Math Lesson

Perhaps it's time for some technical information, mmm? Perhaps it's not, but here it comes. So as I've mentioned there are a few different types of insulin, and the 'fast acting' Humalog is what you're going to learn about right now! So exciting.

A healthy blood sugar target is around 80-150mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter, I've gone cross-eyed). If your (my) blood sugar is over that, it needs to be 'corrected.' That's where exercise can come in, but typically insulin takes that job. Each person's body is different and processes the insulin differently, so the 'correction factor' is different. There will be a quiz at the end of this post about how many times I used the word 'different' so pay attention. What you do first is determine the correction factor with your doctor, then decide on a target blood sugar, and that's where the fun math comes in! My correction factor is 50 (I'm going to be honest, I don't remember what that even means... it's just 50. That will have to suffice for now). My target blood sugar is 100mg/dL. Before you run away, let me give you an example: Let's say I check my blood sugar and it's at 250mg/dL, sacre bleu! No fear. Equation is as follows: actual blood sugar (250) minus blood sugar I correct to (100) then divide by 50 (correction factor) = 3. So what? 3. Congratulations. Neat number. No, no, it's more than that. That 3 means I have to take 3 extra units of Humalog in order to get my blood sugar to the wonderful 100mg/dL I want it to be! Not too bad? Still with me?

Next science tidbit is counting carbohydrates! That is how I determine how many units of Humalog I take with each meal. For anyone who's done Weight Watchers, you'd be surprised to know it is QUITE similar to diabetes and its carb-counting regimen. The American Diabetes Association once upon a time determined that "one" carbohydrate = 15 grams of carbs. Ask me how many carbs per serving on just about anything, I'll tell you without lookin! Anyway, when I have a meal, I look at the carbohydrates in the nutrition information (luckily the world is coming around and posting nutrition information in more and more places) and assess/mathematize from there. Example time! Let's go with a Nature Valley granola bar (a staple in my diet). The serving size is 2 bars (which come in one packet), and there are 29grams of carbs in that serving. I determined with my doctor that to maintain my healthy blood sugar, my body needs 1 unit of insulin per 10 grams of carbs. Ipso facto, if I eat that granola bar, I take (rounded) 3 units of insulin. 30grams of carbohydrates = 3 units of insulin (for Olivia).

Next time you read a label, there's a good chance you'll see at the bottom the "ADA Exchange". On the granola bar box it says the ADA Exchange is "2" because remember that 15grams of carbohydrates = "one" carbohydrate, that's why the granola bar is 2. Not every brand of food is associate with the ADA, but the ones that are will have this information listed on their label, rather convenient! This all makes sense to me because I learned it and have been living it. Don't fret if your head is spinning. And if it's not spinning, hats off to you and your non-spinning head beneath them!

Bullet points:
-15grams of carbs = "one" exchange in the ADA world
-Blood sugar correction factor
-Math is fun (no it's not)

Happy Tuesday!