Thomas Moore, whose wife has Type 1 diabetes, writes periodic columns about being a diabetes caregiver. You can check out Thomas’ full bio here.
You would think that after 15 yrs or so dealing directly as a ‘caregiver’ to my wife Julie, a Type 1 diabetic, I would know certain things like the back of my hand. But every once in a while, I need a refresher and so does Julie.
We have a sort of ‘Diabetic boot camp’ where we go over every little aspect of this D thing. It can at times be a little ‘rocky’ between the two parties involved, but it is necessary and important.
One of the things we focus on is Julie’s Lantus medication. Lantus is an insulin analog that is meant to keep blood sugar levels under control in between meals and overnight. However, the Lantus we use became an issue, and a topic, I needed refreshing on as it relates to how long it actually ‘acts’. While Lantus may be intended to be taken once a day and last for 24-hours, it often doesn’t last that long and requires each diabetic to figure out how the medication works with their body. Some split the dosage and give themselves injections every 12 hours. Others have to take shots even more frequently based on how quickly the medication peaks in their body.
As part of our analysis, we try and see if and where we can cut the intake of meds, especially insulin. However, we ALWAYS CHECK WTH JULIE’S DOCTORS before making any such decisions. Lantus takes a little bit of time in her system to actually start ‘acting’, and it ‘acts’ for a long period of time. Coupled with the other Insulin she takes (Novolog), it affects her BGL in different ways.
One of those ways takes shape during the early morning hours when we are drinking coffee, which we are now told is great for Type 2 diabetics. Julie’s a Type 1 diabetic. Our morning coffee is when the first carbs of the day sneak into Julie’s system.
“Carbs are Sugar, Sugars are Carbs…except when they are not” is the saying we use in my D’ay when it relates to food intake. These carbs can sneak into the food intake in what I call the ‘hidden carbs’ and need to be taken into account when figuring out insulin dosages. Many people take their coffee with something in it (hidden catbs) besides coffee. Even using a lower fat milk, or ‘sugar-free’ creamer need to be taken into account. It is still a ‘food’ that goes into a body and as most diabetics know that there is no exact formula for taking carbs into account. Each diabetic needs to figure out the relationship their body has with insulin and food and how they all work together or against each other.
Now that we’ve gotten through the early morning hours and tackled our first tasks of the day, its time for breakfast. We’ll tackle the first meal of the day in my next column.…It may get ugly in here!!
(Each of the Expert columns are based on the experiences and knowledge of the individual columnists. The columns are meant to provide you with helpful information, but are not meant to be considered direct advice. Before making any decisions that could affect your health, make sure to contact a physician or the appropriate medical professional.)
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