Eating Out
I need some tips. I have been using insulin for just a few weeks and
I am on a Lantus + Humalog regime. The hardest thing by far has been
predicting how much Humalog to take when I’m out of the house or vary
from weekday routine. This is what happened last night.
I went to a friend’s birthday at an Italian restaurant. I did my
homework before I went by looking up carbs on www.calorieking.com. I
planned what I was going to eat and I ate exactly that. (Dinner was
spaghetti with a sausage and 2 small pieces of bread.) My BSL was 160
before dinner. A little high so I took the 11 units I thought I
needed for dinner + 1 for “correction”. Two hours later my BSL was
135. I was thrilled. I didn’t check it again before bed b/c that
was only a little while later. When I woke up this morning it was
nearly 300!!
I am guessing that my dinner was full of “slow carbs” and the sugars
kept going into my blood long after the humalog was done. I asked my
nutritionist specifically if pasta was an issue and she said only if
it is with a high fat sauce. Mine was not. Any thoughts as to what
happened? Also are there any other foods you guys eat out where you
split your dose because of this slow carb phenomenon?
October 21st, 2003 at 11:53 am
Yes, pasta makes my son go really high. I give him some insulin right away then program his pump to give the extended bolus of another unit to last for 3-4 hours. If you’re not on the pump I guess you can give yourself shots of just a little insulin every hour so you don’t go too low.
Benita
Any thoughts as to what
happened? Also are there any other foods you guys eat out where you
split your dose because of this slow carb phenomenon?
October 24th, 2003 at 3:10 pm
I do the same - Lantus at bedtime. Still haven’t gotten a rising below 120
but I’m adjusting a unit at a time and hope to get there in the next few days
(unless my period interferes with that!). SO the humalog at dinner would
probably be the only insulin - the lantus would be running out or gone. I think
with these slow meals - pasta, pizza, potatoes I need to split up the insulin.
I also have a friend on another message board who just waits until she’s
finishing the meal (say about 30-45 minutes after she starts) and then takes her
shot. I know that Humalog lasts 3 hours or so b/c it can cause me morning lows
about 3-4 hours after I take it (but that’s another story). Anyway, like
suggested, I will have to play around with the occasional meal out of Italian or
Mexican. My other favorite - Indian - has worked out just fine.