How long after correction?

shivles

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I do not have diabetes
If you give a correction before a meal how long do you wait before eating? Is there a certain level you wait for?
 

azure

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I usually wait until I'm in the low 7s if possible, but it depends on what I'm doing and how practical that is.

It also depends on the time of day eg I don't delay breakfast too much as I go high if I don't eat in the mornings.
 

catapillar

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I prefer to be well under 7 before eating, but really under 5. But I'm a grown up (most days) so when I know I need to eat, I just eat. You might want to give it a bit more leeway with a toddler.

This, waiting for the curve, is a lot easier with CGM/libre.

You might want to have a look at Stephen ponder's sugar surfing - there's a podcast which is a good introduction to the concept if you are interested - http://www.ardensday.com/juicebox-podcast/ponder45jbp
 

CathP

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194
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Insulin
We always wait 15 minutes between bolus and eating, to give the insulin time to start working so it's more in line with the food. If she's been high, we wait until she's back in range, ideally 5-6 mmol...but it's not always possible. We try never to start eating until below 7 as it always results in going higher and higher and needing another correction an hour later.
 

tim2000s

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For most, the correction doesn't start taking any effect until about 30 mins have passed, so it's worth being aware of the real timings of th insulin through testing.
 

shivles

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311
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
For most, the correction doesn't start taking any effect until about 30 mins have passed, so it's worth being aware of the real timings of th insulin through testing.
Yes I do test regular after giving it to make sure she's come down but I just wondered how low I should allow her to drop before giving the meal :)
 

tim2000s

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NOthing wrong with starting a meal between 5 and 7.
 

Kristin251

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LADA
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If I correct with 1/2 until within an hour or two of eating I don't come down much but I stop going up. If I wait 3 hours until after most of the food is digested I will drop 30 to 40 points within a few hours. So corrections are about timing as well. Like Tim said, it takes over half an hour to start dropping for me. And again, if I'm still digesting I don't see much of a drop but I will stop going up.

And like azure I need to eat right away in the morning.
 

azure

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Yes I do test regular after giving it to make sure she's come down but I just wondered how low I should allow her to drop before giving the meal :)

It depends how high she was to start with, how long ago you gave the correction, etc. I find if I correct a higher than normal sugar then my BS can stick at high for a while then suddenly start dropping. Sometimes I can actually feel that drop even if I've just tested and got a 7 or 8.

See what works for your little girl. If you aim for her to eat at a certain number, then you can always test frequently to see how that works for her blood sugar. If she's going to eat something low GI, it might be best to let her eat at the higher end of normal to reduce the risk of hypos.