Basal insulin improving post meal response

I started on Levemir recently, in part because Mandy had posted her doctor’s reasons for using a basal even when fasting numbers are still low. (Thanks Mandy!) yesterday I went out to eat. I did 4 units of Novolog and decided to splurge on some sweet potato fries. I ate a full order- usually I have one or two from my husband’s plate. An hour later I was at 96. Must be the fat, I thought, and tested again at 2 and 3 hours. I never went over 100. I have needed to eat really low carb in order to get good post-meal numbers. 4 units of insulin would only cover about 20g of carbs, and I often saw numbers up at 180 after an hour. I thought it was the timing, but now I wonder if basal insulin somehow works together with first phase. I am missing first phase and use rapid acting instead, but had thought my basal insulin was in good shape. Any thoughts?

Hi Libby,
I cannot do without the basal insulin. I can get the fast response with my Humalog, but to really carry me i need the cushion of the Lantus i use. Some of us use the Lantus and some of us use the Levemir. Maybe someday I will try the Levemir. But the whole point is that the basal just seems to make everything work better. I am glad you have the basal now. And i am glad my doctor talked me into mine some time ago.

im actually opposite… my sugars were over 300 with having to take high doses of Humilin 70/30, my last doctor decided to set me up on a basil injection at night of 40 units of Levemir and 15 units before each meal of Novolog. That helped a little better but there were times I would take over 80 units of Novolog. My current doctor has been updating my dosage each visit, i was taking 60 units of Levemir(at bedtime) and 15 units of Novolog before meals but since I recently took 240 units of Novolog and it didn’t lower my sugars more then 20-30. My sugar was about 450 that night. He has me now on 50 units of Levemir in the morning and 40 units of Levemir at night. Sticking with the 15 units of Novolog before each meal. He thinks the insulin might not be getting absorbed as well as it should mainly due to high cholesterol.

Sweet potatoes have actually been known to lower blood sugars/

ive read that as well, that you think that sweet potatoes contain a lot of sugar because they are sweet… but they contain a lot of fibre and dont raise your bloodsugar as much as ordinary potatoes…
so maybe that is the reason why your bloodsugar didnt get so high…

I have expierenced the same thing, and have been on the Levemir now for 2 mos and my numbers are now very consistant. I also use Novolog at meal time.