Question about insulin

[Emma3312]

So I'm told by my diabetic nurse to work out my carbs before a meal and do 1 unit per 10 carbs. I'm having trouble getting to grips with it all. What if I can't eat the meal and already done the insulin? What if I don't make enough and I'm still hungry? For example tonight iv made dinner, everything has been weighed and iv had the correct amount of insulin for the meal. However, iv eaten half of it and can't manage anymore. Has anyone got any advice?

 

[Diakat]

Keep an eye on levels in case you go low. Maybe a snack before bed.

 

[Juicyj]

So I'm told by my diabetic nurse to work out my carbs before a meal and do 1 unit per 10 carbs. I'm having trouble getting to grips with it all. What if I can't eat the meal and already done the insulin? What if I don't make enough and I'm still hungry? For example tonight iv made dinner, everything has been weighed and iv had the correct amount of insulin for the meal. However, iv eaten half of it and can't manage anymore. Has anyone got any advice?

Hi Emma,

Don't panic it will take some getting used to, what might help is taking half of your insulin before you eat then, when you have eaten take what ever is left of your meal.

I don't find eating at home a problem, my issue is eating out as I will take my insulin once i've ordered then it's a case of waiting for your food to arrive and as it can take a while, I find my insulin is starting to really kick in just as the food comes, so I now do half when I order and take the rest once my food is in front of me or i've finished.

As you didn't eat all your food tonight then you will need to top up with some glucose to avoid going low so have you got something you can have ?

 

[becca59]

Eat a couple of jelly babies. As you get more into the routine you will find the judgement of food easier. It certainly helps with weight control.

 

[Emma3312]

Hi Emma,

Don't panic it will take some getting used to, what might help is taking half of your insulin before you eat then, when you have eaten take what ever is left of your meal.

I don't find eating at home a problem, my issue is eating out as I will take my insulin once i've ordered then it's a case of waiting for your food to arrive and as it can take a while, I find my insulin is starting to really kick in just as the food comes, so I now do half when I order and take the rest once my food is in front of me or i've finished.

As you didn't eat all your food tonight then you will need to top up with some glucose to avoid going low so have you got something you can have ?

I always keep a little something for emergencies but now I'm worried il go right high lol

 

[Emma3312]

Eat a couple of jelly babies. As you get more into the routine you will find the judgement of food easier. It certainly helps with weight control.

Ah I can't stand jelly babies, maybe that's a good thing haha

 

[Juicyj]

I always keep a little something for emergencies but now I'm worried il go right high lol

You will need to keep some handy carbs around now Emma - digestive biscuits are 10g each, which is a simple sum to remember if you need the extra carbs, definitely make sure you eat your insulin dose in carbs though, it's advisable to avoid going hypo where possible, obviously it's inevitable you will have some but if you can top up

 

[ZESTRIL]

Hi Emma don't worry i've had lots of hypo they are not nice to have but at the same time i enjoy a bit of chocolate so nice i've never bean told about carbs at any time im free at last from the devel drug metformin they all say how good it is

 

[Diamattic]

Yep, those are questions are pretty normal. The real answer is - If you injected for a certain amount of carbs, make sure thats what you eat. If you eat more, inject more as soon as possible.

To really simply life, i went towards as low carb of a diet as i could stand. This way, I wanted to eat more salad, or eggplant parm - i can eat it until I am stuffed and not really worry too much of high sugars because the added carbs is much smaller then bread, or pasta.

 

[himtoo]

hi there @Emma3312
that is probably one of the hardest things we come up against on a daily basis

do I eat what I have bolused for
do I bolus after I eat to be sure it is the right amount of insulin
what if I am not as hungry as I think I am

and so on and so on ........................................

unfortunately there are no easy answers to this one -- for me I have been in a routine for a long time and get it right 99% of the time.

it will take you some time to figure out what works best for you
try to think of this as a marathon and that you will make adjustments as you progress

 

[M80]

I would drink something like juice or milk, it does not take many ml to compensate for the carbs in the food you do not want, and if you are not hungry it can be easy to drink instead.Maybe juice is better than milk, milk can feel filling.Agree about the jelly things.And are they not full of colour and additives? No need to reply to that,just saying.

 

[azure]

So I'm told by my diabetic nurse to work out my carbs before a meal and do 1 unit per 10 carbs. I'm having trouble getting to grips with it all. What if I can't eat the meal and already done the insulin? What if I don't make enough and I'm still hungry? For example tonight iv made dinner, everything has been weighed and iv had the correct amount of insulin for the meal. However, iv eaten half of it and can't manage anymore. Has anyone got any advice?

It feels strange to start with, especially when you might feel extra-hungry due to weight loss or maybe not as hungry as usual due to,stress.

if you inject for,say, 50g carbs but only eat 40g, then a digestive biscuit is a good way to make up the 'missing' 10g carbs. they can be broken in half so you can also make up 15g carbs, etc.

Soon you'll get the hang of what a normal portion is for you, so will be able to,estimate your food better.

 

[snowleopard]

Ah I can't stand jelly babies

You need to have something rapid-acting to hand in case of a hypo. Alternatives are a snack-sized carton of apple/orange juice (NOT low sugar) a mixer size can of Coke (not diet) or glucose tablets from the chemist.

 

[Della82]

I take my insulin before my breakfast & before my lunch but if I'm having a heavy meal or eating out & I may not eat everything or I'm unsure of the quantities I will be given, I will take my insulin after so I can calculate my isulin correctly.

 

[noblehead]

What if I can't eat the meal and already done the insulin? What if I don't make enough and I'm still hungry? For example tonight iv made dinner, everything has been weighed and iv had the correct amount of insulin for the meal. However, iv eaten half of it and can't manage anymore. Has anyone got any advice?

The advice to have a biscuit to make up the carbs is a good suggestion, but if you wanted to eat more after finishing your meal then you would need to take more insulin if the extra food contained carbs, all this will make sense once you get into a routine of injecting and eating.

 

[Emma3312]

Hi Emma don't worry i've had lots of hypo they are not nice to have but at the same time i enjoy a bit of chocolate so nice i've never bean told about carbs at any time im free at last from the devel drug metformin they all say how good it is

Hypos are not an option I will do anything not to have one

 

[Emma3312]

Thank you for the advice everyone it helped a lot

 

[Kristin251]

I always tell my daughter that if she is unsure of how much she can eat, take half of the required dose before she eats. Then the other half if she manages to eat the whole portion.

Exactly what I do. Works like a charm.

Completely agree a hypo is not an option