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Variations in basal rates

fairylights

fairylights

Well-Known Member
Messages
185
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
So I am still basal testing. Currently I am at 1.4u during the night going down to 1.3u between 4 and 6 as otherwise I wake up hypo. I have done a lot of overnight basals and I am fairly happy with these rates they seem to keep me fairly steady between 4,5 and 6ish. Then at 6am I change the rate to 3.0 which is still not high enough as I just climb and climb between 7am and 10am. I usually start at 7am in the 7's (even after being in the 5's at 6am) by 8am I am in the 10's and even with a correction I can still be in the 10's at 9am and 10am.

Really I am just wondering if it is normal to go from 1.3 to 3.0 and still rising - it seems such a huge variation, does anyone else have such large differences between their basal rates?
 
Sounds like you have the dawn phenomenon. Do you bolus higher for food in the morning? There's often a need for that.
 
fairylights said:
Then at 6am I change the rate to 3.0 which is still not high enough as I just climb and climb between 7am and 10am. I usually start at 7am in the 7's (even after being in the 5's at 6am) by 8am I am in the 10's and even with a correction I can still be in the 10's at 9am and 10am.
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You need to change your basal sooner than hour beforehand that should help no end then tweak as needed. Look at increasing at 5AM onwards would be my suggestion.
 
yes I have dawn phenomenon, but it's how to deal. Will try an increase from 5am tomorrow. Thanks
 
That's quite a jump in basal rate @fairylights, can I ask if you eat breakfast on waking?

My own basal rate goes up by 0.10u an hour from 5am to allow for DP, but what I find is if I don't eat breakfast soon after waking I experience liver dumps (and like you) can go from single figures to double figures by 9-10am, by eating breakfast it shuts off this mechanism and I can keep my bg levels in range.
 
When I get up I have a shower and then have breakfast - eggs - so no carbs. It rises until about 10am and then starts coming back down if I don't lower my basal at 10am I am hypo by lunchtime.
 
fairylights said:
When I get up I have a shower and then have breakfast - eggs - so no carbs. It rises until about 10am and then starts coming back down if I don't lower my basal at 10am I am hypo by lunchtime.
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Maybe lower your basal rate earlier if your hypo by lunch.

I can't comment if a no-carb breakfast would make any difference as my breakfast always contains some carbs. Hope you find a solution soon @fairylights.
 
fairylights said:
When I get up I have a shower and then have breakfast - eggs - so no carbs. It rises until about 10am and then starts coming back down if I don't lower my basal at 10am I am hypo by lunchtime.
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If you are just eating eggs then you might find as many type 1's do that you need to count eggs as 4 carbs each
 
Don't want to make too many changes at once - so I'll start by trying changing rate at 5am and see what happens then. Thanks everyone.
 
CarbsRok said:
If you are just eating eggs then you might find as many type 1's do that you need to count eggs as 4 carbs each
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For me using a pump, I count the protein content and then divide that by 3 or 4 to give me a rough carb value so a large egg having 8g protein will be 2 or 3g carb
 
If you don't bolus for eggs I would say it causes the problems, not a too low basal rate
 
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