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What is your insulin to carb ratio??

L

Lel

Well-Known Member
i'm just starting (again) to get the hang of carb counting would just like some advise as to how some people got theirs and what it is now.

it boggles my mind to think that that i might have to take a lot of insulin in some cases if i was on like a 1:2 ratio.

Any help would be appreciated
 
I'd be surprised if you were on an insulin:carb ratio of 1:2? You might be mixing up the terminology with your correction ratio, which is the number of mmol/l your blood sugar drops by for 1 unit of insulin. For example, my insulin:carb is 1:13 during the day and 1:16 in the evening, but my correction is 1:3. I go everywhere with a calculator!
 
I've no idea of any ratio for me :? I was put on 8 humalog in the morning, which covers me for a couple of croissants, or a palmier or a chocolate croissant, then 6 at lunch, which is plenty for a sandwich, crisps, yoghurt (or similar) then 5 in the evening, which does for most main meals eg lasagne, steak and chips, shepherds pie. I need to take more in the evening for pizza/chinese/curry if we get a takeaway.
Maybe it varies from person to person?
 
It definitely varies from person to person, can change within an individual over time, and may also be different according to the time of day. But it's crucial to know to maintain good control, and is a key part of counting carbs. Gives you flexibility too so that you can change the amount you eat and adjust your insulin dosage in line with that change.

Anything less is just guesswork or too rigid a framework within which to function!
 
ive been on basal bolus for a few mnths and was told to start at one unit per 10g carbs and see where i went from there, now ive found..brekkie im 1 unit for 15g, same at dinner, 1 unit for 10g at tea and supper, its working out what works for you thats important
 
i am finding that at the moment that i am having to take one unit of insulin per 1g of carbs.
i do think this is a lot but im finding that it's the only thing that seems to bring it down.
i think i might have some insulin resistance at the moment but im not sure how to change this.

i also need to adjust my lantus more which is maybe why it is taking so much novorapid to give me good results.

does this sound like the case??
 

1:1 is extremely high... Do you vary the site for your injections? It's important to do this as injecting frequently in one place (which I used to do) can apparently make it more difficult for the insulin to get into your system. Also changing needles frequently is very important (again found that out the hard way!).

I'm beginning to do the carb counting seriously after ten years of what I can only call mismanagement of my condition. It seems to be doing the trick. Early days yet so I'm still experimenting but I'm finding that the 1:10 ratio recommended in the literature seems right for me, most of the time.

Chris
 
I agree that 1:1 is extremely high. One digestive biscuit at this level would require around 10u of insulin. Might be worth discussing further with your DSN?

I've been counting carbs for 28 years, and I'm still learning new stuff! 1:10 is the starting point recommended quite often as most people are there or thereabouts. Doesn't take too long to fine-tune your personal ratio, and the benefits are huge when you do nail it, so it's definitely worth the effort.
 
Hello Lel

What might help you a bit to alter your need to use 1 unit novorapid to 1 gram of carb would be to give yourself Lantus twice a day instead of just once. Unfortunately although the novo is rapid acting, it can take a while with some people for it to kick in so to speak so hence the need for you to use so much. Its probably worth asking your dsn or consultant about this.

Although insulin to carb ratios can give people some guideline, often its only by reverting to trial and error and doing lots of post prandial tests that people find their ideal dose of insulin.

If you want to use an online insulin to carb calculator you will first have to find out what your Total Daily Dose of insulin is (basal plus bolus) but this can take quite a while to figure out what your overall total daily dose is. This site is for pump users but can be of some help for those using MDI.
http://www.perinatology.com/calculators/insulinpump.htm
 
Gawd knows! Seriously, just as I think I have my carb. to insulin ratio sussed, a reading will be thrown up totally different that doesn't correspond to what I was thinking it was. I seem to be back to 'guess-work', as I can have something for brekkie one day and get a perfect reading, then exactly the same brekkie the next morning and a totally different reading. A lot of the time my guess-work is okay but it's not how I want to deal with things. Dealing with diabetes is a bit like being on a roller-coaster. The only shame being, you can't say 'Stop...I want to get off'.
 
A lot of ratios must also relate to the person's body weight amoungst other things. My son, age 2, would have a ration of half unit Novorapid:20 gm carb. I do use his long acting insulin to some degree to balance his bs and spread his meals evenly through the day. I would not correct his bs with novorapid unless his bs was in the 20's or I'd be sending him hypo fairly quickly. I should say that this doesn't really happen unless he is sick and we do tend to remain in single figures for 80% of the day.

Managing blood sugar is certainly an experience. Just when you think you are getting it right something weird happens out of the blue. I also agree that the same food on a different day can produce completely different figures. I also find old blood sugar (higher levels) is harder to get down than new sugar. Hard to explain but if my son has woken up a bit higher in the morning than normal he tends to stay higher through the morning even if I reduce the amount of breakfast.

Jen
 
chocoholic said:
Gawd knows! Seriously, just as I think I have my carb. to insulin ratio sussed, a reading will be thrown up totally different that doesn't correspond to what I was thinking it was.
Click to expand...
Definitely get that, but carb ratios do fluctuate over time, so it's really frustrating sometimes. :wink:

Jen&Khaleb said:
I do use his long acting insulin to some degree to balance his bs and spread his meals evenly through the day.
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I haven't been on MDI for over 4 years so things may have changed in that time, but my understanding is that long-acting sorts out the basal dose leaving the short-acting to deal with food and corrections? Being on a pump things are slightly different for me, but I think the principle's the same. Long-acting is just that, takes a while to kick in. But that may be exactly what you're saying, sorry!

Jen&Khaleb said:
I would not correct his bs with novorapid unless his bs was in the 20's or I'd be sending him hypo fairly quickly.
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As well as having a fairly good grasp of my insulin/carb ratio I also know exactly what my correction ratio is, so if I do have a high bg I can correct very accurately, and with confidence that I'm not going to go hypo. I can even do this quite safely at 8 mmol/l, knowing that I'll be back at 5 within a couple of hours.
 
oh man i wish there was a way of getting all this right first time.
i was pretty ill over the weekend and have had a hello of a time trying to stay 'normal' one minute i was sky high the next i was having a hypo and that was with barely any food. nightmare.

think i might have to play around with my ratios, im really not happy having to take so much.
im thinking there might be a degree of insulin resistance which might be complicating matters a little but i will bring up all this with my DSN when i see her at the end of next month or i might give her a bell.

i haven't actualle been to the clinic for about a year now as i was avoiding them at all costs as they always give me into trouble and i have found them less than useless anyway as i wasnt told anything about carb counting or dose adjustment so i kinda went off the rails but i have now decided to grow up and take control.

thanks for the info guys it's really helped and im gonna get out and study my using insulin book tonight while tucking into my lovely low-carb dinner :lol:
 
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