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Poorly on a pump - it's great!

Snapsy

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,552
Location
South-East UK
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Morning all,

For the first time since starting on a pump I am proper poorly - I've got a chest infection and am on a week of amoxicillin. Relieved, to tell you the truth - I've had a really out-of-sorts week and a bit, and am actually pleased to have discovered that I'd been brewing this infection and can put my difficult attitude and behaviour down to that!

Am coughing like Joe Grundy and his 'farmer's lung' (Archers reference) and it's utterly disgusting....


The pump though - gosh! Have set a temp basal rate of 150% and I've been sitting at a steady level all night, according to my Libre, albeit still higher than I'd like it to be. I'll do a post-breakfast test in a bit and then will probably up the basal a little more - 180% perhaps, if I'm still at the 9-10mmol mark with 150%. I'm normally hale and hearty and generally if I'm off colour it's just a cold which doesn't seem to change my control that much - but this chest infection has come out of nowhere and is a different ball game altogether. I'm so, so glad to be able to tweak my basal insulin in this way.

Yay to my pump, and yay to my Libre. They are certainly earning their keep.

 
Sorry to hear you're not well @Snapsy although sounds like you're got it under control

Keep drinking the fluids and take good care of yourself, hope it passes soon.
 
really pleased for you BG wise -- I hate colds and flu and infections
for all the obvious BG reasons too

hope you're feeling better soon

i think i can just hear your cough from here too
 
himtoo said:
i think i can just hear your cough from here too
Click to expand...
Thanks all - and @himtoo I wouldn't be surprised!

You know you're poorly when the effort of having a shower makes you need to lie down again.... Still, I'm well enough to wield an iPad so it can't be that bad!

Last test 9.7. 180% basal but keeping a steady eye out for any sudden dips in my Libre graph. Yay to diabetes gadgetry!
 
Morning all, hmmmmm, not so great here in the Snapsy sickbay - my Libre tells me I've been on a steep climb since around midnight despite my 150% overnight basal and 2hr checking. Had a small bowl of porridge (my usual) with a bolus of 140% of what I normally have, and I've just bipped the sensor and got a reading of 15! Still on 150% basal. My 180% experiment of yesterday backfired in spectacular hypoglycaemic fashion and made me rollercoaster up and down for the rest of the day. Bit tooooo much.......

This is not like me at all!

Will do a proper test in a bit and will no doubt find this exaggerated postprandial peak will have passed by then.

It's weird - I'm not often ill ill like this (in bed with no strength at all, on antibiotics) and I'm staggered to see how much of an effect it's having on my control. Colds and niggles and stuff I get quite often but can soldier on without putting everyday life on hold like this, and my sugars aren't all that affected normally, but this is just so frustrating!

Drinking lots and testing lots. I will be fine - sorry for the moan - this is very unusual for me (these sugars, I mean - moaning itself is fairly usual!). I'm so glad to have the pump and the Libre, though, as without them I think I'd be in rather a pickle by now....

Cannula and cartridge and tubing are all fine, btw.

Have a happy, healthy day, all!

 
Awww, thanks for asking @BeccyB ! I'm doing okay. Hope you've recovered from the missed Levemir - it's horrid playing 'catch-up' with missed insulin!

Although I'm feeling very sorry for myself I have cheered myself up immensely by just coming on here! Antibiotics are working to dry up the chest 'ick' (will not elaborate further!), so that's good, and I'm now a dab hand at programming the pump to sort out the highs - I've been finding I've been going much higher than usual after meals (low carb, and smaller than usual as am not feeling like eating) so am taking 40% more bolus insulin than usual, and I'm finding I need 50% more basal insulin overnight at the moment - it's like I'm a different person!

Now I'm three days into the antibiotics I think my sugars will begin to stabilise by themselves - and I'm looking forward to feeling well enough to actually DO stuff... today is the first day that I've begun to think straight, so that's a massive step forward!

In the meantime - testing, testing, testing - yaaaaaawn.......

 
Glad you're heading in the right direction, but don't start 'doing' too soon - give yourself the time you need to recover. Will be interesting to see how your insulin needs change as you get better so keep those tests up
 
BeccyB said:
today my libre is helping me keep on top of what I suspect is a missed Levemir dose last night,
Click to expand...
@BeccyB, speaking of diabetes gadgetry, have you seen the Novo Pen Echo? There's a bit on the end of them that will tell you how many units you took and how many hours it was since you took them.

They've helped me confirm if I've missed a jab before.

You should be able to get them on prescription.
 
Yes @CapnGrumpy - I use one for my Novorapid but for some reason have never asked for one for my Levemir! Will have to put it on my next prescription request
 
What is a libre? I've not of heard this before, I've been diabetic 26 years and now also have a pump....
 
Basically a cgm system, that looks great.
How easily dis your doctors prescribe this libre?
I checked the costs there on the site, £58 for up to a 14 day test, quite expensive to pay on our own
 
GordonMcLean said:
Basically a cgm system, that looks great.
How easily dis your doctors prescribe this libre?
I checked the costs there on the site, £58 for up to a 14 day test, quite expensive to pay on our own
Click to expand...
Yes it's certainly not cheap but I'm afraid you won't get one on the NHS yet.
 
Update on chest infection - finished the antibiotics, wet cough has dried up but have got a very impressive dry cough - so in terms of infection that's cleared up - but oh my goodness I am still feeling dreadful!

Saw the doc this morning and was reassured that it's fine to just listen to my body and accept the fact that I'm going back to bed for two hours twice a day because rest is what counts when getting over something like this. Am taking paracetamol and drinking pints of fluid. Still on raised temp basal, and my post-meal spikes I'd been noticing are way higher than normal so have hoiked up my bolus ratios as well (I love this pump - I just have to hit the 'health event' button and it does it all for me).

Sorry for the 'woe is me' - am just reporting in!

 
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