Is this safe?

[Indie1]

I'm on LCHF, but I still want to have min daily amount of carbs. Is doing something like this safe?

I'm doing a little bit more basal that it's needed to keep bg steady, for instance if my bg was 6.0 at some point, it then slowly drops to around 4.5 (in 3-4 hours).

Then I eat some carbs (20-30g, like small muffin) and don't do any bolus insulin. Bg is usually 7-7.5 after that. Then it repeats again. I don't eat any carbs (or very little) during my usual meals.

This looks to be perfect for me, I don't have to do bolus and still get enough carbs. Has anyone tried something like this?

 

[catapillar]

I don't understand why? Why not just take basal that does what basal is supposed to, and doesn't require you to prop up your blood sugar with carbs, when you might not want to, and most concerningly from a safety point of view, might be in the middle of the night. Then you can bolus for any carbs/meals that you might eat, but obviously if you aren't eating a lot of carbs, that is going to mean a minimal bolus.

If it's working for you great. But if you are concerned about safety of a "too high" basal rate you might want to do a couple of overnight basal tests just to check how much you might be dropping overnight, then you can make sure that you are going to bed at a high enough level to see you safely through the night.

 

[Indie1]

Thank you, catapillar.

The difference is that if I do bolus (even 1 unit) it drops my bg very quickly to dangerous levels. Then I need to eat carbs again to recover, then it may be high again, and so on.. in other words bg jumps unpredictably. With basal only it is much more easy to control it - when I do a bit more than required of basal, bg drops very slowly, so I will notice low levels earlier (when it's around 4.5, and not 3.0).
Second reason, is that I mostly eat outside, so I don't like to do bolus.

And yes I do test before bed, and if it's less than 6, I usually eat something.

 

[azure]

Do you have a half unit pen @Indie1 ? If not, I strongly suggest you get one. They're invaluable.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. It sounds like what you are doing is quite sensible for you. It indicates you may still be producing some of your own insulin but that may change over the coming years?

 

[Swissgirl]

My situation is similar. I am eating a very small amount of carbs and usually I don't need any bolus. I am okay when I only do Basal Insulin.

 

[CarbsRok]

I'm on LCHF, but I still want to have min daily amount of carbs. Is doing something like this safe?

I'm doing a little bit more basal that it's needed to keep bg steady, for instance if my bg was 6.0 at some point, it then slowly drops to around 4.5 (in 3-4 hours).

Then I eat some carbs (20-30g, like small muffin) and don't do any bolus insulin. Bg is usually 7-7.5 after that. Then it repeats again. I don't eat any carbs (or very little) during my usual meals.

This looks to be perfect for me, I don't have to do bolus and still get enough carbs. Has anyone tried something like this?

It's not really a good idea having to much basal is it? What happens if you have a vomiting bug and can't eat anything? Highly dangerous I would have thought.

 

[azure]

My situation is similar. I am eating a very small amount of carbs and usually I don't need any bolus. I am okay when I only do Basal Insulin.

Perhaps you are still in the honeymoon phase? If that works for you and your diabetes team are fine with it, then that's ok.

I think the situation is slightly different for @Indie1 as they are taking more basal and then eating to feed the basal. Ideally, basal insulin should keep your blood sugar level all day and night without food. Then, when you eat, you take bolus insulin as necessary. That's basically what your body would do if it wasn't diabetic.

@Indie1 I think you should speak to your team and get a half unit pen, but also get some advice to avoid the lows. Using insulin is a delicate balance and tweaks are often needed, particularly early in diagnosis, but also for people who've had Type 1 for,years.

 

[noblehead]

Has anyone tried something like this?

Not intentionally.

The trouble is, what happens if your busy and forget to eat, your going to end up hypo @Indie .Better to bolus half a unit with your food if 1u is too much.