Is there a certain level that my blood sugar should be for me to have a 1 carb snack?? Please help:)

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on November 3, 2009 at 8:22pm

Doctors are justifably concerned about hypos (particularly for newly diagnosed patients starting on insulin), so they push the snacks between meals. If your BG is on target between meals & you're testing regularly, you don't have to snack.

What are you eating for the 1 carb snack (is it really just 1 carb)? How much does it go up after snacking & how far between meals are you eating snacks? What's your BG 2 hours after meals & then after snacking between meals?

Could be that you're not really going up from the 1 carb snack, but that the higher BG may be from the meal before. High protein & high fat meals take longer to digest. Or, you could have slow digestion.

You should talk to your doctor about adjustments to your basal dose if only 1 carb causes a large spike.

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Permalink Reply by MelissaBL on November 3, 2009 at 9:24pm

She probably means 1 carb exchange, which would be 15 grams of carb. Stephanie, you'll find a lot of us refer to the actual number of grams of carb and not how many carb servings something is. Both are correct though.

I agree with you, Gerri. There's likely no reason to keep the snack in her regimen if it is spiking her BG and she isn't going low without it.

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on November 3, 2009 at 9:39pm

You're right, Melissa, & thanks. Duh on me! I'd better go test because I must be low to not realize what Stephanie meant. I keep hoping against hope that doctors will start patients immediately on counting carbs.

Stephanie, sorry for confusing you.

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Permalink Reply by Kristin on November 4, 2009 at 12:17am

Stephanie, I think you should let your blood sugar guide the decision. Try skipping the snack and measure every 1-2 hours and see what happens to your blood sugar. If it is stable, then you may not need to snack.

Also, I would highly recommend looking up and reading about carbohydrate counting. The doctors started me on a similar system as the one that you mentioned. I found carb counting on my own and my doctor was happy that I learned it and wanted to follow it. It allows you more flexibility in your diet and better control.

Take care!

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Permalink Reply by Stephanie Atkins on November 4, 2009 at 4:39pm

Thanks everyone :) I am still so confused and frustrated with all of this!!! I guess it all comes with time.....hopefully :(

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on November 4, 2009 at 5:20pm

Stephanie,

Really is overwhelming. I used to cry from sheer confusion. Promise you that it does get easier.

If I had a 15 carb (one exchange) snack with no insulin injection to cover it, my BG would shoot up at least 150 points. Quite ridiculous how doctors push those snacks.

A great place to start is Jenny's site http://www.bloodsugar101.com.

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Permalink Reply by Stephanie Atkins on November 4, 2009 at 7:07pm

I will check this site out . Thanks :)

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Permalink Reply by Don Kelly on November 4, 2009 at 4:48pm

Stephanie, let your numbers be your guide. If they are withing your range and stay there I'd say skip the snack ! Go out and find the book "The Calorie King Calorie Fat & Carb" and carry it with you. I've been using it for years and I think I'd be lost without it ! After a while tho the numbers just come naturally !

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Permalink Reply by Libby on November 4, 2009 at 6:43pm

Hi, Stephanie,
What are you taking for insulin? If you are not producing insulin of your own, 15g of carbs will push your BG up 75 points. Are you taking any fast acting insulin with meals? I need to take a shot of fast acting insulin for anything over 5g carbs if I want to keep my BG stable.

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Permalink Reply by Stephanie Atkins on November 4, 2009 at 7:06pm

I take novolog . I am on 10 units at breakfast, 15 units at lunch, and 15 units at supper,and use the sliding scale if my sugar is high. Then I take 18 units of levimer at bed time. I have noticed that if I dont eat a snack before bed time I will wake up in the morning with high BG!!! Then again if my sugar is a little high, I am confused on eating a snack or not. Some nights I go to sleep with that deep hunger feeling because my sugar is high and I am scared to eat anything. I have always wondered if anyone with type 1 has to take insulin before a snack. Sorry for all the questions but I feel so lost right now. I am the only one in my family that has this, and I feel so alone and scared sometimes.

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Permalink Reply by MelissaBL on November 4, 2009 at 7:23pm

Stephanie, you are asking great questions. You are on a very standard (but very primitive) dosing schedule that they start MANY type 1s on. Right now, you may not see tight control as they work these factors out. And all of this may or may not change drastically as your life goes forward. Take a deep breath. We'll help you eat like a normal person! *laughs*

Many of us here do not take set doses of insulin or eat a set amount of carbs per meal, but do "carb counting" (that Kristin and Gerri have mentioned) and take a set number of units of insulin for every x number of carb grams we eat. (For instance, I take a unit for every 6 grams and someone else may take a unit for every 18 grams! We're all different.)

And we also add different amounts of insulin based on our blood sugar - your sliding scale that they have you on right now - but we're much more precise with it, likely, than they are having you be. (1 unit of insulin right now will lower me approximately 26 mg/dL, for instance. Again, we're all different.) I remember my first sliding scale was 1 unit for every 50 mg/dL over 150. Now, I'd take a different amount for a 150 mg/dL than I would for a 160 mg/dL!

In time, no matter WHICH method you're on, you will learn to take fast-acting insulin with every single thing you eat, according to how many carbs are in the food, how much you are eating, where your blood sugar is, and how much insulin you have in your system. And later you will learn how to comfortably eat when you're hungry or when your blood sugar needs stabilizing - and not be afraid to eat or skip eating.

You will get there, Stephanie. It's a long, confusing, winding road.

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Permalink Reply by Stephanie Atkins on November 4, 2009 at 7:39pm

Thank you for taking the time to talk to me about all of this:) I do not have anyone to talk to about all of these things, and it means so much to me to have this site to go to, and have such supportive people that are just like me to talk to. With time I will hopefully get all of this straightened out. :)

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