bolus for protein /fat in a meal

[CLP]

Hi All

I could do with some advice re taking extra insulin at mealtimes to cover the protein /fat content of a meal. I take about 1 unit for every 5g of carb (slight variation in the morning) but basically this works ok. I try to keep starchy carbs to no more than 20g in a meal, 1 piece of bread etc so that I don't get too much of a peak. I eat plenty of veg and salad but since becoming diabetic I have lost a little more weight. To counteract this (as many on the forum have) I have increased my protein/fat intake. This works in that I know sit around the 10 stone mark and have been for 3 or 4 months.

However since starting on basal/bolus in november I've noticed that I've had to adjust quite a bit after a meal high in protein and fat, unfortunately if this is a meal in the evening it can be overnight that my blood sugar goes up and I may not catch it. For instance over xmas I and my husband had a great meal in an indian, the only carb I had was 1 measly chapatti but quite a bit of meat in the curry. When I went to bed my BG was around 5 I think and I was really chuffed. I woke up the next morning and was the highest I had been since being in hospital, 19!! There are other examples as well but you catch my drift.

So obviously a higher fat/protein content does increase my blood sugar but it can be many many hours later. Has anyone got any suggestions as to how I can deal with this. I don't want to start losing weight again so am reluctant to cut down on protein.

Sorry for the essay but I wanted to make sure I got enough info down so that the experts amongst you have enough to go on.

thanks

 

[Stuboy]

I beleive the book "Pumping Insulin" by John Walsh covers bolusing for fats and proteins.

Sorry i haven't read it, so i can't really offer much advice on the matter, but i've heard good things about this book for pumpers and non-pumpers a-like!

 

[Stuboy]

This may be of interest? From the Insulin-Pumpers website.

It does suggest that you should multipy the number of grams of protein by 0.6 and cover the answer as if it were carbohydrate.

Hope this helps!

 

[phoenix]

Though I also find that if I have a meal high in protein and low in carbs I will go higher than expected.I think its often the fat in Indian meals that caused the slow rise (pizza effect)
One way to tackle it is to divide the dosage into 2 (perhaps adding a unit or 2 to the normal dosage, depending on your sensibility) and giving part at the start of the meal and the rest maybe an hour or even later. (pumps have settings where you can give some insulin at the start and then drip feed the rest over a period)
It is very much a matter of trial and error!, more art than science I think

 

[chocoholic]

I don't eat Indian food because I don't like it but could it be there is a lot of sugar in the sauces that accompany the meat content? I have no idea about the sugar content of curry sauces, so can anyone else shed light on that thought, perhaps?