Correction doses

linda321

Well-Known Member
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118
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Insulin
How long do you wait after an injection/meal before a correction dose? And how much insulin do you take?

I think I am being overcautious, for example, last night I took 2u at bedtime as my BS was 12.3. This didn't make any difference and I woke up with BS of 13.6! (Libre shows a reasonably straight line, just a few wobbles) I ate my dinner at 6.30pm, so I'm thinking I should have done a higher correction dose earlier.
 

azure

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I can only say what I do - your needs may be different.

I usually correct if my blood sugar is too high at two hours after a meal (by 'too high' I mean above what I want/would expect/know works for me at that time). I know my correction ratio - mine is 1 unit of insulin should lower me by 4mmols - but yours will be different. Always err on the side of caution.

I'm on a pump. Are you on MDI? If so, could it be what you ate (eg high fat) or could it be your basal is wrong?

Edited to add that I rarely correct just before bed (hence the two hour after eating test) but if I do I'd set an alarm to get up and test during the night.
 

himtoo

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why can't everyone get on........
Hi @linda321

that is a really individual thing as we are all different and have not only different basal / bolus ratio's to total daily dose but also differing views on how cautious we need to be , different insulins etc etc

I can give you an example of my calculations for myself.

if I was 6.8 pre meal at 6:00pm and had a meal of 60 grams carb consisting of boiled potato , carrots , broccoli, cauliflower and a grilled chicken breast -- i would take a bolus dose of 14 units for that meal. (1u per 4.3 carbs)

if my 2 hour post meal had risen to 11.5 i would take a further 1u at 8:00pm following the test.

if my blood sugar remained high all evening and at bedtime( 11pm) I was still at 9.6 i would take a further 2 units at bedtime.
 

steve_p6

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Personally I will check two hours after I inject the meal bolus. Its then a case of where have BGs risen to, how much active IOB left(most useful feature on my Libre). Can then work out likely end point and if I need another correction to hit target.
 

noblehead

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@linda123 just be mindful too,the higher our bg levels the more insulin resistant we become.

Say for example 1 unit brings your bg levels down by 3mmol when in single figures it may only bring it down by 1.5mmol/l when in double figures, certainly this is the case with myself and many other type 1's have reported the same.
 
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linda321

Well-Known Member
Messages
118
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Insulin
Thanks guys! It's really helpful to know what other people do.
 

Gaztheoldpunk

Active Member
Messages
33
Type of diabetes
Type 1
@linda123 just be mindful too,the higher our bg levels the more insulin resistant we become.

Say for example 1 unit brings your bg levels down by 3mmol when in single figures it may only bring it down by 1.5mmol/l when in double figures, certainly this is the case with myself and many other type 1's have reported the same.
That sounds about right for me.. always check after two hours and I find anything over twelve usually requires 2 units of novorapid to bring it down... depending what I've eaten!!
 

donnellysdogs

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If over 12.0 I double the correction bolus that normally works...

I wait for 3 hours before correcting as I have very slow digestion and all of a sudden mine can drop. Once I have corrected if I am over 12.0 then I will wait another 3 hours as any food bolus would be out of me so it gives me a clearer picture.
 

pinewood

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788
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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As everyone else has said, it's really personal. If I was 12mmol at bed time I'd also have taken 2U ... but if you were trending up anyway the 2U could have just stopped you rising further rather than decreasing you from 12 as you expected. Sadly the only way to tackle bedtime highs, in my experience, is to just hope for the best or set your alarm for 3-4 hours later and check where you are at.
 
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