Testing procedure for decreasing Insulin

[canuck]

As you know and we must advise:” always discuss with your doc”.
We are each different so we need to continually test to see if our drops in insulin are too much or too little for our bodies.
There is no set procedure for all of us except to do the following.
1. Test upon awakening, not after up for awhile or after coffee, or after exercising…. upon rising, write it down, preferably under 110.

2, Take insulin, most are best taken 15 to 30 min before eating but some fast acting’s make some diabetics go low too fast so can take right at time of eating or even after eating is they react quickly for you, again, we are all different.
Note amt. Eat brekkie, don’t miss it, note time finished eating , what you ate, in carb count,and test two hs post meals, write it down, preferably under 120 but 110 is better, not under 80 as can feel icky and being too low is not necessary for tight control.

3. Test prior to lunch, note it, should be lower, that’s the norm,but not under 80,eat, note what ate, test two hrs post lunches. Same rules apply.

4. Do same for dinner.

5. Test two hr post dinner, can have snack and have to if taking bedtime insulin as will bottom out. Have a protein and fat snack. Make sure have enough to cover bedtime insulin as bottoming out in middle of night is not good as can then rebound and wake up high so manage night time sugars for sure.( see sticky on “mornings can be so frustrating”.

As you see bg going down, decrease insulin amts by small amt, don’t allow self to get readings of 40, 30's, way too low, can go into coma, can get brain damage in this coma, its not true the lower the better the lower the closer to coma, so read read read and test test test. Come here and ask questions.Norm bg is 80 to 110 for all of us!

Talk with doc.

Some of us go off insulin quickly, some don’t, we are all diff and all of our bodies cope differently but you can not take the same dose of insulin as you lose weight and eat less carbs, you must learn to decrease it.

Only way you will know you are doing it correctly is to test before and two hr after so you know you made the right choice for the dosage to use.

[William T Wood]

Diabetes oriented food?

I've been a type "1 1/2" diabetic for a few years now and have been critical of the Atkins "craze" and how it brings attention to the need for low carb food only in the guise of the pre-diabetic need for such.

The term diabetic seems still to be a dirty word for those who are bent on making a buck on the gradual withdrawal of unhealthy foods.

I resent my purchases of products that are only available because some non-diabetic "diet guru" said you'll lose wieght,.

Instead of a model, maybe a dietician, docter or a diabetic athlete, said it will help my diabetes.

I want to see a label that says "Diabetic Safe" or Insulin factor: "+ or -20" or some rating that sounds like I missed the Atkins band wagon and am doing the right thing in spite of the Atkin's profit designed propaganda.

[William T Wood]

Don't get me wrong. I want to lose weight, but not because a "fad" diet works for some, but because a professional in the field of my particular dilemma has a recomendation that will work.

What irk's me the most is how low carb food is made available only after it becomes a fad and not because there is a serious need in the American diet for said foods.

They all say for the "low carb lifestyle". What about the unwelcome high carb lifestyle we have so little control over.

Sometimes I feel like our food industry and the USFDA are in cahoots to make humans deoendant on carbs the way we're dependant on oil or high carb food.

More diabetics mean more people dependant on insulin. Not a very efficient cure,especially if you have to stick yourself 2-8 times a day. The inslin producer's aren't complaining. Neither are the diabetic supply people.

[William T Wood]

When I adopted a low carb diet it worked for awhile. I lost 80 .lb in 4 months.

Then I woke up in the hospital w/ severe dehydration due to ketoacidosis and a BG of 600 .The same mechanism so many claim as key to their success in losing weight very nearly killed me.

I believe a low carb, high protien diet is the answer, but it needs to be an integral part of the human psychie and not an alternative "lifestyle".

Lifestyles are for people who don't have time to decide on a unique hobby of their own.

[shawnee]

William have you ever read Dr Richard Bernsteins 'Diabetes Solution'
He is an MD specializing in the treatment of Diabetes
A Type 1 Diabeic himself in his 70's he lays out a low carb program for diabetics, not as a fad diet. He was doing this a long time ago when Atkins was just getting started. The funny thing is he & Atkins both had practices on long island not so far away from each other, but from what I can tell their paths never crossed

If you don't have the book get it & make it your Diabetic Lifesyle Bible

[Randiman1]

Please excuse this question (because it is not on this subject), But i am dying to know what is type 1 1/2 diabetes? I have been a type one diabetic for over 2 years and i have done a lot of research on the subject of diabetes and have never heard of type 1 1/2 diabetes. I even just now have done a search for it on the internet and can't find anything on the subject. I thought there was only 3 types of diabetes. Can someone please educate me on "type 1 1/2"?

