I realize that there are other circumstances that affect blood sugar levels, but just as a guideline, the answer to three questions will be of great benefit to me.

How much does 1 unit of Humalog lower the blood sugar?
Which form of food intake should I focus on? How much does each raise the blood sugar?
When working with the 500 rule, do you include the evening Lantus amount into the total daily amount of insulin used?

You must determine this by being a detective with pre and postprandial glucose readings for yourself. Talk to your diabetes team and they should help you figure this out. For adults on average doses of insulin, a very general starting place is that 1 unit covers about 15 grams of carbohydrate and 1 unit drops the blood glucose levels 50 points. Do not use this for yourself unless you get enough blood glucose data to determine ranges that make sense for you.

There are many books about this that could provide some guidance. All are available at this site or other bookstores.

SB

[Editor’s comment: The answer to your third question is yes. Your Lantus (insulin glargine) needs to be included when calculating the total daily dose.

Stop the Rollercoaster by John Walsh and Pat Roberts contains the information you are looking for. You will also find worksheets in it for helping you make your personal determinations. While, the current version does not refer to Lantus, but you can still the information for any basal/bolus regimen. A new edition is in the works.

SS]