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Type 1 Nervous Newbie - Humulin M3 Injections

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CB43

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Hello

Recently been diagnosed with Type 1 out the blue. I have been prescribed Humulin M3 injections, one in the morning and one in the evening. Does it matter if the injections are taken before or after meals? I do my blood level checks before each meal but dont need to adjust insulin as it is set for me.
All new to this and trying to get my head around food and lifestyle changes, it's all so overwhelming. Thank you for any insight.
 
Welcome to the forum!

Sorry I can’t exactly answer your question but I hope this info helps

Humulin M3 is a mixed insulin 30% fast acting 70% slow acting so I do wonder why your DSN has put you on mixed as opposed to basal/bolus.
 
I think mixed insulin is normally taken before meals, but mixed insulin is a very old fashioned regime. Do you have a very set routine and eat the same things at the same times every day? And did your nurse give you an amount of carbs to eat per meal to match the set insulin doses?
 
Lily123 said:
Humulin M3 is a mixed insulin 30% fast acting 70% slow acting so I do wonder why your DSN has put you on mixed as opposed to basal/bolus.
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Given that it has some fast acting, I guess before eating would be better? As you say, even better would surely be a normal basal/bolus MDI regime.
 
Bruce Stephens said:
Given that it has some fast acting, I guess before eating would be better? As you say, even better would surely be a normal basal/bolus MDI regime.
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I’m not sure of how mixed works with the fast and slow acting being in the same injection
 
CB43 said:
Hello

Recently been diagnosed with Type 1 out the blue. I have been prescribed Humulin M3 injections, one in the morning and one in the evening. Does it matter if the injections are taken before or after meals? I do my blood level checks before each meal but dont need to adjust insulin as it is set for me.
All new to this and trying to get my head around food and lifestyle changes, it's all so overwhelming. Thank you for any insight.
Click to expand...

Inject before meals. The fast part of the insulin will then work to cover the carbs you eat in the meal, while the slow part works away in the background to control your blood sugar over a longer period of time.

As others have said, mixed insulin is an inflexible regime. If you needed more slow insulin, you couldn’t increase that without increasing the fast part of your insulin mix. Also, if you were to eat out and want more carbs, you couldn’t just adjust the fast part of the mix.

It’s unusual to be on a mixed insulin as a Type 1. Most are on a basal/bolus regime - ie one or two injections of a slow/basal insulin and 3 injections of a fast/bolus insulin, one before each meal, adjusted according to what you’re about to eat.

Have you been told you’ll be moving on to a basal/bolus regime soon? You’ll find it a lot more flexible.
 
Lily123 said:
I’m not sure of how mixed works with the fast and slow acting being in the same injection
Click to expand...

They just work the same really. Years ago when we only had two injections a day, we used to have to draw up our morning and evening injections from two vials - one fast, one slow - into one syringe. Then MDI came along.
 
Inka said:
They just work the same really. Years ago when we only had two injections a day, we used to have to draw up our morning and evening injections from two vials - one fast, one slow - into one syringe. Then MDI came along.
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Yikes!
 
Lily123 said:
Yikes!
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It wasn’t that bad. The only thing that annoyed me was you had to have an early lunch as the slow part of your morning injection kicked in to cover lunch around 4 hours after you injected it. So if your a.m injection was 7.30, by 11.30 you’d be on the way to needing lunch.

Having said that, when I first swapped to MDI I hated it - too many injections!
 
Welcome to the forum @CB43

It’s completely natural to feel overwhelmed and knocked sideways in the beginning, and to have everything overshadowed by a sense of ‘not knowing what you are doing‘ now. But hang in there… this will pass. Diabetes can be bewilderingly individual, so sometimes it’s hard to get definitive answers from your Dr or nurse, because lots will depend on how your individual diabetes behaves. It can be more helpful to use your Dr and nurse for general principles, and overall strategies, methods that you can fine-tune yourself by experimentation. Pretty soon you’ll become the world expert in your own diabetes, and will know it better than anyone.

Try not to get disheartened by your diagnosis. Diabetes is a serious condition, but it’s also one that can usually be managed well with a few changes and adaptations - it’s something that you can learn to live well with, and it shouldn’t stop you doing things you enjoy. In a sense there has never been a better time in history to get T1. Modern insulins, gadgets and gizmos make effective management more possible and potentially ‘easier’ than ever.

Are you being seen at a hospital? Was there a reason why you were started on mixed insulin? The NICE guidelines suggest starting people on 4x injections a day can be a better option, unless there are specific reasons why mixed insulin is better. As others have said, mixed insulin can be a bit frustrating, and doesn’t allow much flexibility or precision.
 
Welcome to the forum @CB43

It is completely understandable to feel overwhelmed with all that you have to take in at diagnosis, BUT it does get easier, and just becomes part of a your ‘new normal’ life. It is manageable but requires a bit of organisation and planning.

As others have said it is unusual to be prescribed mixed insulin, and this can make life less flexible.it would be worth asking about the basal/Bolus regime where the slow acting and quick acting insulins are injected separately. If you are under the care of your GP it would be worth asking for a referral to the specioai team at the hospital where they will be more familiar with this, and will be able to help you to learn how to make your own adjustments to doses.

There is a lot to learn, but plenty of experience to tap into on here so just ask any questions that arise. Nothing is considered silly on here.
 
Hello and welcome from another very newly diagnosed type 1. I was advised by the nurse at the hospital to concentrate on the basics first. Check blood sugars at the advised times, inject insulin at the correct dose at the advised times, change needles, record everything and keep regular contact with them. Then as confidence grows I’ll be fed more information and advice on my own management. I find this approach helped to settle my initial fears. Just take it one step at a time.
 
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