[canuck]

We don’t have that name in Canada but I understood it to be a USA diagnosis for Syndrome X, don’t ever really see anyone using it, to me means insulin resistant, type II but labels being played with.

[Randiman1]

Thanks for the info!

In case anyone else is interested this is what i found on the subject. It sounds to me that X is more of a pre-diabetes state.

Syndrome X in a Nutshell


The key underpinning of Syndrome X is insulin resistance-a diet-caused hormonal logjam that interferes with your body's ability to efficiently burn the food you eat. Syndrome X occurs when insulin resistance is combined with high levels of blood fats (cholesterol and triglyceride), too much body fat, and high blood pressure. Both insulin resistance and Syndrome X increase your risk of heart disease and diabetes-and many other serious, life-threatening diseases-because they impact, directly or indirectly, virtually every disease process.


Two of the key players in this life-and-death drama affecting you are substances regarded as absolutely essential for health: glucose (also known as blood sugar) and the hormone insulin. Because of the foods we, as a population, now eat, our bodies' levels of glucose and insulin have gone out of control. Quite simply, we are overdosing on glucose and insulin-and both substances in high doses accelerate the aging of our bodies and encourage the development of disease.


Insulin resistance and Syndrome X are caused primarily by a diet high in refined carbohydrates, which probably include many of your favorite and frequently eaten foods, such as cereals, muffins, breads and rolls, pastas, cookies, donuts, and soft drinks. These refined carbohydrates not only raise glucose and insulin to unhealthy levels, but they also are devoid of the many vitamins, minerals, and vitamin-like nutrients our bodies need to properly utilize these foods.


In other words, nearly all of us have been eating a diet designed for disaster. We have been eating too many "bad" foods that set the stage for disease and not enough of the "good" foods that protect us. As a result, our health is being squeezed in the middle.

[canuck]

many experts now say there is no pre diabetic state, its like being pregnant, you are either are or you are no I think if folks at this stage did Atkins they could stop it in their tracks, Type I of course has no control as it is a total auto immune deficiency disuse coming after a flu like yours, an immunization, a psychological or physical trauma, even type I they say is not hereditary like type II.

[Randiman1]

:nod When i was first diagnosed they kept asking me if anyone in my family had diabetes, and kept telling me that it was hereditary ( i was in a very bad hospital, that was in a very small town).

Like i had said earlier i have never heard of type 1 1/2. I have heard of border line diabetic, which i think my mother is. A couple of months ago when i was at my parents house i had her check her bg and it was 138 ( i think) and this was after we ate dinner. I keep telling her to go to the doctor but I think she is scared of finding out. The doctor has even told her that she will prolly be type 2 in her life time so i am just trying to help her out. She is stubborn.

[cincywbbw]

Re: Testing procedure for decreasing Insulin

I am on day 2 of induction and I have already seen lower results in my BG testing, nomally by this time I would have a BG sometimes as high a 325, tonight 2 hrs after eating chicken wings and broccoli, I am amazed at my blood sugar, 164. While it aint perfect yet, for me this is a drastic change. Enough for me to decrease my normal 70 units of levemire to 60 units so I dont drop too low. I am surely keeping a close eye on my BG's because I am not going to be happy until I am off the shots.

[cincywbbw]

Re: Testing procedure for decreasing Insulin

After reading the DANDR In the part of what meds affect the atkins diet I decided to Try going without any of my long acting insulin. to my amazement, my morning BG was 155, I thought for sure it would be up in the 200 range as it normally is. As I continue on this journey, I was amazed that my BG was only 135 last night, So I definaltey see my Blood sugar stabilizing. I dont advise anyone to stop taking their insulin without their Doctors approval. I just had to try it for myself.

[Coop2004]

Re: Testing procedure for decreasing Insulin

After reading the DANDR In the part of what meds affect the atkins diet I decided to Try going without any of my long acting insulin. to my amazement, my morning BG was 155, I thought for sure it would be up in the 200 range as it normally is. As I continue on this journey, I was amazed that my BG was only 135 last night, So I definaltey see my Blood sugar stabilizing. I dont advise anyone to stop taking their insulin without their Doctors approval. I just had to try it for myself.

Cincy,

Although I'm fortunate that I don't need to take insulin, I agree that any decrease in one's insulin dosage or stopping it altogether, should be under the advise of one's Doctor or Medical Professional. I would strongly suggest discussing this with your own Doctor or Medical Professional to see what they say.

This being said, great news for you!!