Diabetes - Day 5

Today I played the role of a person with type 1 diabetes, who must administer the appropriate amount of insulin in order to achieve blood glucose control. I felt that the best meal plan to use for this situation was advanced carbohydrate counting. This is the most precise method for meal planning, and I knew before I even tried it that it would be my favorite.
I don’t like estimations – especially because, as previously mentioned, I noticed that many of the foods I ate did not match up to the estimations used in the exchange system. They were fairly close, but I am concerned that the little differences could add up to a lot over a whole day. If I am going to base my insulin dosage off the foods that I’m eating at each meal, I would want it to be as exact as possible. That’s probably why the carbohydrate counting method is taught to patients who are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes – at least that has been my observation so far at my hospital. We print the exact carbohydrate content of each menu item on the pediatric menu so that patients (and their parents) can use this method while they are inpatients. I also see a lot about carbohydrate counting education in the dietitian’s notes.
So, needless to say, today was my favorite day so far. I liked the freedom of eating what I wanted (within reason) for my meals, and I loved the accuracy that this method provides. I believe this would truly be the best way to manage blood glucose levels, but I understand that it might take someone awhile to arrive at a level of readiness for this – especially if they were not used to reading nutrition information. They would also have to be at the appropriate level of literacy, as well as motivation, for this to be appropriate. But for me (the self-proclaimed perfectionist) as the patient this week – I am in heaven!