New podder and having a bit of a meltdown

[Soplewis12]

Hi, it may well be an issue with the canulla as you are doing everything within your power to try & resolve it. You are correct that the minimum extended bolus is 30 mins. Hope you get some answers with your diabetic team tomorrow

 

[Hopeful34]

Sorry for all the questions, but - How do you bolus over 15 minutes? I’m trying it with my pod but seems that half an hour is the shortest extended option, and now I don’t know if should do it 15 mins before eating or 30 mins, or if that will mean the fiasp is working too much sooner than the food?!

Sorry, I can do 15 minutes extended bolus on my Combo, but as you said 30 minutes is the minimum on the Omnipod. Hope that eating 20 minutes after starting the extended bolus works for you, just be careful if your blood sugar is lowish when you start the extended bolus, as you could hypo before the food kicks in. It will be a matter of trial for you to discover this for yourself as we're all different, and different foods absorb at different rates.

Hope you can get the pods to work for you.

 

[Seacrow]

Hi, a couple of things.

First, if you are a recent type one, it is possible that you still have a bit of insulin production capacity, and your pancreas may be (randomly) deciding whether to work or not. If this is affecting you there's nothing to be done but wait it out.

Secondly, it's perfectly possible to be reacting to something in the solution that's not the insulin. I react to all long/basal insulins, probably due to whatever it is that delays their action. I think you're reacting to short term insulin though. Have tried insulin from different manufacturers, and different types (analogue, soluble)? Some people react to all insulin except the (really old fashioned) pork/beef, which are difficult to get a doc to prescribe.

Reacting to the needles? I know it happens, but fortunately not to me, so I can't help, sorry.

EDIT I just remembered, right at the beginning of using my pump it was giving me bruises. It turns out there's a setting which changes the speed at which insulin is pushed out of the needle. It causes less bruising, and hopefully less pain. My pump is Medtronic.

 

[KC49]

Sorry, I can do 15 minutes extended bolus on my Combo, but as you said 30 minutes is the minimum on the Omnipod. Hope that eating 20 minutes after starting the extended bolus works for you, just be careful if your blood sugar is lowish when you start the extended bolus, as you could hypo before the food kicks in. It will be a matter of trial for you to discover this for yourself as we're all different, and different foods absorb at different rates.

Hope you can get the pods to work for you.

Thanks I guess I’ll just try to leave less time before eating if I’m already on the lower side of target, and keep some juice nearby while I test my theories!

 

[KC49]

Hi, a couple of things.

First, if you are a recent type one, it is possible that you still have a bit of insulin production capacity, and your pancreas may be (randomly) deciding whether to work or not. If this is affecting you there's nothing to be done but wait it out.

Secondly, it's perfectly possible to be reacting to something in the solution that's not the insulin. I react to all long/basal insulins, probably due to whatever it is that delays their action. I think you're reacting to short term insulin though. Have tried insulin from different manufacturers, and different types (analogue, soluble)? Some people react to all insulin except the (really old fashioned) pork/beef, which are difficult to get a doc to prescribe.

Reacting to the needles? I know it happens, but fortunately not to me, so I can't help, sorry.

EDIT I just remembered, right at the beginning of using my pump it was giving me bruises. It turns out there's a setting which changes the speed at which insulin is pushed out of the needle. It causes less bruising, and hopefully less pain. My pump is Medtronic.

Cheers for the ideas- I’ll check out the speed setting, or ask about it tomorrow.

I’ve been looking at ingredients in all the insulins I’ve tried and failed to be ok with, Lantus was the best long acting I tried (least painful but not great) and is made by a different company. I’m sticking with fiasp til my next appt in Jan, and if it’s still an issue I’ll try a fast acting made by a different company. I’ll have a google about the different types you’ve mentioned, I know there’s an inhalable one but I can’t stick that in a pump! Initially I just had a problem with the long acting, but then started reacting to the short acting as well, so they changed me from novorapid to fiasp BUT their ingredients aren’t much different.

and re the honeymoon bit, too long to type out but I think that’s over. From my history n my C-pep and antibody levels, and not the nicest choice of translation, they told me they think my immune system has ‘finished destroying me’ lol

 

[KC49]

