Limit of insulin at mealtime...?

SRO

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89
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Hi all,

I'm currently on holiday, just a month after diagnosis of type 1, so still learning.

So far I have been careful of what I am eating, but tonight there's an option that isn't as suitable, but is definitely happening.
I am on a 1:10 carb ratio of Novorapid, but tonight's meal is very carb loaded - if I were to eat say, 200g of carbs - is it safe to inject 20 units in one go, or should I split this?
I have never gone over 12 units in one go.

Thanks all.
SRO.
 

AndBreathe

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@SRO - As a T2, who thankfully needn't take medication, I have no clue whatsoever, but I'll tag a few T1s to see if you can get some sort of wisdom today.

I hope someone can help you through your carb-fest, but looking at your signature, you're bringing the numbers down nicely. Good luck with it all.

@Jaylee , @tim2000s , @novorapidboi26 , @robert72 - Sorry to be a pain, tagging you.
 
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Hi all,

I'm currently on holiday, just a month after diagnosis of type 1, so still learning.

So far I have been careful of what I am eating, but tonight there's an option that isn't as suitable, but is definitely happening.
I am on a 1:10 carb ratio of Novorapid, but tonight's meal is very carb loaded - if I were to eat say, 200g of carbs - is it safe to inject 20 units in one go, or should I split this?
I have never gone over 12 units in one go.

Thanks all.
SRO.

Hi SRO, from what is posted on the forum from other type 1's, it is best to split the dose for a very high carb meal. Sometimes all of the meal may not be eaten or something different may be offered, so it's best to verve towards caution and maybe take a little less Insulin. It must be a little daunting for you so soon after diagnosis, also different types of foods affect our BS, but you seem to be doing well so far. I hope you are enjoying your holiday. take care.
Best wishes RRB
 
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Lynz84

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Hi SRO. I would agree with RRB. You arent that long diagnosed and things mayb just arent that settled yet. I would take half at the start then the other half after but it may be an idea to slash the carb content of meal also just in terms of keeping within wat you are comfortable with. Also, if you are on a hot holiday, bear in mind the heat can drop your sugar levels so be vigilant. I know its a pain in the bum but it does become second nature x
 
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Jaylee

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Hi @SRO

It's a difficult one for me to stick my neck out on..
Your recently diagnosed so could still be "honeymooning"? Insulin sensitivity holidaying in a warmer climate contributing as well?
Plus "200g of carb" is a heavy load to my experience.. Any fat content in the meal may also delay the carbs profile too.
Possible alcohol keeping your liver busy..?

I would half the dose prior & consult my meter more than usual.. Correcting accordingly when needed.?

Tricky.. I personally like to keep things simple! Lol

Bon apatite.
 
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fern000

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Not sure if this is helpful but my dietician once told me that insulin doesn't behave the same way it would when in very large amounts such as when you're gonna bolus 20 units; it's likely to work much faster and cover more carbs per unit of insulin. I'm also on 1:10 and I find that even if I do take 100g of carbs, 10units of insulin often causes me to have a hypo. So maybe you could either cut down on the carbs or cut down on the insulin just to be safe! But of course, just my two cents!
 
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SRO

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Type 1
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Thank you so much for your help @AndBreathe @Robinredbreast @Lynz84 @Jaylee .
When I posted, I was just about to head out to dinner in Vegas (8 hours behind), forgetting the forum would be really quiet.

I had to just trust my instinct and did half my dose before and after eating,

Turns out, I didn't want the full cheesecake slice to myself so shared, and didn't eat the bun from the burger (every little helps, eh?).

I was petrified of eating out on holiday, and my numbers did go up for the week, but I did the best I could given the circumstances and enjoyed myself.
Now back home and trying to get the numbers down, but seem to be stuck at 13.

@fern000 Interesting about the larger volumes of insulin working differently. I hopefully won't need to do that again, but will ask just in case.
 

damianpowell

Newbie
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My ratio is 2u:10g so for me, 200g of carbs would be 40 units! As you can probably guess from that, the answer is quite individual. However if you are eating a large amount of carbs, then it's going to take you longer to digest than a small amount of carbs. This means that your insulin might run out before you've finished digesting which could cause you to have a hypo. In this sort of situation, I tend to split the dose: have half before the meal, then the other half about an hour later. This effectively spreads out the active time for the insulin.

When you're doing anything out of the ordinary, (whether this is eating, exercise, or just being in an unusual climate), do more glucose tests and have something sugary to hand in case you go low.
 
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Dan87

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Insulin
Personally I find if I have more than about 90-100g of carbs in one go, the insulin starts to lose it's effectiveness, so I limit myself to that amount now (not that I ever really want more than that, it's plenty!)

If I have 80-100g of carbs or, as I am on a 1:10 Insulin to Carbs ratio I require 8 or more shots of novorapid. In these situations I split the dose across two different sites at the same time, e.g for 8 shots I would do 4 in each thigh, or 4 shots in one thigh and 4 in my stomach. This is based on Dr Bernstein's findings

''After some trial and error, I arrived at a cutoff point of 7 units as the largest single injection I would like an adult to take. Therefore, if an insulin-resistant patient requires 20 units of Levemir at bedtime, I ask him to take 3 separate injections, in 3 separate sites of 7 units, 7 units,and 6 units, all using the same syringe".

This was based on a study done at the University of Minnesota whereby they were able to measure that high levels of insulin injected into one spot caused 29-39% decrease in insulin effectiveness, as so much foreign antigen put into one area really increased antibody response. Bernstein read this study and with his own experimentation realized that injecting more than 7 units into one area decreased it's effectiveness on lowering his glucose. It's very clear that when patients inject less into an area they have a better response.
 
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SRO

Well-Known Member
Messages
89
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Personally I find if I have more than about 90-100g of carbs in one go, the insulin starts to lose it's effectiveness, so I limit myself to that amount now (not that I ever really want more than that, it's plenty!)

If I have 80-100g of carbs or, as I am on a 1:10 Insulin to Carbs ratio I require 8 or more shots of novorapid. In these situations I split the dose across two different sites at the same time, e.g for 8 shots I would do 4 in each thigh, or 4 shots in one thigh and 4 in my stomach. This is based on Dr Bernstein's findings

''After some trial and error, I arrived at a cutoff point of 7 units as the largest single injection I would like an adult to take. Therefore, if an insulin-resistant patient requires 20 units of Levemir at bedtime, I ask him to take 3 separate injections, in 3 separate sites of 7 units, 7 units,and 6 units, all using the same syringe".

This was based on a study done at the University of Minnesota whereby they were able to measure that high levels of insulin injected into one spot caused 29-39% decrease in insulin effectiveness, as so much foreign antigen put into one area really increased antibody response. Bernstein read this study and with his own experimentation realized that injecting more than 7 units into one area decreased it's effectiveness on lowering his glucose. It's very clear that when patients inject less into an area they have a better response.

That's really interesting - I definitely want to look further in to this. Thanks so much for the info.
 

mibby

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Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Insulin
It really does depend on the individual. I had a pizza for tea, with 70 units (!) of novorapid. My BG was 6.1. 2 hours later, it's 5.7. This is a big dose for me, but even with a much lower carb meal I would do 40-50 units.
 

jaywak

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When I was diagnosed type 1 forty years ago at the age of 16 I was told to aim for about 200 g of carbs per day, over the years it has proberly crept up a bit 250g-300 on the odd occasion but to have 200gs in one sitting does seem an awful lot of carbs to consume in one sitting!