Survival Kit for New Parents / Our Approach | Will and Goody

Survival kit for new parents:

non-diabetic blood sugars are possible
not all doctors are right
big corporations don’t have to be followed
parents, with skin in the game are an asset
we have all the tools we need to type WON

******IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: This page reflects our own story and the strategies used for Will only. I am not a doctor and nothing on this page should be construed as medical advice. Not even a fully qualified doctor can legally give medical advice on Facebook. What we do is what works for us, and the same strategies may not work for you. If in doubt always consult your doctor. please note: my page is only our personal story, and strategies used for Will, personally.. I am not able to offer medical advice OR dosing advice. I only share what works for us, and the resources I have found to help us get there.*****

FOOD: low carb foods - it’s not the carb count. I never even look at the numbers. It’s the TYPE of carb. It’s the INGREDIENTS. Ups and down, ping ponging sugars, urgent lows and uncontrollable highs are happening from too much sugar OR too much insulin. Choosing foods that have a soft impact on blood sugar allows me to give less insulin. This reduces the probability of a spike from sugar, and a low from too much rapid insulin. I read EVERY ingredient label. Just because it says KETO or LOW CARB, doesn’t mean it works. We avoid - wheat, grains, rice, potato, corn, fruit (except small quantities of berries) tapioca/cassava/arrowroot flours. . Sugar is called many different names. Corn syrup, dates, maple extract etc. There are also BAD SUGAR SUBS that spike sugar and cause sharts. . See my pinned post about that!!

INSULIN: We don’t pump. I can’t help with that. I CAN’T ADVISE ON HOW MUCH INSULIN TO GIVE. The only person who knows how much insulin to give, is the person caring for the child and monitoring sugars. I can tell you how we do things. Will takes 3 different types of insulin.

Basal (covers the sugar his liver makes). Will is on Lantus. I split his dose AM/PM. It’s not an even split, but when I started I went 50/50 and adjusted in half unit increments as needed. No matter what anyone says…splitting is essential for us. Most other people I know who are achieving normal sugars, and uses Lantus, splits. I can’t advise on Levimer or Tresiba. But I’m pretty sure people split those too. I never give more then 7u in one poke for absorption reasons. Basal is BOSS. It’s the insulin that keeps things steady with no food or meal insulin on board. Because we eat low carb I can see when basal needs need tweaking. Things that impact basal needs: growth spurts, hormones, inflammation, stress, heavy activity, season changes….tons of things. It would be very hard to clearly see basal needs if I was working with a “graph gone wild” from unpredictable foods and insulin dosing. Basal needs changes often.

Meal insulin. Will uses Humalog and R (Regular insulin). These insulins have different action profiles…meaning they work at different times. Humalog starts working about 15m after injection, peaks around 1.5hrs and is gone (for us) around the 3rd hour. R starts working about 45m after injection, peaks around hour 3-4 and can tail into hours 5-6. I use Humalog for the initial carb at eating, and R covers the rise from protein or fat. Amounts and timing depend on the person. Will takes his Humalog and R, together - same syringe- at breakfast and lunch. Dinner is split. I use small amounts of Humalog (.5-1u) most meals and anywhere between .5-2.5u of R…depending on the type and amount of protein. The type of protein matters. Fish requires less then chicken. Red meat requires more the chicken. I know these things, amounts and timing from trial and error. I started small. .25u of each, and adjusted from there. What Will needs may be different than what your kid needs.

Corrections: corrections are a part of the game and can’t be avoided. Sure, somedays we hit a unicorn with no corrections needed…but usually we have one or two. I use Humalog for correcting high blood sugars. I use Smarties or liquid glucose to correct lows. I never use juice, honey or fruit snacks…as those would yield unpredictable outcomes and take too long to work. I know how many smarties it takes to raise blood sugar in 10 point increments, same for liquid glucose. We measure and correct for precise outcomes. Will always carries smarties in his pocket. 1 smarty is 10 points for him. Blood sugars rarely are moving quickly, so correcting a low is not stressful. I use liquid glucose at night or for a faster correction. We rarely have urgent lows. If we do, I use my judgment and have him drink as much liquid glucose as I feel is safe. Occasionally, early morning lows that are a result of a basal change needed, may require some protein following glucose. I like to use Quest cookies (big ones) or peanut butter. This need doesn’t happen often either.

