I am not on a basal so just inject to cover my meals. I am curious to know how many times other people inject. For instance, do you inject when you have a snack? I am aiming for normal BG, and try not to go over 110 so that limits me for snacks without insulin. I have started adding an extra shot so that I can have an apple or some fruit yogurt for a snack or dessert and still stay in my range.
6 times on a good day, one shot at breakfast, 2 at lunch and dinner and one at bedime
When I was on Lantus and Humlaog I took an average of six or seven shots a day: Lantus morning and evening, three meals, and one or two snacks.
I’m on a pump now, but I bolus for all meals and snacks. If I don’t, even a 15g snack will make me go high. If I’m eating a very small number of carbs then sometimes I don’t, but now that I’m on a pump I bolus for everything, even if it’s just 0.5 of a unit.
I take 3 shots as a rule each day but add an extra at lunch when I eat something that I know will raise it to keep it in range.
Jennifer,how hard was it to make the transition to a pump?I see my Endo in May of 08 to go on a pump.I can’t wait!!!
I average anywhere from 3-6 shots per day, depending on how often I eat. In general, I inject anytime I eat carbohydrates (unless I’m treating a low). The goal of intensive therapy is to replicate the lost functionality of the pancreatic beta cells, which secrete insulin with any carbohydrate consumption, as well as with some hormone releases which can cause glucose levels to rise. Since we cannot measure hormones, it is focused mainly on covering foods and correction of highs, with occasional addressing of hormonal issues based on pattern recognition.
I personally use almost no basal insulin, so I do not use Lantus or Levemir although I do use a small amount of NPH overnight to cover protein consumption from dinner, which takes about 8 hours to hit my blood glucose levels. If your basal insulin needs are low, I would argue that a pump would provide very little benefit in terms of glycemic control. It is a myth that pumps will improve control for everyone; it really benefits people whose basal insulin needs vary considerably over the course of a day, or for those whose sensitivity to insulin is high and need to be able to dose in increments much smaller than 1/2 unit. I am a former pumper, and have seen no deterioration of my control since going back to MDI about 3 years ago.
I take at least 5 a day. Novolog + Lantus in the morning, Novolog at lunch, Novolog + Lantus again in the evening. That’s the baseline. I may take another at any post meal reading if it doesn’t fall within range.
I’m not a big snacker, but generally if I’m eating (and not correcting a low) I’m injecting. Once in a while I’ll have a snack in the evening, those are hard for me to judge, because it may only be 2 hours past dinner, so I have to estimate what I’m eating, what I’m testing, and the remaining novolog from my dinner shot.
I’m on 5 injections a day: 2 Levemir (morning and evening ) and one of Actrapid at each meal time.
Hi Rainbowgoddess, how are you getting on with your new regime ? Is it beginning to settle down yet?