Spikes after eating

Jazz97

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Just wondering how people deal with spikes after eating? Mine always spike, but then will go back down to normal after a few hours. My nurse has said not to worry about it for now, but obviously I am.
Am on a fixed dose, and haven't been told how many carbs i should be eating, just to eat normally. So not looking for advice specifically, but just how others deal with this problem if they have it. Thanks
 
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There are a few ways I deal with it depending on what's going on at the time
- carb counting to make sure I have the correct dose ... or as close as possible
- pre-bolus - take my dose 15 to 30 minutes before I eat. The time depends on what I am eating (more sugary food needs longer per bolus), how much exercise I have done (if I have just come home form the gym, my BG may be falling so I don't pre-bolus much) and, recently, the insulin I am taking (NovoRapid is much slower for me than Fiasp)
- eat lower carb meals. If I eat less carbs, this reduces the spike.
- don't worry. I don't expect perfection, I know people without diabetes also spike after eating and worrying increases my BG so I try to remember to have a balance in life and not become obsessed to have my BG in range all the time.
 

Jazz97

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I know that stuffing my face at breakfast will spike me later but I deliberately do that simple because I don't want to hypo while driving so effectively I split dose to some degree, depending on how high I am when I wake up :)
I might suggest splitting my novorapid to the nurse. Anything to stop the spikes, or at least lessen them, so I can actually get on with my day. Would rather not have to cut out too many carbs if i can help it
 
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Jazz97

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To be fair Jazz97 I would drop your carbs a little, spiking at 28 is not nice. As your only been diagnosed a short time and I know its been said many time, but once you have got your head around it blah blah blah :)

I have a few more years on you but even me if I am running high, which for me is like 10-15 and Mrs Knikki asks "what you want for tea" then I will suggest either smaller portions or lower the carbs simply to keep a lid on things, because as you can see from my sig I hate Hyper's in the same way most hate Hypo's.

But talk to your DSN that is the import thing, they can give you more ideas on how to do things plus also discuss other bad habits you have picked up off us on the forum ;) :D
Luckily I didn't go quite that high today, kept it 21 for my highest points.
Problem is, as I dont know my ratio, it's really hard to judge what I can eat. I'm being told to eat normally (and that I will continue to be able to eat normally) by the nurse, and then i come on here and everyone is low carb. The other problem is that I'm on 8 units as a fixed dose, and my levels do come down usually after about 4 hours to normal levels, so I dont want to not have enough carbs and have a hypo.
I guess I'm just confused and frustrated and getting mixed information.
Also i really dont understand how someone can feel full without carbs. I already feel hungry all the time!
I've got an appointment with the nurse on Thursday, so will be asking all the questions I can possibly think of!
I'm trying my best to cut out carbs here and there that o would normally eat. But 21 after a couple of weetabix?! I get they're not low in carb, but still!
It's all just a bit of a rollercoaster...
And now I have to eat again with the BS still high from lunch! An extra unit me thinks and a close eye through the night!
 

porl69

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Hi @Jazz97. I see you are recently diagnosed. You have a lot to take in at the mo. Fixed doses are a PITA so the only thing I can suggest at the mo is to lower the carbs a bit. Knikki has given some amazing advice in his posts and cant really add anything to it.
You will be able to eat normally in the not to distant future. I am sure your DSN will get you on the DAFNE (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating) in the not to distant future.
Type 1 is very frustrating BUT can be controlled fairly easily. You will soon get the hang if it and how carbs effect your BGs. Keep us updated
 

Jazz97

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Ok I get your frustrations, and by the way I might reduce my carbs when I'm high BSL but no way do low carb in the same way as others on here preach. For example my breakfast can be anything from 90 to 110 grams of carbs plus which gives you some idea what an old fart can do.

So your Nova sounds like it is working as it should, eat stuff and yep carbs get absorbed and then get dealt with by Nova over a period of about 3 to 5 hours.

So let's try this another way. None of us know what our ratio is, we all start at 1:10 it's just a starting point and then people adjust :)

So you know about carb counting? Have a look at "Bertie online" it's a good starting point.

Your on a fixed dose of 8 units so let's say that's 80 grams of carbs, that could be easily 2 weetabix, think there 32 each. That should cover you, but weetabix, like all cereals, are slow to absorb so you will spike and then come down. Hopefully not as high as 21 but I don't know.

I don't want to say anything else because your seeing you DSN, but certainly ask about it, you could even try saying you don't think the Nova is working and see if anything else is suggested.

Saying all that your long acting Lantus may also play a part in this. It is meant to be a 24 hour back ground insulin but many find it does not last that long. Again something to talk about with your DSN.

As for "low carb" yes it works for some but not others, certainly both me and @porl69 don't not sure about @therower. @Mel dCP does but only because she has other food allergies but I still greatly admire what she does.

And as for frustrations, yes T1 can frustrate the living daylights out of me and others too. :)
Thank you, just having a rough day of it, I guess and not sure where else to express these frustrations, so sorry for all the spam.
 
