I'm loving "think like a pancreas".

Swankypants77 · Jun 15, 2013

I've been reading this book called" think like a pancreas" for a few days now as very kindly other forum users recommended it to me. And I must say this is helping me loads and giving me a lot of confidence in using insulin or adjusting doses.

Everything I was not sure about was answered in that book. Very detailed and concise.

Thank you again to those who recommended it to me.

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hale710 · Jun 16, 2013

No problem, I only read it as it was recommended to me also by people on here. So now I do my best to share that it's so informative!

Faith* · Jun 16, 2013

Re: I'm loving

I love that book, read it in a week and learned more from it than in 17 years of being diabetic. I recommend it to everyone.
Glad your enjoying it

noblehead · Jun 16, 2013

Re: I'm loving

A great book, highly recommend it to anyone who has type 1 diabetes :thumbup:

anna29 · Jun 16, 2013

Re: I'm loving

Hi All .

I still refer back to this book from time to time.
It has helped me loads ... :thumbup:

Found it easier to grasp and understand than any other book .
But this is just 'me'

Anna.

SamJB · Jun 17, 2013

Re: I'm loving

I've just had to refer back to it. Had a wobble over the weekend, with a few 10s and spent most of yesterday in the 9s. Think Like A Pancreas taught me to adjust my insulin with my exercise.

This has worked perfectly for the past year or so, but I've stepped it up a bit as pre-season starts at my rugby club soon. Been doing a few more runs and sessions at the gym. My Lantus has decreased from 20u to 6u and looks like its creeping back up again as I needed to have 12u last night and that wasn't enough.

Think Like A Pancreas says its because your body becomes conditioned to the exercise, so your insulin requirement will increase again. You never know it all do you?! What a pain!

hale710 · Jun 17, 2013

SamJB said:
I've just had to refer back to it. Had a wobble over the weekend, with a few 10s and spent most of yesterday in the 9s. Think Like A Pancreas taught me to adjust my insulin with my exercise.

This has worked perfectly for the past year or so, but I've stepped it up a bit as pre-season starts at my rugby club soon. Been doing a few more runs and sessions at the gym. My Lantus has decreased from 20u to 6u and looks like its creeping back up again as I needed to have 12u last night and that wasn't enough.

Think Like A Pancreas says its because your body becomes conditioned to the exercise, so your insulin requirement will increase again. You never know it all do you?! What a pain!

That's starting to get pretty complex! If only this could be simple.....

I've actually just loaned my book to a friend. She's a dietician and has always had an interest in diabetes. She asked if she could borrow it as she was surprised by how quickly I've learned some times. She knows a lot of it already, the dietary side, but the insulin dosage bit is pretty new to her and she's loving it!

SamJB · Jun 17, 2013

Re: I'm loving

I know! I do remember from the past that starting new exercise regimes always throws a spanner in the works. Things will settle themselves down soon, just annoying as I thought I had the whole exercise and insulin dose thing sorted!

hale710 · Jun 17, 2013

I'm going on my first proper run this evening after work. I'm Interested in how I will react as I already know how things work when I go out on my bike but I just know running is going to be different!

SamJB · Jun 17, 2013

Re: I'm loving

I find running causes the biggest difference in insulin requirements. Swimming is pretty dramatic too. When I exercise in the evening, I'll do it before eating. I've discovered that I'll drop by about 1 mmol/l during a 4 mile run, so I'll only need a small amount glucose for it - a couple of Dextro tablets. I'll need to drop my dinner Novorapid by 1u and my Lantus by 20%. As mentioned, that rule worked perfectly until a couple of days ago and now the Lantus is going up!

Think Like A Pancreas has got a nice table in it for bolus adjustment when you exercise after meals, but in my case it works when I exercise just before I eat too. Can't remember what page it's on, but it's a table of how intense the exercise is, the duration of it and the table values are percentage drop in insulin requirement. Very useful.

hale710 · Jun 17, 2013

SamJB said:
I find running causes the biggest difference in insulin requirements. Swimming is pretty dramatic too. When I exercise in the evening, I'll do it before eating. I've discovered that I'll drop by about 1 mmol/l during a 4 mile run, so I'll only need a small amount glucose for it - a couple of Dextro tablets. I'll need to drop my dinner Novorapid by 1u and my Lantus by 20%. As mentioned, that rule worked perfectly until a couple of days ago and now the Lantus is going up!

Think Like A Pancreas has got a nice table in it for bolus adjustment when you exercise after meals, but in my case it works when I exercise just before I eat too. Can't remember what page it's on, but it's a table of how intense the exercise is, the duration of it and the table values are percentage drop in insulin requirement. Very useful.

Yes I remember the table. I'm only on 3 units levemir a day so I haven't dropped that at all with exercise yet. I did a 4.5 hour climb up Schiehallion last weekend and found I could half my Novorapid that evening and most of the next day. i tested overnight and had no significant drops, but I did have a biscuit before bed just in case!

