Three cola straws and one slice of bread.

[Becka]

Assume you wake up and your level is 4.5. You eat one slice of freshly made bread (the crust) on its own, and eat three cola straws from a supermarket. A crazy unrealistic scenario, but just assume.

What would you expect your glucose level to be one hour later? I just want some frames of reference.

Thanks!

 

[barrym]

No idea what cola straws are, but bread alone could be 40-60 carbs depending on thickness, so a rise 10 could easily be possible.

 

[Kaylz]

It will vary from person to person as we all have different sensitivity to carbs, I know some that 10g carbs raises their BG by 3 mmol so as above over 10 mmol and then add whatever carbs are in the cola straws and it could be far higher, but many would need the carb information provided to be able to say how much it would raise them

 

[rebrascora]

Well for starters DP could take me up 5 or 6 mmols and then depending upon the type and thickness of the slice of bread, we are looking at 15-40g if it was a real doorstep. Cola straws I am guessing 5g carbs each but might be nearer 10g each maybe more, so could be anywhere between 30g carbs and 80g 10g carbs will raise my levels 3mmols so anywhere from 9mmols increase to 24mmols increase for me without insulin and then add on DP and I would be anywhere from mid teens to well over 30.
But that is just me as a Type 1 diabetic not producing any insulin.
It will very hugely for people producing some insulin or taking insulin to cover that food which you don't mention

 

[helli]

@Becka with diabetes, we are all different. We have different sensitivity to carbs both in terms of the time it takes them to have an impact on blood sugars and what that impact will be. We also experience rises and falls at different times of the day ... and by different amounts. Plus, if we had alcohol last night, the effect may be different. And if I exercised in the hour after eating it would be different.
In other words, the only point of reference that is useful is what is normal for you.

 

[Drummer]

First thing in the morning would be the worst time to eat that amount of carbohydrate
If I had not been in remission for some time I'd expect a test result in the teens - low teens even now if it was 'muggle' bread made with wheat flour.
I am just trying out the bread I made yesterday in the new bread maker. Even if I ate the whole loaf I'd hardly exceed my limit for carbs, though I will have to do some more experiments to get the recipe just right.

 

[Lucyr]

I’d say 20 carbs for the bread if a standard slice, maybe 10 for three cola straws so 30 carbs. My blood sugar an hour later would depend on whether I took insulin and whether I did any activity. If I just sat on the couch then I’d say 30g carb raises me 9 so 13mmol. If I did some housework or had a walk I’d probably expect closer to 10.

 

[Becka]

@Becka with diabetes, we are all different.

I know, that is why I asked "what would you expect" for "frames of reference" rather than "what should it be" as a "definitive answer".

Thanks to those who provided values, as they have been helpful.

I was planning on going out on my motorcycle today, so as I woke up with a 4.7 yesterday, and 4s are not unusual (though not in the last week) I only took half my insulin dose and skipped Metformin. So I was surprised to wake up with a 4.7.

Technically that is okay, but too low for comfort and I am legally required to have a snack, so I had the cola straws to act quickly, and the slice of bread (not a thick slice, double the thickness of the actual crust) to act slowly and keep it okay. As that was a meal I had never eaten before (why would that be a normal for anyone?) and without any frame of reference I was quite shocked it had risen to 13.6, but all your comments suggest that that is essentially normal.

I deliberately did not ask about type and treatment to get a cross-section of results. Particularly given I still have no actual idea what is going on with my diabetes. Bt there was a little activity in between eating and testing, going up and down stairs to prepare the bike as I needed to top up an oil and put my stuff in the top box. And I still took Dapagliflozin last night (even though I am certain it does very little, as suggested by it only lowering my HbA1c by just half a percent or 5 mmol/mol) as well as 17u insulin glargine.

But I guess the treatments were doing something as when I stopped two hours later I was just as shocked to be back down to 4.3. And yet, just two fruit pastilles (6.6g carbs) got me up to 6.2 four hours later, when a falafel sandwich (I would need to look that up) saw me 11.9 two hours later, and still 7.8 five and a half hours later. There really is no consistency with the endocrine system.

Incidentally, cola straws are fake liquorice made from wheat, cola flavoured, and covered in sugar and citric acid, and are hollow making them a sort-of straw. They are about 5g or carbs each and my preferred hypo treatment as they are sour rather than sweet, which is why I had those to hand.

I guess the answer for next time then is less fast acting and more slow acting. Many thanks for all your help putting it in context.

 

[Lucyr]

I know, that is why I asked "what would you expect" for "frames of reference" rather than "what should it be" as a "definitive answer".

Thanks to those who provided values, as they have been helpful.

I was planning on going out on my motorcycle today, so as I woke up with a 4.7 yesterday, and 4s are not unusual (though not in the last week) I only took half my insulin dose and skipped Metformin. So I was surprised to wake up with a 4.7.

