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Eating out

tim2000s said:
Sadly that doesn't change the reality of the situation. The majority of Clinical staff have never seen the evidence of continuous monitoring. Those of us who have will tell you that clinical advice to inject after a meal is wrong and results in significant blood glucose spikes.

The old view that the current fast acting insulins worked within ten minutes is also wrong - most of us have noticed that they take half an hour or longer to start working when injected subcutaneously and around 10 mins when injected intramuscularly.

So while your dietitian may have told you that it is okay to inject post meal because you may want to eat more than you have accounted for, it is doing you more harm than good. You are better off taking the insulin before hand and then if you do eat more, injecting the extra post meal. It will significantly reduce the post meal spikes.

Apologies if this goes against what you thought you knew and what the "professionals" are telling you, but in this context they have very little understanding of what is really happening in a T1 body, and they also don't see the risks associated with high postprandial spikes that drop back 2-4 hours later. Retinopathy is a good example of this...
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Cheeringly, the diabetic nurse I usually see is well on board with this - some of them really do keep up with stuff.

She told me that post meal spikes were now acknowledged to be a significant "thing" that needed addressing at pretty much the same time that I told her about my discoveries re pre-injecting!

Clearly the training and info for professionals is out there - it's just not necessarily very well utilised yet.
 
debsugs said:
Am a little unsure of injecting at the table as don t know anyone, and not sure what I will wear, however feel like a dirty junky sneaking off to the loo !
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Honestly, don't worry about injecting in public, forget what people think - it is important!

I tend to just wait for the food to arrive before doing my injection
 
Inject at the table, I do it discreetly in my tummy area normally( even out with my teen for lunch, she says "oh have you injected, I say yes, just did it ") and she is amazed sometimes,.
A skirt and top, trousers and top ( blouse, pretty shirt to pull up a little and do it when your meal arrives and try to guesstimate, but best to under estimate, as last time at my teens 15th birthday, at a restaurant, I over estimated and had a a couple of hypo's.
Just enjoy yourself, the meal and the company too, try not to worry too much and have a lovely time.
 
Dear all

Wow, thanks for your opinions. I have injected at the table when out with friends and family, I think it's that I'm going into a situation I am already uncomfortable with, not knowing anyone. I do however think I will go with the suggestion of wearing a skirt and injecting lower thigh through tights......or try failing that although there are risks of injecting post meal I will do that......just this once!
I am still coming to terms with all this and pretty much of the ****** off want to give it back stage! So this will be a challenge ! I'll let you all know how I get on x
 
debsugs said:
Dear all

Wow, thanks for your opinions. I have injected at the table when out with friends and family, I think it's that I'm going into a situation I am already uncomfortable with, not knowing anyone. I do however think I will go with the suggestion of wearing a skirt and injecting lower thigh through tights......or try failing that although there are risks of injecting post meal I will do that......just this once!
I am still coming to terms with all this and pretty much of the ****** off want to give it back stage! So this will be a challenge ! I'll let you all know how I get on x
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Good to hear you are willing to try, trust me though, it is good to get used to just ignoring other people - I have injected in public many times around people I don't know
 
I hope you don't mind me chiming in! I'm a T2, but mum to another T2 who is 25 years old and on Novorapid and Lantus. I'm actually quite shocked that people are worried about injecting while eating out. My daughter has learning disabilities and a rare syndrome but has been injecting her insulin since she moved onto it at 16, I also did her injections for her sometimes.
Although she now lives in a residential unit, I see her monthly and take her out for a meal, it would never occur to me to tell her to go and inject in the loo! It's a small needle, the jab is done in seconds and people would have to be looking pretty hard to see anything but quite frankly, what business is it of anybody else's? She rolls up her sleeve and gets on with it, or grabs a bit of tum from under her jumper/tshirt
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I'm guessing that parents of little 'uns with T1 don't teach their kids that their injections are something to be hidden away in toilets, so why would adults need to do this? It's part of life, like taking my inhaler is for me. Shame shouldn't come into it, you shouldn't need to hide!
 
Hey does anyone change their lantus time ? I know you're supposed to do same time each night but sometimes life gets in the way like a gym class etc ... I usually do it at 7 - what would happen if I did earlier by hour or so ?
 
