MANAGING DIET ON AN INSULIN PUMP.

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  MANAGING DIET
  ON AN INSULIN
      PUMP.

Dietetic Department
Therapy Services
Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust

                                                     1
Food Bolusing on a pump
(ADJUSTING YOUR INSULIN WITH YOUR DIET)
Hopefully you have already learnt a lot about adjusting your insulin bolus according to the
amount of carbohydrate you eat and have maybe already started to consider how you might
need to make further adjustments according to the types of foods you eat. On a normal basal
bolus regimen you can consider the timings of boluses or splitting them but with a pump a
whole new set of options open up to you.

The overall aim of adjusting insulin boluses is to minimize the highs and lows in blood
glucose levels after eating and for the insulin action to match the absorption of glucose into
the bloodstream. You are aiming for the blood glucose levels 2 hours after eating to be no
more 2 – 2.5mmol/l than the before eating. As you can imagine this takes some thought and
knowledge and a lot of practice and patience.

Food types and your bolus
When you calculate how much carbohydrate is in your meal or snack it is important to think
how about the amount AND how quickly the carbohydrate will be digested.
Different foods will affect your blood glucose levels in different ways. This is dependent on
what the foods are made of and the mix of foods in a meal which affects how they are
digested and absorbed
It is the TOTAL amount of Carbohydrate that will have the main effect on insulin
requirements, but having some knowledge about how fast the glucose will be released will
help you decide how to give your bolus.

What affects the rate of absorption? Some of this was covered in CHO counting book 2.

FIBRE
FAT
PROTEIN
GLYCAEMIC INDEX (GI)
MEAL SIZE

For example you may find that slowly digested carbohydrate may give a slow rise in blood
glucose levels and a standard insulin bolus may work to reduce glucose levels before the
food has taken affect. This could cause a hypo. On the other hand this may also result in a
high blood glucose level as the food is released into the blood later when the insulin bolus is
no longer active.

On a standard basal bolus regimen you could decide to delay your bolus or split it and take
some insulin with your meal and the rest after. On a pump there are more options.

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TYPES OF BOLUS
Standard (normal) - this is given immediately. You may choose this if foods are mostly CHO
                  / high GI. And going to give less than 5 units of insulin.

Split               half the bolus can be given just before the meal and the rest after. You
                    may choose this if fatty meal or eating out and meal is extended. This
                    can be an option if you are not sure how much you are going to eat –
                    bolus for the amount you are sure you will eat and then give the rest
                    after. Beware though the second bolus is often forgotten.

If you are going to need more than 5 units of insulin you have the choice of a split, extended
or dual / mulitwave bolus.

Extended
(Square wave)       - This dose is given over a set amount of time. From 30 minutes plus.
                    Useful for fatty meals / Low GI or eating out/ prolonged meals.

Multiwave
(Dual wave)         Most closely matches normal physiology as some insulin is given before
                    or at the start of the meal and then the rest is given over a longer time.
                    The split is usually 30:70 or 50:50 but you can vary this to suit you. This
                    means that 30% of calculated bolus is given immediately then rest (70%)
                    is given extended over 30 minutes to several hours.
                    This will probably the bolus of choice if giving over 5 units as most meal
                    will have a mixture of carbohydrate, protein fat and fibre.

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The table below will help you with starting advanced bolus options but regular monitoring will
 help you to fine tune it. Beware of over extending boluses start conservatively then build up.

 A mixed meal contains protein, carbohydrate and vegetables.
 High fat meals considered to be >20g.

 *This assumes blood glucose levels before you eat are within range - you may to adjust if
 they are not. If your pre meal blood glucose is high you may wish to bolus earlier to stop it
 increasing further before dropping. If blood glucose is is below target then you may need to
 bolus as the meal starts or 10 – 15 minutes after the start.

MEAL / SNACK                    Insulin Dose   When to deliver *        Extend         Dual or
                                                                        bolus          Multiwave?
Mostly high GI (>70)            Less than 5    Standard bolus 20
carbohydrate – snack or         units          minutes before                X              X
small meal. E.g. bread,                        eating – will start to
potatoes white rice, most                      increase blood
breakfast cereals                              glucose within 30 –
                                               45 mins
                                More than 5    Before eating or         YES –          YES –
                                units          consider split before    extend for     extend for
                                               and after eating.        30 - 60        30
                                                                        minutes        minutes(‘no
                                                                                       rmal’ meal)
                                                                                       up to
                                                                                       60mins
                                                                                       (rice, pasta)
Moderate GI (56-69) e.g.       Any             Just before eating –     YES –          YES –
basmati rice, new potatoes,                    may start to             extend for     extend for 1
bran cereals, banana.                          increase blood           30 to 60       – 3 hours.
High fat mixed meal with high                  glucose within 30 –      may need
GI carbohydrate eg burger and                  45 mins. If bolus too    extend for
fries OR Low fat meal with low                 early blood glucose      1- 3 hours
GI (
GLYCAEMIC LOAD
Glycaeimc Load considers the amount AND quality of the carbohydrate. Spaghetti has a low
GI value but we tend to eat large quantities. A portion of 250g has a glycaemic load of 23,
which is considered to be high. Watermelon is a high GI food ( 80) an average serving of
120g has a glycaemic load of 5.

