I'm a T1 on Humalog (and Levemir) and have been for a few years. I was put on it after using Novorapid for some years and prior to that Actrapid. But whatever 'fast-acting' insulin I use, it seems to take hours, not minutes, to start to work.
Does anyone else find this?
My consultant is adamant I am wrong and that fast-acting insulins like Humalog will start to work within 15 minutes. But I have lost count of the number of logbooks, diaries, charts from my test monitor, etc, that I've shown her that show I am having significant highs (15+) after most meals.
I have read that some people have experienced similar post-meal highs and that some even inject for a meal two hours in advance! I don't really want to do that - it sounds a bit drastic but neither do I want to continue having highs after each meal.
That said, in the mornings I now still inject as if I am having a breakfast at 6am but don't actually eat anything until four hours later. This could be down to the dawn effect and the insulin resistance we have in the mornings but it still seems to take hours for this fast-acting insulin to work.
But post-lunch and post-evening meal, I expect to see BG levels around 15 to 20 from about two hours after eating until about four hours after, when the levels begin to fall again. According to my consultant, Humalog stops working after four hours but in my body it only appears to start working then (and lasts up to eight hours).
I'm not sure what to do. Shall I start injecting hours before eating any meals and then, when I start to feel a hypo, start to eat? According to my HBA1C results, my overall control is good (6.3 in old money) but my optician has said I am showing the first signs of retinopathy and I am also getting serious foot cramps, which are signs of poor control! If I'm spending several hours every day with BG levels in the high teens, it's not a surprise. Any advice?
Does anyone else find this?
My consultant is adamant I am wrong and that fast-acting insulins like Humalog will start to work within 15 minutes. But I have lost count of the number of logbooks, diaries, charts from my test monitor, etc, that I've shown her that show I am having significant highs (15+) after most meals.
I have read that some people have experienced similar post-meal highs and that some even inject for a meal two hours in advance! I don't really want to do that - it sounds a bit drastic but neither do I want to continue having highs after each meal.
That said, in the mornings I now still inject as if I am having a breakfast at 6am but don't actually eat anything until four hours later. This could be down to the dawn effect and the insulin resistance we have in the mornings but it still seems to take hours for this fast-acting insulin to work.
But post-lunch and post-evening meal, I expect to see BG levels around 15 to 20 from about two hours after eating until about four hours after, when the levels begin to fall again. According to my consultant, Humalog stops working after four hours but in my body it only appears to start working then (and lasts up to eight hours).
I'm not sure what to do. Shall I start injecting hours before eating any meals and then, when I start to feel a hypo, start to eat? According to my HBA1C results, my overall control is good (6.3 in old money) but my optician has said I am showing the first signs of retinopathy and I am also getting serious foot cramps, which are signs of poor control! If I'm spending several hours every day with BG levels in the high teens, it's not a surprise. Any advice?