User guide

Normal meal bolus practice using carbohydrates

Choose a meal you might eat and fill in the blanks.

Food:__________ grams of carbohydrate:____________

__________ grams of carbohydrate:____________

total grams of carbohydrate:____________

Your insulin to carbohydrate ratio: 1 unit of insulin for _______ grams carbohydrate.

Divide your total carbohydrates by your insulin to carbohydrate ratio and take _____ units of insulin for

your meal.

Meal bolus, correction bolus and insulin sensitivity

Jason is ready to eat his breakfast. He has calculated that he will need 4.0 units for his food.

He tests his blood glucose and finds that it is 11.1 mmol/L (200 mg/dL). Jason knows that his blood glucose

level is above his blood glucose target and will need additional insulin before he eats.

Jason's healthcare professional has determined the following for him:

BG Target: 6.1 mmol/L (110 mg/dL)

Insulin sensitivity

: 2.0 mmol/L/u (36 mg/dL/u)

Jason determines that he will need a correction bolus of 2.5 units insulin to lower his elevated blood

glucose. The 2.5 correction bolus will lower his current blood glucose of 11.1 mmol/L (200 mg/dL) to his

target of 6.1 mmol/L (110 mg/dL).

• elevated blood glucose: 11.1 − 6.1 = 5 mmol/L (200 − 110 = 90 mg/dL)

• correction bolus: 5.0 / 2.0 mmol/L/u (insulin sensitivity) (90 / 36 mg/dL/u) = 2.5 units

(He will add this 2.5 correction bolus to the 4.0 units of insulin that he will need for his meal bolus. Jason

will take a total bolus of 6.5 units.)

1. Insulin sensitivity is the amount (in mmol/L or mg/dL) by which blood glucose will be lowered after taking 1 unit of insulin.

Consult with your healthcare professional to determine your insulin sensitivity.

Basic programming 43

Chapter 4