Is it okay to change basals by ourselves?

[KritterMom]

I've been in contact with my dr.'s office and they've been telling me what to change my basals to because I keep going low at different times of the day. Thats all fine and good, but I'm tired of calling every single day and waiting for a return call. Is it okay for me to do this myself as long as my BS are staying reasonable?

[Cyborg]

The only time I have ever consulting my endo about making changes was when I was first trying to tackle my DP. I always make very small changes and wait a couple days before making any more. Eventually, you will achieve the results you are looking for. Good luck and keep us informed...

[Funnygrl]

When I see my endo he'll make suggestions on basal rates, but in between visits I change them by myself.

[JediSkipdogg]

I change myself all the time. When changing a basal rate keep in mind that you need to change 2-3 hours before you want that effect to happen. So if say you start going high at noon everyday, you want to start the change at 10 am. Also, another thing to keep in mind is don't do multiple changes at once. Change one thing, give it a week to notice what that change does, then see what else may need to be changed.

Unfortunately, it's nearly impossible for it to just happen overnight unless you get lucky. So fine tuning may take a month or more.

[NoelD]

I do it all the time on my own as well. Diabetes is really a self-management disease in my eyes. The way I see it, if *I* personally can't manage it, then I really can't expect a Dr to do much better, because in the end, it all comes back to me and what *I* do and don't do.

[KritterMom]

Very good point Noel!:)

[kgm0612]

Kimmy...........I also "tweak" my basal rates without calling my endo's office. Start out in small increments and go from there. Eventually you'll find what rate works best for you.

Good luck.

Karen

[Patti]

I do it all the time too. When I first got the pump I was calling my endo all the time. Once when I understood, it I started handling my own basal rates. Noel you're right, Diabetes is a self- management disease.

[Emm]

I took control of my doses from day one - Didn't realise I'd be pissing off the docs! They're happy with it now but not so much when I started. My Dad and my good friend are diabetics, so I did know what I was doing... (well, in hindsight, I can see what I would do differently, but it takes practice)

I think it's really important to do it yourself. Only YOU know your body, and in the end diabetes is a self-controlled thing, so go for it. Go with caution, and write everything down (trust me, that DOES help). If you're ever worried, the docs are still there for questions and double checking.

[xMenace]

I actually teach my endo how to set rates, and he's no noob.

The key to basal setting is skipping your meals. You want to be more or less flat. You really need those hourly tests (or cgms) to get a good read. And for me at least, the meal following basal profiling needs extra bolus.