Leslie again heads to the nurse’s office to check her blood sugar, this time because she is getting ready to eat lunch. It is very important for her, and all diabetics, to check their blood sugar before eating so that it can get corrected with the right amount of insulin before additional food enters the equation. Recall that she must take insulin whenever she eats something. This time she is only slightly low, about 100 mg/dL, which means she doesn’t require additional insulin. She should eat soon, however, so as to not run the risk of a dangerously low blood sugar.
There is a change that must be considered. Leslie has now been awake, up and about for 6 hours. She is alert and her body is operating at peak efficiency. This means that she doesn’t need as much insulin to process a given amount of carbohydrates. Beginning at about noon, her ratio changes from 5 grams per 1 unit to 10 grams per 1 unit, dropping her insulin/carbohydrate ration by 50%.
Following her blood sugar check, she then heads off to lunch with the meal we prepared for her. After lunch, she will add up the total carbohydrates she consumed and take more insulin. This is her third blood glucose test of the day.
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