood sugar. The consultant's reply was yes! this does happen in some people, not everyone, but a small number. Some people convert protein into glucose quite easily, however for the majority of people it has no effect or virtually no effect on blood sugar. So; I got my first answer which confirmed what my results were clearly showing. The advice he gave was sound and very reassuring. What we agreed was, that it would be better to avoid proteins beyond lunch time, this would then allow me to make an insulin correction either at the next meal or if necessary before bed. I had previously tried making pre-emptive adjustments after dinner meals at bed time, but this would mean a very risky presumption that my blood sugars were going to rise through the night, which if they didn't, I would end up with a night time hypo. He confirmed that some people try to mimic the slower release of protein rich meals by taking small units of insulin every hour for a few hours, but that this would be a matter of trial and error to find out what amounts of insulin are required (regular testing or a Freestyle Libre would be useful). Just a point of interest, he advised me that night time corrections should be a bit less aggressive, instead of basing corrections on 1 unit of insulin drops blood glucose by 3 points, try using a 1 unit of insulin drops blood glucose by 5 units, to err on side of safety. This is due to cortisol hormone dropping over the course of the day from being at its strongest upon waking, tapering off until next morning.
All your comments and experiences are very welcome!
I had an appointment today with the diabetes consultant. I was explaining how I was having problems with proteins as part of a balanced meal, converting into glucose, hours later after a meal. In particular, the problem has been with proteins like chicken and nuts. I also explained that proteins eaten on their own, including for example things like a cooked breakfast, would cause a substantial rise in blood sugar. The consultant's reply was yes! this does happen in some people, not everyone, but a small number. Some people convert protein into glucose quite easily, however for the majority of people it has no effect or virtually no effect on blood sugar. So; I got my first answer which confirmed what my results were clearly showing. The advice he gave was sound and very reassuring. What we agreed was, that it would be better to avoid proteins beyond lunch time, this would then allow me to make an insulin correction either at the next meal or if necessary before bed. I had previously tried making pre-emptive adjustments after dinner meals at bed time, but this would mean a very risky presumption that my blood sugars were going to rise through the night, which if they didn't, I would end up with a night time hypo. He confirmed that some people try to mimic the slower release of protein rich meals by taking small units of insulin every hour for a few hours, but that this would be a matter of trial and error to find out what amounts of insulin are required (regular testing or a Freestyle Libre would be useful). Just a point of interest, he advised me that night time corrections should be a bit less aggressive, instead of basing corrections on 1 unit of insulin drops blood glucose by 3 points, try using a 1 unit of insulin drops blood glucose by 5 units, to err on side of safety. This is due to cortisol hormone dropping over the course of the day from being at its strongest upon waking, tapering off until next morning.
All your comments and experiences are very welcome!
