Insulin and Meal Times.

Hi Claire,

Not an insulin user myself so will bump your post up for a reply.

CC

Hiya claire, I live of tiny snack sized portions and do my shots at the same time around them... This ensures I can never plummet too low n have a serious hypo. Also claire I used to be so ill with one virus and infection after another since changing my eating style [small tiny snacks ] and doing my shots around these I havent had a bug,infection,illness. So am getting something right and it does feel tons better to have some feeling of improvement compared to how I used to be. I always like your questions with being a new insulin starter they are helpful to me too. Anna.x

Hi Clare

Humulin M3 is an older insulin which contains insulin isophane human and insulin soluble human which are isophane is background insulin and souble is quick acting insulin to tackle food you've eaten...

This is the down side to the mixed insulins the lack of flexiblity to them, it because of the background insulin being a timed injection, (for any insulin regime) it deals with the glucoe being dribbled into the blood from the liver, which is pretty much the same pattern of ebbs and lows throughout the 24 hour period, moving the time of the background injection it faffs this bit up, which tends to knock out all the BG's..

Quick acting is tackles your food you've eaten, so inject quick without food, it swamps the body with too much insulin and you suffer a hypo (generally quite a nasty one doing this) So you meals times will be governed by the need of the background timed injection..

In gernal mixed insulin are only really suitable for the less active individual who daily routine is regimented into a set pattern.. So a lot of active people find it difficult and restricting due to it's lack of flexibility..

It's one thing if you are late once in a while within injection, as the impact will be short lived so the rare meal out isn't impossible, but do it too often then your BG's will end up all over the place..

It might be an idea if you feel this is going to be too restrictive and infexible for your lifestyle, to ask your nurse to go onto the basal/bolous where you inject the background and quick acting separately, which combined with carb counting give a very much more flexible regime more suited to a active person..

I'm on novorapid and eat 3 meals a day, no snacks and eat when I want I don't have rigid set times I eat!