So You are prescribed Levemir for basal and what for bolus?
I am assuming you are taking Levemir twice daily? It is my understanding that it does not last 24 hours, at least not reliably.
Some people are prescribed less Levemir at nighttime dose than for morning dose. The reason being that more insulin in general is needed during the day because that is when we eat, are stressed by waking up, rushing off to work etc and when more insulin is needed to control BSLs.
If you 'google' - Levemir insulin profiles pictures you will see a curve on a graph showing the blood-sugar-lowering effect of Levemir, when it is working and when it has finished working. Now look at some of the graphs for other insulins, Novorapid, Insultard etc - they are often in amongst the same pictures you have just googled. Novorapid shows quite a peak compared to Levemir for example and does not last anywhere near as long.
So Levemir packs a long duration (12 to16 hours) pretty constant but light 'push down effect on blood sugar levels. If you increase the dose of it a little it will not pack the same 'punch' as increasing a dose of Novorapid.
Novorapid packs a heavier but shorter lasting 'pushdown' of blood sugar.
That maybe why you see little effect from Levemir overall. Its purpose is to be in the background working during but also BETWEEN meals and overnight.
For controlling BSLS what I have found is that it is the short- acting insulin which is altered and adjusted more because it can get the job done more quickly in lowering high bsls and because it is designed to deal with the rise in blood sugars we experience after eating.
In my first year of being on insulin (when there were no gluco-meters available at all) I found that I needed much less insulin than after that time. The reason I was given was that my pancreas gland was still working a little bit. Not enough to cope by its own but, supported by my insulin injections, it was doing what it could. At the end of the time, my pancreas gland could no longer work, The parts of my pancreas that used to produce insulin were kaput.
If you are within your first year or two of diabetes or if your carbs intake is very minimal perhaps you are not needing as much insulin as others. THAT IS ONLY A THOUGHT, YOU WOUD NEED TO CHECK WITH YOUR DOC TO MAKE SURE.
Finally, for non-diabetics, the pancreas gland performs a fantastic service, releasing insulin, responding to signals about BSLS etc.in a very fancy basal-bolus sort of way As a diabetic there is no easy way I can match everything that my non-insulin making pancreas can do compared with someone else's fully functioning one. Yes, we are all lucky that the importance of insulin was discovered, that it could be extracted, then manufactured and developed into all the types now available. Along with strides made in measuring and monitoring blood glucose and delivering insulin.
But expecting perfect control of blood sugars is beyond me. And i have had 51 years of practice !! It may be almost possible long-term with fancy insulin pumps and CGM etc but that is not the current affordable reality.
Try not to become too frustrated by difficulties and challenges. You, I and every diabetic, particularly all of us on insulin face these and have had our moments of worry, doubt and ennui. Worry only causes stress and increased BSLS ! Seek help here, talk with your DSN and see what system of basal and bolus you can be achieve.
