The Foreign Language of Carbs

If there's anything I've learned over the past 10 months, it's that carbs are a language in and of themselves.
In fact, the language of carbs is probably the most important one I will ever learn - namely because my life depends on it.

Carbs do not make it easy.
Go into a restaurant, or check the nutrition information given somewhere - you'll see figures like "calories", "fat" and "sodium" listed in bold - but everyone always seems to forget those other, pesky little things.
I guess the truth is, Carbs are outdated - counting them came and went with the last fad diet.
But Carbs, for me, will never be outdated. Carbs figure into my considerations daily, in fact, almost every second that I'm living and breathing. In my head is a constant calculator, keeping track of the carbs in each meal and snack that I consume.

Au contraire, Doritos - I saw everything. (On your nutrition information).

It's gotten easier. I count in sections - how many carbs? Divide by 8, equals the number of units of Novolog, or how many 50 BG's over, equals 1 unit of Novolog each. 63... 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 54, 60 - that leaves me only 3 carbs short, which is acceptable. 8 units. I'm a mental math whiz. Where should I inject? Abdomen - the fastest. Arms - slower, not good for higher-sugar foods. Leg - perfect for long-acting Lantus. I notice trends - my insulin ration is 1:7 in the morning, due to hormones, while it is 1:8 the rest of the day. Sometimes I just need a snack as a pick-me-up to keep me from any lows during midmorning or afternoon. In Spanish class I always seem to be low, or Work Study on Tuesdays - 11am always seems to be my trouble time. I'm showing over 2 lows per day? Back off 1 unit on the Lantus and see where I end up.

1/4 cup of carbs has about 8 carbs each, or, pizza about the width of my palm, 30 carbs. Chick Fil A ice cream cone? 3 units. Sand which bread? 4 units. Some carbs effect my blood sugar worse than others - white rice? I stay away from it. (Unless it's sushi). Pizza? With the combination of fats in it, you usually want to break up your bolus and give yourself half insulin before, half insulin an hour after - to cover the late spike in Blood Sugar the slow-acting pizza will cause. High Fructose Corn syrups? You're body "can't tell the difference?" Uh huh, let me tell you something. You're body can tell the difference... mine does everytime my blood sugar skyrockets from them, regardless of insulin. I try to keep a limit on these tasty yet deadly things and make sure to bolus a little extra for them. Apples and fruits? Most of the time, I needn't even bolus for them. Good carbs. Fiber One bars? My blood sugar loves them! In short, all carbs are not created equal.

It's tiring, sometimes - keeping the calculator in my head. I get sick of it, wish it would go away. But I know part of good sugar control is getting to know these skills. And it's paying off, too - with 80's, 100's and anything under 180 BG to prove it. It's tricky - I'm not perfect. Sometimes, I'll be 260, or 192. But the big picture is, I'm seeing less of those. I'm learning.

If only Wesleyan offered a foreign language class in carbs - I'd get an A+.