Advice please

Jackie006

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I am on apidra 3 times day and lantus before bed if I have my brekkie at 7am I am hungry again thru morning but if I have something else to eat then my sugars go up how do u all manage my doc said it fine to have bit insulin before I have something to eat but dn said that I shouldn't do that I am so fed up as I just dnt know Wat to do please help
 

tim2000s

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I am on apidra 3 times day and lantus before bed if I have my brekkie at 7am I am hungry again thru morning but if I have something else to eat then my sugars go up how do u all manage my doc said it fine to have bit insulin before I have something to eat but dn said that I shouldn't do that I am so fed up as I just dnt know Wat to do please help
What do you eat at breakfast? Cereal and toast don't cause long term satiety, however introducing meat and eggs into breakfast will fill you up for longer. That way you won't need to eat again.
 

MH2010

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@Jackie006

There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking insulin other than at your meal times. No point in starving yourself, if you are hungry then eat, as long as you take insulin to cover the food.

There is absolutely no law that says you must only do fast acting insulin 3 times a day.
 

Mep

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hi, I'm also on apidra and lantus the same as you. My endocrinologist told me that if I eat a snack and it is substantial to have 4 units of apidra with it. But it depends on my sugar levels, sometimes I will have some insulin and have more units than he said, other times I don't have any insulin. But yes, you can use the insulin for snacks, just less than you would with meals. I tend to mostly just have the 4 injections every day... but some days as mentioned I do need that extra insulin. I eat breakfast at 6 am so come 10 am I am hungry again.... plus it is tea break at work so I have something to eat to get me through to lunch as 6 hours without eating is too long for me.... the only time I ever do that is if I'm bedridden and really ill with vomiting.
 

Jackie006

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Thankyou for ur replies that makes me feel better sometimes it just gets confusing which is why it's nice to know how other people manage thankyou again
 
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noblehead

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I am on apidra 3 times day and lantus before bed if I have my brekkie at 7am I am hungry again thru morning but if I have something else to eat then my sugars go up how do u all manage my doc said it fine to have bit insulin before I have something to eat but dn said that I shouldn't do that I am so fed up as I just dnt know Wat to do please help


The trouble is with snacking between meals (and bolusing for it) you end up stacking your insulin doses, this can result in more hypo's if your not careful.

If you eat a good breakfast you shouldn't go hungry mid-morning, 6 mornings out of 7 I have traditional porridge oats with natural greek yogurt, seeds and blueberries, the good balance of carbs, fats and protein helps keep me full to lunch-time.
 
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staffsmatt

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Could you have a low carb snack like a but if cheese, or sliced meat? I have 3 rounds of toast 2 scrambled eggs and smiled mackerel for breakfast and I'm starved by 10,i think some people are just grazers! The cheese might affect your levels a little but you might get away with it. I'm on Audra too and find stacking a real problem so I try and avoid it.
 

staffsmatt

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Have you tried avocado or pistachio nuts? Both of those seem to be not too bad for me, or veg actually (broccoli doesn't affect me at all) not the most appetising snack idea though I admit!
 

Mrs Vimes

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Hi Jackie, I'm a type 1 diabetic and eat lchf. I find this keeps me full so I don't need to snack. Breakfast tends to be protein like any type of egg dish. Or any meat left over from the night before. Coffee and cream keeps me going if I don't eat breakfast.
The advice you are getting about taking extra insulin for snacks- do you know your insulin to carb ratio? When I ate carbs I needed 2 units for every 10g of carbs.
How often do you test?
 

Jackie006

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Hi Mrs Vimes I test at least 4 times a day I think half my prob is not doing enough insulin because afraid going to hypo as dn said hypos fry ur brain
 

TorqPenderloin

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Hi Mrs Vimes I test at least 4 times a day I think half my prob is not doing enough insulin because afraid going to hypo as dn said hypos fry ur brain
"Fry your brain" isn't the medical term for it (sorry, bad joke), but yes, hypos are very serious and can be life threatening if your blood sugar drops far enough.

With that said, I believe there are realistic and unrealistic fears about hypos. If you're seeing sharp drops from 8 down to 3 in a very short amount of time...that's certainly a valid concern. If your blood sugars are consistently staying above 7-8 then you may need to ask yourself if it's worth talking to your doctor about increasing your insulin intake.
 
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Mrs Vimes

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Hi Jackie, I find by eating lchf I don't need huge amounts if insulin. Sometimes I do need to correct but mistakes are small. My last hba1c was 40 or 5.8%, my lows are in the top 3s. Nowhere near brain frying. My highs may get into the 8s.
Dr Richard bernstein is a good read. He was diabetic for years. Trained to be a dr at 45 and has reversed the majority of his and his patients complications. I highly recommend him.

And the lchf approach - but you will have to test more and probably reduce your dads acting until you have a handle on it. If you are not confident in this then you may have to speak to your DN.
I never bothered. I've always 'played' with my insulin to suite my sugars. Going lchf meant it was even easier.

Dads? I meant fast acting. Lol.
 
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Mep

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The very first symptom of a hypo is your judgment is affected, then the other symptoms follow. So this means your brain is the first to be affected.... so the term brain fry would be about right too because if you don't treat, then you get serious symptoms such as slurred speech, unable to swallow, being unconscious. My endo has told me so many times to remember my brain is the first to be affected so the first thing to go when you hypo is your judgment and the last thing to return is also your judgment. He said for this reason you should never drive within half an hour after treating a hypo regardless of what number you had on your meter as if you reacted and had to treat... it's a hypo and you have to recover and he said it is a minimum of half an hour even with a mild hypo and you think you're right in about 10-20 mins... you're not. I know for me the lower I go on the meter the longer it takes for me to recover from it. But then also I know my endo is right about judgment as if I hypo at work I can't even think straight for a good half hour afterwards anyhow even if it was a mild hypo.​
 

Jackie006

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I dnt get hypos too often just wish I could work out how much apidra each time to take I went for a roast lunch today had Diet Pepsi sugars were 9.5 so I did 10 of apidra 2 hours later was 15.1 how long does apidra work for I am so grateful for any help
 

noblehead

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I dnt get hypos too often just wish I could work out how much apidra each time to take I went for a roast lunch today had Diet Pepsi sugars were 9.5 so I did 10 of apidra 2 hours later was 15.1 how long does apidra work for I am so grateful for any help


You should start with some basal testing then you can work on your insulin-to-carb ratio, if you register with the following it will teach you how to work out your I:C ratio:

http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/