First Basal Test

[Cyborg]

Well, I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday. I started my afternoon to bedtime basal testing around 5 pm yesterday. I've listed the results below and to me they looked they look great. I can hold out till lunch, so I'll continue the test 'till then to see if the wake-to-lunch basal rate adjustment suggested by my trainer was made correctly. May as well get both done at once since not eating 'till lunch is not a big deal. Just get me some coffee! :eek:

Here's what I saw last night and first thing this morning:

BG = 106 @ 4:20 PM
BG = 86 @ 5:20 PM
BG = 79 @ 5:50 PM
BG = 78 @ 6:20 PM
BG = 91 @ 7:34 PM
BG = 98 @ 8:25 PM
BG = 96 @ 9:35 PM
BG = 102 @ 10:35 PM
BG = 94 @ 11:55 PM
BG = 96 @ 1:00 AM
BG = 92 @ 1:53 AM
BG = 96 @ 7:20 AM

I've never seen control this tight! Fasting or not.... :)

[JediSkipdogg]

Excellent numbers. Way better than my numbers, now I'm jealous. LOL. Keep up the good work, seems to me like you have a perfect basal rate.

[Cyborg]

Looks like this test may be ending real soon. Just checked again and the 8:20 reading was 126. I even set the basal adjustment the trainer "suggested" to 1 hour earlier in anticipation of this. Now I'm wondering if perhaps it has something to do with time of day or time of waking...

[seacomp]

Looks like this test may be ending real soon. Just checked again and the 8:20 reading was 126. I even set the basal adjustment the trainer "suggested" to 1 hour earlier in anticipation of this. Now I'm wondering if perhaps it has something to do with time of day or time of waking...
Dawn Phenomena!

[David]

Great numbers!
Be careful about not eating for too long (since lunch the previous day). Page 100 of Pumping Insulin recommends that you basal test the day time in 3 parts to prevent the liver from thinking that you're starving and releasing glucose as a result. Any glucose dump would skew your results.

That small rise to 126 isn't too bad, but may be the liver doing its thing, either because of Dawn Phenomenon (you've already tested for that, haven't you?) or the starvation thing.

David

[Cyborg]

I did the night testing first. But then my trainer wanted me to do the afternoon to bedtime basal testing next. They felt I did not have a dawn phenomena based on my 2 days of data I submitted. Since I always see my numbers rise like this in the morning after waking, I think my trainer may have been wrong. One more high reading and the test is off. I'll check for ketones to see if my liver has kicked in. Thanks for the tip.

Testing for the dawn phenomena would be the wake to lunch basal test right?

[David]

"I'll check for ketones to see if my liver has kicked in"

Ketones don't indicate a liver dump. They show up when your body is using fat for energy, not sugar.

"Testing for the dawn phenomena would be the wake to lunch basal test right?"

For some people it is, but it's more common to be a higher BG level when you wake up.

David

[JediSkipdogg]

"Testing for the dawn phenomena would be the wake to lunch basal test right?"

For some people it is, but it's more common to be a higher BG level when you wake up.

David

No no no. Too many people are confusing these two. The Somogyi Effect is when you wake up and you have a high BG. This is usually as a result of somewhere throughout the night you running low and bouncing back to normal, but your body does it automatically and is terrible at calculating how much to bounce back.

The Dawn phenomenon is when you wake up and your BG starts to rise naturally. This is your body building up a resistance to insulin and usually the easiest way to stop the rise is to eat something that causes the body to turn down it's insulin resistance.

Now, the two can have similar symptons. Like if you wake up at say 7 am, fall back asleep, and then rewake at 8 am, you can start the DP effect in process at 7 am. But you may never remember waking up then.

[David]

Agreed, many confuse the two. Somogyi is the result of a low. Dawn isn't, it is a hormonal morning BG rise.

However, Dawn doesn't ALWAYS occur after waking up, often it's already occured upon awakening. You can't go by what time your high occurs to tell you which it is. You have to test at in the middle of the night to determine which it is.

http://www.doctorndtv.com/faq/detailfaq.asp?id=6989

Dawn phenomenon is the normal tendency of the blood glucose to rise in the early morning before breakfast. This rise in glucose, which may be due to the nocturnal spikes in growth hormone causing insulin resistance, probably is enhanced by increased hepatic gluconeogenesis secondary to the diurnal rise in serum cortisol.

David

[Cinnabon]

Nice readings....!

[Cyborg]

Thanks, just gotta wonder why my trainer has me doing the basal testing for the weekday basal settings on the weekend:questionm I'm trying to mimic my weekday, needless to say. In fact, I'm actually going to repeat the test today and since I have work to do, I'm going to drive to the office to do it(just like a normal work day), rather than work from home.

[Cinnabon]

I guess he just wants you to square things off as soon as possible. We all know that most times, it takes a little more time to be able to do this.

[duck]

Thanks, just gotta wonder why my trainer has me doing the basal testing for the weekday basal settings on the weekend:questionm I'm trying to mimic my weekday, needless to say. In fact, I'm actually going to repeat the test today and since I have work to do, I'm going to drive to the office to do it(just like a normal work day), rather than work from home.

I don't get caught up in weekend vs weekday BS (that's how I feel about it). Even if I did, someone would have to fire a lot of proof at me to show me how your BASAL rate can change from 5 days of being the same to 2 days of being different. If anything, your bolus needs may change, but basal? C'mon.

[Cyborg]

I guess it depends on your lifestyle and what you do for a job, what you do on the weekends, etc...

[spike]

I guess it depends on your lifestyle and what you do for a job, what you do on the weekends, etc...


Precisely!

[jenet]

I've never seen control this tight! Fasting or not.... :)
Those are incredible numbers! I am soooo jealous (but very happy for you).
cheers,
j

[Cyborg]

Thanks... I went on the pump on Valentine's Day! Before then the numbers were up and down. My a1c last check was 6.9 and I expect a slightly lower one next week (even without the effects of the pump), but I'm already sold on the pump. I'm hoping to start my second basal test in about 20 minutes if the numbers look good. :)