Comment by Tim on July 8, 2012 at 4:35am

Yeah it gets better, but it's never easy. Some of us work hard to make it look easy... but really it just isn't easy.

One piece of advice, is that trying to control bg minute by minute with insulin will often result in worse yo-yo-ing than necessary. It often pays off to not chase every glitch with a correction, and even when correcting to be very moderate in the correction.

I know a lot of folks here are very concerned with after-meal numbers, but really you have to get your before-meal numbers under your thumb and understood, before you begin chasing the after-meal numbers. A 220 after a meal if you started at 180, that is not an "after meal spike", the real problem was being at 180 before eating to begin with.

Now, I do not follow my advice all the time. Sometimes a gonzo correction really is the best thing. But gonzo corrections should be very very rare.

Comment by brokenpole on July 8, 2012 at 10:18am

I agree with Tim. Oh and yes, you will feel like you have been hit by a mack truck with you go yo-yo ing. That is why when I spike up or down I do as little as possible so that I don't add to the problem.

Just remember...you can do it!!

Comment by jrtpup on July 8, 2012 at 2:20pm

It takes time :) Are you on basal and bolus or just one? There are a LOT of factors, try to chase one at a time or they'll all get confuzzled. It will get better!

Comment by Scott Wilkins on July 8, 2012 at 3:29pm

Keep in close close close contact with your diabetes educator and doctor. They will help you understand what's happening to you. Insulin is an odd thing, and knowledge of how it works doesn't always seem logical. Let them help you. And, write everything down. Everything, sitting, exersize, eating, fasting, even stress, write it down.

Comment by Doris D on July 8, 2012 at 4:35pm

Agree with everyone here. It just takes time but it's far from easy

Comment by Peetie on July 8, 2012 at 5:02pm

good luck. Hope it works out well for you soon.

Comment by karebear1966 on July 8, 2012 at 5:53pm

jrt pup yes I am on both insulins. 12 units of basal in the morning and bedtime, ( humulin N ) and Humalog 1 unit for every 15 carb with a 2.5 correction.
My nurse gave me a monitor that logs everything i eat and inject and do to make life easier, and helps her keep tabs on me. I am feeling much better than i was before insulin but i just havent quite got the hang of it yet.

Comment by jrtpup on July 8, 2012 at 6:14pm

As Scott said, keep in close touch with the nurse. I don't know anyone who started on exactly the right doses first time around. If you're fluctuating so much, your doses probably need tweaking - one at a time. Remember to breathe.

Comment by Super_sally on July 9, 2012 at 1:26am

Hi,
you are on the same insulins I'm on.

You may find that your daytime and night time Humalin-N dose is not necessarily the same. I need more insulin at nighttime basal than in the morning.

First step is waking up in the morning with good numbers. this is a huge first step. :) getting the numbers under control takes time (and patience). Where we start from is just the beginning not where you will end up - which is definitely going to be a much better place!

Comment by David (dns) on July 9, 2012 at 12:01pm

As another very new insulin user, I can affirm that all of the above advice is right on point. In an attempt to summarize, here is my own $0.02:

(1) Take it slow and easy. Make small changes, and only only only change one thing at a time. There are a zillion variables affecting our blood sugar; if you change more than one at a time you have no chance of knowing which change produced the observed result. Even then, take what you see with a grain of salt -- as I said, a zillion variables are in play.

(2) Similarly, keep remembering that everyone is different. What works perfectly for someone else may work imperfectly (or not at all) for you. And the reverse, as well.

(3) Learn everything you can about how your body works. Read the experts -- Bernstein, Walsh, Scheiner, etc. Physiology is tremendously complex and you can never know too much or understand too well.

(4) Stay in close touch with your health professional, be they doctor, nurse, educator, or whomever. They have been down this road before and have a baseline of experience that will serve you well if you use it.

(5) Take Tim's comment above about before meal readings to heart. It's a bull's eye. The best directions in the world won't get you to the destination if you didn't set out from the right starting point to begin with.

And my own contributions:

(6) Stay in touch with this community. There is a deep well of experience (and understanding) available here to draw upon. This is a tremendous resource; don't fail to use it.

(7) Once you find a stable routine that works for you (and you will!), don't assume that it will stay that way forever. We age, we change physically, our circumstances alter and evolve, and the medical technology improves year by year. Periodically test to make sure that your responses are the same and your management regime is still giving the right results. Make adjustments when you need to.

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