Am I not getting this? (Basal Insulin)

[Horsman]

I thought I understood basal insulin correctly, but recently it has come to my attention that I may not have it right.

If I had my basal correctly set and it was 4hrs after a meal and I had not taken any bolus:

if my BS was 15 2 hrs later should it still be 15?

if it was 6 should it still be 6?

OR

if it was 15 it should drop to about 6 gradually (over many hours)

if it was 6 it should stay 6.

which is the correct interpretation? I was under the impression it was the first.

[JediSkipdogg]

If a basal is perfectly set, after 5 hours of NO food AND NO fast acting insulin, then anytime after 5 hours your level should not rise or drop. Like this:

12:00 (noon): BG is 120, eat food and give bolus insulin
5:00 pm: Your BG should be at or darn close to 120, anything before that and it may still drop
6:00 pm: BG should still be 120 with no food or insulin given
8:00 pm: BG should still be 120 with no food or insulin given

Humalog and Novolog both last 5-6 hours. Most of it is used, about 90% of it by the 3-3.5 hour mark. But your BG will still drop slightly after that which is why 5 hours is used. Understand?

[Horsman]

I certainly do. I thought I knew what it was, but the information my nurse is giving me seems to be conflicting.

[nshack]

The best basal test, however, doesn't include any meals. You would be several hours since the last meal and have your sugars normalized, then skip a meal and just watch your sugars for 5 or so hours without any exercise or food. That should tell you whether or not your basal is set correctly.

[spike]

The best basal test, however, doesn't include any meals. You would be several hours since the last meal and have your sugars normalized, then skip a meal and just watch your sugars for 5 or so hours without any exercise or food. That should tell you whether or not your basal is set correctly.

I wondered when someone was going to explain the correct procedure to the OP. Good going!

[Cyborg]

Ideally, during the meal skipping, you don't want your bg to vary by more than 30 points. The tighter the better...