If you are taking just short acting, I would watch for 1-4 hours after.
You will need to probably start eating more carbs than you have been.
Just to warn you, when lows hit, they can hit very fast.I mean very very fast. Like take you glucose tabs everywhere. The first one I got I was a few blocks from home, and I didn’t realize how fast they hit. I learned then.
That being said, in the beginning when I was taking less insulin and made some of my own, I definitely had fewer lows. You will certainly be very able to feel them very well at this stage of the game.
I think you are right in that it does boil down to what works for the individual. Pre-Apidra, I used Humalog. I did use Novolog for one year but really could not tell the difference between the 2. I was already on Apidra when I started the pump. I like it better because it has a shorter duration so is out of your system faster. It also seems more consistent for me. I had days with Humalog that it was just like injecting water! One problem with Apidra is that it breaks down faster in hotter temperatures. Even though I live in the NE, I had a problem in the summer and had to change my cartridge every 1 ½ days because of the insulin breaking down. Other people that live in hotter areas did not have the same problem. I don’t whether my body just reacts differently or what. It is OK now that it is cold but I know come summer, I will be back to changing the cartridges more often again.
I have used all three in my pump, and I have to say I don’t think I have noticed much of a difference, if any. I only used one bottle of Apridra (sample) so I don;t have as much experience with it as i do with the other two.
my goodness why is everyone so hyped up on this xanax…such a addictive drug…
wow I never even heard of apridra or just never paid any attention since I use novolog for my pump and use levimir for emergency times only…and yeah I know it gets dang hot in this area
yeah if u have any fiber 5 grams and above u half that and subtract from total number of carbs for that item…I know not too confusing huh
I have been using Apidra for 3 years now. I really like it. It gets out of my system in about 2 1/3 hours & works more consistently.
YAY, double YAY and triple YAY!!! FINALLY!!! I’m sure it will go well – and you will get used to it quickly enough. Now you can exercise reasonably, and eat reasonably, and start to live like a human being again!
Smiles,
Natalie ._c-
I used to use Humalog, but my insurance formulary changed to Novolog. I liked Humalog better because I had few to no NO Delivery alarms, which usually mean clogging somewhere. With Novolog, it seems I have them all the time.
Great news Lil mama
Get a book called “using insulin” by John Walsh well worth the read now that you have the proper tools. Amazon may be were I got mine.
wow the only time I have no delivery is when I am priming my new set so me just take the cap off once or twice and good to go…
So how is my regime going? In short, it seems to be going fine. I’ve moved to two shots a day, one when I get up around 5:30am and another when I go to bed at 10pm. The night shot is about 50% more insulin. My dawn phenomenon is better, I’ve had more mornings under 100 mg/dl in the last two weeks than in the last couple years. I’m also taking a bolus at dinner. I’m still working on dosing, it takes some time, but I’ve not had problems.
Just go slow and everything will be fine. You should eat a 30 of carb dinner and take your insulin. If you feel a little low after dinner, then just have yourself a little bowl of celebratory ice cream (or perhaps a bite of chocolate)
Subtracting fiber works for some people but not for others. The only way to find out if you can subract fiber is to try it and see what your BG does. In the beginning, intensive testing is a good idea – test 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after your first bite, and see what the curve looks like. You can find out your peak, and you can find out how fast you go up and down, and you can find out if you go too low. It can help guide you as to how long before you eat you should take your insulin. And it can give you information on which foods you tolerate better than others. Like, I know some people who can tolerate rice but not wheat, and they found it out by testing intensively.
There is a lot of information on sites like Diabetes Update, by Jenny Ruhl; she is most oriented toward Type 2’s BUT a lot of the information applies to Type 1’s as well. Also, it never hurts to read Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution site – he has a lot of good information there, too.
I also don’t know if you’ve read Scheiner’s Think Like a Pancreas, or John Walsh’s books, or Bernstein’s book, but you should do a lot of reading about using insulin – a lot in the books is repetitive, but that’s what it takes to sink in! 
You have to become an expert on insulin – you should end up knowing more about it than your doctor!
