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Extended bolus for big doses?

claire1991

claire1991

Well-Known Member
Messages
498
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hi all,
After a bit of pump advice.

I've been having a lot of leaky infusion sets lately. It's resulting in high blood levels and ketones.

It's only been since my doses have been increased a lot by my pregnancy so my background is higher as well as my boluses.

What I'm thinking is if I was to do an extended bolos over 15 mins for meal times instead of pushing it all in at once would this solve the problem? If so, after how many units shall I do this?

I'm at my wits end at the moment feeling rubbish and worrying what it's doing to the baby :(

Thanks in advance.
Claire x
 
You could also use a dual-wave bolus, bolus some upfront and extend the remainder of the dose over 15-30mins.

I was told by my pump rep not to bolus more than 6u in one go, if any higher then extend the dose.
 
noblehead said:
You could also use a dual-wave bolus, bolus some upfront and extend the remainder of the dose over 15-30mins.

I was told by my pump rep not to bolus more than 6u in one go, if any higher then extend the dose.
Click to expand...

Lovely, I'll start doing that then and see how it goes. Nobody has ever time me to do this!

Claire x
 
claire1991 said:
Lovely, I'll start doing that then and see how it goes. Nobody has ever time me to do this!

Claire x
Click to expand...

Using a dual-wave would give some of your insulin time to work and should help reduce postprandial highs (rather than extending the whole dose over 15mins).

@claire1991, if you purchase the book Pumping Insulin or Think Like a Pancreas they both go into the different blous options on a pump, both are well worth reading.
 
I'll try a dual wave at tea time then thanks for that.

I have got Think Like a Pancreas, I'll have to pick it up again, I didn't finish reading it!

Claire x
 
Like @noblehead I was advised not to take over a certain amount all in one go - for me the advice was 5u (using insight flex cannulas) - so if I need more than 5u I select multiwave bolus. I then pick how I want to split it - sometimes I take half up front and the remaining half over 15 mins - sometimes I tailor it to the type of food I'm eating or to my pre-meal glucose - either way taking it in a smaller hit keeps the cannula from protesting too much until its time is up.
 
@claire1991

If you cannot get yr infusion sets to be, then just use the pump to deliver the basal and use yr pen to deliver the bo, us. A pump is just an insulin delivering device with a piston and battery, it's not an artificial pancreas yet. I sometimes use my pen if and when I need to and don't think anything about it. Insulin pen needles don't leak insulin so get all the toys out of the toyboy and play with them all.
 
I used my pen aswell as my pump when I was pregnant. That meant I could inject part of my bolus in my leg, say, and have my pump site in my bum. I found this worked very well. It also made my pump sites last longer and kept the insulin there better absorbed @claire1991
 
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