Hi, it may well be an issue with the canulla as you are doing everything within your power to try & resolve it. You are correct that the minimum extended bolus is 30 mins. Hope you get some answers with your diabetic team tomorrow

Thanks, and thanks to everyone who is offering ideas and support, my diabetic nurse is friendly/lovely but often just says she has no idea when I ask her about any of this

 

[KC49]

Hallo- just in case anyone sees this, who gave me advice, it seems like advice on here has sorted my pod issues

I’ve had a full three days with a pod testing out the new way of doing boluses and it made a very small lump that didn’t seem to interfere with insulin absorption. I don’t ever do more than about 1.8units at once, if I need more I spread it out over half an hour and seems like the insulin works how it should. Very happy.

Been leaving it a bit longer before eating if I’m a bit high, and less time before eating if I’m on the low side. Have had a few too many lows but not immediately following a bolus, just other things (period/hormone cycle) so it’s not perfect but I’m roughly back to the insulin to carb ratios I had roughly got down before switching to the pump.

So just to say thanks! Seems I can actually enjoy a bit of time off over Xmas instead of unrelenting high sugars and pain in my arms (and brain!)

 

[Soplewis12]

Hallo- just in case anyone sees this, who gave me advice, it seems like advice on here has sorted my pod issues

I’ve had a full three days with a pod testing out the new way of doing boluses and it made a very small lump that didn’t seem to interfere with insulin absorption. I don’t ever do more than about 1.8units at once, if I need more I spread it out over half an hour and seems like the insulin works how it should. Very happy.

Been leaving it a bit longer before eating if I’m a bit high, and less time before eating if I’m on the low side. Have had a few too many lows but not immediately following a bolus, just other things (period/hormone cycle) so it’s not perfect but I’m roughly back to the insulin to carb ratios I had roughly got down before switching to the pump.

So just to say thanks! Seems I can actually enjoy a bit of time off over Xmas instead of unrelenting high sugars and pain in my arms (and brain!)

Fantastic news!

 

[Hopeful34]

Hallo- just in case anyone sees this, who gave me advice, it seems like advice on here has sorted my pod issues

I’ve had a full three days with a pod testing out the new way of doing boluses and it made a very small lump that didn’t seem to interfere with insulin absorption. I don’t ever do more than about 1.8units at once, if I need more I spread it out over half an hour and seems like the insulin works how it should. Very happy.

Been leaving it a bit longer before eating if I’m a bit high, and less time before eating if I’m on the low side. Have had a few too many lows but not immediately following a bolus, just other things (period/hormone cycle) so it’s not perfect but I’m roughly back to the insulin to carb ratios I had roughly got down before switching to the pump.

So just to say thanks! Seems I can actually enjoy a bit of time off over Xmas instead of unrelenting high sugars and pain in my arms (and brain!)

That's great. Am so glad that this pod has worked better for you. Thanks for letting us know. Hope you have a good Christmas x

 

[Soplewis12]

@KC49 the only thing I now experience is having bread at lunchtime gives me a food spike of 12-13+. Tried all different prebolus timings, types of bread, extended bolus and nothing works. Just upped my basal for one hour to try & see if it helps!

 

[KC49]

That's great. Am so glad that this pod has worked better for you. Thanks for letting us know. Hope you have a good Christmas x

Hope you have a good Xmas too-

@KC49 the only thing I now experience is having bread at lunchtime gives me a food spike of 12-13+. Tried all different prebolus timings, types of bread, extended bolus and nothing works. Just upped my basal for one hour to try & see if it helps!

Good luck with the basal tweak- mine is set to go lower from 13.00to 16.00 to ward off my afternoon lows, and so far the most annoying thing is that I’d got used to being able to snack things without taking insulin for them after work, but if I do that now I end up too high. So the basal adjustments must make a difference, even though it’s small amounts

 

[Hopeful34]

Hope you have a good Xmas too-


Good luck with the basal tweak- mine is set to go lower from 13.00to 16.00 to ward off my afternoon lows, and so far the most annoying thing is that I’d got used to being able to snack things without taking insulin for them after work, but if I do that now I end up too high. So the basal adjustments must make a difference, even though it’s small amounts

My pump is also set on a lower basal rate after lunch, as I always went low in an afternoon, and had to snack to prevent a hypo. For a few weeks after my covid jab I was going high, and gave an extra bolus an hour after lunch, now I'm going low late afternoon again, so need to reduce basal a tiny amount mid afternoon. That's where a pump is so brilliant. Strange though, because I've always needed a higher basal rate in winter than summer.

