[notme]

I have heard several people talk about doing basal testing here and decided that this is something I need to do. My basal was set years ago by sort of a haphazard method. My blood sugar tends to be good first thing in the morning and then rise to an alarming rate whether or not I eat anything.

I heard there was instructions on basal testing on the MiniMed site, but I can't find it. Does anyone know where this is on their website? Or....can someone just tell me how the heck you do this. I did a search hear for instructions here and couldn't find the thread that explains it.

Better late than never....... I need to get this done.

[xMenace]

Integrated Diabetes Services - Diabetes Management

Getting Down to Basals :: Diabetes Self-Management

HOWTO profile your Basal Rates.

Index of Diabetes Technology pages: Insulin Pumps, Insulin Pump Comparison, Blood Sugar Meters, continuous glucose monitoring devices, noninvasive monitoring, diabetes software.

These links are in my order of preference. The 4th might make you say "huh?" but you have to have a firm understanding how your insulin works - what are the impacts of making a dosage chance? Or "when should I adjust to treat that rise or fall?"

My simple rules:
-be in range at the start
-don't eat or bolus for 4, preferably 6 hours prior.
-test hourly
-re-test every two hours to validate readings, you are making important decisions on readings with a potential 20% variance.
-stop and treat if you too far go out of range
-test for 6 hours
-make conservative adjustments
-re-test to validate the next day or soon after.
-expect inconsistencies in behavior and treatment

[notme]

Thanks John. Just what I needed.

[Jan B]

I'm glad John wrote before I made my feeble attempts!! Yeah, what John said! The charting is very helpful. Nancy, I'm struggling with morning highs also. I got my night lows under control, now it's that wicked dawn phenomenon. I'm following my trainers advice for one more day -- she wants me to continue to go high after getting up in the morning, so she can see just how much to increase my basal! (I've got John's ideas/plan ready to go!)

It doesn't matter if I get up at 6 or 8 am, I'm about 80-90, but then go to almost 200 in 3 hours while eating nothing. This also happens if I eat early. I obviously need to increase after-waking basal. The more I ask around, the more I find people using eight or more basal rates.

[xMenace]

Keep in mind you are in an artificial equilibrium. If your numbers are stable and your basals are off, then your boluses have to be off too. For any adjustments you make to basals, you should make teh opposite adjustment to boluses. So if you add a half unit in the mornings over say four hours, reduce your breakfast bolus by this much. Once your basals are good, then you can fine tune to boluses. It's just a cautious approach to prevent those nasty unexpected hypos. Changing routines generally does this.

Another less precise way of testing basals is to vary your meal sizes. For example, if you eat a big breakfast but your BGs drop then your basal is too low and your I:C too high. With enough testing you can figure out an adjustment, but timing can not be refined easily.

[notme]

I going to give this a shot tonight. One day at a time and I will see where it goes. Thanks John. This is exactly what I needed. So many of the sites I found were very unclear in the instructions. I am a "stay between the lines" kinda girl. I needed exact instructions.

What would I do without this website????

[xMenace]

Originally Posted by notme

I going to give this a shot tonight. One day at a time and I will see where it goes. Thanks John. This is exactly what I needed. So many of the sites I found were very unclear in the instructions. I am a "stay between the lines" kinda girl. I needed exact instructions.

What would I do without this website????

I know exactly what you mean. It took me weeks to find this stuff out and the sites I gave. It wasn't till I stumbled through the process myself that it all came together. I'm amazed that the pump companies and DE's don't push a structured protocol. I sense both a CYA attitutude and a certain level of ignornance on their parts. My DE doesn't know anything about it nor cares to learn as it's not part of the prescribed treatments. Pffft! Our diabetic support systems can be downright dangerous sometimes..

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by xMenace

I'm amazed that the pump companies and DE's don't push a structured protocol. I sense both a CYA attitutude and a certain level of ignornance on their parts. [...] Our diabetic support systems can be downright dangerous sometimes

Indeed. Prior to finding this site, I took what the hospital gave me, then researched and experimented on my own. It's time-consuming and expensive... but it's better than "official" information that is offbeat or outright wrong.

I found this site while looking for others with whom to swap experiences. An excellent find, to be sure.

[notme]

That is exactly what I did Eddy.

Thanks for doing all of the leg work John. I am going to bookmark these sites and refer to them often. The past few days I have had so many lows from stacking insulin (and a lot of strenous exercise in the yard). It is high time I got my act together.

[kgm0612]

Hey John..........thanks for the info you posted. I'm in need of basal testing myself and am thinking I should do it before my next endo appointment on March 3.

Karen

[xMenace]

I'm in need of some re-testing myself in the evenings and afternoons.

I'm still happy with my mornings. I got up early on Sat. at 4am and tested at 4.9, at 8am at 5.4, and slept in until noon where ai was 5.5.

I've been thinking that arranging some some where we can chat might be interesting. We could motivate each other and discuss our results. But it can also muddy the water with extraneous comments. We're not always free at the same times or for the duration. But if you are testing, maybe hang out in chat if you can.

[Jan B]

Originally Posted by xMenace

I'm in need of some re-testing myself in the evenings and afternoons.

I'm still happy with my mornings. I got up early on Sat. at 4am and tested at 4.9, at 8am at 5.4, and slept in until noon where ai was 5.5.

I've been thinking that arranging some some where we can chat might be interesting. We could motivate each other and discuss our results. But it can also muddy the water with extraneous comments. We're not always free at the same times or for the duration. But if you are testing, maybe hang out in chat if you can.

If I go to the chat room, I promise I won't muddy the water with extraneous comments. I just tested being in there -- never have participated.

[notme]

I am sure there are a lot of us that are due to basal test. I definitely think it helps to have others who are doing the same testing discussing their results and helping out. Chat sounds great.

[xMenace]

Originally Posted by Jan B

If I go to the chat room, I promise I won't muddy the water with extraneous comments. I just tested being in there -- never have participated.

Ummm, you get Jedi' 2High, Rikki, Peter, and a few other jabbers in there, and it can get fun in a hurry.

[Subby]

Great thread, definitely helps to think others are doing the same thing.

I know there are all those great pages to read and go by, but I wanted to ask about people's experience with doing night basal testing. Anyone stayed up later than normal, to do say 11 - 3am testing? Do you find it is accurate/usable, or is being awake during the time makes it too far from normality?