Trying to understand food.......

[bev]

Unless it's the problem I suggested above 😉

Hi Northerner,

Yes of course - but its a bit trial and error isnt it - just saying what we do for Alex. GS did say that the vast majority of people do need to bolus at least 20 to 25 minutes before eating rather than just before - no matter what the food is.🙂Bev

 

[Austin Mini]

Ginnie, you can adjust your insulin 'shot'. Try a few more units thats what I do. Also test first thing after you wake. If you are 'High' do your insulin 'shot' there and then it will take a while to act then eat.

 

[Ginnie]

Yeah my next step is to take mt injection 15 mina before and take regular tests to see what my levels are and hopefully get a better understanding of whats going on. Bev what you put sounds amazing however I dont understand alot of it im quiet new 🙂 the dsn is very good at not explaining and a expert at redirecting me so im not sure why im not being offered a pump the dsn basically said I should put up with high readings in the morning but if im honest the pump is a unknown and im a wimp with the unknown 🙂. My waking levels are always between 7-9 no matter what and I eat within 20 minutes of waking would this shot be a bit like a correction shot then??? Iv never done a extra shot iv just put up with the high levels!!! Thank you so much everyone I appreciate all the advice and comments 🙂

 

[Northerner]

Just take things slowly Ginnie, try one little change and see what happens (or don;t change anything, just try testing every half hour after injecting/eating and see what is happening to your levels). It may take some time to establish the best way to tackle a problem but I've found you need a lot of patience in managing diabetes and working things out. 🙂

 

[Ginnie]

I have noticed patience plays a huge roll which I wasnt great with in the beginning but im finding it easier as time goes on and breaking some bad habits I had managed to pick up being stubborn 🙂 I will try the easy bits first but ill take my levels frequently after some porridge and then decide what to do 🙂

 

[bev]

Yeah my next step is to take mt injection 15 mina before and take regular tests to see what my levels are and hopefully get a better understanding of whats going on. Bev what you put sounds amazing however I dont understand alot of it im quiet new 🙂 the dsn is very good at not explaining and a expert at redirecting me so im not sure why im not being offered a pump the dsn basically said I should put up with high readings in the morning but if im honest the pump is a unknown and im a wimp with the unknown 🙂. My waking levels are always between 7-9 no matter what and I eat within 20 minutes of waking would this shot be a bit like a correction shot then??? Iv never done a extra shot iv just put up with the high levels!!! Thank you so much everyone I appreciate all the advice and comments.

Hi Ginnie,

Sorry I only dip in and out so didnt realise your fairly new to it all.🙂

You dont have to 'put up' with high readings in the mornings if you were to use a pump! The reason you have higher readings on waking is usually something called the 'dawn phenominen' which basically is your body getting itself ready to wake up and ready for the day. A lot of people suffer with this and one way of try to deal with it is altering the timing of your basal insulin or splitting it into 2 x 12 hour injections. You would need to speak with your DSN to do this.

Have you been told or shown how to do 'corrections' for high levels? Do you know how many units you need per mml to bring your levels down? I know that it takes 1 unit to bring Alex's levels down by 3.8mmols. You would need to do a correction dose if waking on over 6mmols and also give your food bolus at the same time as you are more resistant to insulin in the mornings.🙂Bev

 

[Ginnie]

Its ok... I just got a bit lost. I asked her if I could do anything to stop my levels being high in themorning but she said only a pump would do it and never mentioned anything else. What you have said about a correction shot is the first iv heard I was just told to have a few units if im high but yo be careful as I could hypo... I dont talk to my dsn regularly anymore but im seeing my consultant in a few weeks so ill ask then, how do you find out what units you need for a correction shot? 🙂

 

[bev]

Its ok... I just got a bit lost. I asked her if I could do anything to stop my levels being high in themorning but she said only a pump would do it and never mentioned anything else. What you have said about a correction shot is the first iv heard I was just told to have a few units if im high but yo be careful as I could hypo... I dont talk to my dsn regularly anymore but im seeing my consultant in a few weeks so ill ask then, how do you find out what units you need for a correction shot? 🙂

Hi Ginnie,

This is called the 100 rule. Basically you take your Total Daily Dose (TDD) and divide it by 100. I think I am right here just havent worked this out in a while!

So your TDD is your average daily dose of both fast-acting insulin and basal insulin added together. (take an average of five days).

100 divided by TDD equals X - so 1 unit of insulin would bring you down by Xmmols. Try not to worry about learning all these things - it takes a long time to get to know them and then a long time to get to know your own body - everyones body reacts differently so trying these experiments with food and timing of insulin is brilliant and goes a long way to being pro-active and knowing your personal diabetes rules!🙂Bev

 

[Ginnie]

Thanks bev you have shared more information than my dsn which has been great and even though im taking it slow and will have a rough guess at finding out what my correction shot would be im not brave enough to actually do it but I can have a think what it could be its always good to learn and iv found knowing information has helped me massively even if iv not acted on what iv learnt but it keeps my little brain entertained for a while 🙂

 

[trophywench]

You any good at reading Ginnie?

There's a brilliant book you can get and you can take your own time reading it. And re-reading anything you don't 'get' for as many times as you want or need to.

It ain't a medical textbook, it's intended for normal human beings! LOL

The book is 'Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Teenagers and Young Adults' and it's written by a doctor called Ragnar Hanas.

I know a new version came out earlier this year, so could someone provide a link to the latest one on Amazon please?

 

[Northerner]

You any good at reading Ginnie?

There's a brilliant book you can get and you can take your own time reading it. And re-reading anything you don't 'get' for as many times as you want or need to.

It ain't a medical textbook, it's intended for normal human beings! LOL

The book is 'Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Teenagers and Young Adults' and it's written by a doctor called Ragnar Hanas.

I know a new version came out earlier this year, so could someone provide a link to the latest one on Amazon please?

Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young People 🙂

 

[Ginnie]

Yeah I love reading I have a few books got the diabetes for dummies bought for me I just havent read any of them yet ill have a look on my kindle for that one though, thank you 🙂

 

[Ginnie]

That was some speedy work northerner :0

 

[Northerner]

That was some speedy work northerner :0

Hehe! 🙂 Not available on kindle I'm afraid. It is an excellent book - even if you're not young!

 

[liam]

HI

Food is VERY complicated for some of us so don't be put off or think you are doing anything wrong. I use a pump and have to count protein and fats not just carbs!! Porridge sends me higher than other things and what I would suggest is seeing different foods as different calculations depending on what you find - sometimes I eat the same food for a week and adjust the dose very gradually. If you use a pump this could be in very small percentages or if on MDI you might just want to increase by 1 unit at a time or try having insulin 10 minutes before your porridge, then 15 minutes before until you get it right. We have tools but they are not universal. The GI was based upon findings in about 60% of people for some food groups so that means that 40% may not have the same experience logically. Also it may sound obvious but be sure that you are really only eating what you think you are in terms of volume. I used to wonder what I was doing wrong with rice and it was as simple as my portion was in fact twice the size of the portion I was counting in terms of insulin. Porridge unless weighed out is hard to judge just like rice!! Good luck eating your porridge everyday until you get stability!!