i got diagnosed w/type 1 diabetes about a month ago. i’ve been keeping a log of how many carbs i’m eating and how much insulin i take to cover it. i’ve been eating the same thing for lunch almost everyday and almost everyday i get very different results. sometimes i end up higher than i started and sometimes lower. do you guys have any ideas on what i can do to get more consistent results?
thanks
Have you met with a diabetes educator or an endo? They can help with that. Prior to going on the pump, I was basically “guessing” on my insulin intake. Of course, I had been doing it for about 10 years, so I was pretty much right on my guesses, but they were able to fine tune it and put it in an insulin to carb ratio for me.
Right now I have 4 different ratios, depending on the time of day. My early morning/breakfast are the highest at 6grams to 1unit. My lowest is late at night and it is 11 grams to 1 unit.
Good luck!
i was on vacation when i was diagnosed so i’ve been able to meet with my educator once. that time she went over how my novolog and lantus work. she advised me to monitor my levels and if i’m going too high for a certain amount of carbs, take more next time. but i keep getting erratic results when i’m eating the same thing (i take 2 homemade sandwiches to school) so i know how many carbs i’m eating. i take the same amount of insulin and sometimes my bg end up 60 points higher, sometimes it’s about the same, and sometimes i’m much lower.
Did the educator/doctor give you a phone number to call? You should try to get in touch with one or both of them to get some help on this. When I was transitioning from shots to the pump, my diabetes educator called me twice a day, even on weekends, to get readings from me and make adjustments.
If you can’t get ahold of them personally, call the office on Monday and let them know you either need them to call you back or you need an appointment very soon.
It’s hard to get this whole thing down, but even harder when you don’t have any guidance.
You are probably still honeymooning, which means your body is still producing some insulin of its own and you will have erratic results. Insulin is a hormone and diabetes is unpredictable, but yet contact your CDE/Endo and ask them for advice on what to do. I would also ask your Endo about an insulin pump. It will help you achieve better control.
Nilesh-
My Endo helped me decide on my carb to insulin Ratio. I am at 1 unit of insulin for every 15g of carbs. Call your Endo or Physician to see if you can meet with an educator.
Everyone is right. Your endocrinologist or CDE can assist you in setting your insulin to carb ratio but even for them it may be a guess (although and educated one) that may need to be adjusted. Also realize that what you eat is not the only thing that effects your BGs. Stress, change in amount of activity, interaction with friends, a more difficult subject in class, may all effect BGs differently so even though you are eating the same, you may get different readings. It is very complex but in time you and your healthcare team can help get it all figured out. Just think, we all have the rest of our lives to figure this disease out. Sometimes I wonder if that is enough time.