Treat bolus

[Diabeticger]

Not that I have the craving very often or even give into it , what extra novorapid should I be taking for say a Chinese meal, my usual regime is 5 units per meal with a slight increase/ decrease in blood sugars require

 

[MarkMunday]

With Chinese meals, it is hard to tell how much starch has been used in cooking, but it is usually quite a lot. The safest approach is to have the usual amount of insulin beforehand, test 2 hours later and correct by as much as necessary. It will give a better idea of how to cover a Chinese meal next time.

 

[Antje77]

Most of us base our dose on the amount of carbs we want to eat, not a fixed amount of insulin per meal.
For instance, today's meal today needed only a single unit (cauliflower, minced meat, lots of cheese and some other very low carb stuff), but on other days I might need 15 units or more for a meal because I eat fish fingers or chips or such.

Have you looked into something like a DAFNE course to learn to adjust the amount of insulin to your carbs, or spoken with your consultant/DSN to see if they can help you find out your insulin to carbs ratio?

None of us can tell you how much insulin you would need for a particular meal. Some of us would need only 2 units, others would need 30 units, there is no way we can safely predict how much YOU need.

 

[sleepster]

When I have a Chinese takeaway I spike massively 6-8 hours later, especially if something has been deep-fried so don't assume that, if after 2 hours, your bloods are ok, that the meal hasn't had that much of an affect. I didn't realise this was happening to me because I'd be asleep at 3am but I'd wake up in the morning at 18-ish, mouth like the bottom of a parrot's cage and bursting for the loo. If you aim for low-ish carbs you might not get too much of a nasty shock, but really you need to know what your carb ratio is

 

[Marie 2]

I agree, you need to learn to dose for carbs versus taking a set dose for each meal. A meal of rice, veggies, chicken, deep fried breaded something is going to take a lot more insulin and over a longer period of time than say a bowl of steamed veggies and tofu.

Along with learning to dose for the carbs you eat, some foods require a delay in insulin. Higher fat meals delay absorption of carbs. So for example pizza is always a trick for dosing for a lot of people, it's a blend of high carb and high fat.

 

[Jaylee]

Not that I have the craving very often or even give into it , what extra novorapid should I be taking for say a Chinese meal, my usual regime is 5 units per meal with a slight increase/ decrease in blood sugars require

Hi,

As others have maentioned. You would need to find out your basic insulin to carb ratio?
Pretty much how many grams of carbs a unit would cover, then calculate the dose from there regarding the amount in a Chinese meal.
Some foods on the menu could have a delayed effect regarding digestion, causing a later spike? To counter act this some folk take the amount of insulin calculated for the meal & split the dose, hopefully covering a delayed or longer lasting action on BGs..
Testing is crucial to find out your personal threshold.

 

[karen8967]

When I have a Chinese takeaway I spike massively 6-8 hours later, especially if something has been deep-fried so don't assume that, if after 2 hours, your bloods are ok, that the meal hasn't had that much of an affect. I didn't realise this was happening to me because I'd be asleep at 3am but I'd wake up in the morning at 18-ish, mouth like the bottom of a parrot's cage and bursting for the loo. If you aim for low-ish carbs you might not get too much of a nasty shock, but really you need to know what your carb ratio is

this happens to me all the time with chinese rice meals and it takes me most of the next day to get bgs back to normal...but still put my self through it but not very often

 

[MattH892]

The way I see it, the more you have a certain food, the more you understand how it affects your levels. I am now a pro when it comes to Chinese