I have read these same statistics in another book (I think Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adults, and Young Adults). I'm pretty sure it said newly-diabetes people are considered to be honeymooning if they take less than 0.5 units per kg of body weight, and considered to be insulin resistant if they take more than 1.0 units per kg of body weight. So I think these are probably pretty accurate.
I do think one important thing being left out here is carbohydrate consumption, since a lot of people on this site eat a lower than average number of carbohydrates, even if they aren't on an actual low-carbohydrate diet.
For myself, I take about 27 units of basal insulin but have a TDD of around 42 units. (I am overweight, but not insulin resistant, and when I weighed much less my basal was about 18-20 units.) Using the insulin to kg formula, I'm supposedly only taking about 0.4 units per kg of body weight. But I only eat about 100 grams of carbohydrates most days. If I ate 300 grams of carbohydrates, my dose would be 0.6 units per kg of body weight. And, since this is probably closer to what many Type 1s eat, I think it's probably what the calculations are based on. (If I ate 300 grams of carbohydrates I'd also have a 47/53 basal/bolus split, but in reality my split is closer to 65/35 since I eat less carbohydrates than most people.)
I was diagnosed at age 9 and have been Type 1 for over 21 years, so I'd be very surprised if I'm producing any significant amount of insulin (though I've never had a c-peptide test so really have no idea).
*peeks* It looks like your A1C, at least what's posted, took a step in the right direction? How are you feeling?
With me, when my basal is "hot", I end up noticing that I'm eating a lot of snacks (usually jelly beans/ smarties...I mix them up...) and sometimes gain a couple of pounds and will turn it down. And then see no snacks but sort of hankering for food and it goes back the other way. It's onerous but keeps my BG where I want it.
If your BG is cool and you are feeling well (I know we've talked about feeling bad sometimes too...), then your basals ok but if things hit you that you don't like, maybe it's an opportunity to adjust things?
I started on 10 units at diagnosis 6 years ago, went down to about 7 or 8 as my body settled down and have come back up to about 11 units . I've been pumping for the last 4.5 years.
I take 17u basal per day in a pump. But it's a very personal thing -- each of us varies in how insulin resistant we are (ranging from extremely sensitive to extremely resistant), how much exercise we do, how we respond to food (sometimes part of our food is covered by the basal), and who knows what else. But I don't think the amount of insulin you're taking is what's important -- to me, it's keeping good BG control, and being able to eat comfortably without obsessing on numbers. And in your case, running after young'uns -- I'm sure you spend a good amount of energy on that! :-)
Exactly, those figures are a "starting base", just like the 1:15 I:C ratio some doctors/dieticians use, then we have to figure it out by trial and error. Those per kg rates take no account of insulin resistance or carbs eaten. And they still sound high to me. For my weight the .55 figure which is supposedly conservative would give me a TDD of 34.65. When my doctor who thought I was Type 2 started me out he started me at 25 basal and about another 6 bolus. I was crashing like crazy.
I take 15 units of Lantus per night. I started off a little lower but, being Type 1, it was just a natural progression of the condition. So I think it's normal to have to adjust your doses once you become more dependent on insulin.
im t1 since nov 2011 and was once on one measly unit of lantus. its gone up and up and was at 6 a couple of weeks ago, with very little bolus. now my D has become this monster insulin eating nightmare and im on 9 units (2 in the am, 7 in the pm) and usually a unit of novo to cover 30 CH for breakfast and another for lunch. im only eating salad for dinner now because i have some kind of freaky psycho resistance to taking more. waiting to see if my tdd goes lower as am fully recovered...
i do the same thing with the "hot" basal. then i can eat. and then i ease up and get hungry, wish i was a robot that didnt have to eat, go back to the "hot". i find i can exercise and do stuff with more freedom when im running hot, not so afraid of hypos...
The figures seem high to me, too. I weigh about 70 kg. and if I used 0.7u per kg, that would be a TDD of 49u. But I'm normally somewhere in the upper 20's, lower 30's -- the only time I even get above 40 is if I binge. (Being honest here!)
So I do think it depends a lot on each person's insulin sensitivity; some people are naturally more sensitive (or resistant -- same idea, different word!) than others, and at best such numbers are an average. But even as an average, it seems off to me -- I'm by no means the most insulin sensitive person in the world!
Excellent question ... I hadn't even considered that aspect of it so it makes much more sense now. The minimum is 85 units. I waste some every time and that is certainly a consideration.
I don't think there is anything normal about diabetes. Insulin requirements vary so much person to person. I started off on a lower basal at the beginning of my diagnosis. I now take anywhere between 20 and 25 basal units daily. I was diagnosed almost 6 years ago as an adult onset Type 1 and have been on a pump a few months after my diagnosis. Best decision I ever made was going on the pump. I would recommend the pump to anyone who takes insulin daily and is looking for tighter control.
What wonderful replies, so interesting to see how much it varies. Mine also varies now during different "times" of the month and I also run low when I'm getting sick or am sick, strange! I have been now labeled as "brittle" by my endocrinologist. I can eat the same exact thing take the same amount of insulin and be 40 one day and 300 the next. I cannot handle more than about 15 carbs at a time no matter how much insulin I take.
I have also been called "brittle" and I dislike the term ... I DO appreciate that it recognizes that, for whatever reason, some of us have a MUCH harder time managing than others. But I also feel like doctors use it as an excuse for going, "Oh well, we can't help you anymore, you should just settle for the control you have ..." I'm currently working with a new endocrinologist who is very good (and has Type 1 himself!), so I'm really hoping he can help me! So far he hasn't been able to spot any patterns or make many suggestions, but he also spends about 45 minutes each appointment going over my records in detail, which is such a refreshing change from my old endocrinologist.
I take 22u of Levemir split in two 11u doses. I've been T1 for almost a year and have some pesky insulin resistance due to PCOS. I've thought about adjusting my evening dose to get better coverage for DP, but I worry about lows before DP kicks in, which seems to be around 4 or 5am. Not sure how much of a concern this is, as I'd be taking the same daily dose. Maybe I'll try adjusting by 1u and see if anything happens!
When diagnosed with Adult Onset Type 1 I weighed about 255lbs. I was taking about 26u of Levimer a day in the mornings. I didn't split the dosage and seemed fine. I was taking about 7u of Novalog per carb choice (1 choice = 15carbs). But I've lost 60lbs and those have gone down. I now take 15-16u of Levimer in the mornings. And I take about 3u of Novalog now per carb choice. I do run and have had to fight lots of lows in the 50's-60's about 3 hours afterward. I was diagnosed 4 years ago. I do find everyone seems to be very different. And I had an Endo I visited state I was Type2 without looking at any labs based only on the amount of Insuline I was taking. Yet my c-peptide shows I'm almost totally depleted of my own production. So just know that we all are as different as we look.
