Daily basal rates

[Okulu]

Hi all!
I wondered if you could help me... I've been on a pump (Omnipod) since August 2015. Things are better, but still not perfect. I've recently had contact with my DSN who suggested that my basal rates are quite different to what would be expected from most other type 1s on pumps, but she hasn't gone any further into how 'different' (wrong) mine are.
So...I was wondering if any of you would mind sharing what yours are? I know everyone's different, but I think I'd find it really useful to get an idea of how different mine really are (and potentially where I might be going wrong)....
It would be great if you could also say how much exercise you do and when, as doing exercise is turning into a bit of a problem for me....
Thanks so so much in advance!

 

[CarbsRok]

No one has the same pattern or rates, so your dsn was a bit daft saying that.
Have you actually done a proper basal test? If you have and it's ok then that's right for you. If you haven't done one then you need to do one. Do you have the book pumping insulin by John Walsh?

 

[Okulu]

Thanks for your speedy response. I agree, I should basal test, but I need to take a whole day off to do it and I haven't got the chance at the mo, and won't do for sometime..hence why I posted, as I'm intrigued as to how other people fare as things were working pretty much OK for me until about 2-3 weeks ago. Are you on a pump? If so, what basal rates do you have?
And no, not heard of that book. Will look into it....thanks!

 

[Mrsass]

Ok so did anything change 2-3 weeks ago? Like the simplest thing in life can have an effect on bg sometimes? I have 6 different rates between 1.55 to 2.10 although they are normally lower but I'm currently pregnant so I've had increases. Could you not basal test on a weekend or whenever you get a day off? Or start by just doing a basal test say from 7pm-7am?


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[Okulu]

Thanks for the reply. Any chance you could give me a breakdown of your rates throughout the day? And how much lower are they normally? I naturally basal test between 7pm and 7am everyday anyway, but thanks for the thought...

 

[CarbsRok]

Thanks for your speedy response. I agree, I should basal test, but I need to take a whole day off to do it and I haven't got the chance at the mo, and won't do for sometime..hence why I posted, as I'm intrigued as to how other people fare as things were working pretty much OK for me until about 2-3 weeks ago. Are you on a pump? If so, what basal rates do you have?
And no, not heard of that book. Will look into it....thanks!

You don't need to take a whole day off for basal testing you do the testing in sections, night first another day do the morning then afternoon, then evening. You need to keep your day normal so that you know how your basal actually is. Rest days need a different pattern. How to basal test.
http://diatribe.org/beyond-basals-–-part-ii

 

[Okulu]

I kind of do need to take a day off to basal test properly overnight if I'm going to be up every 2 hours to test BSs... The big problem with me is that most days are different with exercise, so I can't keep my day normal to basal test. And my other big problems are: not doing any exercise, and menstrual changes throughout the month. I eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch, and dinner (most days anyway). So my best bet is to not do a basal test when I'm not doing any exercise. And I think I'd rather not eat for the whole day and just get it done all at once. Is there any particular reason why each section of the day has to be tested on different days?

 

[Okulu]

Also...forgot to say that I'm not even sure I've got the timings right as to when to have different rates, so just a general idea of what time periods people use would be great! Thanks.

 

[tim2000s]

Thanks for your speedy response. I agree, I should basal test, but I need to take a whole day off to do it and I haven't got the chance at the mo, and won't do for sometime..hence why I posted, as I'm intrigued as to how other people fare as things were working pretty much OK for me until about 2-3 weeks ago. Are you on a pump? If so, what basal rates do you have?
And no, not heard of that book. Will look into it....thanks!

To be fair, most of us don't take time off to basal test. I do it by going to bed then not eating till lunchtime, not eating after breakfast till before I go to bed then not eating after lunch and you test through the night.

None of that interferes with working and negates the need to take time off.

 

[tim2000s]

I kind of do need to take a day off to basal test properly overnight if I'm going to be up every 2 hours to test BSs... The big problem with me is that most days are different with exercise, so I can't keep my day normal to basal test. And my other big problems are: not doing any exercise, and menstrual changes throughout the month. I eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch, and dinner (most days anyway). So my best bet is to not do a basal test when I'm not doing any exercise. And I think I'd rather not eat for the whole day and just get it done all at once. Is there any particular reason why each section of the day has to be tested on different days?

If you don't eat all day you tend to find the body releasing glucose in greater volumes, which isn't reflective of what happens when you are eating. As a result your glucose levels can be higher than they would be normally and you over set your basal level.

 

[Okulu]

Thanks for all the advice about basal testing. I'm going to do it when it's convenient (now is not the time to be waking up 2-hourly during the night), but what I'd actually really really appreciate is a breakdown of basal rates and time periods if anyone is prepared to give them to me.... I KNOW everyone is different, but I'd really appreciate this information.
Thank you in advance.

 

[Okulu]

If you don't eat all day you tend to find the body releasing glucose in greater volumes, which isn't reflective of what happens when you are eating. As a result your glucose levels can be higher than they would be normally and you over set your basal level.

Thanks. That makes complete sense. Won't plan to do that then.

 

[CarbsRok]

Also...forgot to say that I'm not even sure I've got the timings right as to when to have different rates, so just a general idea of what time periods people use would be great! Thanks.

Again everyone's timing would be completely different.
Any changes need to be done 2 hours before the change is needed. Your basal pattern is yours and yours alone, same as mine is mine

 

[noblehead]

And I think I'd rather not eat for the whole day and just get it done all at once. Is there any particular reason why each section of the day has to be tested on different days?

They don't recommend you do that as you may experience a liver dump, have a look at the following link which explains how to do a basal test in different time frames:

http://www.salforddiabetescare.co.uk/index2.php?nav_id=1007

As for days where you exercise, if it's prolonged exercise you can use a TBR don't forget.

 

[iHs]

I recently visited a dsn with a pump rep giving basal rate advice to someone about to start pumping and the advice was the same as what I was given in 2010 when I got my pump. Its ok to eat small amount of protein and fat in a meal as long as the carb content is omitted and to do the basal testing in stages with days of no basal testing but to do some changes to the basal rate according to the bg level changing I like using Slim Fast rice from health food retailers as it satisfies the appetite and your tummy won't feel as though your throats been cut lol
Gary Scheiner did a good guide to basal rate adjustment according to how much the bg changed so worth doing a Google for the website.