Looking to work out ratios & background requirements

[Kerr1992]

Hi folks,

I'm due to start on my insulin pump on the 6th of October.

I realise I now need to pay more attention to my ratios and my background insulin etc. Over the last year or so I've just been guessing and not had much control. I know my background isn't right as when I go to bed, I wake up in the morning with increase BG. sometimes after breakfast when I test during the day my BG is higher than it should be. I was always 1:1 before so was pretty lucky.

I was looking to see how you guys keep track of your BG levels and how use work out your ratios. I know with background I should increase it by 1 every couple of nights until its close to what it was before bed.

I've downloaded the BG Diary from this site so will try that. it's quite big to carry around though so will have to enter my data into it at night.

I need to work all this stuff out for my pump so might as well start now

Thanks
Craig Kerr

 

[Ladybirdy75]

Hi Craig,

I'm really no expert here and i know others will be a lot more knowledgable.

I'm on a pump, have been for 4years. You really will find basal testing and setting carb ratio's so much easier on a pump.

I'm assuming you are on an injected basal/bolus regimen at present? Basal testing is quite easy really, it means you have to fast (not eat and only drink water)) for a chunk of the day and test your BG's every 2 hours. For instance i tested my overnight base rates last night from midnight until 8am (actually i tested from midnight to 12 noon as i didn't feel like eating this morning). I made sure i had no carbs after 8pm and just drank water, i did a preliminary test at 10pm and then set my alarm to wakes me up at midnight, 2am, 4am, 6am, 8am and also tested at 10am and 12noon (pretty sure that chunk is meant to be midnight til 6am). This way i can see what's going on where (i actually have 5 different basal rates running throughout that period as opposed to 1 dose injected of long acting). You can also test from say 6am - 2pm, 2pm-8pm and so on. On the pump, if i find a bit of a high or low period emerging each day, I'll base test for around 2 hours or so before and after the problem area and then make some base rate adjustments.

As for carb ratio's i think that's pretty hard to do on injection due to the lack of small increments you're able to dial up?? On a pump it's relatively easy but I've had to have my DSN help me with that as i still can't wrap my head around it . Generally the more carby or fatty a meal the more you may be likely to need a slightly different carb ratio. You'd be better to talk to your DSN i guess. I've got to talk about this with mine as I'm having some problems with hypos and i think my carb ratio (too much insulin per gram of carb) is too high now I'm not having many carbs at a point in the day where i used to.

Not sure if this is any help lol but that's all i have .

Louise x

 

[donnellysdogs]

Do some basal testing....

Test before meals and 2 hours after.

Test at 3am.

Guessing is no good when you go to pump. So you are better to start now. Get yourself into the regime you will have to do when on pump.

 

[noblehead]

Hi Craig,

Register with the following, its an on-line carb counting course similar to what is taught on the DAFNE course, it will help you work out your insulin-to-carb ratio's:

http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/

btw, good luck with the pump and hope all goes well