Novorapid or test first?

Lauraduff92

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I'm unsure what I should be doing first I always take my dose of novorapid that I have worked out for my meal first then check my blood sugars after then eat. Does this affect anything or should I be doing it the other way round by checking my bloods then taking the novorapid? Thoughts?
 

noblehead

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You need to test so you can make adjustments to your insulin dose if need be.
 

Lauraduff92

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Yes I always test. 4 times a day in fact. But I'm just wanting reassurance should I test my bloods then take my novorapid?
 

noblehead

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Yes I always test. 4 times a day in fact. But I'm just wanting reassurance should I test my bloods then take my novorapid?


Yes you do, if you were high then you could include a correction dose with your meal-time insulin, likewise if you were on the lowish side (but not hypo) you could deduct some insulin from your bolus dose should you choose.
 

iHs

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Yes I always test. 4 times a day in fact. But I'm just wanting reassurance should I test my bloods then take my novorapid?

Laura, 4 bg tests per day is the very basic minimum that an insulin dependant diabetic using basal bolus, should do so make sure that you dont control your bg too tightly which will probably have an effect on your ability to recognise the hypo feeling when bg levels drop. If your bg control starts to change, then you should test mid morning and mid afternoon to see what bg levels are and if lower than ideal, then food can be eaten to prevent a hypo coming on before the next main meal is eaten and the next day, bolus insulin can be reduced or a bit more carb eaten to ensure a better level.
 

Daibell

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Hi. If you plan to test before a meal then test first and you can then take the right Novorapid dose with a correction if needed. I'm one of the lucky ones and may only test once a day or even not at all, but I always test before driving and whilst if it's a long drive. You need to know your own body and how your blood sugar fluctuates. My HBa1C is 6.5% or a bit below but I can still recognise going into the hypo region; many others don't have the warning and need to be more careful
 

novorapidboi26

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as others have said, test first, so you can calculate any corrections, if any, to put on top of your meal time dose....
 

Lauraduff92

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@iHs I know in myself that testing myself those 4 times throughout the day is fine thanks. I have perfect readings everytime so I must be managing my insulin very well.
 

tim2000s

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@Lauraduff92 , you know that your levels at the four points you test are good. Do you know whether you spike particularly two hours post eating?
 
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novorapidboi26

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@iHs I know in myself that testing myself those 4 times throughout the day is fine thanks. I have perfect readings everytime so I must be managing my insulin very well.

how have you been calculating corrections up to this point.........?

although if your on target all the time you wont need to....lol....;)
 

Lauraduff92

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how have you been calculating corrections up to this point.........?

although if your on target all the time you wont need to....lol....;)
I have been fine at every reading. So there has been no need for corrections. I have got my lantus now on an amount that works for me and I know what I need for my meals. So my readings are always between 4 and 6. Which I think is excellent having only been diagnosed 6 weeks ago.
 

Jaylee

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Hi. If you plan to test before a meal then test first and you can then take the right Novorapid dose with a correction if needed. I'm one of the lucky ones and may only test once a day or even not at all, but I always test before driving and whilst if it's a long drive. You need to know your own body and how your blood sugar fluctuates. My HBa1C is 6.5% or a bit below but I can still recognise going into the hypo region; many others don't have the warning and need to be more careful

Wow this is interesting. I've always been fully hypo aware. (It even wakes me.) there's no way I could maintain an Hba1c like that just "using the force."
Back in my youthful "goat staring" days it would be anything between 8 to 10.!!? :oops:

I need to test at least 10 times a day to lock down a respectable hba1c of 6.4.

Agree with the above. Test first!
 
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Jaylee

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I have been fine at every reading. So there has been no need for corrections. I have got my lantus now on an amount that works for me and I know what I need for my meals. So my readings are always between 4 and 6. Which I think is excellent having only been diagnosed 6 weeks ago.

Ah, you've just past yer "test"...
Keep an eye on the "speedo gauge". I would hate it if your licence was blemished with any endorcments..! o_O;)
 

tim2000s

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I have been fine at every reading. So there has been no need for corrections. I have got my lantus now on an amount that works for me and I know what I need for my meals. So my readings are always between 4 and 6. Which I think is excellent having only been diagnosed 6 weeks ago.
Ah... That's it then! Six weeks in you'll still have a fair amount of your own insulin keeping you under control as well. Enjoy it!
 

irrationalJohn

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So my readings are always between 4 and 6. Which I think is excellent having only been diagnosed 6 weeks ago.