To calculate Glycaemic Load:

       GI x net carbs ( total carbs – fibre)
       100

Any value over 20 is considered high.

ALCOHOL
Because of the potential of alcohol to reduce blood glucose levels in general it is best not to
bolus for alcoholic drinks.

However some beers and Alco pops do have significant amounts of Carbohydrate in them. It
is suggested that to combat the initla rise in blood glucose that you bolus 0.5 units per pint for
the first 2 pints and then not for the rest as the risk of a delayed hypo is increased. You can
help overcome this by having a snack or supper and considering reducing the basal rate at
night.

In general – if ≥ 5 units use Multiwave or split
             Bolus for snacks ≥ 5g CHO
             Be conservative start low and extend time with practice.
             Don’t bolus with alcohol.
             Regular monitoring will help you spot trends, but speak with your team if you
             need more guidance.

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NOW your turn
Now think about foods you enjoy - will they be digested slow, medium or fast?
If you are not sure speak with your dietitian.

      Slow                        Medium                       Fast

What adjustments would you make to the amount of timing of the bolus for these foods?

SNACKS
Your treatment plan gives you more flexibility over diet and snacks. You do not need to
include them if you don’t want to, but if you do then you may need additional insulin. If your
snack contains more than ___________g of CHO then should consider an extra bolus.

EATING OUT AND PARTIES
If you are excited or active then you may want to adjust your basal rate and you may need a
supper. Remember that foods eaten out may have more carbohydrate than you might
normally eat so adjust your bolus and consider an extended bolus option. If it is high use a
correction dose at the next meal.
You will probably need to wait until the food arrives before you know what to bolus and it is
often easier to bolus with each course. You may even want to delay the bolus until after you
have eaten if you are not sure how much you are going to eat.

If you are away from home or on holiday then your usual routine may need to change.
Consider what you might do in the following situations. When would you take your bolus and
what else might you need to think about?

Are there any things you would like to change and do differently?
Write them down here and discuss them with your diabetes team.

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Reference
   Diabetes UK

   www.glycaemicindex.com

   Think like a pancreas – Gary Scheiner

   Other Sources of Information

   •     Patient Advise and Liaison Services (PALS)
       PALS will act on your behalf when handling patient and family concerns; they can also help
       you get support from other local or national agencies. PALS are a confidential service.

       Royal Shrewsbury Hospital                     Tel: 0800 783 0057 or 01743 261691
       Princess Royal Hospital                       Tel: 01952 282888
       Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Hospital            Tel: 01691 404606

   •     NHS Direct
         A nurse-led advice service run by the NHS for patients with questions about diagnosis and
         treatment of common conditions.
         Telephone: 0845 4647                 Website: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

   •     Equip
         A West Midlands NHS website which signpost patients to quality health information and
         provides local information about support groups and contacts.
         Website: www.equip.nhs.uk

   •     Patient UK
         Provides leaflets on health and disease translated into 11 languages as well as links to
         national support/self help groups and a directory of UK health websites.
         Website: www.patient.co.uk

   Disclaimer
   This leaflet is provided for your information only. It must not be used as a substitute for
   professional medical care by a qualified doctor or other health care professional. Always
   check with your doctor if you have any concerns about your condition or treatment. This
   leaflet aims to direct you to quality websites: these are correct and active at the time of
   production. The Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust is not responsible or liable, directly
   or indirectly, for ANY form of damages whatsoever resulting from the use (or misuse) of
   information contained in this leaflet or found on web pages linked to by this leaflet.

Not to be copied without permission
Information produced by: Dietetics Department               Author: Lynn Mander
Date of Publication: September 2012
Due for Review:     September 2014
© SaTH NHS Trust

   Website: www.sath.nhs.uk

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Your Dietitian is:

………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

If you have any questions or problems concerning this advice, please contact your dietitian:

                         Department of Nutrition & Dietetics
                            Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
                            Mytton Oak Rd, Shrewsbury
                     Tel 01743 261139 or tel/fax 01743 261462
                           E-mail: dietitians@rsh.nhs.uk

                        Department of Nutrition & Dietetics
                            Princess Royal Hospital
                                  Apley Castle,
                                      Telford
                           Tel 01952 641222 ext 4419
                          E-mail: dietitians@prh.nhs.uk

                                     Dietitian,
                       Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Hospital
                                    Gobowen
                                     Oswestry
                                Tel 01691 404536
                          E-mail: dietitian@rjah.nhs.uk

Publication Date – September 2012
Review Date – September 2014
Website – www.sath.nhs.uk

Not to be copied without permission.

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