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Do you consider yourself to be healthy?

I'd love to contradict this but after 42 years it's difficult to. I would say that the more active u are the less insulin u need therefore the less dependant u are, over time I've found that as your doctor says, one insulin intollerance increases therefore I need more now than I did when diagnosed (20 units/day-i suppose at 7 I was smaller then probably about 40kgs) then over 50 units now ( approx 85 kgs now). It is almost certainly to some extant down to activity, I no longer train 6 nights a week but at 49 who wants to train two hours a night.
 
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donnellysdogs said:
His response was basically, the longer you are diabetic the more insulin you need. I said, "no, not necessarily, I been diabetic 30+ years and still on less than 23 units a day. Less than when I was diagnosed." Then he changed it to "insulin resistance" because of age and length of time.. Needing more insulin.
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No definitely not necessarily, I'm using around 30-40% less insulin than I was using only 5-10 years ago.
 
In three months, by changing my diet and doing exercise, I've gone from 80iu a day to <60. That's a 25% reduction purely from the way I look after myself, and I'm trying to work out my best fit on basal, which may well be lower. GP's don't study this so have little idea. We are amongst some of the world's experts on how diabetes affects a person.

Edit: I should also add that I've been diabetic for 26 years this month.
 
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There is a calculation that I was told would b useful which is your weight divided by units/day gives u a insulin tolerance value which will (over time) tell the truth/make a myth of this and will be irrefutable.
 
AndyOD said:
There is a calculation that I was told would b useful which is your weight divided by units/day gives u a insulin tolerance value which will (over time) tell the truth/make a myth of this and will be irrefutable.
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That calculation is on weight.... Not age or length of time with diabetes.

I wish I'd thought of that when I was speaking to GP's.....(next time I will).
 
donnellysdogs said:
That calculation is on weight.... Not age or length of time with diabetes.

I wish I'd thought of that when I was speaking to GP's.....(next time I will).
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that weight based calculation and the 500 rule are both thrown out to the window with me.

I'm a 40 year old, 68kg, physically fit T1 and I'm on an average of about 7.5 units a day since I started on the pump, about 2/3 of that basal which throws the other rule out the window.

I just happen to have Pumping Insulin next to me which would be suggesting about 30U/day for a physically fit 70kg person.

I train 4-6 times a week depending on time available, a mix of running, cycling, weights, yoga and rowing.
 
ElyDave said:
that weight based calculation and the 500 rule are both thrown out to the window with me.

I'm a 40 year old, 68kg, physically fit T1 and I'm on an average of about 7.5 units a day since I started on the pump, about 2/3 of that basal which throws the other rule out the window.

I just happen to have Pumping Insulin next to me which would be suggesting about 30U/day for a physically fit 70kg person.

I train 4-6 times a week depending on time available, a mix of running, cycling, weights, yoga and rowing.
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Sorry for the confusion.
The calc is simple u compared yourself to yourself day to day year to year. It gives you a nunber for your insulin tolerance so yoday 1 used 21 basal units plus 11 units humalog b'fast bolus plus 11 units for lunch plus normally 14 unit bolus for dinner plus any correction makes my iu/mass (85kgs) tolerance for 14th Nov 2014 = 0.6706 tomorrow the number will b different and so on but a trend up or down over time will b established am I becoming more insulin intollerant number goes up, or less intollerant number goes down but the trend will tell me what I want to know one way or another.
Hope this makes sense.
 
AndyOD said:
Sorry for the confusion.
The calc is simple u compared yourself to yourself day to day year to year. It gives you a nunber for your insulin tolerance so yoday 1 used 21 basal units plus 11 units humalog b'fast bolus plus 11 units for lunch plus normally 14 unit bolus for dinner plus any correction makes my iu/mass (85kgs) tolerance for 14th Nov 2014 = 0.6706 tomorrow the number will b different and so on but a trend up or down over time will b established am I becoming more insulin intollerant number goes up, or less intollerant number goes down but the trend will tell me what I want to know one way or another.
Hope this makes sense.
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No confusion, I'm agreeing with you the value of exercise, generally the more active you are, the leaner you are adn the lighter you are the less insulin you need. I already know I'm very insulin sensitive.

I've not been diabetic long enough to have a long-term trend yet, but if you look at both Think Like a Pancreas and Pumping Insulin, they both start from a number of assumptions and generalisations. My point is that those rules of thumb can be thrown out of the window by those who seem to be posting on this thread, who are all interested enough to mange their health as best they can and try and avoid or minimise any potential long term effects of this condition.
 
I think sometimes my posts may be misread just was hoping to make it as clear. As i say in my head it makes sense but sometimes comes out in a rather confusing stream of conciousness rather than anything resembling logic or clarity. This is much clearer LOL
 
For long term health try to think very short term. Like the old adadge look after the pennies ... I would say if you manage it hour to hour you'll live longer than managing it week to week , or as one of my colleagues at work says even if u don't it will certainly seem longer LOL
 
ElyDave said:
that weight based calculation and the 500 rule are both thrown out to the window with me.

I'm a 40 year old, 68kg, physically fit T1 and I'm on an average of about 7.5 units a day since I started on the pump, about 2/3 of that basal which throws the other rule out the window.

I just happen to have Pumping Insulin next to me which would be suggesting about 30U/day for a physically fit 70kg person.

I train 4-6 times a week depending on time available, a mix of running, cycling, weights, yoga and rowing.
Click to expand...


I agree here, when i was first diagnosed doctors started me on WAY to much insulin based on their guides and what not - 18u Lantus each night, and i think something like 4u novorapid plus or minus a correction factor.

This lasted about 2 week and i was having lows every two hours almost, so i started changing it up and am now on 12L each night, and only take about 9 units of novorapid total in a day (sometimes less sometimes more). I pretty much never need more the 4u of novorapid for meals, whenever i have to take more i get nervous :/

I'm around 175lbs, and get to the gym 3 times a week for both cardio and weights.
 
500 rule doesn't apply to me either! I don't do the gym, but gardening job keeps me fit.

The 50/50 rule doesn't either.... But I think thats because I'm not bothered about food too much...

I'm proud tho that I got past the 25 years (no medal) and without complications. Is it because of my bg's or my lack of weight that I feel that I'm healthy? Don't know how you actually can determine healthy..z
 
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