Hi, are you T1? There’s a thread on the site for T1 where others can share what they do. None of us can tell us what to do, though, that’s for Your DSN and Your doctor to advise.
If you’re T1, like me, then a DAFNE course (it goes by various different acronyms in different parts of the U.K.) can help with management.
It's really individual I think. For me, what I am working on right now, is if I am below 5.5mmol, I will inject just after the meal, as to try and avoid a hypo before the food kicks in.
I believe that you are newly diagnosed.
If this is the case, I would suggest that you inject your novorapid as instructed by your hcp.
Pre bolusing or injecting your novorapid before eating a meal is a method used by a lot of T1's. It does take a lot of knowledge about food, your body and insulin profiles to undertake safely and to your advantage.
At this moment in time you may also be in the honeymoon period of your diabetes, this alone will make things unpredictable.
Once things settle down and you become more aware of how to manage your diabetes then varying injection times will be something you can attempt.
As with everything diabetes your diabetes is bespoke to you. What works for me may probably not work for you.
I, as an experienced T1 found my insulin starts working around 20 min. If I’m a tad high I wait 25, a tad low I eat at 10-15. But I hav done LOADS of testing to figure it out. If you’re eating carbs then perhaps before the meal rather than after. I don’t eat carbs per se. If you run high then try prebolusing a little. If you’re dropping either reduce insulin or bolus sooner.
In the beginning, its really good to follow the advice given by your doctor. There are reasons for doing both ways you mention, but your doctor is best one to follow initially. Doing blood tests in the beginning and keeping a diary of what you are eating and what the sugar levels are is also another useful tool you can use whilst you are learning how your body responds to both food and injections.