Technically that is okay, but too low for comfort and I am legally required to have a snack, so I had the cola straws to act quickly, and the slice of bread (not a thick slice, double the thickness of the actual crust) to act slowly and keep it okay. As that was a meal I had never eaten before (why would that be a normal for anyone?) and without any frame of reference I was quite shocked it had risen to 13.6, but all your comments suggest that that is essentially normal.

I deliberately did not ask about type and treatment to get a cross-section of results. Particularly given I still have no actual idea what is going on with my diabetes. Bt there was a little activity in between eating and testing, going up and down stairs to prepare the bike as I needed to top up an oil and put my stuff in the top box. And I still took Dapagliflozin last night (even though I am certain it does very little, as suggested by it only lowering my HbA1c by just half a percent or 5 mmol/mol) as well as 17u insulin glargine.

But I guess the treatments were doing something as when I stopped two hours later I was just as shocked to be back down to 4.3. And yet, just two fruit pastilles (6.6g carbs) got me up to 6.2 four hours later, when a falafel sandwich (I would need to look that up) saw me 11.9 two hours later, and still 7.8 five and a half hours later. There really is no consistency with the endocrine system.

Incidentally, cola straws are fake liquorice made from wheat, cola flavoured, and covered in sugar and citric acid, and are hollow making them a sort-of straw. They are about 5g or carbs each and my preferred hypo treatment as they are sour rather than sweet, which is why I had those to hand.

I guess the answer for next time then is less fast acting and more slow acting. Many thanks for all your help putting it in context.

I do find that different carbs act differently. My pancreas still does a bit of something though nowhere near enough as I soon get high bgs and ketones without insulin. If I eat something that is a small amount of fast acting carbs like fruit pastilles, my bg goes up but my body seems more often to notice this and be able to do a bit of something. With slower acting or higher quantity carbs like a falafel sandwich it seems my body either doesn’t get triggered to kick in because the carbs or slower, or it’s too high a quantity of carbs for my body to deal with by itself and I need some insulin.

it can be difficult having some pancreas function and taking insulin and medications that stimulate your body to produce more insulin, and it sounds like you’re finding like me how unpredictable things can be. Sometimes your body kicks in, sometimes it doesn’t, sometimes your body does more or less than usual or the insulin does more or less than usual. It’s just unrealistic to expect consistency. It seems sort of like being in the honeymoon period that T1s get but permanently.

 

[Becka]

It’s just unrealistic to expect consistency.

Very true. Had decided to go out again today, so took the same medications last night plus Metformin this time. Woke at 7.7, before leaving I was 8.9, two hours later 9.3, and I did not eat anything, just one cup of tea then only drank water afterwards. (I was 8.8 three hours after that, but it was just after eating so ruined the experiment.)

When I was diagnosed and put on Gliclazide I had no control over hypos, which seemed completely random, but otherwise things were generally good. Everything stayed in range. But now it seems there is nothing I can do to control them, it seems entirely random what will happen. Oddly the exact opposite of how things started, as now hypos seem very rare. I am not sure which is better.

Will have to wait until another time to check if more slow glucose works better. It was not enjoyable having to eat yesterday, so a relief to not need to today. So not looking forward to my special breakfast of one cola straw and three slices of bread!

 

[Lucyr]

I keep small cartons of fruit juice in the fridge, 150ml, for when I need fast carbs with breakfast. Apple juice and a piece of toast I find much easier to eat in the morning than glucose tablets or sweets.

 

[Becka]

For me it is just easting anything if I do not feel. like it, though the fruit juice is a good idea. Glucose tablets are awful all the time, far too sweet for me. I do not know why no one makes sour glucose tablets, given sour sweets are common, as it only means adding citric acid to counteract the sweetness.

It is a little funny as it just before I was diagnosed I was thinking I really should drink more fruit juice and less pop. And I only drank diet versions. So these days I do not drink much juice at all.

 

[Lucyr]

For me it is just easting anything if I do not feel. like it, though the fruit juice is a good idea. Glucose tablets are awful all the time, far too sweet for me. I do not know why no one makes sour glucose tablets, given sour sweets are common, as it only means adding citric acid to counteract the sweetness.

It is a little funny as it just before I was diagnosed I was thinking I really should drink more fruit juice and less pop. And I only drank diet versions. So these days I do not drink much juice at all.

Yes I’m definitely a savoury person too not a sweet person, though I do like sour tastes. The mini cartons of fruit juice are handy as it’s one serving at a time, and there’s not much more than a couple of gulps in one.

 

[Becka]

I guess the only problem is they are not long lasting if you do not need them. But normally I go out riding on both days of a weekend, so that should hopefully not be a problem now I am fully vaccinated. (I am still avoid people, though.)

Thank you so much for the suggestion, I will add those to my next shopping order.