What to Do When It Goes Sideways
You ever pre-bolus, feel like you nailed it… and then someone says, “We forgot the chicken’s still frozen”? Yeah. Same. This episode is about recovering when plans change fast. Today, We’re Covering: Common ways pre-boluses go off-script...
The episode, word for word
You ever pre-bolus, feel like you nailed it... and then two bites in, someone says, "We forgot the chicken's still frozen"?
Yeah. Been there.
Hey, I'm Neil, and this is Your Best T1D Year podcast. You can get my new book, Type 1 Diabetes: True Stories over on Amazon right now! Today!
I've had type 1 since 1992, and I still have pre-bolus fails. Like, weekly.
Today we're talking about what to do when it doesn't go to plan, because it won't. And that's not failure. That's diabetes.
Let's normalize the chaos for a sec. Here are a few classics:
You pre-bolus and then the meal gets delayed
You dose for one food, and something totally different ends up on the plate
You forget you pre-bolused and suddenly you're crashing while holding a raw potato
Sound familiar?
This isn't a character flaw. It's a rhythm disruption. And it happens to literally all of us.
Here's what's helped me shift from panic to plan:
First, treat the low (or pending low). Fast carbs, measured, not guessed. Don't try to "power through."
Second, resync. When the food does come, re-calculate if needed, especially if you already treated.
Third, log it mentally or literally. This isn't about tracking everything, it's about noticing patterns over time so you can adjust.
The worst thing we can do is internalize it as "I'm bad at this." You're not. You're navigating a blood sugar timing puzzle in real time.
One big thing: I try not to stack shame on top of glucose.
That means if I miss the window, I don't punish myself with guilt.
I just say, "Okay. That didn't work. Let's figure out why."
Because sometimes the fix is simple:
Set a timer
Pre-bolus when the food is actually being cooked, not when someone starts thinking about it
Eat a mini snack while you wait if things are moving slow
None of these make you weak. They make you strategic.
You don't have to get it right every time. You just have to stay in it.
And the next time it goes sideways? You'll know what to do.
New episodes drop every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Ever spent way too long on hold just trying to refill a basic prescription? You know that sinking feeling after a two-hour hold with your insurer? BCH is the opposite of that. Blue Circle Health makes care feel human again, with real people, real empathy, and actual follow-through. They help with things like tech onboarding, insulin titration, and emotional support. It's all virtual and 100% free. It's available now in 10 states. Sign up at bluecirclehealth.org.
Nobody remembers easy.
But people remember who keeps showing up.
54 - June 18
Wednesday, June 19
This is the script as read on the mic, lightly tidied for reading. Education, not medical advice. Talk to your care team before you change anything about your insulin.