Background advice

[Clarkey]

Hey, so, it's been 4 whole weeks since my DAFNE course, and i've been tinkering a bit with my Background Insulin (BI) over those weeks, and to help things i've tried to keep my weeks simple in regards to eating so that I can make sure I got my BI right.

However, it's not gone to plan because I keep going out and about for work which also includes over night hotel stays and I haven't quite perfected the carb counting of food put in front of me. So I decided sod it, lets add desserts and cake to my "non-diet".....

Anyway, this past week I think i've got my BI units either spot on or one needs to drop by one. I'd like anyone's advice as to what they think. So i'll lay out this weeks readings.

Monday
5:30 Breaky - 4.6 (7CP = 7u)
12:30 Lunch - 5.6 (8CP = 8u)
19:00 Dinner - 4.7 (17CP = 17u) yummy dessert with dinner
22:30 Bed - 10.7

Ok so my morning BI at 8am was 14 and evening BI at 8pm was 12. Because I had just increased my evening BI from 10 to 12 I felt the high at bed might go low enough over night so i didn't take a correction unit, but it didn't though and I realise now that as the CP was 17.5 I should have rounded it up to 18.

Tuesday
5:30 Breaky - 10.7 (7CP = 7u +1u)
12:30 Lunch - 4.6 (3CP = 3u)
19:30 Dinner - 7.9 (15CP = 15u)
22:30 Bed - 7.3

At this point I had reduced my morning BI from 14 to 13. As dinner was a little low at times.

Wednesday
5:30 Breaky - 7.0 (7CP = 7u)
13:00 Lunch - 5.5 (9CP = 9u)
19:30 Dinner - 9.8 (11CP = 11u +1u)
23:15 Bed - 5.3

Thursday
5:30 Breaky - 4.4 (7CP = 7u)
Lunch didn't check
18:30 Dinner - 8.3 (10CP = 10u) ate dinner in hotel with Tiramisu dessert
22:30 Bed - 11.3 (miscalculated dinner)

Friday
08:30 Breaky - 9.6 (No breakfast but +1u correction)
12:00 Lunch - 6.9 (6CP = 6u)
19:30 Dinner - 4.3 (14CP = 14u)
00:30 Bed - 6.5

Saturday
07:45 Breaky - 4.9 (6CP = 6u)
12:30 Lunch - 5.3 (6CP = 6u)


So my morning BI is at 13 and evening at 12.

I think my morning BI is correct but i'm not sure if my evening BI should be reduced to 11 because three of those mornings I woke up in the 4's. Anyone got any opinions?

 

[fencesitter]

If you look at the number when you went to bed and the number the next morning, they are similar, so it looks like your sugars are holding steady overnight. Maybe you could consider bringing up your level a bit if you're quite low at bedtime? Eg Weds you went to bed at 5.3 and woke up the next day at 4.4. You have to get up v early by the way!! 😱
Interesting that on Saturday when you got up a bit later, you had dropped a bit more so maybe at weekends you could go to bed with slightly higher levels?

 

[pgcity]

Those numbers look fab to me. Your not dropping too much overnight so if you want to avoid waking up below 5 you could eat something before you go to bed

 

[Clarkey]

Thanks for the replies, these are some of the best results i've had in a straight week for quite a while.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Those numbers look pretty darned fine Clarkey, but if I were trying to assess overnight basal I'd find it almost impossible to do on a day where I'd had a larger than normal eve meal, say over 60-80g CHO, because those meals take longer to chug though my system. So I'd have a more normal, non-fatty eve meal, which I know I could count right, then test / set an alarm for midnight, 2am and 4am to watch what happens.

 

[trophywench]

Perzackerly, Mike!

We still only have snapshots, we don't know what's happening in between!

And as everyone will tell you - you have to do the fasting tests to find that out!

I'd be more than happy arising with a 4 point something TBH. If you think about it, if we all have dawn phenomenon which we are supposed to, aren't we? - then it's on it's way up then, not down. However if it's very low 4 it does beg the question well if that's it on it's way up - how low did it actually go at around 3 am?

- and there's only ONE way to find THAT out !

 

[Clarkey]

Well I know I have my morning BI correct as I had a carb free lunch one day and it was going up later on, but now it's pretty stable since I increased it.

I know I should do a 3am test, but I like my sleep, and I have to get up at 5am each day.

I know the fasting range is meant to be 5.5 - 7.5 but i'm also happy waking from 4.5 upwards.

As for dawn phenomenon, no we aren't all meant to have it, only some people. I don't believe I have that.

 

[lauraw1983]

Well I know I have my morning BI correct as I had a carb free lunch one day and it was going up later on, but now it's pretty stable since I increased it.

I know I should do a 3am test, but I like my sleep, and I have to get up at 5am each day.

I know the fasting range is meant to be 5.5 - 7.5 but i'm also happy waking from 4.5 upwards.

As for dawn phenomenon, no we aren't all meant to have it, only some people. I don't believe I have that.

Every single human has it, it's how the body gets ready for the day ahead - a rise in cortisol/glucose output from the liver to give you energy for when you rise. Just in some diabetics, it continues to rise and rise because there is not enough insulin there to cover the amount from the liver?

That's my understanding anyway?