Being a diabetic is all about trial and error, there isn't a 'one size fits all' approach as no two people are the same. We are all unique and so are our bodies! When you're first diagnosed its a bit of an information overload, suddenly the foods that you know and love are strangers and you have to monitor and measure EVERYTHING. The amount of time you spend on meal prep and making food increases dramatically and you have to monitor your bodies
reactions constantly. You can't simply pick up any old sauce in the supermarket anymore, you have to think, how many carbs and sugars are in a portion of this? Are there any fats in this meal that will slow down my insulin absorption? Is this a high or a low GI food? Do I need to split my insulin dose for this meal? You also need to work out the amount of insulin you need to take and how long before your meal you should have this. It's can be quite confusing and even frustrating at times.
Your whole day is just never ending questions and calculations whilst trying to stick to a strict daily regime, some days you honestly feel like a mathematician with the amount of sums you have to do!
At first it can all seem quite daunting, like your treading water with no land in site. We have this weird but natural relationship with insulin, its the very thing that's giving us life and yet too much of it can kill us! To make it worse a lot of what you do is guess work, scary right? I don't like to think of it in this way, for me its far too negative and honestly makes me feel a little down.. and we don't want that! I like to think of it as any other medicine or anti-biotic, if you take over your prescribed dose then the same thing would happen but you don't worry about that do you? You just take it. The doctors have prescribed what they 'think' is best for you but its again not a one size fits all prescription, it varies on the person, their gender, their age, how ill they are etc. so why not see your insulin in this way instead? For me I see insulin as the product that's giving me life! (Both metaphorically and physically) I've been ill for so long without an explanation and now I can adapt and live a happy life. I've been given the tools to thrive again and although it can be hard at times, that's the same for any human being, not just us diabetics.
Trying to find your insulin niche is difficult, if I'm perfectly honest I am still struggling a little in this area. However there is hope for me, after recent trial and error I have managed to learn a few things about my body and the way it reacts to certain foods and my insulin. I have recently adjusted my carb ration to 1 unit of insulin per 7grams of carbs. This has made a substantial difference in the way my sugars are stabilising and I feel like I have regained a little more control over them. This was all because I'd test myself over and over. I would eat a specific food having my previous insulin ratio of 1 unit per 8grams and then wait to see what the results were. Then I would eat the same food with a 7gram ratio and monitor the results to check it wasn't too much and that my sugars weren't going low. After trying this with multiple foods I felt quite comfortable in making this adjustment.
I also recently learned whilst doing some research that everyone's insulin absorption times are different, again, no two people are the same. For me its been quite frustrating for a long time as I've never been able to stop that initial sugar spike when eating, more often than not I was told to take insulin about 15 minutes before my meal so that it would have time to 'kick in'. Despite doing this my sugars would still increase and it would quite frankly leave me feeling both mentally and physically deflated, like I was 'failing' myself and getting it all wrong. Which to an extent I was getting it wrong, I was doing what was right for other people and not listening to my own body. I started using my Libre arm monitor to start timing my insulin and how long it would take to start
reducing my sugar levels. After another few days of trial and error I learnt that it actually takes about 40mins for me to see any changes in my sugars even on an empty stomach.. no wonder I was still spiking! This for me has been a big 'eureka' moment. This last week I have been trialing taking my dose 40 minutes before I eat my food and I have already seen such a difference! I've of course had a few hypo mishaps with timings especially when my foods has taken longer then anticipated to make, but all in all its looking very positive. I've gone from being in my normal target range about 45% of the time during a 24hr period, to as of today, being in range nearly 80% of it! That's nearly double my time in range and it certainly feels like a massive win for me.
Currently I am trying to monitor roughly how long it takes my body to react to insulin when I have foods that are more 'fatty'. This means that I can learn more about splitting my insulin doses and can also stop myself having a spike an hour or so after. I don't eat a lot of rubbish foods, but some days you just need it! I'm starting to learn how to have better control over my sugars at those times when I crave it the most, like every ones favourite time of the month. Periods can completely mess up your sugars and leave them running higher then usual, so by being familiar with them normally I can see the new patterns at these times and be even more in control.
No one knows your body better then you do, you're not a 'text book' human being, you're unique. You can't take a text book type 1 diabetes plan, apply it to you and just expect it to work instantly. You have to try, try and try again until you find what's right for you. Obviously it's still very important to follow the guidance given to you by you diabetic health care team, they live and breath this
subject and know exactly what they're on about. If you don't feel comfortable with something or feel you should change a dose but don't know how then discuss any thoughts you may have with them, they're there to guide you but they're also there to listen to you. My diabetic nurse has been so wonderful through out these last few months and I can't thank her enough for what she does. She told me all about the repetition and trialing, like testing how many jelly babies I actually need to eat to come out of a hypo so that I don't overcompensate. These trialing techniques are the easiest way for me to cope with being a diabetic, some times there just isn't any other option. For example, when you have a take away such as an Indian or a Chinese, you never fully know how many carbs are in the meal and there's also alot of hidden sugars. They don't provide the full nutritional information so how are you supposed to know the insulin dose to take? For me, I'll order the same thing each time, the first time I'll use the 'carbs and cals' app to work out a very rough estimate of the carbs and take a dose to match. I'll then monitor the results closely and make note. If
it wasn't enough then the next time I'll take a unit more, monitor and make note. By putting in the work the first few times it means you don't have to do it with future orders, making it easier for you to enjoy the little things again like a Saturday night take away.
It can certainly get repetitive and tedious at times but you just have to keep thinking of that end goal. I'm slowly learning about what I can and cant eat and hope that some day it becomes second nature to me. Its helpful to think about how far you've come no matter how long you've been diabetic. After all, 6 months ago my life was 'normal'. Now I'm continuing to adjust to my new regime, I survived the Christmas 'sugar surge', completed various carb counting courses, started adjusting my own insulin and working out my own doses and much much more.. It's a lot to learn in such a short period of time and you need to appreciate how much you've learnt! I expect there's a lot of people out there who aren't giving themselves enough credit. So I challenge any one reading this to think about where you first started out, just really look at all the things you've achieved in that time and take a minute to congratulate yourself. Your doing amazing!! If you know or care for someone with diabetes then encourage them to do the same! It can be really easy to be hard on yourself for getting it wrong but if we didn't go through this step then we wouldn't progress, take every error as another lesson learnt. If in doubt, repetition and routine will always benefit you. The best advice I can give is to learn from all your mistakes and see them as a positive, each one a step towards an easier and less stressful future. It may not feel like your progressing and sometimes you may not feel like your coping, but you are stronger then you think, take a minute to really appreciate yourself and how far you've come.
I hope you've enjoyed this post and feel free to share your stories and trials!
Love Vic x