[nantomsuethom]

How do you know when you are out of the honeymoon phase?

I didn't realize Thomas' basals where so small until one of the students showed me her basals!!

His highest (out of 9 different rates a day) is 0.5u and thats from 4am - 8am. Her highest is 1.8u for 4 hours in the morning and most of the day is 1u and more! It blew me away.

He is on quite a bit more insulin than he was a year ago. Most of the increase was in May when he had an asthma attack and was put on oral steroids (that will not happen again).

Do you come out of the honeymoon phase gradually or do you all of a sudden need more insulin ?

Nancy

[HeatherP]

I don't think there's anything really concrete about it. Diabetes seems to change from time to time and I have to adjust my basal dose and my carb:ins ratios.

I had an odd episode last December where I didn't need any Humalog for about 3 days. Blood sugars stayed around 70-100 at all times.

Sorry I can't help more
HeatherP

[Shalyndria]

Originally posted by nantomsuethom
I didn't realize Thomas' basals where so small until one of the students showed me her basals!!

His highest (out of 9 different rates a day) is 0.5u and thats from 4am - 8am. Her highest is 1.8u for 4 hours in the morning and most of the day is 1u and more! It blew me away.

Mostly the insulin one requires depends on sensitivity. There is a standard based on age and weight that generalizes what one's TDD of basal should be, but I can't remember the formula (and am at work right now lol). I'll certainly look it up for you later if you'd like.
As for your student, can I just say HOLY MOLY that is a lot of insulin for a little kid (if we're talking U/hr here)! Most adults don't take that high of a basal rate!

Shy

[am1977]

It might be that Thomas is still in the Honeymoon Phase, he's still relatively a newbie to Diabetes. It's not so easy to know when that phase is over, but if you see a dramatic jump in his blood sugars and he seems to require a significant amount more of insulin, this could be a sign that his body has moved on from that phase.

That little girl takes about the same amount of basal insulin (about 27 units) as myself, but if it's what her body requires and it is working for her, then that's the way to go. It's definitely a big difference then what your son is taking, but like Shy mentioned there's a lot of factors that influence that.

[Eri's mom]

Erica takes a total of 33 units of NPH daily and 7 humalog daily...and then she is on a sliding scale if she is running high during the day.

I can't say for sure how long her honeymoon phase really lasted. I know she had diabetes for 3 months b/f she had her first seizure(and then they came like clockwork) (she was running highs until that point....and the weirdest thing, even her endo at the time was like, that is weird, her "magic" number wsa 67mg/dL for a seizure.)

[nantomsuethom]

Heather- that must have seemed odd, no insulin for 3 days!! Thomas would have been testing every five min. (a little more than he does now lol) just to make sure he didn't need any.

Shy- if you happen to find that info. I would like to see it. It would be interesting to compare to what he is getting.

am1977- thats what I kinda figured, if I see a need for a lot of insulin he's probably out of that phase. Not that it really changes anything though (except the dose). Just curious.

And yes that little girl (just turned 13) is getting 1-1.8u/hour!! And she still comes to the clinic almost once a week with a high bg - 300+ sometimes. Her mom is at her wits end. The endo just keeps increasing ratios at this point. She also gets an automatic 11u subq. if she has ketones- no matter what her bg is. EveryBODY is different.

[nantomsuethom]

Hi Robin,

I can't even remember how much NPH and novolog Thomas was taking before he went on the pump. I would have to look on the doctors orders from back then, but I think it was less than 25 total.
I wouldn't know what to give him if he had to be off the pump for anything (if it malfunctioned or something). When he went on the pump I was told to just go back to what he was taking if anything like that happened. I'll have to remember to ask them that when he goes for his apt. in November.

[Shalyndria]

Originally posted by nantomsuethom
Shy- if you happen to find that info. I would like to see it. It would be interesting to compare to what he is getting.

OK the formula for TDD (total daily dose) is as follows (based on an average sensitivity to insulin for that weight):

- Divide your average weight, in lbs, by 4. For weight in Kg's, divide by 1.8.
lbs/4 = TDD
- 45% to 60% of that TDD is expected to be basal insulin.

These are just average guidelines, based on the average Joe, so they aren't applicable to everyone.

Shy

[rzrbks]

Holy Carp!! Batman

I ain't nowhere near that---I run about 50% or less of that on a normal day and 60-70 % of that on a Monster Eating day.

[Eri's mom]

Erica's dose is a bit above her weight, but w/ the way she had been running high constantly, I guess that's normal.
(although right now she is 52mg/dL)

[nantomsuethom]

Thomas is getting a little less also- he weighs 100# and his 24 hour basal is 8.35

Although I may be increasing his am basal AGAIN. Just increased a little more than a week ago, he was waking up with perfect bgs (110-120) and this am 180. We will watch it for a few days to see (and watch through the next site change).

Never a dull moment with him!!

[Booger]

Well it's been one month since diagnosis for me now (I'm glad that month is behind me). I needed quite a bit of insulin, ~30 units lantis, ~15 units novolog, for the first couple weeks. But I dropped to almost no insulin over the past couple weeks. The last couple days I've been creeping up into the 150's. I eat the exact same breakfast and lunch every day, and watch dinner pretty closely. Strange. I guess we just have to ride it out until some some degree of stabilzation is reached.

[rzrbks]

What a base canard to call it "Honeymoon.

My "Honeymoon" was something wonderful---Had Nothing to do with Diabetes--------------Except I was So sweet.