Can there be 'too many' shots in a day for snacking?

momof2greatkids · #1 08-28-2011, 09:16 PM

Today, Audrey had breakfast and a small lunch. Later, at the grocery store, they had free cookies in the bakery, so she had to get one. She went to the mall with a friend and her mom and had gelato (sp?), and then had dinner an hour later.

She had a total of 5 shots today just for food, and Lantus is coming up shortly.

I'm not usually bothered with her getting an extra shot to cover a snack or if she's high, but two extra shots seems like a lot in a day. If she was on a pump, I wouldn't think twice about it. (Although, I normally wouldn't go for two treats in the afternoon, but I didn't know about the gelato until she got home.

)

I know there's nothing bad about getting extra shots to cover food, but I guess it still bothers me a little to think about her sticking herself that much more in a day.

Do you have an concerns about the number of shots your child gets in a day or put any limits on snacks to control the number of shots they get?

Amy C. · #2 08-28-2011, 09:25 PM

There is no difference to the body between getting insulin via and injection or a bolus. The hassle factor is significantly different. My son limited himself when on shots -- he didn't want the bother.

lynn · #3 08-28-2011, 09:33 PM

That doesn't sound like too many to me. When Nathan was on shots he got a minimum of five a day and those days were rare. He had two Levemir so when you add in three meals he was up to five with no snacks. The thing that bothered me about more shots than usual was the fact that he was so little and needed such a small amount of insulin that he was likely to have crazy numbers because I couldn't get the proper dosage in a syringe.

Mimi · #4 08-28-2011, 10:37 PM

Are the shots bothering your dd?

From your post it doesn't sound like it. And that's a good thing. You know that she's okay to take that shot if she wants an extra treat.

My dd is not bothered enough by shots to deny herself a treat or more food if she's hungry. I think all the shots bother me more but I try not to show that to her.

LantusFiend · #5 08-29-2011, 01:12 AM

My record number so far is twelve shots of insulin in one day (I average between five and six). I'm proud of that. I think being willing and comfortable to give yourself more shots when you eat is a very good thing if you are on shots, and not such a bad thing if you are on a pump.

KylesMom · #6 08-29-2011, 01:25 AM

My son doesn't mind the shots at all, but I'm always afraid to do too many too often because I'm afraid of wearing out his injection sites.

katerinas · #7 08-29-2011, 03:39 AM

My son has at least 8-10 shots per day, he doesn't mind if he gets to eat what he wants when he wants.

RacerWife7 · #8 08-29-2011, 04:51 AM

When we were on shots, we were instructed to never give shots within 3 hours of each other. This really limited things. Once you considered that 3 of those shots would be for meals, how can you factor in extra ones in between when there's only just over 3 hours in between those meals (except for between lunch/dinner)? We were told he was only to get snacks that were 15g of carbs or less in between meals - and that was limited to no more than 2 or 3. ...So, I'm confused by all this talk of extra shots!

Amy C. · #9 08-29-2011, 05:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RacerWife7

When we were on shots, we were instructed to never give shots within 3 hours of each other. This really limited things. Once you considered that 3 of those shots would be for meals, how can you factor in extra ones in between when there's only just over 3 hours in between those meals (except for between lunch/dinner)? We were told he was only to get snacks that were 15g of carbs or less in between meals - and that was limited to no more than 2 or 3. ...So, I'm confused by all this talk of extra shots!

I have seen several posts where this confusion is expressed.

Stacking can be a problem if several doses of insulin are given to correct high blood sugar within a short period. It takes insulin a while to kick in and if you give more before the first takes effect, you could go low.

Giving insulin for food eaten can be done at anytime whether by shots or the pump.

It does limit things to have a shot only every 3 hours, especially when that is unnecessary to limit injections this way.

liasmommy2000 · #10 08-29-2011, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lynn

That doesn't sound like too many to me. When Nathan was on shots he got a minimum of five a day and those days were rare. He had two Levemir so when you add in three meals he was up to five with no snacks. The thing that bothered me about more shots than usual was the fact that he was so little and needed such a small amount of insulin that he was likely to have crazy numbers because I couldn't get the proper dosage in a syringe.

Similar here. Lia had one shot of Lantus and a minimum of five shots of Novolog most days. She was also still on pretty small doses so it was really hard to get the right amount in a syringe, even those with half unit markings.