# High amounts of insulin??



## Phojay (May 11, 2010)

Hi all, I've just discovered this fab forum, such a lot of great advice on here! My son was diagnosed 3 moths ago aged 2, we're slowly getting to grips with the new routine but his levels still swinging between 27 down to 2! I was just wondering what sort of amount of insulkin is average for his age, he seems to be having an awful lot. He was on 21 units of levemir in the morn which they have just changed to 12 in the morning and 10 at night, and he has 5 units at every mealtime with a correction dose which usually adds up to about an extra 4/5 units per day. Does this seem a lot or about average? Many thanks for any advice/help


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## Northerner (May 11, 2010)

Hi Phojay, welcome to the forum  Insulin needs vary widely from person to person, so the only really 'correct' amount is the amount that works for your son. Some people require so little that they only inject in half-units, or even fractions of units via an insulin pump. Others may need hundreds of units a day if they also have insulin resistance. If he is fairly newly-diagnosed then it may be that his requirements will reduce a little, but it is still early days so it's really impossible to say. Try not to worry too much about that aspect of things - his requirements are not huge by any standards . Personally, I have 8 units Lantus a day and around 10-14 units novorapid with my meals.

If you want a good guide to Type 1, I can recommend Ragnar Hanas' Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults. It will help you learn what to expect and how to handle things - many parents here (and adults, like me!) swear by it!


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## Northerner (May 11, 2010)

p.s. might be worth changing your profile to say 'Parent' rather than 'Type 1' to save confusion


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## Steff (May 11, 2010)

Hi Phojay and welcome to the forum.


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## bev (May 11, 2010)

There isnt a 'right' amount of insulin per person - its what works for you!

Your son will still be in 'honeymoon' so this will add to the confusion probably. Once his body stops producing insulin altogether - things will become a little easier to handle - but its still hard work with an active child!

My son was very insulin sensitive and he was 10 when diagnosed and only on 10 units of levemir per day - so not a lot really. Thats why we moved onto the pump - you can do 1/40th of a unit at a time and things are much easier to sort out.

Welcome to the site by the way.Bev


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## Phojay (May 11, 2010)

Many thanks for the replies, guess there's lots of learning to be done on this diabetes trek! Diabetic nurses have been great, but seem to have disappeared a bit lately so feeling a bit like i'm floundering. Think its time to find a local support group and see some other human faces that know what i'm talking about when it comes to carb counting, bs's, levemir, novorapid, highs, lows etc (non diabetic coping friends look bewildered!)


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## rspence (May 25, 2010)

*private message*

hi phojay,

I read your thread the day you posted it and replied via private message - did you get that? check the righthand side of the screen just under where t says welcome and your name.

I'm in a similar place to you - my son was diagnosed end of march aged 2yr 6m and I thought we might have similar challenges.

Hope things are 'ok'

rachel


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