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Am i doing this right? novorapid to get down highs?

quigs

quigs

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Evening all :) I'm a type 1. I have been 20 years. I'm not overweight and my BP is always on the low side..(which is good) Anyhoo...I have a sweet tooth but mostly keep it under control. However :) sometimes ill pig out, resulting in Highs like 16 or more. To get it down to an acceptable level like 5, I will inject novorapid and wait :) for example. lets say I'm at 20. to get myself back to 5, I just subtract 5 from 20 = 15. so to get rid of 15 I take half that amount in insulin (7 units). normally depending on my activity levels I will alter that amount accordingly. so, lets say I'm off to bed....I would take 4 to 6 units to bring down my levels to 5. I wouldn't normally aim to get to 5 overnight....its a bit low. normally ill aim for 6 to 8ish....This is just an example. anyway...I can use fast acting insulin(novorapid) without eating to get to any level I choose. I have had three serious hypos in 20 years. these were totally my fault caused by injecting my normal amounts before food and forgetting to eat...(working in garden, cleaning the gutters and one time playing golf and just misjudging. Dumb ass mistakes...
So I guess my question is...do any of you inject like this to regulate highs?

NOTE. I don't do this all the time, its only if I find myself high.
 
pretty much yes-- -- just adjustments to the amounts and levels trying to achieve
but as we are not giving out medical advice i only do what has worked for me
 
cats-wide-wallpaper-521314.jpg I used Novorapid to get down, highs - added a wee bit more, when too high - went to hospital and said i was i bit concerned about ongoing highs and sometime lows, and they recommended i up my Novo shots by 2 units, especially if i get a high b/glucose count (Nuff said - great minds think alike????) Type 1 for over a year (learner) but, wow, still scared, thinking any moment now (or, when asleep) numbers will freak out, up, OR down?
 
Absolutely!

I have a great (well, not so great for me) example from last night. I majorly pigged out on pizza at 9pm. Took 3 units just before and 2 units just after. Went to bed at 11pm a little low at 4.5mmol, but I knew the "pizza effect" would kick-in to keep me from going hypo. What I didn't realise is how badly I underestimated the pizza effect this time. Woke up at 3.30am (thankfully) and I was 14mmol!! I haven't spiked to double digits for months so I was gutted and so angry at myself! Quickly took 2 units and I was back to 5mmol within an hour and stayed there until I woke up. Lesson learned for me - if I want take-out pizza close to bedtime in the future I'll have to set my alarm and wake during the night to do a correction dose. :(
 
Yes, we do need Insulin to bring down a high BS. If I am high, I take I unit of Insulin to bring me down by 3 1/2. But I do have to be careful, as I am sensitive to Insulin and I can have a big drop. I eat 3 standards meals a day and would not eat at that time of night. So pleased everyone is okay and back to normal levels :)
 
pinewood said:
Absolutely!

I have a great (well, not so great for me) example from last night. I majorly pigged out on pizza at 9pm. Took 3 units just before and 2 units just after. Went to bed at 11pm a little low at 4.5mmol, but I knew the "pizza effect" would kick-in to keep me from going hypo. What I didn't realise is how badly I underestimated the pizza effect this time. Woke up at 3.30am (thankfully) and I was 14mmol!! I haven't spiked to double digits for months so I was gutted and so angry at myself! Quickly took 2 units and I was back to 5mmol within an hour and stayed there until I woke up. Lesson learned for me - if I want take-out pizza close to bedtime in the future I'll have to set my alarm and wake during the night to do a correction dose. :(
Click to expand...

Blimey If I had a "pig out pizza" I'd be in the 20's before I could blink! Don;t think you need to be too hard on yourself for going to 14!
 
If I go low while asleep I automatically wake up. Sometimes I haven't a clue why I'm awake, but after a few min I cop on
 
pinewood said:
Absolutely!

I have a great (well, not so great for me) example from last night. I majorly pigged out on pizza at 9pm. Took 3 units just before and 2 units just after. Went to bed at 11pm a little low at 4.5mmol, but I knew the "pizza effect" would kick-in to keep me from going hypo. What I didn't realise is how badly I underestimated the pizza effect this time. Woke up at 3.30am (thankfully) and I was 14mmol!! I haven't spiked to double digits for months so I was gutted and so angry at myself! Quickly took 2 units and I was back to 5mmol within an hour and stayed there until I woke up. Lesson learned for me - if I want take-out pizza close to bedtime in the future I'll have to set my alarm and wake during the night to do a correction dose. :(
Click to expand...
Omg the pizza effect on me would be through the roof. Like 20+
 
One more thing I've descovered over the years. Drinking vodka and red bull has amazing results on my sugar levels. I could drink my socks off and wake up with a nice 5.5 . I'm hoping to get it onto the prescribed list
 
quigs said:
Evening all :) I'm a type 1. I have been 20 years. I'm not overweight and my BP is always on the low side..(which is good) Anyhoo...I have a sweet tooth but mostly keep it under control. However :) sometimes ill pig out, resulting in Highs like 16 or more. To get it down to an acceptable level like 5, I will inject novorapid and wait :) for example. lets say I'm at 20. to get myself back to 5, I just subtract 5 from 20 = 15. so to get rid of 15 I take half that amount in insulin (7 units). normally depending on my activity levels I will alter that amount accordingly. so, lets say I'm off to bed....I would take 4 to 6 units to bring down my levels to 5. I wouldn't normally aim to get to 5 overnight....its a bit low. normally ill aim for 6 to 8ish....This is just an example. anyway...I can use fast acting insulin(novorapid) without eating to get to any level I choose. I have had three serious hypos in 20 years. these were totally my fault caused by injecting my normal amounts before food and forgetting to eat...(working in garden, cleaning the gutters and one time playing golf and just misjudging. Dumb ass mistakes...
So I guess my question is...do any of you inject like this to regulate highs?

NOTE. I don't do this all the time, its only if I find myself high.
Click to expand...

I unit of insulin should reduce BGL by between 2 to 3 mol/l. You are saying that the 1 unit reduces your BGL by 2.1 (15 divided by 7) so that's within range although most people in my experience are usually between 2.5 and 3. The reduction however is heavily influenced by activity level, ie if you went for a brisk walk of more than 30 mins the ratio would increase, ie greater than 2.1.

David
 
People's correction doses vary. It's always wise to know your own and not go by what other people are doing. If in doubt, speak to your DSN.
 
What would a DSN know about my life and my requirements? They live and work in a bubble.

*edited by a moderator to remove impolite comment
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I do 1 unit for every 3mmol, for example if I was 15 I would do 3 units to take me down to 7.0 :)
 
quigs said:
If I go low while asleep I automatically wake up. Sometimes I haven't a clue why I'm awake, but after a few min I cop on
Click to expand...
I'm the same always wake up, maybe sweating but know to get them biscuits at the side of the bed
 
Hi guys,

I've found this post really helpful, as I've always controlled my high bloods with corrective doses (although sometimes I've gone a bit overboard and had a massive crash as a result)

my question is how long should the novorapid typically take before you see the effects of the corrective dose?

and how do you best calculate a corrective dose? sorry if these seem like obvious questions
 
@Blackers183 Just re-read the thread and saw your post! thanks!

I guess to calculate the corrective dose just requires patience and a bit of trial and error
 
I think the normal standard is that your levels will be back in range within 5 hours, always tough to be that patient though especially if you eat a meal in the mean time!
 
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