snip
Post by BessieBeePost by percyCarry a fast source of glucose with you at all times. This is really,
really important. Glucose tabs are best but Smarties (in the US) are
cheaper.
I'm really hoping to have something that tastes nasty. I can stay
away from sweets if I stay away *completely* - I have absolutely no
control to have "just one" or to save for an emergency.
Glucose tabs are probably your best bet then. They don't taste much at
all, just slightly sweet. I re-package mine into 4 tab 'cures' (4.4g CHO
per tab for the brand I use), wrap them in foil and pop one or two into
my pocket. 16g of carbs is good to keep me conscious and aware enough to
eat more than the tabs if I have active bolus insulin in my body. The
only thing nastier is pure glucose, but a thick syrup is kind of hard to
carry around. Those tubes of cake decorating gel available in the
grocery store are almost pure glucose and make a great hypo cure.
Post by BessieBeePost by percyThere's good sources online regarding insulin dosing. If you find you're
having less than stellar bgs even with the insulin, there's ways to
tweak your dosing to get it right for you.
I don't expect to learn everything immediately, but will be paying
very close attention to my bgs after next week.
Well, here's the very basics on insulin so you can tell your sister no,
you're not on a premix. Premixes are always labelled with a ratio like
70/30 or 50/50 or the like. They're mostly used by T2s who are more
interested in convenience than bg control.
Lantus is your basal (background) insulin. It provides a small
bg-lowering effect over many hours and, at the proper dose, will keep
bgs in range *without food input*. Lantus is advertised as lasting 24
hours, but YMMV somewhat.
Novolog is your bolus (rapid) insulin. It covers meal requirements and
corrections for high bgs. It begins to work in under 1/2 hour and is
gone after 4 - 6 hours. Again, YMMV.
Post by BessieBeePost by percyHave you spoken to your doc about Byetta?
What is Byetta and why should I ask?
Byetta (exenatide) is synthesized gila monster spit.
I'm T1 so I don't know that much about it, just the impressive results
most users here have reported. It's apparently expensive, so if you
don't have good insurance you may not be able to get/afford it.
If you enter byetta into google you get tons of info. For basic info,
start here:
http://www.byetta.com
I have no idea what the prescribing criteria is for either Byetta or its
sister drug, Symlin. It's no biggie, the insulin will do it's job. Think
of all the treatments as weapons in the war chest to be called upon when
and if necessary. All treatments have their benefits and risks.
You can help your CDE enormously by keeping detailed records. My logbook
is a 3-ring binder. Buy a good-quality food scale if you don't already
have one. Even if you're not counting carbohydrates at the beginning,
your CDE will be able to do quick calculations by seeing exact amounts
of food, insulin, exercise and bg readings.
You'll do fine, of that I'm sure.
Vicki