Heya all. I’m going to venture out for my first restaurant trip as a T1. Give me your tips on handling it!
Two big things matter: how much to bolus, and how to time the prebolus. This is a restaurant I haven’t been to in ages, and the menu is all different. I can sometimes estimate the carb/fat/protein load from the menu descriptions. But how do you deal with the unpredictability of when the food will arrive? Asking servers isn’t always helpful, kitchens do get slammed, etc.
I guess the simplest answer is to just bolus as soon as the food hits the table and wait as long as necessary. But it’s awkward for one’s dining companions. Granted, the food may be higher protein/fat, which means I can get away with a shorter lead time (more like 10 mins vs my usual 20).
I plan to estimate the carb content on the higher side – maybe 10g more than I would otherwise – to account for god knows what sort of stuff they put in. I’ll also carry my usual armamentarium of sugars (tablets, Skittles, dried fruit, juice) so I should be well-protected against lows in case I overestimate. And as @Eric reminded me, I can always order a backup Coke to have at the ready.
Other thoughts on how to make this as enjoyable as possible and minimize stress/complications would be great! Nice as my own home cooking is, I do get tired of it…
@needlesandmath First step, enjoy going out! Second, the timing of pre-bolus is a guessing game dependent on the type of place, crowd, kitchen…it’s a crap shoot, just do your best, like you said, you have alternative supplies to eat out of it if needed. At places I don’t know, I go with something I think is safe, only to find the “special sauce” they put on it, you might want to inquire with the wait staff if you don’t know. If I don’t know a place, I’ll give myself 1/2-3/4 of the expected carb load and then adjust when the meal arrives; puts me behind the power curve but gets me started and sometimes avoids over doing it. I’m the type that usually picks out a particular menu item I like at frequented places and stick with it; with those you can figure out what works by trial and error/results.
Prebolus and order an appetizer to help cover it. Appetizers usually come out quickly.
For the appetizer I was thinking of something with a little bit of carbs. That way you can eat through the pre-bolus if needed, while waiting. Or just eat some or just nibble on it.
Appetizers give you a way of eating a small, medium, or large amount and maintaining social decorum. And how much you eat depends on what your BG is doing and how long you need to wait for the dinner.
If the appetizer is delayed, you have the Coke as a safety net. And with the Coke, even if you don’t touch it, that doesn’t blow anything socially. You can just drink your water, nobody will notice.
I find that having at least SOME active insulin in effect before the food arrives will help.
If you are still MDI, then inject into muscle tissue for faster absorbtion.
Also depends on the insulin you are using. With Fiasp and Lyumjev, I usually dose when the food gets there (if my BG is in a normal/low range.)
If I go in a little over on my BGs, I correct for the overage, plus a little more to make sure the insulin is actually working and bringing my numbers down.
Also, as long as I am not driving, or doing something else important, I don’t mind if my numbers go a little lower before the meal arrives. I don’t do this often, but if I know I will eat a lot of carbs, I try this approach.
If I have no idea what I am eating, then I dose when I eat, and try and give an extra large bolus to bring me down quicker, and use some carbs/dessert to slow down the huge BG plummet afterwards.
I always order a salad as a starter, or if it is included with the meal (as a side) I ask if it comes before the meal (they usually do). Then I can bolus and start eating, but not anything that will cause a quick rise. I can always eat crackers or ask for some bread if I trend down before the meal comes. Most restaurants will bring crackers or bread if you ask (if it isn’t already provided).
@Eric Great advice as usual!! Good perspective all around! @Hammer@Jan Good feedback as well, I do like @Jan with the salad, but mostly because I just like salad…
Hey all, thanks for these great suggestions. I wound up ordering a salad to come out at the same time as the main, bolused for all of it up front, and ate the salad while I waited for the dose to kick in.
I guessed pretty much on target–should probably have split it, but only required a 0.5 unit correction a few hours later, so generally it was smooth sailing. And didn’t go particularly low, so the emergency Coke wasn’t needed. Because I was driving myself home, I didn’t want to risk overbolusing and having a surprise low on the road.
Appreciate the help! Next time around I’ll have plenty of plans on hand.