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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Bluemarine Josephine" data-source="post: 1167304" data-attributes="member: 213188">Hello Alison he!Good morning.The following is only the theory. You have to make adjustments in order to find out what works for you:The Theory:According to the Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating rules (DAFNE):10 grams of carbs raise our blood sugar by 2-3 mmols1 unit of insulin drops our blood sugar by 2-3 mmols.Therefore, if each Dextrose tablet has 3 grams of carbs, basis DAFNE rules:You need 3-4 tablets (3 grams each tablet x 3 tablets = 9 grams of carbs or 3 grams each tablet x 4 tablets = 12 grams of carbs) to raise your blood sugar from 4 mmols to 7 mmols.So, if you want to raise your blood sugar by 1 unit, you need 3-4 Dextrose tablets.In theory:10 grams carbs raise your blood sugar by 2-3 mmols20 grams of carbs raise your blood sugar by 4-6 mmols30 grams carbs raise your blood sugar by 6-9 mmolsThe Practice:There are people whose body absorbs sugar like a sponge and they only need just 1-2 tablets to raise their bloog glucose by 3 mmols (1 unit) whereas other people need 6 or 8 or more tablets to raise their blood glucose by 3 mmols. Therefore, the theory above does not apply to everyone so, this is where you will have to figure out on your own how much you need but, you can start from the theoretical rules and see what applies in your case.The tricky bits:1.  What time your hypo occurs:Example: You had lunch at 13:00 and your next meal will be at 18:00.If your hypo happens around 14:00-15:00 your stomach is in the middle of digestion and filled with food.Please remember, food and sugar are not absorbed in your stomach; they are absorbed in your gut. Hence, you need to treat using something that will not stick to your food in your stomach but, will instead run through your stomach quickly, get into your gut quickly so as for the sugar to be absorbed there. As a result, in this case tablets will not act quickly, they will stick on your food in your stomach and will take some 45 minutes to start stabilizing your blood sugar while, in the meantime, your blood sugar will keep dropping for about 30-45 minutes.In such a case, your solution is sugary liquids: Lucozade, Coca Cola, Glucose drink, orange juice, 2 tablespoons of sugar in water… anything that will run through your stomach quickly.Other considerations:If your food has a very low glycemic load it will reduce the ability of your tablets to treat quickly.If your Quick acting insulin is peaking it will also reduce the ability of your tablets to treat quickly.Therefore, you may need not only a faster acting treat but also more carbs than the estimated 3-4 tablets to counteracting the peaking Novorapid.Note: Please remember that all the above are just sugars and will raise your blood sugar only temporarily which means for an hour or, at best, an hour and a half. Then, you will start dropping again. So, you need to follow the following rules:a.  If your next meal is within 1 hour (for example, if your hypo happens at 17:00 and your supper is at 18:00) then take 4-5 Dextrose tablets or 3-4  Glucotabs to treat (10-20 grams of quick acting)b.  If your next meal is 1-2 hours away (for example, if your hypo happens at 16:00 and your supper is at 18:00) then take again 4-5 Dextrose tablets or 3-4  Glucotabs (10-20 grams of quick acting) + 10 grams of slow acting like a digestive biscuit.c.  If your next meal is more than 2 hours away then take again 4-5 Dextrose tablets or 3-4  Glucotabs (10-20 grams of quick acting) + 20 grams of carbs like 2 digestive biscuits or 170 grams apple or 85 grams bananaIt is usually better if your take the quick acting first, give it 10 minutes to start working and then add the slow acting, don’t mix them all together at once because the slow acting treat (for example the biscuit) will reduce the ability of the Dextrose tablets to act faster. Bruneria also gave me a good idea at my last post: keep a tablet under your tongue and let it melt there (like people with heart disease do to avoid a heart attack) because pills absorb faster under the tongue.2.  Activity:For 1 hour of grocery shopping you need 15-25 grams carbs: 1-2+ biscuits (5-7 Dextrose tablets to treat) I know it sounds a lot but please remeber you are also pushing your cart and this takes more energy than just walking.For 1 hour walking you need 10 grams carbs: 1-2 biscuits ( 4-5 Dextrose tablet to treat)For 1 hour housework you need 10 grams carbs: 1-2 biscuits (4-5 Dextrose tablets to treat)For 1 hour fast walking you need 25-35 grams carbs: 170 grams apple to 130 grams bananaFor 1 hour jogging you need 35-45 grams carbsFor 1 hour cycling leisurely you need 35-45 grams carbs.Etc.Advise: On your next meal, do not use Novorapid to "correct your treat". Let it run its cycle and if your blood sugar is high then correct with Novorapid next time you eat.I hope this helps.RegardsJosephine.P.S. Please let me remind you, again, that these are only in theory. Only you can find out what works best for you.</blockquote>

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