You’re seeing roller coaster bg numbers. You know you need to change something, but what? Is it your carb ratio? Your basal? Maybe it’s your ISF? It could even be a mix of two or all three of them! It can be really difficult to know where to start. So, let’s see if we can find the problem.

Do you know what a carb factor is? If your answer is “no” don’t worry! Lots of people in the T1D community haven’t even heard of carb factors before. But, they can be a really helpful tool for insulin dosing. All you need is a nutrition scale and the nutritional information for your food. Don’t have the nutritional information? There are ways around that. Let’s go over what carb factors are, how to use them, and how to calculate them for your favorite recipes!

You know how to count carbs. And how to dose for them. Maybe you even know how to handle protein and fat. You’re quickly becoming a T1D superstar, but sometimes, nutrition labels throw a wrench in the whole process. Here are some confusing things that are often on nutrition labels, and the best ways to figure them out!

We hear it over and over again. Basal is the foundation of T1D management. If you don’t have your basal set correctly, nothing else will work properly. So, you bit the bullet and decided to learn how to basal test. You successfully managed a test and you’ve set your basal perfectly according to that test. So, why are your bg numbers worse than they were before?

ISF (insulin sensitivity factor) is an unusual and widely misunderstood part of T1D management. It’s very rare that we should be using an ISF with no other adjustments. But most people use their ISF automatically every time they need to correct high blood sugar numbers. Then we wonder why we’re experiencing stubborn high blood sugars for hours and hours. So, let’s break it down. What is ISF? How is it calculated? And most importantly, when should you use it?

Adjusting insulin levels can be confusing and overwhelming. Often, you can see that something needs to be changed, but it’s hard to tell what needs to be adjusted. And there’s no shortage of conflicting information out there to add to the confusion.

In this easy to follow guide, I’ll explain the role basal plays in T1D management, how to test its accuracy, and go over exactly how to determine whether or not you need to make basal rate adjustments. Here’s everything you need to know about basal testing.

Bolus. It’s a simple term. I had never heard the word bolus before my son was diagnosed with T1D. It wasn’t long after that I learned what it meant. But for such a simple term, it can be a very complex action. It’s been over 6 years since my son was diagnosed and, to tell you the truth, I have come across yet another way to bolus (that I had never heard of before) just a few days ago.  [Read more…]

Shortly after my son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, a funny thing happened. People started giving us “diabetic” candy for him. We knew it was well-intentioned and we appreciated the effort. Nevertheless, it all went straight into the trash.  [Read more…]

When type 1 diabetes enters our lives, we have to re-learn how to do a lot of things. What we eat is no longer measured by the calorie count. We need to train our brains to focus on carb counting. Carbohydrates, something we’ve never paid much attention to on nutrition labels, are now the first thing (and sometimes the only thing) we look at. But what exactly are we looking for?

My son’s first-grade class was having a party for the ten billionth time that month. I was available to help out with crafts, games, and keeping the kids somewhat contained during the festivities, so I volunteered to join the celebration. Of course, there was a table full of snacks. I quickly went to check out what was being served to see how tricky it would be to carb count. As I was looking at food labels, another mom came up to me. She asked me, “So, what do you do with the labels? Why do you need to count carbs?”