Is it just me, or does time slow to half speed while I’m waiting for the 20 minutes to tick by between bolus and first bite of food?
I use humalog and I never wait. I bolus just before eating, and never had problems with my post-meal BG and counting carbs. Why you wait 20 min. between bolus and first bite?
yes i do humalog as well. no waiting for me. i dive straight in. =)
I was told when I switched to the pump 7 or so years ago that I could bolus and eat right away, which sounded wonderful after waiting 30 minutes before eating as I did on MDI.
I’ve learned through trial and error (with both Humalog and Apridra) that even rapid-acting doesn’t act rapidly enough to match my meals unless I wait about 20 minutes to eat (even when I’m in the 80-120 mg/dl pre-meal sweet spot). And for some reason, those 20 minutes tick by v e r y s l o w l y.
I have to eat first and then bolus…too many times I inject humalog and go down way too low before the food raises my bloodsugar.
I had wicked lows with R back in the day. Glad those days are long gone!
it’s so funny how everyone has different little quirks. i’m brand spanking new to all of this and i’m sure it will change a million times til i get it down right. lol. kelly i am having trouble with high readings. i think i’ll try and see if that makes any difference in my routine.
During my last visit to the Diabetes Clinic ( one month ago ) and having e-mailed my pump Nurse my sensor results before hand , we decided and start with the breakfast meal : eat , then bolus …I had lows too soon after eating…we may be talking about gastroparesis ( delayed emptying of stomach ) …could be age related , could be diabetes related. I am always afraid, that I will forget to bolus, however this has not happened yet. I seem to do better with lunch and supper and bolus about the same time as putting food into the face.
Robyn, you seem to have simelar observation .
It’s worth a try! I know it made a big difference for me (but that doesn’t make waiting any easier 
Also, where you inject (or insert pump infusion set) can make a difference in how quickly insulin is absorbed. For many people, abdomen is fastest (unless you build up lots of scar tissue). Let us know how it goes for you!
In the morning I have to wait for 15 minutes, at lunch I sometimes have to wait 15 minutes it depends on where bs is. But at dindin I usually don’t wait because my bs will steadily drop very fast after dinner, so I bolus and don’t wait. Because our disease is unique to each individual we use whatever method works for us.
I may not be right in doing this but I always bolus after I eat. I never know exactly how much I’m going to eat.
i used to be on regular pork insulin back in the day, then switched to humalog and have been on it ever since, now im on the pump. i have never waited to eat really.
When I was on MDI on March of this year, I did the same, just bolus before eating, and now on the pump doing the exactly. But everybody reacts different and things change from person to person with diabetes.
Haha,
It definitely ticks by slowly, gets you a little anxious. Since I share an office with coworkers, I would bolus and would make dang sure that absolutely no one bothers me or asks me to do something and get distracted during the 15 min lag between bolus to food bites.
Research on me by me shows that it takes a whole 20 minutes for Humalog insulin to first start lowering my blood sugar! I used to take it AFTER I knew everything I was going to eat. That was in the days before I realized how fast fruit spiked me, TOO! So now I’ve chucked fruit. No spikes. And I don’t care how many syringes it takes, I try to wait a little before eating. Yes, I make small talk. And when having company since I’m the hostess, I dive right in, having taken the insulin, and hoping my eyes won’t see something more I want.
I never wait between the times. I eat right after I bolus. I would hate if I had to wait. I think I would probably get sidetracked and not even eat on time. Glad I don’t have to worry about that one!
I try to wait. I’ve gotten sidetracked before, trying to lower the bloods first, and wammo! Bad news. Not too bad though. I just give myself more right after if needed. I will sometimes take three shots for a meal, with one correction!
im with you on this robyn! i sometimes inject my humalog after i eat. especially when i’m out to eat cuz you never know what the portions are going to be like.
Like MelissaM I don’t ever remember being told to wait when I was on pork or beef insulin.
I learned this “trick” to bolus and then wait 20 min to eat from this site! And I am so thankful for it. I was finding that my breakfast post-prandial BG was too high. It has helped SO much. It gives a little running start, especially 'cuz even tho my fasting # is usually great, by the time I eat an hour later my bg has gone up 30-40 points! I don’t completely understand this, except that my liver is dumping some glucose (cuz I’m getting ready for work and such?) I just don’t get why it doesn’t give me some glucose when I go low, but I suppose that’s another discussion…
Anyway, no…the time for me doesn’t really go slow, I just worry that I’ll forget, so now I try not to do anything while waiting. The one thing that stinks about this method is when you don’t really feel like eating 20 min later…too bad, you have too! But I’ve found that to be the case as a T1 anyway. Anytime you bolus before eating you have to finish your meal, whether you want to or not. Hate that.
when I was pregnant I bolused AFTER I ate due to morning sickness, now I bolus and eat at the same time.