i don’t usually watch a lot of tv, but some friends were watching the apprentice this weekend, and one of the contestants (bret michaels?) was discussing his concern that his daughter might also have diabetes, and that he was very worried she might have to begin taking 4 shots a day like him. is it possible to control type 1 with only 4 shots a day? (asking out of curiosity, not skepticism…) i know i would not have been able to do this, but i suppose maybe 1 shot of long acting and 3 at meals, if you are only eating at meals?
also, he mentioned that if a father has type 1, there is a 50% chance that his children will have type 1 as well. i hadn't heard this statistic before, is it accurate?
I think one shot of long acting and 3 bolus’ for meals is a pretty common regimen of MDIs! This is what I did for quite awhile before I decided to split my Lantus into two. I also do corrections for highs but this doesn’t happen on a regular basis.
On MDI 4 injections a day would be the minimum. Kids usually have more because they snack a lot. Surprised that Bret only takes 4. I take 2 basal, 3 meals & corrections, if my BG is high. Guess Bret does no corrections:)
That’s my regiment, 1 at each meal and 1 lantus at bedtime, I’m sure that’s what he does and isn’t counting corrections. 50% chance isn’t accurate, see the discussion suggested. This was taken from: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/genetics-of-diabetes.html
In general, if you are a man with type 1 diabetes, the odds of your child getting diabetes are 1 in 17. If you are a woman with type 1 diabetes and your child was born before you were 25, your child’s risk is 1 in 25; if your child was born after you turned 25, your child’s risk is 1 in 100.
Your child’s risk is doubled if you developed diabetes before age 11. If both you and your partner have type 1 diabetes, the risk is between 1 in 10 and 1 in 4.
thanks for the replies, and the link! i think bc i’m kind of weird about how i like to eat (more of a nibbler here and there than a big meal 3x a day eater.) only taking shots at meals would be hard for me, so it’s interesting to read about how other people are able to manage their insulin in different ways.
A little history: 30, 40 years ago docs were trying to get T1’s under control with 1 shot a day. The more progressive ones were doing 2 shots a day. This was with insulins like Regular, NPH, Lente, and Ultralente.
Yep, it was tough. Of course not having home bg testing, it was pure guesswork too. Urine testing, I lived through that!
The real revolution came in the early 80’s when home bg testing became available, and then MDI came in as part of DCCT’s “intensive therapy”.
MDI with 4 shots a day is not uncommon. One shot of Lantus and a shot of Humalog at each meal for example.
And, believe it or not, 4-5 shots a day is so much better than the one or two shots that were done earlier. Reason: Needles are MUCH thinner and lows are so much easier to avoid or control.
Once you’ve been on a pump, you can’t help but try for good results on MDI, similar to pump results. Long-acting insulin requires two shots. Each meal requires a fast-acting insulin shot. Snacks, corrections, they all add up. I really believe that reasonably good control requires a lot of shots. Cheers. It’s part of D-life.
I take 2 shots of Levemir, 1 shot of Humalog with each meal (3), corrections as well…I can take up to 8 shots on a bad BS day… Ha, we are all human pincushions.
I have a general question about corrections. I end up doing them like maybe twice a week. Do some people do corrections on a daily basis and if so, wouldn’t you consider changing your I:C ratio (or basal dose if that’s when the highs are occuring).?
I do corrections fairly often but not daily. I just upped my lantus because I was having to correct many times a week and having high mornings. My goal is not to have to do corrections.
