Snack

[Conrad howell]

I think they finish school next weds,
I knew it was coming we had a bit of a moment tonight, we had some pizzas in the fridge and he loves pizza, we were all having some but he said no as it was high in carbs so opted for something else, but then got really tearful as he really wanted some, then I got tearful as I was waiting for something like this to happen, I said just have don't worry about it. He had some in the end, I don't want to deprive him of the odd favourite, bless he's a 15 yr old... He's been really good and and I don't want him to become obsessed with food and not eat anything because he's worried about carbs... Surely it's okay once in a while?

 

[Robin]

It's very early days yet, Conrad. I think from what you said on your Newbie's post that your son is on fixed doses of insulin at the moment. This will change, once you've all got to grips with the injecting and so on, your son should be taught how to adjust his insulin each mealtime for what he is going to eat, in other words, matching the insulin to the food, not the food to the insulin. this will allow him to be much more flexible, and with experience, to work out what insulin dose to take if he wants pizza ( it is a notoriously difficult one to calculate, I have to say, because the fat in the cheese etc tends to slow down the absorption of the carbohydrate, but it is perfectly doable.). So hang in there and it all will become easier, and more flexible.

 

[Conrad howell]

It's very early days yet, Conrad. I think from what you said on your Newbie's post that your son is on fixed doses of insulin at the moment. This will change, once you've all got to grips with the injecting and so on, your son should be taught how to adjust his insulin each mealtime for what he is going to eat, in other words, matching the insulin to the food, not the food to the insulin. this will allow him to be much more flexible, and with experience, to work out what insulin dose to take if he wants pizza ( it is a notoriously difficult one to calculate, I have to say, because the fat in the cheese etc tends to slow down the absorption of the carbohydrate, but it is perfectly doable.). So hang in there and it all will become easier, and more flexible.

I did say to my wife, once we get the ratios he can adjust the injection to the food, and maybe get back to near normal...
Thanks

 

[Northerner]

You (and he) might be interested in 'Bev's Food Experiments' where members reported on the effects of several potentially tricky meals, including Pizza night 🙂 Responses were mixed, which goes to show how individual this condition can be at times, but generally there are strategies to deal with things, you just probably wouldn't want to bother every night - more for 'special occasions' if they turn out to be problematic.

In time, I've personally moved away from eating things that cause me problems - chiefly laziness, but also my tastes have changed to accomodate the new me, and I simply no longer desire them. There are some great low-carb recipes in the Food section for things like pizza, which can be a pain-free alternative to consider 🙂

 

[Radders]

His tears are understandable and probably not purely about the pizza - it's a big adjustment to make. It sounds as though you are all coping very well and it's great that he has so much support.
I find it easier to cope if I just have small portions of tricky foods, and as Alan says, tastes have changed.
I am very lucky in that my other half doesn't mind sharing, so rather than have a tiny lonely portion of something naughty on my plate, I just take a spoonful of what's on his, and don't feel so deprived!

 

[Conrad howell]

You (and he) might be interested in 'Bev's Food Experiments' where members reported on the effects of several potentially tricky meals, including Pizza night 🙂 Responses were mixed, which goes to show how individual this condition can be at times, but generally there are strategies to deal with things, you just probably wouldn't want to bother every night - more for 'special occasions' if they turn out to be problematic.

In time, I've personally moved away from eating things that cause me problems - chiefly laziness, but also my tastes have changed to accomodate the new me, and I simply no longer desire them. There are some great low-carb recipes in the Food section for things like pizza, which can be a pain-free alternative to consider 🙂

Thanks for the link's, still trying to understand the jargon stuff like bolused etc, also I assume when we get our ratios for my son he'll adjust insulin to carbs, I noticed people were saying they split the dose, Why is this? Would you do this when your carbs are very high so your insulin is as well.
So much to learn

 

[Robin]

I noticed people were saying they split the dose, Why is this?

The sort of insulin used for mealtime doses has been developed to cope with an 'average' meal. It tends to get going about 10-20 minutes after injecting, reach its peak after a couple of hours, then tail off over the next couple of hours, and be out of your system in 4-5 hours. This works well if you eat a meal that takes an 'average' time to digest, but when do we ever! Therefore, we use all sorts of tricks and tweaks to try and keep our glucose levels within reasonable limits. This can include injecting early before a meal if you know it's going to be heavy on high, refined carbs, so that the insulin can get going on it straight way, and can also include taking half the insulin up front, and the rest a bit later if you know ( from experimenting) that a high fat meal is going to take much longer than 4 hrs to digest, or you are in a restaurant where you know there is likely to be a bigger gap between courses than you'd have at home.
All this is 'advanced' stuff. Don't worry about it to start with, it can be useful to know it exists, but just like anything else, you learn the basics, then you start getting to grips with the fancy stuff later! (And you very quickly find your son is doing it automatically, without having to stop and think every time)

 

[Kaylz]

What kind of meter is your son using for testing x

 

[Conrad howell]

What kind of meter is your son using for testing x

Its a glucomen LX2

 

[Kaylz]

Ah right I have an Accu-Chek Aviva expert, do you know if you will be given the option to get another one at somepoint, my nurse decide i should have that one as it gives more freedom so to speak x

 

[Conrad howell]

They have said they have spares if he wanted another not too sure if it's the same one or not
Would they differ much then?

 

[grovesy]

They have said they have spares if he wanted another not too sure if it's the same one or not
Would they differ much then?

They vary from what they do, and in some areas they try to dictate what meters to be issued. The cost of strips can vary. Most meters the companies give free and recoup there costs on this strips. Strips are not universal even some brands of meters have different strips for differnt models of Thier meters.

 

[Robin]

Some meters, like the Aviva Expert, can be programmed to work out how many units of insulin you need, based on your glucose reading and what ratio you have told it you need, and it will work out if you still have insulin left your system from earlier and allow for it. As Grovesy said, though, some areas have struck deals with meter companies, and will only provide one brand. (Personally, I have a simple meter, and do the calculations in my head, but I am a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to modern technology!)