Hi everyone. Been diagnosed a few years now but attempting to finally take control. I take Levimer and Novorapid.
How do I know how much 1u drops me by? Do I take 1u and check my bg just until it stops dropping or is it within a time limit?
Similarly how do I work out how much 10g brings me up. Again do I monitor until it stops rising?
Thanks for any advice in advance. Sam.
Trying 1u and 10g and seeing what happens is a good idea.
It differs from person to person, but if you were to ask your DSN or doctor, or went on a DAFNE course (ask about that at your nex t checkup - it's very useful but there can be a long waiting list, depending on your area) they'll tell you that the starting point is that 10g of carbs will raise bg by 2 to 3, and 1u will lower it by 2 to 3.
You can see already that 2 to 3 is a big margin so there's already a lot of uncertainty in what doctors tell you.
So, the DAFNE people will generally tell you if you're having a 60g carb meal, you'll need 6u to balance it out.
But, and it's a big but, that idea that 1u for every 10g is a basic starting point, and it certainly doesn't work for everyone.
Me, I need nearer 1.5u for each 10g. Other people will be more, some will be less.
It's just really a case of playing around with some meals that you've got a good idea of the carb content of, maybe seeing how it works out at 1 to 10, if that doesn't work, try less or more till you find your sweet spot.
But remember, even once you think you've found it, some T1 randomness will always come along to throw it out! In which case, have a few biscuits!