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porl69

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Thank you, just having a rough day of it, I guess and not sure where else to express these frustrations, so sorry for all the spam.
Don't be sorry at all. We all get frustrated and need somewhere to vent....we understand how you feel
 
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Jazz97

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Hi @Jazz97. I see you are recently diagnosed. You have a lot to take in at the mo. Fixed doses are a PITA so the only thing I can suggest at the mo is to lower the carbs a bit. Knikki has given some amazing advice in his posts and cant really add anything to it.
You will be able to eat normally in the not to distant future. I am sure your DSN will get you on the DAFNE (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating) in the not to distant future.
Type 1 is very frustrating BUT can be controlled fairly easily. You will soon get the hang if it and how carbs effect your BGs. Keep us updated
Thank you
It would really help if I were a more patient person
Gonna keep pushing for the dafne course. Bot sure I can wait the 6 to 12 months the nurse said I would have to wait before being referred!
 

porl69

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Thank you
It would really help if I were a more patient person
Gonna keep pushing for the dafne course. Bot sure I can wait the 6 to 12 months the nurse said I would have to wait before being referred!
Bertie online is a good starting point to have a look at. Keep on contacting your DSN to Express your concerns as well
 

Jazz97

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Bertie online is a good starting point to have a look at. Keep on contacting your DSN to Express your concerns as well
I will definitely be having a look into that! Slightly concerned what my nurse might say if I start carb counting without her permission, but uni will be a nightmare if I can't be even a little more flexible with when i eat
 
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porl69

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I will definitely be having a look into that! Slightly concerned what my nurse might say if I start carb counting without her permission, but uni will be a nightmare if I can't be even a little more flexible with when i eat
Don't get too stressed out with your numbers at the moment, easier said than done I know. But you will soon be on here giving advice out
 
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therower

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@Knikki . At around 150 / 200 grams carbs daily i find this to be what suits me best. Definitely not low carb but granted I eat fewer carbs than some. More relevant is the fact that I have tried sub 50 g carbs daily over a period of time on three separate occasions and on each occasion it hasn’t given me anything better than where I am with my current regime.
I, like you believe it’s imperative that we find what works for us as individuals and avoid being lead by others.
@Jazz97 . Understand your frustrations, all of us have been where you are. You are at the start of a lifelong journey, like all journeys, the preparation is imperative. See this time as your preparation time and try not to concentrate to much on the actual journey and destination just yet.
 
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Jazz97

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If anyone has any suggestions for low carb pasta, that would be very useful information
 

LooperCat

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If anyone has any suggestions for low carb pasta, that would be very useful information
Aldi do some low carb pastas occasionally and you can get them in the Free From section of large supermarkets. They tend to be made from legumes.

I eat very low carb because it works for me, although it’s very restrictive because I’m allergic to meat and dairy, the staples of low carb living! I don’t get as hungry all the time as I did when I lived on pasta and rice, protein keeps you fuller for longer.
 

evilclive

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Just popping my head up to say I'm not low carb either.

At its heart, T1 is fairly simple - eating carbs sends sugars up, putting insulin in takes it down. You need to balance the two. This can be done by adjusting what you eat, what you inject, or both.

In the absence of testing, fixed food + fixed insulin was the normal way of doing things for years. But we now have easy testing, so changing things to make them work is recommended - DAFNE is about changing the insulin to match doses. If you're on fixed doses, you'll have to change the amount you eat if your blood sugar levels are wrong. Or exercise the sugars off - that can be very effective.

I was diagnosed in the age of easy testing, but before DAFNE, so worked it out for myself - higher sugar? More insulin. More cake? More insulin. Hypo? Less insulin. Tiny meal? Less insulin.

In practice, it's actually more complicated than that, with the long acting insulin to take account of too, but the idea that you can change things to match what your body is doing is key IMO.
 

endocrinegremlin

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Depends on why I spike and how much. I know certain baked goods are going to cause a spike I have yet to master. Other times I hit numbers and go to correct but my pump says there is enough on board. I understand you don't have one though. The biggest thing for me to is to remember that my insulin is has a life span. If that life span is not over then I cannot interfere. I take notes on what happens and then the next time I might split a dose or take my insulin earlier ect. Sometimes you have to fail and fail better to work out how to master foods. :)
 

Jazz97

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Aldi do some low carb pastas occasionally and you can get them in the Free From section of large supermarkets. They tend to be made from legumes.

I eat very low carb because it works for me, although it’s very restrictive because I’m allergic to meat and dairy, the staples of low carb living! I don’t get as hungry all the time as I did when I lived on pasta and rice, protein keeps you fuller for longer.
Thank you! I'll keep an eye out.

Ah no! That does seem restricted...
I'll have to look at more protein filled foods to fill me up
 

LooperCat

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Thank you! I'll keep an eye out.

Ah no! That does seem restricted...
I'll have to look at more protein filled foods to fill me up
It is restricted. But I feel amazing. I went from trying to apply for disability benefits as I felt so terrible to working full time as a science teacher, and I’m about to start training to become a paramedic. I’ve also reversed a few of the complications that had snuck up on me over two decades of not being able to get the recommended way of eating and dosing to work for my body. Plenty here manage it just fine - I couldn’t.
 

Jazz97

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It is restricted. But I feel amazing. I went from trying to apply for disability benefits as I felt so terrible to working full time as a science teacher, and I’m about to start training to become a paramedic. I’ve also reversed a few of the complications that had snuck up on me over two decades of not being able to get the recommended way of eating and dosing to work for my body. Plenty here manage it just fine - I couldn’t.
Oh wow! That's brilliant! Good luck in your training!
 

evilclive

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The biggest thing for me to is to remember that my insulin is has a life span. If that life span is not over then I cannot interfere.

This is definitely getting into more advanced management than the OP should consider for now, but I don't worry about that - if I'm high and still have insulin on board from my last bolus, I'll not let that stop me injecting more. Obviously the stuff left in the body needs taking account of, but I reckon corrections go both ways (insulin or food) at any time. This approach does need a lot of testing though, or of course libre/CGM.