Thought we were getting there

[ams162]

hiya all

well we thought we had cracked the pump but dylan spent all day yesterday in the 2s and 3s even after treating so today had to change everything again still low at lunch tho, thought once we had set everything up it may need tweeking occasionally but not the whole lot of basals and boluses or am i expecting too much.

still loving the pump even tho i worried to death yesterday and have just submitted our latest hba1c first since being on the pump so cant wait to see some improvement no matter how big or small

anna marie

 

[SophiaW]

I don't know Anna Marie, I think the pump is a fluid thing that constantly needs tweaking here and there. Jess has gone in a pattern of needing less and less insulin. No sooner do be get ideal readings and then we hit hypos and need to reduce things further. This week so far we're getting perfect readings, 5s all the time. But we've had that before and then a week or so later dropping down to 3s again. Not big changes needed but all the same changes are needed. Good luck with the HbA1c, I'm sure it's going to be an improvement on your previous score. I'm dying to see what Jess' results are as we have clinic next week and they'll do the test there.

 

[ams162]

i have lowered everything today as i struggled yesterday to keep him up.

im sure the hba1c will be better was normal to see 20s with MDI but with the pump we see one its a shock and usually down to bubbles so easily sorted, 2 months worth will have been on the pump for this one so not expecting perfection but under 10 would be lovely

anna marie

 

[Hazza]

Thats really strange, we have had a few lows since the weekend and had to adjust things. Even more strange is that she has started to wake up higher than usual and we have changed her night time basals to bring it back down to normal. Maybe it's a change in the weather that is affecting them.
Sophia is right in that you need to be vigilant and adjust according to the reading that you are getting.
I'm sure that Dylans HbA1C will be much improved over his last one/s. Our last one was 6.9 so we were well chuffed.
I think you are doing a sterling job Anna Marie, keep it up.

Harry

 

[ams162]

thank harry our last one was 10.5 so anything under 10 im happy as we have never managed it before, i know it is never going to be the same all the time and u will need to adjust things but his readings yesterday were....

7am- 3.2- 2 glucotabs plus 60g breakfast
12- 3.5-
3pm- 2.2- 2 glucotabs
4pm- 2.9- 2 glucotabs
5pm- 8.3
8pm-5.5
9pm-3.1
10pm- 7.8
3am- 3.3- 2glucotabs
7am- 5.3

so i reduced everything for today and had one low the rest were in target just strange that we were ticking along nicely

anna marie

 

[donnellysdogs]

I put a posting previously about having to change basals so often...I think it is something that is pretty much going to be a constant. I certainly haven't gone more than 3 weeks without changing basals in some way. Mine are mainly heading in the downward direction, and I put it down to all the different medications I have been having to try since July, but I think it is just one of those things with pumping.

 

[stoney]

Hi

James's Bg's seem to be running in the 3's a lot now, although he is on the MDI's, I think it is due to the weather, I've never known him to top up with lucozade so much and he is also saying he is hungry all the time, especially when he gets home from school. His lunch break is 1.30 til 2.30 and he is home by 3.45 so he has not long eaten and when he does his BG he is around the 3's tops up with lucozade and starchy carb til tea. Yesterday he went to the extreme treats hypo too much and got a Bg of 15. Then he says he feels faint, nauseous and feels his heart is beating too fast. Is that the insulin kicking in and bringing him down quickly?

 

[ams162]

hi all

yes donally i saw ur post, i expected some tweeking but not having to change everything at once.

we had a better day yesterday with the changes not perfect but better...

7am- 5.3 - bolused for 60g of carbs
12- 3.7- bolused for 50g of carbs
3pm- 8.9- went swimming so had 15g snack
4pm- 9.9 straight after swimming
5pm- 12.5 had pizza for tea and a site change- bolused for 70g dual bolus over 3 hrs
7pm- 6.2
9pm- 3.9 had some glucotabs and a biscuit
10pm-5.2
11pm-2.9 had 2 glucotabs and 2 custard creams
4am- 10.0
7am- 7.2

i think the lunchtime result was because dylan had running club before lunch he forgot to test and give himself the glucotab he usually has and the 9pm i think may have been the swimming i thought in having pizza it would be plenty of carbs never mind a better day generally

anna marie

 

[ebony321]

hi all

yes donally i saw ur post, i expected some tweeking but not having to change everything at once.

we had a better day yesterday with the changes not perfect but better...