Ah, so early days still?

The hardest thing for me to remember when I'm listening to myself talk in the #DOC (Diabetic Online Community) is that every single person with diabetes has a different experience of it than I do. I can talk about what I think may have worked well for me in the recent past. But I'm poking about in the dark when talking to someone else.

Often this gets complicated because a person relatively new to living their D assumes, not unreasonably, that there actually is one right way to proceed. Well, sometimes yes, other times not so much. A lot of the time there is only what happens to work well for you at a particular point in time rather than an all encompassing, long term answer.

It's one of the many opportunities for personal growth which D frequently presents to us. :meh:

I believe that the responses above about how frequently to test come from folks whose BG (Blood Glucose) varies a lot more than yours apparently does at this time. If I gave myself a bolus sufficient to cover the carbs in a meal and then simply ate, then about two hours later my BG could very well be over 16.7 mmol/l (300 mg/dl).

In my case, the correct number of times to test each day is at least 100 … or more … including the period when I am sleeping. This is why I am very glad that I can use a CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor). :nailbiting:

You are right that your current numbers are good. Just keep in mind that this can change as time passes. How quickly and in what way it might change would depend, in part, on what form of D you have, T1 or T2. I don't think you ever included that in your previous posts, at least in this thread.
 

Lauraduff92

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Ah, so early days still?

The hardest thing for me to remember when I'm listening to myself talk in the #DOC (Diabetic Online Community) is that every single person with diabetes has a different experience of it than I do. I can talk about what I think may have worked well for me in the recent past. But I'm poking about in the dark when talking to someone else.

Often this gets complicated because a person relatively new to living their D assumes, not unreasonably, that there actually is one right way to proceed. Well, sometimes yes, other times not so much. A lot of the time there is only what happens to work well for you at a particular point in time rather than an all encompassing, long term answer.

It's one of the many opportunities for personal growth which D frequently presents to us. :meh:

I believe that the responses above about how frequently to test come from folks whose BG (Blood Glucose) varies a lot more than yours apparently does at this time. If I gave myself a bolus sufficient to cover the carbs in a meal and then simply ate, then about two hours later my BG could very well be over 16.7 mmol/l (300 mg/dl).

In my case, the correct number of times to test each day is at least 100 … or more … including the period when I am sleeping. This is why I am very glad that I can use a CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor). :nailbiting:

You are right that your current numbers are good. Just keep in mind that this can change as time passes. How quickly and in what way it might change would depend, in part, on what form of D you have, T1 or T2. I don't think you ever included that in your previous posts, at least in this thread.
I have type 1 diabetes
 

fairylights

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For my first three months my reading were all around 5.0 as I was in the honeymoon. Once that stopped and my blood sugars started to rise things changed completely. now I'm on a pump and more changes. I test first like others so I know how much insulin I need.
 

Daibell

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Wow this is interesting. I've always been fully hypo aware. (It even wakes me.) there's no way I could maintain an Hba1c like that just "using the force."
Back in my youthful "goat staring" days it would be anything between 8 to 10.!!? :oops:

I need to test at least 10 times a day to lock down a respectable hba1c of 6.4.

Agree with the above. Test first!
Yes, I'm very much aware that I test a lot less than most on insulin. I believe I am still producing some of my own insulin although my c-peptide test was quite low and my Basal/Bolus shot levels are typical for a slim T1.5. Apart from being lucky (?) my view is that if you have predictable readings then why test beyond a certain amount. Occasionally I'll find a reading in the low teens and may correct for it but it's not very frequent so doesn't affect my HBa1C and not often enough to test more often if that makes sense. I also do a fasting test every week or so to check my Basal is still OK.
 

Lauraduff92

Member
Messages
20
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Yes, I'm very much aware that I test a lot less than most on insulin. I believe I am still producing some of my own insulin although my c-peptide test was quite low and my Basal/Bolus shot levels are typical for a slim T1.5. Apart from being lucky (?) my view is that if you have predictable readings then why test beyond a certain amount. Occasionally I'll find a reading in the low teens and may correct for it but it's not very frequent so doesn't affect my HBa1C and not often enough to test more often if that makes sense. I also do a fasting test every week or so to check my Basal is still OK.
That's such a reassuring message :). I also don't see the point in testing constantly all day long when I feel great and at those 4 important parts of the day I have low good readings :).