Basal check confused

[Tina chick]

Did a overnight basal check as i keep getting high morning results even when i go to bed on good number the results where
3pm 5.3
4pm 5.4
5pm 5.8
6pm 4.9
7.13pm 4.8
7.46pm 5.2
22.37. 8.6
23-12. 8.1
2am 8.3
4 am 9.1
6 am 9.1
10am 5.5

It seems like there jump around a bit basal rates currently is 1.15 changes at 6.30 to 1.6 then again at 22.00 to 1.15 at midnight 1.3 then 3am 1.4 and 7.30 1.2
When I do bolus for my carbs my results have been before bed 5.6 4am 23.1 7am 15.8
Pre bed6.5 morning 16.6

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

When I don't do carb my results have been...

Sorry Tina... I'm a bit confused. The big string of results you posted above... were they fasting ones (so that only your basal insulin was active) or were you eating/bolusing during that time?

 

[Tina chick]

There are when I haven't eating from 3pm till the following morning expect sugar free jelly
Expect The few at the bottom of the post labelled pre bed and morning are when I have bolused for my carbs
Hope that makes sense thanks

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

OK... i think I understand 😛

I can't suggest what you should do, of course, but here's what I would be thinking to myself if those were my results.

Did a overnight basal check as i keep getting high morning results even when i go to bed on good number the results where
3pm 5.3
4pm 5.4
5pm 5.8
6pm 4.9
7.13pm 4.8
7.46pm 5.2 << absolutely rock solid until here. Congratulations!
22.37. 8.6 << very slight rise from approx 8pm to here
23-12. 8.1
2am 8.3
4 am 9.1
6 am 9.1 << more or less level from 10.30 to here with a very slight upward trend
10am 5.5 << falling significantly through the morning

It seems like there jump around a bit. basal rates currently is 1.15 changes at 6.30 to 1.6 then again at 22.00 to 1.15 at midnight 1.3 then 3am 1.4 and 7.30 1.2

So your basal looks really pretty stable. Those rises and falls are only minor - in fact you'd probably want to re-run the basal test to make sure they are consisitent before doing anything.

When I do bolus for my carbs my results have been:
Before bed 5.6 4am 23.1 7am 15.8
Pre bed 6.5 morning 16.6

Well if that one basal test is a true picture then that's very odd... Depending on what you've eaten. Were they large meals (can you remember how many grams of carbs in them?)? Pizza/pasta or any of those 'usual suspects' for late BG rises after eating?

 

[Tina chick]

The 6.5 to 16.6 one I had a cheese scone and a a 100g of ice-cream which I weight.
I will repeat the test over next few days and compare as the have got me totally confused.
Thanks

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

The 6.5 to 16.6 one I had a cheese scone and a a 100g of ice-cream which I weight.
I will repeat the test over next few days and compare as the have got me totally confused.
Thanks

Well that's confusing as well... Ice cream is usually 20-25% carbs, so it looks like you had 25g of carbs in ice cream and maybe 30g of carbs for the scone so 55g in total.

Your BG rose from 6.5 to 16.6 - that's almost exactly 10mmol/L.

Are you absolutely sure you bolused for it???

Typically you might expect 10g of carbs to raise the average T1D's BG by 3mmol/L, which makes roughly 15mmol/L for your snack - and you rose most of that. You may have been higher before breakfast since you seem to be dropping overnight generally. So I wonder if you accidentlly forgot to actually bolus having worked out what dose etc you were going to take. Easy enough to do. I've done it myself!

If you are getting consistent rises for every meal, you might want to look at your insulin:carb ratios as you might just not be getting enough meal insulin.

 

[Tina chick]

Yep bolus 11 units as it was a 1 unit to 5g ratio will repeat the test and review possible speak to hospital

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Another thing to consider trying then, if your doses are all about that size is to split each injection into two parts, taken same time but in 2 different sites.

There is some research which shows that single doses above 7u are much more likely to suffer from absorption variation/problems. Either the speed at which it absorbs and even just that parts of larger boluses can 'go missing' and never get absorbed at all 😱

Actually... thinking about that - how are your sites? could you be 'losing' some or all of your doses in scar tissue and/or lumps?