The Carb Counting Journey

[Emzi]

I started trying to do some carb counting last week and has been ok so far.

It went abit high on sunday morning but i put that down to having a hypo at 4am and correcting it and also sleeping in later than usual. By Dinner time i had returned to 5.9 and before bed 6.2.

When i woke up this morning it was 10.2 so i injected for my fruit and fibre and my pear and added 3 extra units to correct for being high and when i tested my lunchtime blood half an hour ago it was 16.1!!!!

I dont know what happened?
Any advice you guys have would be magic right now...

...its so disheartening some times when im trying everything and think im on the right path then you get a reading like that and with only myself trying to self teach something i dont really understand and you guys for support and answers, its a bit pants to be fair.

Not gunna give up though!!! 😉

 

[Emzi]

I dont know what im doing wrong, had a very small wholemeal ham sandwich for dinner with a small packet of cheese puffs and a apple and i injected 15 units of insulin after adding the carbs and a correction dose for being 16.1 before dinner now 2hrs post dinner and after insulin and im 13.2......

i dont know whats wrong

 

[am64]

hope your not comming down with anything ...i am sure the insulin users will be on soon with advice good luck!

 

[Caroline]

Did you have any mustard or pickle on the ham sandwich? It is something several of my friends forget to take into account when they are trying out various diets.

Also as Am64 says, you may be sickening for something, that plays havoc with the numbers.

Unfortunately diabetes is not a precise science...

 

[Emzi]

Did you have any mustard or pickle on the ham sandwich? It is something several of my friends forget to take into account when they are trying out various diets.

Also as Am64 says, you may be sickening for something, that plays havoc with the numbers.

Unfortunately diabetes is not a precise science...

No it was just plain ham.

I am having a really bad week with my IBS at the moment could that have anything to do with it or nothing at all? I feel well apart from the problems from my IBS and very flushed cheeks.

 

[sofaraway]

Well at the 2 hours your insulin isn't finished working yet, so would have been interested to know what the result was at 4 hours.
Have you worked out a correction ratio? So that you know how far 1 unit of insulin will drop you. For me I know that 1 unit of insulin will drop by blood sugar approx 5 points. Like a carb ratio everyone has a different correction factor.

If you are not that well this week then the stres sof it might be raising your levels. Does your IBS affect your digestion?

 

[Emzi]

Well at the 2 hours your insulin isn't finished working yet, so would have been interested to know what the result was at 4 hours.
Have you worked out a correction ratio? So that you know how far 1 unit of insulin will drop you. For me I know that 1 unit of insulin will drop by blood sugar approx 5 points. Like a carb ratio everyone has a different correction factor.

If you are not that well this week then the stres sof it might be raising your levels. Does your IBS affect your digestion?

Ive just tested my blood at just over 4hrs post lunch and its 7.0. I feel abit relieved with that and hopefully by the time i get home in an hour it will have dropped a little bit more.

Im not sure how to work out a correction ratio i have just followed what my DSN said which was 1 units for every 3 points. (so if my blood sugar was 16 id divide by 3 and get 5(ish) and inject 5 extra units - is that right?)

Yes my IBS does effect my digestion and at the moment my stress levels are through the roof as i have a stomach the size of a 5mth pregnant lady and i am not 5 mths pregnant so that is very stressing and uncomfortable so i suppose that could explain a few things if stress effects the bm?

Thanks

 

[sofaraway]

So by 4 hours when the insulin was done working you were 7, which with a correction added seems pretty good to me.

If she said 1 unit for every 3 points I would have thought she would have meant, 1 unit will drop you 3 points.
So for example if you were 14 and you wanted to get to 5. You need to drop 9 points, therefore would need 3 units. I would suggest you get clarification from your nurse as I wouldn't want you to adjust your insulin without consulting your team, and just relying on information from this site.

Here is a link to work out your correction factor, although you will have to convert the numbers to english. (divide by 18). http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_control_tips/corr_factor.php

Stress definatly affects blood sugars usually makign them higher, also if if your digestion is affected foods will be hitting your blood stream at times other than you would normal expect them to.

 

[randomange]

Hey Emzi 🙂 First of all, don't beat yourself up for not getting things right! It takes a while to work these things out for your body, and everyone makes mistakes! The important thing is that you're working on it. 🙂

Im not sure how to work out a correction ratio i have just followed what my DSN said which was 1 units for every 3 points. (so if my blood sugar was 16 id divide by 3 and get 5(ish) and inject 5 extra units - is that right?)

This is sort of right. On average most people find that 1 unit of insulin will drop their blood sugar 2-3 points. However, it's really trial and error to find out if this is right for you. My nurse suggested started out using 1 unit drops 3 points and working from there. To work out what the correction dose is, you first need to subtract your target blood sugar from your actual blood sugar, and then divide *that* number by 3.

For example, if your blood sugar is 16, and your target is 6, then you take 6 away from 16 giving you 10, and then divide the 10 by 3, giving you roughly 3 units of insulin. Otherwise, you are calculating a dose to reduce your blood sugar to zero! 😱

Hope that helps 🙂

 

[Pigeon]

Hi, it sounds like you are doing well so far to me, there's a lot to take in.

One thing my clinic suggested was to keep a food, BG and insulin diary for 4 weeks, so you can learn from past experiences as you go on. In 4 weeks you will eat most of your regular meals, and so will end up knowing what to take for most things you eat. Also your ratios might vary throughout the day. E.g I need a ratio of 1.5 units to 10g carbs at breakfast, but 1:1 at lunch, so that could be why you were so high after your breakfast. Take things slow and keep records to work out how things work for you as everyone's different.