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Question for Type 1s managing insulin

dbr10

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,237
Location
Birmingham
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I'm a type 2, and regularly attend a mens' support group at the local hospital. Occasionally, we will go out together for a breakfast, and the other day, a Christmas lunch. It has intrigued me for some time how they manage their condition, because I have never seen them inject and, only rarely test their BGs.
When I asked one of them how they will manage having the meal, he replied that he would check his BG when he got home and inject enough insulation to bring it down to his target range. I figured that this might be 2 1/2 - 3 hours after the meal.

Can anyone explain what is going on here, because they are all missing the BG spike and whatever damage it is doing in those 3 hours.

Why do they not inject immediately prior to the meal?

Thanks
 
Hi @dbr10, there could be many things going on. What's often a problem is simply that people just don't know about Carb Counting and dose adjustment, but you also have to consider that there are equally large numbers of people that completely ignore any education they've been given and have a way that they stick to. I don't know how old these gents are, but often older men are more difficult to change habits, and if they are older, tend to worry less about complications.

So there are multiple reasons as to why they do this, and the simplest can be that they just don't care.
 
dbr10 said:
Why do they not inject immediately prior to the meal?
Click to expand...

No idea and seems a very odd approach if correct, perhaps you've missed them giving an injection at breakfast and the insulin 2-3 hours later might be a correction dose if their bg levels are high.
 
@dbr10 The obvious answer would be to,ask the individuals concerned. We can only guess whereas they can tell you the actual answer.
 
dbr10 said:
Why do they not inject immediately prior to the meal?
Click to expand...
The practical answer is that they've probably been living with diabetes their entire lives and are tired of testing, needles, and injecting in front of others.

I'm not saying that it's healthy thing to do, but having lived with T1D for less than two years, I can't imagine what it's like to have lived with the disease your entire life.

I had a similar experience after having lunch with a friend and fellow T1D several months back. Throughout lunch, I gave myself three injections for each course of the meal like I would normally do. We stayed and talked for 1.5-2 hours before he finally went to the restroom and gave himself one single injection.

He actually brought up the situation so we talked about it. He told me that that's what's worked for him, and I wasn't about to argue with that answer. With that said, there's a significant difference in our a1c results, but he's also been living with t1d for 20 years now.

Ultimately, we each decide for ourselves how to manage this sort of thing. While science does tell us that higher a1c levels significantly increase our chances of complications, there isn't a specific line that guarantees one or the other.
 
noblehead said:
No idea and seems a very odd approach if correct, perhaps you've missed them giving an injection at breakfast and the insulin 2-3 hours later might be a correction dose if their bg levels are high.
Click to expand...
Yes, I suppose so. I will ask, but don't want to pry too much of course. It just seems that they will never catch the BG spike. They are all suffering from long term complications, sadly.
 
Very well put.
 
dbr10 said:
Yes, I suppose so. I will ask, but don't want to pry too much of course. It just seems that they will never catch the BG spike. They are all suffering from long term complications, sadly.
Click to expand...

If they pre-bolus and get the timing right then they will mange the spike, without knowing what their routine is we can only guess what happens to their bg levels postprandial.

I've often injected at a table without anyone noticing, but some type 1's also inject before entering a room to eat.
 
I see.
 
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