Some suggestions

[cheryl]

Ok, I know I should talk to my endo, but god my last visit he wanted me to up my basal rate, and I argued that that wasn't a good idea, I was totally stressed out like when i went to see him about finances and money, and the pump situation 2 months ago, that I knew deep down upping my rates was not a good idea, I was pmsing and I just had changed my rate higher and had had good number for two day prior to seeing him......so he didn't take any of that into consideration.....POINT is I don't want to talk to him....

Ok, anyway, I changed my sets to sils, now I have learned how to deal with the site change time but as soon as I am not stubborn anymore my blood sugars are now and for like four days getting lower and lower and lower and lower....now I am having hypo's......i had one yesterday and then one last night and one this morning right now....

I had two the other day on Sunday also.....and one on Sat...
which to me is too many, I will deal with a hypo here and there but consistantly means something is not right.....

But here is the problem my period is due next Monday, I am sitting here wondering if I should even change my rates around because very soon my bg's are gonna start to rise....so I keep thinking if I lower my rate, what if in two days they gotta go up anyway, plus if I am on the lower side on 4th of July yea, more food you know it is a holiday and diabetes don't count on holidays.....well the blood sugars dont' count....so i dunno i was just shocked that when i got low last night and all usually i don't wake up low and i did.....oh well.....maybe i will give it one more day....

Cheryl

[Emm]

Cheryl,

I'm not a pumper, but isn't the whole idea of them that there's no long-acting, and whatever changes you make are pretty much instant? Worry about Monday when it happens, I suspect you can change what you like to suit NOW.

However, like I said, I'm not a pumper... I just wish I was!

Can you find any rhyme or reason to your lows? Similar times of the day (fiddle with a basal rate?), or a certain amount of time after you eat (overdoing the bolus maybe?) or something like that? I don't know if you keep a log already, but if you don't, it's worthwhile doing any time anything like this happens - sure helps notice trends you may not notice otherwise.

[xMenace]

Are you basal testing? If you don't have data, you don't really know what you should do. Fasting and post-prandial tests don't give the information you and your endo need. Basal test!

[cheryl]

Yea, I ended up lowering it anyway, I got to go out in a while and I don't like to go low when i go out....Plus, god how many basal tests does one have to go thru, I initially did basal test like three times, if I keep skipping meals I am going to look like this anorexic chick.......LOL. I lost 30 pounds I can't bare to skip a meal....

What I am trying to say is I did basal testing three seperate occasions since start on the pump which meant a week here and there skipping breakfast for two das lunch for two days and dinner for two day, I did that three seperate times.....and I got it down, and it seems every month my rates want to go lower and lower....LOL.....I dunno maybe it is a summer thing, or maybe it is because I finally got the set that is liking my body, but ummmmm I can't basal test till after the holidays LOL......I can't loose anymore weight I am already a bone...now LOL......good idea though, I think too it might be pointless till after i get my monthly vistitor as soon as that comes and goes I will start testing ughhhh the torture LOL

Cheryl

[kgm0612]

It took me 8 or 9 weeks to "tweak" my basal rates. I know people who have been pumping for years that are still "tweaking". What works one day, week, or month, doesn't necessarily work the next.

Just a thought.......Is it possible you could have hit a small capillary when you inserted your SIL? I have done this on several occasions and end up with severe lows for a few days. Once I change the site, normal blood sugar readings return.

Karen

[ubergeek]

So my approach to the whole problem with basal rates is to tweak and tweak and tweak. What has already been said is that basal rates probably don't remain constant unless you are a serious creature of habit, doing and eating the same things every day. But what's the fun in that. I'll find where my problem times are, set up some patterns making changes at my problem times, then running the new basal for a few days. If it works, it becomes my new basal, if not I can change again. No big deal. It look me forever to work out problems with lows I was having before lunch every day, but highs after breakfast. I have finally gotten them worked out and I am much happier for it.

Don't let it get your frustrated....just keep plugging along.

-Brian

[Cyborg]

What works one day, week, or month, doesn't necessarily work the next.

I agree. In fact, I have 3 different basal profiles that I use, 1 for when I don't exercise, 1 for when I do exercise and 1 for when I drink alcohol. I imagine women would benefit from an extra basal profile during that time of the month. There's also the option of using temp basals which increase or decrease an overall profile by a fixed percentage for a set amount of time.

[grace girl]

Not a pumper, but I'll throw this at you:

For me, what pms and starting do to my b/s fluctuates from month to month. What works this month might not work next month. A set plan for each month just won't work. If for you, it tends to be the same each month you probably can figure out when and how to set your basals during that time.

If yours is variable like mine, I'll tell you what my female endo told me. She said your better off managing pms with bolus than basal because of the unpredictability of it all.

If I tried to deal with it through a basal change I'd be on an even worse roller coaster than it already is. But I've had great success managing it with bolus.

Hope that helps!

[cheryl]

Yes every month is different for me, i know i am due on Monday, I haven't even had a rise in bg's yet....so this rate i am on is actually been lowered from last week, and now I am like lower, WOW....

I don't think i hit anything cause this was happening before my site change yesterday, so unless i hit two capilaries lol....it can't be that....

I have been more active cause of the kids though, and now since the sils like me and i am done with quicksets i think it has a lot to do with it too, diet hadn't changed at all....fruits veggies nuts, meat bread potato's the norm and reese's cups LOL

Cheryl

[JungleJim]

Cheryl, I found that I am much more sensitive to insulin with the sils. It takes less insulin to correct with them, and less overall. I think part of it for me is the fact that I angle them so that they aren't very far under the skin. I am now using the 6mm insets and really like them, but they still need more insulin for the same reaction that I get from the sils.