April 16, 2003
Daily Care
Question from Charlotte, North Carolina, USA:
My newly diagnosed four year old daughter is taking Lantus at bedtime with Humalog before meals, and I am trying to learn to properly adjust insulin doses. I test her blood sugar levels before each meal and snack plus sometimes at 3 am. Which blood sugars readings correlate with which insulin dose?
Answer:
Each diabetes team will have slightly different ways of teaching this but the principles are always the same.
KJR
[Editor’s comment: With your daughter’s regimen, the Lantus (insulin glargine) is the basal insulin. The basal dosage is usually guided by the fasting blood sugar and most diabetes teams feel it should be adjusted first. Doses of Humalog (or NovoLog) are usually based on carbohydrate counting and can be determined by the postprandial blood sugars. You might the find the book Stop the Rollercoaster helpful.
SS]