Tora1982 said:
Hey does anyone change their lantus time ? I know you're supposed to do same time each night but sometimes life gets in the way like a gym class etc ... I usually do it at 7 - what would happen if I did earlier by hour or so ?
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You should really try to stick to it, but sometimes you can't, try not to do it an HOUR earlier, but it should be alright (atleast I think, I've never had an issue with that)
 
We shouldn't be ruled by this tho we should rule it!! Thank you ... I'll wait to speak to DSN when I'm next there
 
So.....I went to the awards, full of a cold feeling quite ****! They d changed the programme round did awards entertainment then food so yes, you guessed I bailed and had tea at home!

I did however go to a conference in the day and stayed in the room to do my insulin, yay go me!! I think my problem is I don't want people to know, not coz I'm ashamed but just private!

Thank you all for your support x
 
I agree with what most people say about waiting for the food to arrive and then do a quick carb estimate. If it is a long meal with many courses, you can take a couple of doses to be accurate and avoid a low. I do inject at the table now, but it did take me a while to feel brave enought to inject in public,especially in front of work colleagues. I wish I picked up courage sooner; because it really was a giant pain in the &rse to head off to the bathroom to inject as soon as the food arrived. Now I discretely prepare my dose under the table and inject in my thigh through clothing. This works for me, if anyone is offended (serious phobics aside) well sod em.
 
Tora1982 said:
Hey does anyone change their lantus time ? I know you're supposed to do same time each night but sometimes life gets in the way like a gym class etc ... I usually do it at 7 - what would happen if I did earlier by hour or so ?
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I was not religious in my lantus time -- it varied between 6pm and 8pm every night but circumstance prevented it being the exact same time - you should be fine with an hour or so either way
 
debsugs said:
Hi
I'm recently diagnosed on lantus and novorapid. I'm going to an awards dinner on weds and not sure what to do about insulin. If I do it before and tiny meal arrives then will be a little stuck, what does everyone else do in times like this?

Thanks
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At times like these I always bring something like an energy bar (Cliff bar usually) that has 45g of carbs in it. I usually wait until i get my meal, bolus assuming I am eating the whole thing and stand i fake surprise and say " Oh shoot, i forgot to wash up! Be right back, dont wait for me though" and then take a slow walk to the bathroom, maybe chat with someone on the way, wash up, check my phone and then back to the table. This takes 5-10 minutes normally and then i just make small talk while eating my no carb foods very slowly lol

At around 15 minutes i dig in as per usual and thats that.

Sometimes when i see them bringing food out i inject for the carbs i think i will eat and usually it takes about 25 minutes to serve everyone, so its never been an issue. Because I can see someone elses meal so i know what to expect, and if i overshoot i just have a bit of my cliff bar as a desert!


On the topic of post meal injection - Its better to inject SOME before the meal, and then right when it arrives or post. Like if you cant decide between 50g or 100g of carbs.. well inject for 50g and you can always inject more if you ate more afterwards, its better then NOTHING and spiking like crazy later on.
 
I have no idea how to count carbs! I was only diagnosed end of September I just know 4 u for a big carb meal, smaller 3 and before exercise 2! I know people say you should do low carb, but I love carbs, almost as much as cake!
 
debsugs said:
I have no idea how to count carbs! I was only diagnosed end of September I just know 4 u for a big carb meal, smaller 3 and before exercise 2! I know people say you should do low carb, but I love carbs, almost as much as cake!
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That must make it very hard. When I was diagnosed, I was taught carb counting in hospital and have never had problems with it.

I suggest you speak to your DSN about a carb counting course like DAFNE or just get some general advice to start with. I was diagnosed over 20 years ago and it still astounds me why they don't do carb counting on diagnosis any more. It gives more flexibility and better control.
 
Not sure if it's because they are unsure what type I am? They have put me on a half day type 1 course with a dietician in 2 weeks. They are thinking it could be type 1,2 or LADA as have thyroid issues too. My hba1c was 118 and I was sent home on glic which did nothing, however bums never went of 24 and no ketones so I must be producing something? After 10 days they started me on insulin.
 
Good news you have that course coming up :) If you're on insulin, then you'll find knowing the carbs very useful whatever your type as you can fine tune your insulin to your meal much better.
 
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