so confused :x

Hi
how long have you been diabetic? what are your morning readings?

DavidLov said:

hi i been diagnosed 3 years ago and it depends cuz if i hve a hypo @ night i tend to eat lots of sugar to balance it in sleep it can be between 8-13 :x

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I know a lot of the members of this forum like to be comforting and reassuring but I'm going to have to go the other way on this.

Those bg numbers are bad. You've been a diabetic for 3 years you need to be comfortable changing and managing your own insulin numbers. If you have a hypo you shouldn't be overdoing it with the sugar you've got to have some self control.

You don't seem to count carbs. Start counting carbs. A flat 8 units for every meal makes no sense.

If you find you're low 1-4 hours after a meal then count how many carbs you ate and divide it by the amount of insulin you took, that ratio will be too high

If you have lows before you eat/while you are fasting/overnight then your basal is too high and you need to adjust that, lower it by 2-4 units at a time.

If you find you are running high during the day and low during the night then you need to split your basal dosage, for example 10 when you wake and 8 at night.

If you need help with anything I can help you here on the forum just message me.

Hey i was told when first diagnosed to have 4 at breakfast, lunch and 5-6 at dinner n depending how many carbs i was having but noone actually told me how to carb count in simple laymans terms as it is quite scary and i didnt want to up it incase i overdosed so i was guessin n taking between 2-6 units at each meal so goin about with high sugar levels due to lack of knowledge and confidence or having hypos n gettin frustrated at never getting it right!
No offence but some people talk on here in ratio,s n whats yer own ratio etc but a lot of us havent been told by our clinics what our ratio is or how to carb count etc its jus assumed we know this medical diabetic terminology jus because we have it.
Someone on here explained to me in laymans terms the other day that as i dont have own ratio that most people,s is 1:10 or 1:8 it was total gobbeldy gook to me, i messaged back sayin i dont get 1 of what 10 of what n was explained to me 1 unit of insulin to every ten units of carbs! No question is a silly question when ur health is involved! It was like a light switching on!

I was also advised to download the cals n carb app which u may have heard of if not it is £3.99 n comes in book form shows u 6 photos of pasta or whatever ur eating, shows the portion sizes u pick the portion size u plan to have n it will tell you the exact amount of carbs in it u can then calculate 1 unit rapid for every 10g carbs or whatever ur ratio! David not sure anyones told u bout that app, n sorry if all that sounded patronising but u have to be confident n do the carb counting as the straight 8 is giving u the probs!
Within 3 days of gettin this advice on here n using the app my levels are now between 5.5 n 7.5 n i feel so confident in my control n now having the support here and the more experienced diabetics to bombard with questions is a great help!


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Well done you. First step made. I had to beg my dsn to be sent on a carb counting course. I'm so glad I did.
All the best x

Have you had any joy from your dsn ?

My course aint till nov as very long waiting list, i must have been expected to guess until then!


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How did your DSN come up with a carb ratio of 6:1 ? How much is your basal and have you done basal test ? If your background insulin is not right, you'll always be playing catchup with the mealtime insulin. Your night time hypo's could either be too much basal or too much rapid acting insulin with your evening meal. You need to find out which. I know it sounds totally confusing at the minute and you're doing the right thing going back to your DSN and hopefully they should give you more info. If you don't keep a diary, start one. Otherwise, your DSN will always be guessing your dose. Write down your BG readings on waking, before each meal and before bed. Also, make a note of the amount of carbs you eat for each meal and the amount of insulin taken. After a week or so, your DSN should be able to see where adjustments need to be made. If not, post results here. Good luck, Mo

How do ye do a basal test?


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Hey David - ok take some deep breaths, if you get anxiety feeling go for a walk in a park or a green area, it's the easiest way to chill out. Change does make us anxious, particularly when it's related to our diabetes, and I remember before I went on DAFNE that I got anxious alot and it took me a while to work out my correct doses. Your carb ratio sounds a little high to me personally so tweaks will need to be looked at with your DSN's guidance. DAFNE can take ages to get onto, so a bit of advice in the meantime..

As Mo said earlier - start by writing a food and insulin diary, log your BG readings before food, then write down what you eat and the time and dose of your insulin. Writing a diary helps your DSN to work out what you are doing and how your insulin dose is working, changes can be made then

Next - get 'Carbs and Cals' downloaded onto your phone - if you have a smart phone and assuming you do. This shows you images of food and how many carbs are in it - this will help you to start understanding more about the carb content of your food and will help you when administering the right dose of insulin.

Remember it's work in progress and always will be, but it's brilliant you are getting on top of it as you have to be the expert of this.

Shout if you need any help, there's loads of helpful people around here who can give you advice.

By the way - forgot to say, the anxious feeling will subside once you get better control, it's related to running high and low and affects your mood - going for a walk or meditation can both help in the meantime until you stablise your BG.

David honestly listen to the advice on here as the most i would inject was 5 units was scared to go above as wasnt sure how to carb count properly but if eating pasta or that my bg would then be at 10-15 mmol! From using this forum and the advice last few days and the carb cal app along with my ratio if eating high carbs im taking 8-9 units n bm,s fine ive had no hypo,s not even close m jis been checkin bg more often after meals to help with the fear! Ul be fine honest download that app n utilise this support from the more experienced guys on here! You'll be fine


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