 

[KC49]

My pump is also set on a lower basal rate after lunch, as I always went low in an afternoon, and had to snack to prevent a hypo. For a few weeks after my covid jab I was going high, and gave an extra bolus an hour after lunch, now I'm going low late afternoon again, so need to reduce basal a tiny amount mid afternoon. That's where a pump is so brilliant. Strange though, because I've always needed a higher basal rate in winter than summer.

Could it be because the insulin passes around your body more efficiently when everything is a bit warmer? Though body temp and outside temps aren’t always the same, I work outside pretty often (I’m a chippie so there’s no inside to go to until I/we have built it lol) and I get too hot very easily. The temperature dropped the other day and I kept dropping low all day- and someone said that happens bc your body is using extra energy to stay warm?
Who knows- maybe it’ll get clearer over time, for now I’ll just be happy the pump seems to be working, and how clever it is, to be able to match basal to bodies needs.
Several mornings in a row without waking up too high is something I never achieved with injections!

 

[Soplewis12]

Hope you have a good Xmas too-


Good luck with the basal tweak- mine is set to go lower from 13.00to 16.00 to ward off my afternoon lows, and so far the most annoying thing is that I’d got used to being able to snack things without taking insulin for them after work, but if I do that now I end up too high. So the basal adjustments must make a difference, even though it’s small amounts

Hi, you know you can snack but take insulin? I'm not sure if it's just as meals as I don't snack. Merry Christmas
I'll let you know how the tweaks go but my husband is taking me out for lunch today so maybe won't know until over the next few days.

 

[Hopeful34]

Could it be because the insulin passes around your body more efficiently when everything is a bit warmer?

Yes I think that's what normally happens with me in summer. I've got a different summer and winter basal programme on my pump, which is really helpful.

 

[Hopeful34]

Several mornings in a row without waking up too high is something I never achieved with injections!

I could never achieve it with injections either!! It's great to wake up in your target range, it makes the rest of the day easier, rather than playing catch up all day!!

 

[Hopeful34]

Hi, you know you can snack but take insulin? I'm not sure if it's just as meals as I don't snack. Merry Christmas
I'll let you know how the tweaks go but my husband is taking me out for lunch today so maybe won't know until over the next few days.

Hope your basal tweaks work out, or you find some way of having bread at lunch time.

 

[Soplewis12]

Hope your basal tweaks work out, or you find some way of having bread at lunch time.

It's a bummer, as I do love a sandwich. Had a smallish baked pot at lunch @ the golf club. I know them well so asked if they would weigh potato b4 cooking. Bolused 20 mins b4 eating and had a 2 hr later spike of 11.8
I'll be darned if I don't get to the bottom of it. Might try 30 minute prebolus tomorrow with a sandwich again.
This summer was my first on the pump and I had to quite drastically reduce basal. It was strange for me as this never happened with lantus/novorapid when using pens.
I always had to be extra careful if I'd drank wine evening before used to drop basal by 2 units but now need to drop basal by 40% for most of the day.
I'm 30+ years type 1 and still every day is a school day with our lives!

 

[Hopeful34]

I can't drink with the medication I'm on, so don't have that problem, but yes it's always a learning curve.
Just wondering, if you always have lunch at the same time, could you up your basal a bit more one hour before your lunch, and then reduce it the hour after your lunch??? Just a random thought!!
If my numbers are high before lunch, I'll prebolus 30 minutes or longer, but if on the lower side of normal, I'd hypo, but we're all different, so what I do might not work for you.

 

[Soplewis12]

I can't drink with the medication I'm on, so don't have that problem, but yes it's always a learning curve.
Just wondering, if you always have lunch at the same time, could you up your basal a bit more one hour before your lunch, and then reduce it the hour after your lunch??? Just a random thought!!
If my numbers are high before lunch, I'll prebolus 30 minutes or longer, but if on the lower side of normal, I'd hypo, but we're all different, so what I do might not work for you.