Matt.
You are not annoying me at all. It is just so frustrating trying to get the message over by text. It is obvious that there are things you still haven't got into your head. I know that if you were sat in front of me I could explain and demonstrate easily what you need to know. So, frustrating....not annoying.
This is just some basics, not being patronising, just attempting to keep it plain and simple in the hope that you can move forward and not keep going over the same ground as we have. Have a read.
The first thing you need to be clear about is that as a newly diagnosed Type 1 you could be in your 'honeymoon' period when your Pancreas may produce more Insulin at times and at other times may produce little or none, it will vary so nothing is always the same.
In an attempt to give a level playing field you would inject your Basal Insulin to try and keep your Bg levels fairly constant throughout the day with just a few rises and falls over the day/night.
The 'spanner in the works' is that you need to eat........so what you eat will have an effect on that Basal level you try to maintain. To cover that effect and try and keep the levels all within any target numbers you have you need to inject a suitable amount of Insulin (Bolus) to match the carbohydrates that you eat or plan to eat. The Insulin to Carb ratio that people have mentioned. Most start around 1 : 10 but it varies with every individual and also at various times of the day for some. This is where the trial and error comes in.
Total carbs are what you need to take note of........sugars are already included in that number. If you only think sugars you are seriously underestimating your carb amounts at meals, not a good idea.
You appear to be still wanting to eat high carbohydrate foods.......now we have all told you that the carbs are what will increase your BG levels, sometimes drastically if enough are eaten. By only injecting a set amount of Insulin this MAY or MAY NOT be enough to keep the levels within target.
Too much Insulin means you could end up with very low levels after food........hypos.
Too little Insulin or too many carbs could end up with high Bg levels......hypers.
There are those that eat anything and just cover it with the Insulin......if that is what they want that's fine......but you still have to know what amount of Insulin and what amount of carbs unless you want to inject excess Insulin and end up putting on weight !
As you can see it's a delicate balancing act.......get those things right and you are well on the way to being a well controlled T1 Diabetic. A 'heads up' before you do the DAFNE course where you will get more individual attention and practical experience.
Best of luck with that.....I want to see you back here after that passing on YOUR knowledge for the benefit of others.
In the meantime, keep asking if things aren't clear........I'm hoping that more T1's will help you in understanding things as well. To see if we can get more input from fellow T1's I shall move this into the T1 area leaving a 'shadow topic' behind, that way it is effectively in 2 areas at once.
You are not annoying me at all. It is just so frustrating trying to get the message over by text. It is obvious that there are things you still haven't got into your head. I know that if you were sat in front of me I could explain and demonstrate easily what you need to know. So, frustrating....not annoying.
This is just some basics, not being patronising, just attempting to keep it plain and simple in the hope that you can move forward and not keep going over the same ground as we have. Have a read.
The first thing you need to be clear about is that as a newly diagnosed Type 1 you could be in your 'honeymoon' period when your Pancreas may produce more Insulin at times and at other times may produce little or none, it will vary so nothing is always the same.
In an attempt to give a level playing field you would inject your Basal Insulin to try and keep your Bg levels fairly constant throughout the day with just a few rises and falls over the day/night.
The 'spanner in the works' is that you need to eat........so what you eat will have an effect on that Basal level you try to maintain. To cover that effect and try and keep the levels all within any target numbers you have you need to inject a suitable amount of Insulin (Bolus) to match the carbohydrates that you eat or plan to eat. The Insulin to Carb ratio that people have mentioned. Most start around 1 : 10 but it varies with every individual and also at various times of the day for some. This is where the trial and error comes in.
Total carbs are what you need to take note of........sugars are already included in that number. If you only think sugars you are seriously underestimating your carb amounts at meals, not a good idea.
You appear to be still wanting to eat high carbohydrate foods.......now we have all told you that the carbs are what will increase your BG levels, sometimes drastically if enough are eaten. By only injecting a set amount of Insulin this MAY or MAY NOT be enough to keep the levels within target.
Too much Insulin means you could end up with very low levels after food........hypos.
Too little Insulin or too many carbs could end up with high Bg levels......hypers.
There are those that eat anything and just cover it with the Insulin......if that is what they want that's fine......but you still have to know what amount of Insulin and what amount of carbs unless you want to inject excess Insulin and end up putting on weight !
As you can see it's a delicate balancing act.......get those things right and you are well on the way to being a well controlled T1 Diabetic. A 'heads up' before you do the DAFNE course where you will get more individual attention and practical experience.
Best of luck with that.....I want to see you back here after that passing on YOUR knowledge for the benefit of others.
In the meantime, keep asking if things aren't clear........I'm hoping that more T1's will help you in understanding things as well. To see if we can get more input from fellow T1's I shall move this into the T1 area leaving a 'shadow topic' behind, that way it is effectively in 2 areas at once.