I usually have a walk at the time I'm planning my run tonight (I say run, ill probably get to the end of the street and drop back to a walk!) so I think ill up my snack slightly and see how things go. Not planning on going far, and maybe this is my puppy's chance to prove he's going to be a hypo dog haha

Pepsi Max · Jun 17, 2013

I have to get this book! Sounds like a little guardian angel! Just when I think I have my insulin sorted around my exercise something changes & I'm back to the drawing board... Thanks

Diabetic warrior since 2005!

Faith* · Jun 18, 2013

Re: I'm loving

I need to re-read it I think, since the first time I've learned loads but like you said SamJB I think my basals are changing again as I've slowly started to creep up over night! Such a pain. I'll tell you what's interesting though. No matter what I do in the afternoon's I will always hypo about 4-5pm. I've decreased basals, changed bolus ratio's and without fail every day I will hypo! The body is a fascinating mechanism! That or mine is weird!

I tend to run in the mornings but find if I drop may basal I'll go really high 2 hours later so I mostly eat breakfast, do half the amount of bolus and then go to the gym about 40 minutes later and I'm usually ok. Weight training is a bit of a problem that I'm still working on though, I believe it can raise your sugars and it sometimes does in my case but then also it can do nothing at all and I need the full bolus for breakfast.

When I get my cgm I think I'll have to spend a week of re-testing everything.

SamJB · Jun 18, 2013

Re: I'm loving

It is a pain. I maintained consistent levels overnight last night with a Lanuts dose of 18u, which is 12u more that it was 4 days ago. Now THAT was a challenge! I've also upped the intensity in the gym in the morning where I only do weights. I don't eat, but used to need 3 units before doing weights in the morning as my BGs would increase, but now that's gone up to 6u. Finally getting there I think, guess you've just got to listen to what your body wants. If it's more insulin, then shove some in!

ljwilson · Jun 18, 2013

Re: I'm loving

I have just ordered it from Amazon. I am waiting to get a pump so think this will be useful?

Lorna

SamJB · Jun 18, 2013

Re: I'm loving

Yes, he goes into extraordinary detail with both injections and pump. Whole chapters and sections dedicated to pumps.

noblehead · Jun 18, 2013

Re: I'm loving

Faith* said:
I need to re-read it I think, since the first time I've learned loads but like you said SamJB I think my basals are changing again as I've slowly started to creep up over night! Such a pain. I'll tell you what's interesting though. No matter what I do in the afternoon's I will always hypo about 4-5pm. I've decreased basals, changed bolus ratio's and without fail every day I will hypo! The body is a fascinating mechanism! That or mine is weird!

I tend to run in the mornings but find if I drop may basal I'll go really high 2 hours later so I mostly eat breakfast, do half the amount of bolus and then go to the gym about 40 minutes later and I'm usually ok. Weight training is a bit of a problem that I'm still working on though, I believe it can raise your sugars and it sometimes does in my case but then also it can do nothing at all and I need the full bolus for breakfast.

Possibility your afternoon hypo's are caused by the exercise you do in the morning, exercise has the tenancy to lower bg several hours after due to the body replacing its glycogen stores, if the hypo's are a common occurrence then have a carby snack say 2-3pm.

Mr Happy · Jun 18, 2013

My pancreas felt I needed to be dragged from face down in the swimming pool last night, not good!

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Faith* · Jun 18, 2013

Re: I'm loving

noblehead said:
Faith* said:

I need to re-read it I think, since the first time I've learned loads but like you said SamJB I think my basals are changing again as I've slowly started to creep up over night! Such a pain. I'll tell you what's interesting though. No matter what I do in the afternoon's I will always hypo about 4-5pm. I've decreased basals, changed bolus ratio's and without fail every day I will hypo! The body is a fascinating mechanism! That or mine is weird!

I tend to run in the mornings but find if I drop may basal I'll go really high 2 hours later so I mostly eat breakfast, do half the amount of bolus and then go to the gym about 40 minutes later and I'm usually ok. Weight training is a bit of a problem that I'm still working on though, I believe it can raise your sugars and it sometimes does in my case but then also it can do nothing at all and I need the full bolus for breakfast.

Click to expand...

Possibility your afternoon hypo's are caused by the exercise you do in the morning, exercise has the tenancy to lower bg several hours after due to the body replacing its glycogen stores, if the hypo's are a common occurrence then have a carby snack say 2-3pm.

Actually good point, I forgot about that, I always have an afternoon snack but I bolus for it. I might try it later and see what happens. Although BS right now is 13.7 so god know's what I did to deserve that one. Stress maybe, been a loooooong morning in work lol

hale710 · Jun 18, 2013

Mr Happy said:
My pancreas felt I needed to be dragged from face down in the swimming pool last night, not good!

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That sounds marginally less than ideal!

I'm loving "think like a pancreas".

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