August 17, 2002
Daily Care
Question from Atlanta, Georgia, USA:
I am 14 years of age, have had type 1 diabetes for the past nine years, and have been on an insulin pump for the past year and a half. I do eat pretty well (about 1800 calories a day, and no more than 25 grams of fat), and I exercise every day for two hours (basketball, softball, volleyball), but my blood sugars still linger around 150 mg/dl [8.3 mmol/L], and I want better control!. What else can I do? Is there some kind of mineral I can consume that will help my sugars?
Answer:
I would suspect you may need more insulin than what you are taking. Go talk to your diabetes team and problem solve with them. If you are not overeating, then perhaps your basal rates are too low. Maybe you are having high sugars after eating without realizing this. Do some postprandial checks. Maybe your insulin-to-carb ratio is too low.
SB
