I'm so insulin sensitive that I have to be careful with changes. 0.5 unit drops me 3-4 units (usually) and so the slightest change can send me hypo.
According to DAFNE at my hospital I would only test at the next meAl, not at the 4 hour point
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Hi Hale, Every course we go on even though it's ment to be DAFNE we're given DIFFERENT INFO. I went to ADDENBROOKES in Cambridge for my DAFNE but I carb counted about 1 1/2 years when I first used novorapid...under my ex diabetes team. I use units per grams of carbs instead of units per CPs. The grams per carbs allow me to fine tune my Ratios. On My days off I use 1:5 at b/f, 1;5 for lunch, and I've now decided to use 1:4 for tea. Because of how my system works I seem to need to eat/snack 4 times a day.and having done DAFNE I've realised that I need to be around 6-7 mmols 4 -5 hours my tea meal.to allow my insulatard to work for me.
My DAFNE ladies taking my course explained why they were suggesting things and I've used MOST OF What they said and my previous 4 years experience to make things work for me. My HBA1c has improved from 8.9% to 7.6% after 3 months. I don't always get it right but generally I look at my records and work out where I might have miscalculated the carbs etc. My work day lunch ratio is approx 1;9grams carbs but if I having a really heavy day I don't inject for lunch. I used to do 2 hour testing pre DAFNE and used to correct if I was over 2 mmol higher than pre meal readings then wondered WHY I used to go hypo later after a meal. I'll only correct after 4-5 hours of a meal if need to. If my BSs are high after a meal I'll get a pattern over say 2 days then I'd change the ratio. If I do a DVLA test maybe 2 hours after a meal..I drive for a living..and I'm high I don't worry as usually it's ok after 4 hours..that's how my system works.
Remember most quick acting insulin work over 4-5 hours. My novorapid seem to work over 4 hours FOR ME so test after a 4 hour period of a meal. I tend to eat 4-5 hours periods otherwise I'll hypo. A lot of people may eat 5-6 hours apart so if I only tested before meals I'd be stuffed in hypos. We're all different so Hale, use what works for you. Use the DAFNE bits that work for you. I fell out with my course nurses when they insisted that I reduce my ratios. I'd been in the 20 mmols before the course using a high ratio and on the sick from work due to fatigue/high BSs, so I used the lower ratios and my next b/f reading were sky high. I flipped next day on the course. At that time I was using 1:3 b/f ratio and some days it was 1:2 ratios and lunch and tea varied between 1:3 and 1:4. Anyway when I left the course I was in single fingers mmols. I did apologise to everyone for my outburst!!! Hope you get things sorted.
