Reddit reviews Using Insulin: Everything You Need for Success with Insulin

Two good books that I found very useful:

• Using Insulin - paperback only
  
• Think like a Pancreas - paperback or Kindle

Using Insulin by John Walsh has a great section on carb counting and a good carb factor list.

Pumping Insulin also by Walsh.

Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner will help you wrap your head around how insulin works and what you need to do as your own external pancreas.

Scheiner also wrote: The Ultimate Guide to Accurate Carb Counting.

And, he has very affordable online "classes" in T1 management. The link includes a free video on how to dose for pizza :-)

In the meantime, this is a fantastic list of carb factors and an explanation on how to use them.

Get thee a food scale. Nothing fancy required.

edited: formatting

>we’re not going to have any more of our Saturday morning donut store trips, we’ll have to carry the blood testing device when we travel and figure out where we can keep his insulin on long trips, he’s going to have to take shots everyday for the rest of his life.

GET A PUMP. Get an insulin pump for your boy as soon a possible. It's so much more convenient than taking shots, and it really does enable better control.

Secondly, hers the links to the best 2 books I've ever read about managing diabetes. John Walsh is a genius, and he has diabetes and wears a pump himself, so all the information is very practical. You should be able to find both the books for less than $5-10 used. The books come with very good "formula" for setting and adjusting your insulin rates. Diabetes management is all about setting these rates and then tracking what you eat.

http://www.amazon.com/Using-Insulin-Everything-Need-Success/dp/1884804853
http://www.amazon.com/Pumping-Insulin-Everything-Need-Success/dp/1884804845

Lastly, he can still have his saturday morning donut. Type 1 diabetes simple means one doesn't make insulin. Therefore, we take the proper amount of insulin for the food we eat. If he doses correctly, there's no reason he can't have a donut with breakfast once a week. Obviously talk to your endo or educator first.. but theres no way occasionals sweet is out of the question for a type 1.

Of course. I know how confusing everything can be at the start, but with time, some patience, and the desire for some understanding, it should work out all right.

If you are deeply curious about the different types of insulin, their effective use, how to properly use them, and how to properly figure out how to find the right dose... there is a wonderful book that can be used as a resource. 'Using Insulin: Everything You Need for Success with Insulin" is a wonderful book that explains in rather good detail how all that stuff works.

It's certainly no replacement for speaking with a doctor, but who knows, you may even be recommended to pick it up to use as a tool for better understanding. :)

Some copy pasta from the same thread over in /r/Diabetes from me:

The one books that a lot of people feel is a must read is "Using Insulin" or "Pumping Insulin" by John Walsh. It covers in detail how to test basal rates, carb factors, insulin sensitivity and a bunch of other things. I have a copy of Pumping Insulin and I wish I had it sooner, it's excellent as a reference on the shelf.

So very glad you are safe and being treated! Welcome to the club no ones wants to be in, ha!

Read, read, read lots of good books on T1 diabetes treatment. Become the leader of your diabetes team: your doc, pharmacist, diabetes educator, optometrist, etc. I can't recommend these books highly enough:

http://www.amazon.ca/Think-Like-Pancreas-Practical-Managing/dp/1569244367

http://www.amazon.ca/Using-Insulin-Everything-Need-Success/dp/1884804853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342040379&sr=1-1