7am- 5.3
12- 3.7
3pm- 8.9- went swimming so had 15g snack
4pm- 9.9 straight after swimming
5pm- 12.5 had pizza for tea and a site change
7pm- 6.2
9pm- 3.9 had some glucotabs and a biscuit
10pm-5.2
11pm-2.9 had 2 glucotabs and 2 custard creams
4am- 10.0
7am- 7.2

i think the lunchtime result was because dylan had running club before lunch he forgot to test and give himself the glucotab he usually has and the 9pm i think may have been the swimming i thought in having pizza it would be plenty of carbs never mind a better day generally

anna marie

I've recently had a few days which seem to be hypo's everywhere, instead of changing the basal i've altered all my ratios a little. in the above readings can you input when he bolused for food?

When i looked at my hypo patterns over a week it appears to be im going low 4 hours after all my meals all of a sudden, not sure if it could be the fact it's getting a little warmer or not though.

I'm also going to do a few fastings tests over the weekend, maybe it would be a good idea to do one for Dylan if you haven't recently already?

I think as many people have said with the pump as it's so fine tuned any small changes in weather and expecially as Dylan is growing and changing all the time it's likely his needs will change frequently.

 

[ams162]

yes i did have in my head i needed to a fasting test but need it to be when he isnt in school and dylan hates them as he feels hungry when we do it. going to do one the weekend and then do some other time slot fastings in the easter holidays the following week too.

i did alter the basal and boluses yesterday as felt it was all too high which i know u shouldnt alter so much at once but cant risk him being hypo too much at school either.

anna marie

 

[ebony321]

yes i did have in my head i needed to a fasting test but need it to be when he isnt in school and dylan hates them as he feels hungry when we do it. going to do one the weekend and then do some other time slot fastings in the easter holidays the following week too.

i did alter the basal and boluses yesterday as felt it was all too high which i know u shouldnt alter so much at once but cant risk him being hypo too much at school either.

anna marie

Yeah, i feel hungry when i do them too, must be even harder for a kid!

I think it's better to be temporarily high than have too many hypo's.

 

[ams162]

i can have a proper look in the holidays he has just over 2 weeks off so plenty of time to do some testing and get a clearer picture. its hard with him being at school they treat his hypos well but if he has too many they get fed up with it which they have 30 odd children so cant spend all their time with dylan so altho i knew in altering it all i could be doing the wrong thing i had to get rid of those hypos

anna marie

 

[ams162]

hi again

4.9 at lunch today so thats better has def made a difference changing everything

anna marie

 

[donnellysdogs]

Hi Anna Marie

I have found that when I have had to alter all my basals, I also have to alter my carb ratio's too.

This actually goes along the lines of how they set us up on our pumps...either 50/50 or 60/40 ratios of basal to bolus.

On times when I have just altered the basals and not the bolus's, I still end up getting lows after I have ate, and by altering both basal and bolus it keeps me in line with the ratio's that John Walsh and HCP's talk about and set us up with. Might not happen to everybody, but it does to me.

 

[ams162]

no we are all different after all lol, im pleased with todays lunchtime result have to wait and see what the after school result is

anna marie

 

[LittleSue]

Hi Anna Marie

Sorry to hear you & Dylan are struggling a bit, after doing so well.

I wonder if it's like a honeymoon period, or increased sensitivity due to general better control? Or maybe connected to the clocks going forward,I know it takes a week or so after the clocks change to feel my body's adjusted to the new daily rhythm (eg wanting to go to bed early etc).

 

[ams162]

oh thats a good point sue never thought about the clocks changing

anna marie

 

[LittleSue]

Hi

To be honest I'd been wondering and was going to ask what pumpers do when the clocks change. I.e. change the pump's time at 2am, or before breakfast, or later in the day (when basal rate isn't changing) or move it gradually. Currently I adjust basal injections by half an hour at a time, but as I said it still seems to take a few days for things to settle.

 

[ams162]

i changed dylans when i went to bed about 11pm as i thought would cause the less damage there and things would be right then from breakfast the next morning but maybe i was wrong i dont know

anna marie

 

[SophiaW]

We changed the time on the pump on the Sunday morning once we woke up. Jess' basal is so small the change in time barely makes any difference. I read in the manual that if you change the time between 11pm and 12 midnight you must adjust the date too. E.g. 26th March at 11.15pm, you move the time forward by 1 hour to make it 12.15am, you must change the date to 27th March otherwise you'll be a day behind. That is for the Animas, perhaps other pumps are smart enough to advance the date too.