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Basal too high

T

TypeZero.

Well-Known Member
Hi I’m wondering whether my basal is too high but I’m not too sure.

I was on 14 units of Lantus when in the UK and thought it would change when I came on holiday to a warmer country but it was exactly the same so I kept giving the 14 units and I’ve been here over 3 weeks and it has been fine however I’m having issues with my appetite where I don’t feel hungry at all so I don’t really eat. I’ve realised that my blood sugar is going down naturally by itself without bolus, I’m not totally starving myself but I’m eating very little probably around max 1000-1200 calories a day, I wonder if this has anything to do with my blood sugar going low?

I thought basal was supposed to keep you steady regardless? In this case should I be reducing my basal on days I don’t eat that much. Kind of new to this whole diabetes thing even though sometimes I like to pretend I’m an expert

Thanks for the help
 
Check with your diabetes nurse. I'm on a keto diet and need a lot less basal than if I ate normally. To check your basal you can meal skip or eat a carb-free meal.
 
TypeZero. said:
Hi I’m wondering whether my basal is too high but I’m not too sure.

I was on 14 units of Lantus when in the UK and thought it would change when I came on holiday to a warmer country but it was exactly the same so I kept giving the 14 units and I’ve been here over 3 weeks and it has been fine however I’m having issues with my appetite where I don’t feel hungry at all so I don’t really eat. I’ve realised that my blood sugar is going down naturally by itself without bolus, I’m not totally starving myself but I’m eating very little probably around max 1000-1200 calories a day, I wonder if this has anything to do with my blood sugar going low?

I thought basal was supposed to keep you steady regardless? In this case should I be reducing my basal on days I don’t eat that much. Kind of new to this whole diabetes thing even though sometimes I like to pretend I’m an expert

Thanks for the help
Click to expand...

How much longer do you have there, TypeZero? My knee jerk reaction, based on zero experience, could be if it's only a few days, it might only just be kicking in as you return to your usual UK way of life.

Obviously, that's not giving you advice to do, or not do something, but just wondering if you might be in danger of over-engineering it all, if you're not having hypos.
 
DCUKMod said:
How much longer do you have there, TypeZero? My knee jerk reaction, based on zero experience, could be if it's only a few days, it might only just be kicking in as you return to your usual UK way of life.

Obviously, that's not giving you advice to do, or not do something, but just wondering if you might be in danger of over-engineering it all, if you're not having hypos.
Click to expand...

Well the holiday was a month long and I only have like 3 days left before I return. It was perfectly fine until the last few days where I’ve been eating less. I check my blood sugars too regularly to have a hypo, around. 8-12 times a day but I’ve seen my blood sugar go from 6.6 mmol/L to 4.4 mmol/L in a couple of hours and this has happened most of the time when I have a low-carb or carb free meal. I’m just assuming it’s my body not having enough energy so it’s pulling the glucose from my blood I guess?

I haven’t experienced any change in insulin dosage requirements apart from the minor thing described in the post. Ever since I got off the Libre I am yet to have a hypo, I think the Libre was making me too obsessive over the numbers and I was always aiming for 5mmol/L which is why I ended up with frequent hypos and I would go as low as 3.2 without feeling it, a few days without hypos and I know I’m having a hypo from 4.4 so it’s great!!
 
TypeZero. said:
Well the holiday was a month long and I only have like 3 days left before I return. It was perfectly fine until the last few days where I’ve been eating less. I check my blood sugars too regularly to have a hypo, around. 8-12 times a day but I’ve seen my blood sugar go from 6.6 mmol/L to 4.4 mmol/L in a couple of hours and this has happened most of the time when I have a low-carb or carb free meal. I’m just assuming it’s my body not having enough energy so it’s pulling the glucose from my blood I guess?

I haven’t experienced any change in insulin dosage requirements apart from the minor thing described in the post. Ever since I got off the Libre I am yet to have a hypo, I think the Libre was making me too obsessive over the numbers and I was always aiming for 5mmol/L which is why I ended up with frequent hypos and I would go as low as 3.2 without feeling it, a few days without hypos and I know I’m having a hypo from 4.4 so it’s great!!
Click to expand...

Hi TZ,

Despite all this, I hope you're still having a restful vacation.

Regarding the Libre. I've noticed in the past the Libre can read lower than the meter & lower for longer when I actually have been? (I seem to remember in other topics you felt yours was out.?)
My experience is. The libre graph it can show an unfelt low in the early 3s where as my meter suggests 4.8 or even a low 5?

Which is why I prefer to use an app that can be calibrated to show truer trends on the data the Libre sends..
Especially when taking action regarding dosage or treatment.
 
Jaylee said:
Hi TZ,

Despite all this, I hope you're still having a restful vacation.

Regarding the Libre. I've noticed in the past the Libre can read lower than the meter & lower for longer when I actually have been? (I seem to remember in other topics you felt yours was out.?)
My experience is. The libre graph it can show an unfelt low in the early 3s where as my meter suggests 4.8 or even a low 5?

Which is why I prefer to use an app that can be calibrated to show truer trends on the data the Libre sends..
Especially when taking action regarding dosage or treatment.
Click to expand...

I have just totally given up on the Libre. I did ask for replacements for the ones that failed but it’s becoming tiring to keep asking them for a free replacement. I think out of 6 sensors or so 3 have been sent as a free replacement. They obviously don’t work for me so let me not waste their money and mess with my health. Finger pricking has been so far great however because I was relying on the Libre I only brought 100 test strips of which only around 19 left right now— I’ve sorted out 6 strips per day until I return which is not totally enough but still manageable provided everything is 100% carb-counted with no guesses, it should be fine.

Unfortunately with some Libre sensors there is a constant 3mmol/L difference but on others it changes between 1.5-3.5mmol/L so even if calibrated it would require several calibrations a day which would defeat the purpose of the Libre. A big problem was that I was relying on the Libre for highs and lows which is probably the biggest reason why I had frequent hypos
 
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