Newly diagnosed T1D

[Laurentd193]

got diagnosed almost 3 weeks ago, just getting the hang of using insulin and adjusting units. No help/support from diabetic nurses.
Was just wondering (haven't been taught the carbs to unit thingy yet) if I was to have an inbetween meal snack (sausage roll/sandwich etc) would it be best to take a couple of units before hand? Thanks!
Also if anyone would care to explain the carbs to units it would be greatly appreciated


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[shawncee]

Hey I was diagnosed a while ago too. When I was looking for snacks I tried to avoid anything over 10-13 carbs (Frustrating at first >_<) If I drank a bottle or two of water I'd be fine. If you don't know your insulin to carb ratio I don't recommend taking insulin. You don't want to overdose.

The carbs to units ratio is how many carbs equal one unit of insulin. For example, every 10 carbs I eat I have to take a unit of insulin.

Have you been carb counting?

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[therower]

Welcome to the forum and the world of diabetes, I may be able to offer some advice on carb counting. Firstly it can take a bit of time to get the hang of it , secondly it requires constant monitoring and evaluating to maintain the correct ratios. Personally I think the Dafne course is the best way to learn carb counting amongst many other things diabetes related. Problem is the courses can be hard to get on and if memory serves me right you have to have had your diabetes for 2yrs(so many things can change on initial diagnosis but generally settle down after a period of time). But there is an online site that has really useful information. I show my total lack of knowledge regarding technology, sorry but the only way I can tell you how to get the site is to tap in BDEC into your search engine (not sure if that is correct terminology but it sounds good to me). I got a lot of information maybe not as in depth as Dafne but definitely a good starting point. Good luck

Link added by Moderator.
http://www.bdec-e-learning.com

 

[Daibell]

Hi. I assume you are on Basal/Bolus. Carb-counting is very simple to start and you can gain knowledge of the sizes of typical carb foods gradually from a course or the web (or from the Roche leaflet my DN gave me or various books). My DN taught me carb-counting in 10 minutes when I was started on insulin. In my opinion the NHS makes too much of a big deal of it. Most are started on 1 unit of Bolus to 10 gm of carb. If in doubt and you want to really reduce hypo risk then start initially with a smaller number of shots for the carbs in a meal and inject just prior to your meal. Use the meter a lot whilst learning. You need to check that your Basal balance is right otherwise it will affect your Bolus ratio. Have glucose tablets handy just in case but I'm sure you won't need them often if you are sensible.

 

[RuthW]

got diagnosed almost 3 weeks ago, just getting the hang of using insulin and adjusting units. No help/support from diabetic nurses.
Was just wondering (haven't been taught the carbs to unit thingy yet) if I was to have an inbetween meal snack (sausage roll/sandwich etc) would it be best to take a couple of units before hand? Thanks!
Also if anyone would care to explain the carbs to units it would be greatly appreciated


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As well as the online course above - which will show you how easy carb counting is - you could read Think Like A Pancreas. It might be a lot to take in all at once at this stage. But it is a good resource to have to hand and you can learn about things like ratios from it, rather than necessarily reading it front to back.


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[urbanracer]

got diagnosed almost 3 weeks ago, just getting the hang of using insulin and adjusting units. No help/support from diabetic nurses.
Was just wondering (haven't been taught the carbs to unit thingy yet) if I was to have an inbetween meal snack (sausage roll/sandwich etc) would it be best to take a couple of units before hand? Thanks!
Also if anyone would care to explain the carbs to units it would be greatly appreciated


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Welcome to the forums @Laurentd193 ,

Were you given insulin without any instructions about doses?

 

[himtoo]

Hi @Laurentd193
welcome to the forum.

carb counting is sort of a basic rule of life being type 1
OK -- at diagnosis it is a lot to take in and the resources are stretched.

while you are waiting for a referal to a proper DAFNE course it would be pretty cool if you had a look at
the following website http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/
it is an online carb counting course.

after you have read through that post your q's