SPORTS: Every sport may have a different strategy for us. Swimming is different than basketball. Tennis is different than football. Each season, no matter if it’s a sport he’s played each year…I go in expecting a new strategy may be needed.

figuring out the new strategy starts with creating the safest environment possible to avoid lows. We go in with as little food and as little insulin on board as possible. I usually always stay for the first practice, and carry protein and glucose for emergencies.

Sometimes we see adrenaline spikes. That’s okay. We never correct those with insulin or we will see an urgent low. Adrenaline has proven to spike and drop on its own (for us). These can take up to or even over an hour to come down, I have noticed that Dexcom usually lags in the fall time. I feed low carb foods, if he is hungry, during these times and do not dose any rapid insulin.

If we see an adrenaline rise, we most always need little or NO R insulin with the meal following.

Early morning sports usually still require our FOTF poke and reduced insulin, and a reduction in the meals following. What works for Will, may not work for your kid. The exception to this is swimming. ZERO meal insulin on board for swimming laps or swim team. I’ve never heard of any kid that doesn’t tank with IOB while swimming. Use caution with ALL sports, especially swimming.

FOTF, FITD, DP

Foot on the Floor - natural rise in blood sugar upon waking. We used to see this right when he started eating breakfast. Now we see it right when he wakes up. I compensate for FOTF on weekdays, 30-45m before he wakes up with Humalog in an amount that depends on current blood sugars. Usually .5u. If he wakes up before me, that amount may be more. Will usually needs this poke whether he eats or not. Often on weekends he won’t eat until 11 or 12. If basal is right and FOTF is covered, this is not a problem.

Foot in the Door - rise of blood sugar when entering school. This is the only time that I’ve found adrenaline needs help. It’s usually a slow creep for us. After studying patterns, I’ve found a poke before exiting the car squashes this. If we don’t give a poke, he normally will need to take a correction. Raising insulins at breakfast has proved to show a low so we do it this way for now. Will always has smarties in his pocket. I know 6 smarties eats .5u of Humalog, so correcting is easy if needed.

Dawn Phenomenon is hormonal and we haven’t seen this. I can’t really speak to much, but I understand it’s a rise in sugars around 2-5am. We have had a rise in sugars in the early morning hours, and if I have a pattern and feel dinner R is right, I tweak my PM basal.

TOOLS: - syringes to allow precise amounts of insulin. We use 8mm with 1/2u markers. Sometimes I eyeball .25u. (ADWdiabetes.com) - Smarties and liquid glucose - amazon. - Dexcom, follow app and sugar mate app- Diet Detector test strips for sodas - multiple meters to have on hand - Unisolve for removing sticky residue - vet tape to wrap the Dex when needed

People to follow that you can reach out to for personalized help: - DiaVerge Diabetes- T1D Nutrition

A page to check out that has been TEARING IT UP with amazing videos specifically for T1 parents:- Low Carb USA

A group to join where you can find other parents and help navigating blood sugars and food: - TypeOneNormal

Food pages to follow that share ALL SAFE FOODS: - All Day I Dream About Food- SugarFreeMom.com- Keto Adapted - Maria Emmerich(They all also have groups you can join)

Playlist to watch to gain knowledge about EVERYTHING T1. Dr. Bernstein’s playlist for new parents on YouTube

Documentary to watch - a MUST SEE “The Diabetes solution” by Bethany McKenzie

The most important thing to remember:

YOU CAN’T FAIL if you don’t GIVE UP.

Type WON starts with MOM.

I hope this is helpful and answered some questions. I’m not a doctor, this is not medical advice. I’m just a mom, who learned from other moms how to give my kid the best possible chance at a long, healthy stress-free life. I only hold the candle to inspire others to remember that anything is POSSIBLE.

#typeWON here, I’m Documenting Hope