Do you always bolus before eating?
Lately I’ve been wondering why my blood sugar levels are all over the place. I realise that I’ve been getting complacent and haven’t always been giving myself a bolus before eating. This is causing a major roller coaster ride on many levels for me.
When my levels go awol, I realise that I need to first give myself a bolus to counteract the food I ate, but then I often end up going the other way and having a low blood sugar so am no better. I’m finding the ups and downs of it all to be so frustrating so I’m trying to work out a better way of reminding myself to take action at the right time - before or when I eat, not hours later! I’m aware that the most damage is done to my body when my levels are not balanced, but up and down, so it’s important to get it right.
I realise that I need to get out of autopilot throughout my day and get more present. Knowing my state of mind is the first step! I’m trying to make a conscious effort to link the act of putting something in my mouth with giving myself a bolus or at least test my blood sugar to consider if one is needed. If I can consciously keep doing this whenever I eat, hopefully the act of eating will become a trigger to access my levels and take appropriate action.
Another option that might assist me is to set an alarm on my pump so I’m not dependent on my memory to check my levels as this has proven faulty already! I’ve put a vibration alarm in my pump at 7am for breakfast, 12.30pm for lunch and 7pm for dinner and will see how I go. Even if I don’t eat at these times at least the vibrating alarm reminds me closer to mealtime to take action and I have a better chance of being on top of things. Also ensuring I’m testing all the time (or whenever I think about it) and making this a habit is a way of being on top of my levels before they go too high or too low.
This is an area where I can really improve so it’s really top of mind for me.
Do you remember to bolus before eating? If so, how do you remember or remind yourself? Please share your experience so we can all improve together.