Good luck – we’ll be rooting for you!
Lows can happen at any time to people with Type 1 (and sometimes to those with Type 2, but less often). It’s not just your injected insulin, and even if you have no pancreatic output, it matters what the other hormones in your body are doing. All the other hormones raise BG, and when one decides to lower its output, suddenly, the insulin you injected may be too much.
Also, none of us bolus perfectly for the food we eat, again because there is so much other stuff going on. And even with the newer insulins, there is variation in how long they are active. As far as your insulin:carb ratio, follow what the doc says – 1:15 is very common – but if you go low on that, you can always change it.
MOST lows are mild, and while they are uncomfortable, they are NOT dangerous. You need a plan for how to treat lows, which are more common when you are trying to get your insulin regimen adjusted. Be sure to KNOW where your sugar, or glucose tab or juice stash is (and don’t let Junior get into it!), and be prepared to beeline it to your stash when you begin to feel low. It usually takes 15 min. to 1/2 hours to recover from a low – you feel crummy, but you aren’t in danger unless your BG doesn’t come up (measure after 15 min.), but then you just go back to your stash. It’s only sustained, very low BGs (like in the 20’s) that can be dangerous, but I really don’t expect you to experience one of those. They’re comparatively rare.
Whole grain carbs are probably better than refined grains. Plus if you want to eat carbs, fruits are full of nutrition (it’s a trade-off – do you want the carbs or the nutrition?). Many vegetables have carbs, too. Beans have a lot of carbs, but they also have fiber, and the carb is supposed to be slow-digesting.
If if were me, I wouldn’t go overboard with the “white” carbs – bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, corn, cereal. I have eliminated them with good results. The one I can’t eliminate is milk, because it’s my comfort food, but remember that milk, which does have good nutrition in it, is also carb heavy.
Also, I wanted to tell you that you are among the small percentage (I think 20%) of LADAs who DON’T present with antibodies. Contrary to what some will tell you, antibodies are NOT definitive of type – they’re just one more clue. Diabetes is far more complex than we would like to believe!
I wouldn’t get anywhere near Xanax unless there is a clear and present medical need for it. You wouldn’t want to take a Xanax when you are actually having a low. If LiL MaMa is not currently having anxiety attacks, she doesn’t need it.
I used to be like that when I ate carbs.
Now I have insulin and don’t have to punish myself over a few carbs here and there.
Best decision I ever made with this disease - Insulin!
It appears that you need Levemir and one of the insulin analogs.
If your pancreas is OK, you can try Byetta.
And yes, you can eat ANYTHING you want and as much as you want, but only once a month if you kept your blood sugars normal the rest of the time.
Try eating a nearly all meat diet.
I used to eat one egg in the AM, 1/4 cup of peanuts + medium apple for lunch, and home made ‘pizza burgers’ for dinner and didn’t eat after 6pm.
Blood sugars dropped like a rock, and so did my weight, my lipid profile, and my blood pressure.
Now, I HAVE to have insulin to maintain my weight. And I eat all sorts of bad things as well.
I need the carbs for weight control and the insulin to metabolize the carbs.
A tough balancing act sometimes.
Last Aug 2010, I broke down ad requested insulin. I skipped all the pills. Doc saw my frequent spikes into the 200+ range when eating. She complied immediately.
After that, I was able to ear NORMALLY, but not stupidly (except for thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.).
If you are a slave to the disease, you will eventually fail. You have to eat other foods just to save your sanity.
they just over prescribe that medicine when there are other medicines for anxiety that work just as well…
yeah rare…but good gawd I must be a walking low then cause almost times when I am at 17 I am ok yep use to be in really tight control at one time…they do happen and yeah I keep honey around all the time since who is going to just eat straight honey while most will drink juice when it is in the frigdge
If your lows are too frequent, then your insulin regimen might need tweaking. Perhaps your insulin:carb ratio is wrong. It’s DANGEROUS to be at 17!!!
I know people pass out at different levels – I’ve been at 32 and been able to function, but excessively low is as bad, and more dangerous than excessively high!