When I went to the doctor last week she changed my insulins all around and increased my dosages. I take a long-acting insulin shot in the morning and a short-acting shot with each meal. The short-acting which is the Novolin-R is an old-school insulin (which is cheaper) lasts longer in your system than say the new Lantus insulin (which I can no longer afford) that doesn't hang in as long.
What that means is that long-lasting is in your system slowly releasing all day. The slow-acting old school insulin is just for that meal but it lasts around 6 hours unlike the Lantus which dissipates more quickly. So if I snack less than 2 hours before my next meal my reading (finger prick) at meal time will be a false high from the sugar residue that is still being handled by the prior shot. In that case, my sugar will drop in the middle of the next two meals. That drop, to me, feels worse than a sugar high.
Now I know what to say when kids ask why they need higher Math skills. Because you might be diabetic someday and need to know how to calculate your insulin dosage. Or. on the other hand, you may be an astronaut and need to navigate a space craft. Both of them take similar mathematical skills!
I find it very interesting that with the increased insulin I don't have the sugar cravings I almost always have. In fact, it is kind of like getting a new eyeglass prescription. You put your new glasses and think "gee, is this what everyone else sees like." So I'm over here thinking, "damn is that what life is like for non-diabetics? No sugar cravings? Interesting.
What that means is that long-lasting is in your system slowly releasing all day. The slow-acting old school insulin is just for that meal but it lasts around 6 hours unlike the Lantus which dissipates more quickly. So if I snack less than 2 hours before my next meal my reading (finger prick) at meal time will be a false high from the sugar residue that is still being handled by the prior shot. In that case, my sugar will drop in the middle of the next two meals. That drop, to me, feels worse than a sugar high.
Now I know what to say when kids ask why they need higher Math skills. Because you might be diabetic someday and need to know how to calculate your insulin dosage. Or. on the other hand, you may be an astronaut and need to navigate a space craft. Both of them take similar mathematical skills!
I find it very interesting that with the increased insulin I don't have the sugar cravings I almost always have. In fact, it is kind of like getting a new eyeglass prescription. You put your new glasses and think "gee, is this what everyone else sees like." So I'm over here thinking, "damn is that what life is like for non-diabetics? No sugar cravings? Interesting.