25 Comments
Do you most often bolus before, during or after you eat a meal?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
© 2022 T1D Exchange. All Rights Reserved.
Breakfast: before;
lunch: usually, but depends on situation;
dinner: definitely depends on situation
Driven by gastroparesis digestive uncertainties, I now bolus most often afterwards even with Control IQ. In the good ol’ days I always, always bloused prior to a meal. Nowadays things are different and more extended. ¯\_( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)_/¯
Same here! And even dosing after the meal, I usually do an extended bolus, too.
Usually right before the meal (Lyumjev). When I was on Humalog I pre-bolused appx 20 minutes prior.
It all depends on my number going into the meal, but usually I bolus either right before or during the meal.
After… slow digestion.. if I eat a fatty meal I wait till I get a rise alert from pump before bolus in order to stay away from hypo
I answered during, but it varies with me mostly because I am fairly busy. If it’s a routine meal (breakfast) then I can do it before. But if its a customized dinner, then I wait until I can count the carbs in all the parts. Or, as others have said, if I am low then I will wait a bit to allow my levels have come back up (but base the bolus off of the original glucose level). It’s never a constant time but I try to do it early if I can.
You would think that I’d remember to do it before I eat, but unfortunately I don’t always get that done. It’s usually during my meal that I remember to enter my carbs and bolus.
Depending on BG level. Usually 15 – 60 minutes before meal.
Depends on my BG before I eat. If normal or high, I bolus before the meal. If low, I wait until BG starts rising and then I bolus.
exception- if BG is low to very low, either delay insulin or decrease amount by 50%.
Usually I bolus right before I start eating. As I’m normally the one preparing the meal, the carb count can change depending on what’s in our refrigerator/freezer.
I use Fiasp Novolog which is mean to be faster acting but I still usually bolus 15 to 30 minutes before I eat, except as someone else noted, if my glucose reading is low. Blood sugar may dip a little before food is absorbed but it does reduce the highs after the meal.
I try to dose 20-25 minutes before a meal with carbs that spike like breakfast cereal. Much better post meal control!
I’m trying to prebolus 15 minutes or more. It’s hard to know exactly when that is when I am cooking a meal and I get nervous about prebolusing when I am below 100. I get distracted:-/ But I am trying to even out my hills a bit. I know it doesn’t need to be flat but I can go up above 160 with arrow angled upward sometimes after dinner and once it gets up there it is difficult to bring back down without aggressive bolusing and a run around.
When eating out (ha, historically speaking) I wait until the food is delivered which usually means I will go high after a meal. But eating “low carbish” helps.
All depends on what my BG is doing before start of a meal, and what kind of food I am eating for the meal.
I go by the numbers game as to when I shoot up. If below 70, I bolus following the meal. If in range, before the meal. If high, I bolus and wait to eat. What a game to play each and every day.
The intention is always to bolus before meals unless low, but between the kiddies and work deadlines I often forget till mid way through or after my meal these days. It does make post meal BG management more challenging for sure.
Before I take the first bite, but almost immediately.
I put other because every meal presents a never ending different scenario. That said times have changed as of late, well over the last 6 weeks. Ever since starting the Keto diet I rely solely on my basal rate throughout the day unless my carb count is higher then normal then I will bolus but that hardly ever happens.
Before. Usually 15 minutes but that is always based on my starting point. If in range and normal meal, 15 minutes. If higher, I will wait longer until the CGM shows a down dot. If low, I will eat right away. No perfect plan with diabetes!
I bolus during my meal because I want to be sure I can eat my entire meal. Also, I’m a slow eater and don’t want to have to worry about going low.
… but reading all your comments is an encouragement to me to take my insulin sooner; I know it would help reduce the spikes.
I bolus at meals; a split dose of Afrezza and Novolog. It works better and is easier than anything else I have ever tried in my 59+ years with T1D.
I primarily bolus before I eat. I also marked “Other” since many of my boluses are Extended (some now, the rest spread over a set time, usually 15-30 mins). The type of bolus depends on my BG, type of food eaten and expected activity after the meal.