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New to insulin

Don66

Active Member
Messages
40
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Due to being ill (tooth infection) (flu) my bs has been high 19. Spoke to consultant who has now put me on lantus 12ml at night and now just started novorapid 3 times before meals. She has said increase from 4 to 8 as bs was still around 14 yesterday and i need to have lower bs as having tooth extracted tomorrow. I woke up this morning after not a very good sleep and bs is lowest 4.9 do i still take the novarapid ? Ive eaten breakfast as i was feeling a bit weak but not sure if i should still take 4 or 8 or not take it in case i go too low. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you xx
 
You really need to talk to your diabetic nurse/consultant about this, because he/she will know all the details, we can't advise on doses since everyone is different (and we're not medical professionals)
 
With BG levels at 4.9, I would take 3 units before eating a low carb breakfast. I would test an hour and two hours after taking insulin, this will give you a guide to how your body reacts to insulin. Make sure you have access to something sugary for a couple of hours (orange juice etc) in case your BG levels drop and / or you feel hot, sweaty, shaky etc. Also tell your partner or someone close what you are doing.... this because you are ill and new to insulin. If your BG levels are high two hours after taking the novorapid I would consider taking a few more units, and test and hour and two hours after again.
 
Rokaab said:
You really need to talk to your diabetic nurse/consultant about this, because he/she will know all the details, we can't advise on doses since everyone is different (and we're not medical professionals)
Click to expand...
I understand hoping to speak to consultant later today.
 
Thank you x
 
I second the comments from @Rokaab - we cannot advise any dosing. Even describing our own doses could be dangerous to someone just starting on insulin.

@Don66 sorry to read about your tooth. I hope you feel better once it is sorted.
You appear to have been put on a basal-bolus insulin regime.
The Lantus is a long acting basal insulin. This provides a background insulin to manage the continuous drip of glucose from your liver.
The NovoRapid is a fast acting bolus insulin. This reduces your BG when you eat any carbs, get stressed, ... or any other short term activities which may raise your BG.
This is a common regime for people with type 1 diabetes. We tend to be told a insulin to carb ratio for the bolus which is why you may read about us counting carbs. The more carbs we eat, the more insulin we need.
Like pretty much everything with diabetes, the insulin to carb ratio is individual.
So, the amount of NovoRapid we take with breakfast is mostly based on the amount of carbs we eat rather than our starting BG.
 

Hi Don, the principle of the novarapid is to address the carbs in what you are just about to eat, in this case, your breakfast. If for example you normally have 3 units for your breakfast (depending on your insulin to carb ratio), then if you don't take it you may go higher. Obviously it is quite complicated when you first start off and none of us would be able to say what you should do but the more experienced people are the more they will adjust as they go along. The 4.9 will have been achieved by the amount of Lantus (long acting) you took. Having said all that, if I am low in the morning (say around 4) I would take maybe one unit less of the novarapid to compensate. I know you are seeing your medical team so hopefully they can explain the principles as they apply specifically to your situation. Good luck with your tooth, I know for a fact a painful tooth is worse than childbirth! x
 
Yes very painful but stressing about having it taken out and the after effects i might have. Will.speak to consultant later today i have asked to see a dietician so hopefully will start understanding about carbs and taking the insulin.
 
Hi @Don66

How are you feeling now?
If you need specific dosage advice it is always best to go back to your healthcare team. Do you have a contact number for them? Many new T1s seem to be given a phone number to reach their nurse directly.
If you haven't got one, then might be worth asking.
And bear in mind that the NHS 111 number is available 24/7

Members are not allowed to give dosage advice, or medical advice here on the forum - mainly to protect us all. Although we are all free to say what works for us, so long as we make clear that we are just speaking for ourselves.

Everyone's diabetes works differently (there are so many different factors, from age, weight, type of D, brand of medication, insulin resistance, food choices... the list is endless) that what works for one member may well not work for another.

Having said that, it is amazing what you can learn by reading about other peoples' experiences.
 
Hi . Spoke to specialist today and shes happy with my numbers after reading advise on here and speaking to consultant im so much clearer in understanding how insulin and carbs work. She has put me forward to see a dietician which should help me loads. Just very nervous about tooth extraction tomorrow
 

That is excellent

Well, except for the bit about the tooth extraction! Hope it goes OK.
You may find that your blood glucose is a bit erratic around the pain and stress, so don't worry if things look a bit haywire, and get in touch with your specialist if you have any concerns at all!

Good luck with it.
 
Thank you x
 
Don66 said:
I understand hoping to speak to consultant later today.
Click to expand...
At the end of the day it will be down to you and how your body reacts to the Novarapid. The advice above sounds very sensible to me, if in doubt, test your BG. Good luck!
 
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