Insulin

fantastic9888

Well-Known Member
Messages
103
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi all. Just wondering which goes into bloodstream quicker - insulin or sugar from food. Cheers Kevin.
 

eventhorizon

Well-Known Member
Messages
463
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Depends on many things! What insulin are you using, what are you eating, injection location, temperature, etc etc.
 

fantastic9888

Well-Known Member
Messages
103
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Insulin
I don't know about counting carbs. Its guesswork with me. I always wait about 15 mins after eating in the evening to inject.
 

ert

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,588
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
diabetes
fasting
It's better if you do some checking with your glucometer. Fiasp, which is the short-acting I'm on, is supposed to start working in 5 minutes. I find I have to wait 30 to 40 minutes before I start eating. I wait until my blood sugars have dropped 0.2-0.3 mmol/L otherwise I get a huge spike.
 

fantastic9888

Well-Known Member
Messages
103
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Insulin
You have effectively asked "if I randomly chose two pieces of string, which would be the longest?"
Different insulin work at different rates and carbs from different foods are absorbed at different rates.
And that's without considering starting bg, exercise, time of day, stress, alcohol,...

Perhaps if you explain why you are asking, we can help.
Hi. When I eat, I wait to inject u til well after the meal. Ten mins or so as I've discovered that sugar from food takes 20 mins to enter bloodstream. So if I have a sugar of 6 or so before meal, I'm afraid to inject just when I eat...also I must inject all my insulin in one go as unlike type one diabetics who can inject just for the food they are eating at the time,I have to inject to cover food I'm going to eat later in the evening.
 

Rokaab

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,161
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
also I must inject all my insulin in one go as unlike type one diabetics who can inject just for the food they are eating at the time,I have to inject to cover food I'm going to eat later in the evening.
It's actually because you''re on the mixed insulin (rather than a basal bolus regime) and not the fact you're not Type 1, there are still some Type 1s still on mixed insulins.
 

fantastic9888

Well-Known Member
Messages
103
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Insulin
It's better if you do some checking with your glucometer. Fiasp, which is the short-acting I'm on, is supposed to start working in 5 minutes. I find I have to wait 30 to 40 minutes before I start eating. I wait until my blood sugars have dropped 0.2-0.3 mmol/L otherwise I get a huge spike.
Hi. Can't understand what you mean by sugars dropping to 0.2-0.3 mmol/L if I had those sugars, id id worried. Maybe I just don't understand what they mean.
 

ert

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,588
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
diabetes
fasting
Hi. Can't understand what you mean by sugars dropping to 0.2-0.3 mmol/L if I had those sugars, id id worried. Maybe I just don't understand what they mean.
'by' not 'to' Phew. Otherwise, I'd be dead.
 

fantastic9888

Well-Known Member
Messages
103
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Insulin
'by' not 'to' Phew. Otherwise, I'd be dead.
I understand now. My sugar levels are 8.0 in the morning and can be as low as 5.3 in the evening before what we call teatime in Ireland so I must be doing something right..