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The below graphic is her current blood sugar reading and trend (whether it’s going up or down, and how fast). It updates every 5 minutes. If it’s not working, click here.
Double arrows means her sugar is going up or down rapidly. We want a number that is green in color and an arrow that points straight to the right, but don’t worry if that’s not what you see.
*Hint: “Blood sugar,” “Sugar,” and “Glucose” all mean the same thing.
Meals and Snacks
If Penny eats or drinks something that contains carbohydrates, she needs insulin. The dosage and timing are very important.
Insulin and carbs basically play tug of war with her blood sugar — carbs drive it up and insulin pulls it down. Carbs usually affect her sugar faster than insulin can, so giving insulin a head start is really important. It prevents her sugar from spiking and then crashing.
Luckily, technology makes it simple. Insulin delivery is easily done through her phone, which needs to stay in Bluetooth range of her insulin pump. The pump is stuck to her body. It looks like this:
Before she starts eating (ideally 15 minutes or so), estimate the number of carbs you think she’ll for sure eat, and enter that number in her phone. I’m breaking it down into tiny steps, but it’s pretty easy to do.
Here’s how to give insulin before a meal, snack, or drink:
- Unlock her phone with the password. Penny knows the password.
- You should see this screen:
If you don’t see the above screen, tap the home button and go to the app that has this logo. It’s at the bottom of the home screen.
3. At the bottom of the app, you’ll see a set of buttons. (If you don’t, it’s possible the app is in a different tab. Push the phone’s back button until you see the right screen.) Tap the button that looks like a calculator:
4. Enter the number of carbs in the field labeled “Carbs,” and on the next screen and click “OK”:
5. Tap “OK” again on the pop-up:
That’s it! You’ll see a progress bar as it delivers the insulin.
Help! Her phone is making noises!
If her blood sugar reading is low, her phone will start making sounds. It also alerts if her battery is low or if it hasn’t been able to connect with her pump or sensor (usually happens if she’s too far away from her phone or if she’s in water).
Unlock the phone, and there should be a pop-up telling you what the problem is. Here’s how to deal with each one:
“Low” or “Urgent Low” blood sugar
For low blood sugar, Penny needs carbs. Different kinds of carbs will affect her blood sugar faster than others. Here is a helpful printout on the topic with some recommendations. If she is falling fast or already very low, she needs fast sugar. If she’s dropping but not dramatically, slower carbs. Further reading on symptoms and treatment of low blood sugar can be found here.
Fast carbs for fast drops and lows
- Honey (very fast)
- Syrup (very fast)
- Full-sugar juice (very fast)
- Bananas (They hit Penny fast)
- Smarties
- Mike ‘n Ikes
- Jelly Beans
Slower carbs for slower drops and lows
- Milk (Fairlife brand is especially good)
- Peanut butter and crackers
- Full-fat ice cream
- Yogurt
- Bread
If in doubt about which kind of carbs she needs, go with juice. It nmay cause a spike, but high blood sugar is not immediately dangerous like low sugar is.
High blood sugar
If her blood sugar is high and you’ve given her as much as the calculator recommends (if she needs extra, it will recommend insulin even if you leave the Carbs field blank), there are other things that can lower blood sugar:
- Drinking water
- Exercise
- A (comfortably) hot shower or bath
- Not giving any more carbs
Ultimately, the best thing to bring down blood sugar is insulin. However, it’s easy to overdose in a situation where blood sugar is being stubbornly high. Consult with Sarah or Adam (or, if they’re not available, her nurse on call) before giving more insulin than her calculator recommends.