For those of you that are not on a pump... how do you figure your insulin dosage for your injections?
I am on a pump, but just started 3 months ago. Before that, i took injections for 38 years. The concept is much the same as using a pump. You have a correction factor to bring down high blood sugars. As well, you have an insulin-to-carb ratio to know how much insulin to give based on how many grams of carbs you eat.
The unfortunate thing is that if the math adds to 6.75 units, you can't do it. With my old insulin pens I had to determine whether to round down to 6 untis or round up to 7. I couldn't be as precise.
Got ya. This is what I thought from my past experience using my pump (I'm back to injections now).
I downloaded an app on my phone that calculates it. On this app it has target rate, corrective factor & carbohydrate factor along with an area to input your glucose reading & carbohydrate intake.
Is the corrective factor how much each unit of insulin will lower your glucose?
And how do I figure my carbohydrate factor. I don't have access to my old pump readings.
Your endo (if you were seeing one) should have your ratios in your medical record. Otherwise, you have to recalculate them once your basal is set.
The book "Using Insulin" by John Walsh and/or "Think Like a Pancreas" by Gary Scheiner are good references if you have forgotten this stuff....or were on older regimens like sliding scale before.
There are tables in the books to give you a starting point for ISF and I:C based on your weight and Total Daily Dose.... but you really have to get your basal insulin set and stable as a first step. The calculations are the same as the pump wizard, just done by hand or via the app you downloaded.
Just like others have said, carb ratios and correction factors, just like with a pump. I second the suggestion to read "Using Insulin" and "Think like a Pancreas". If you don't want to buy these, you should be able to get them if you live in a city that has a fairly large library system. They are definitely worth a read, and are a good reference to have on hand.
Thanks for the replies. I appreciate it.