basal testing

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SilentAssassin1642

SilentAssassin1642

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
I must be mad. I've decided to basal test today. Now, have I got this right - I basically test every hour and see what's going on? No food until my tummy gives out on me and demands I eat?! Also, if levels are too high what does it mean? That I need novorapid or basal needs tweaking.

For instance I tested five minutes ago as my fasting level and was 9.7 (I blame the alcohol last night...) what do I do there?????
 
When i basal test i do a specific period, ie overnight, morning, afternoon or evening. I dont think it would be a good idea to just go on all day, not sure thats what you were meaning.

ok so you have tested, obviously if you get too high you will have to give some insulin and call of the test as the novorapid will make it impossible to test basal only. Hope that makes sense.

Test every hour or so until lunchtime and assess, if you remain steady (with fluctuations around 0 - 1.3 mmol) basal is fine. If goes up then you will need more basal, if it lowers you will need less. That is a basic simple explanation.


I would only test one period on any one day personally, good luck!🙂
 
tracey w said:
When i basal test i do a specific period, ie overnight, morning, afternoon or evening. I dont think it would be a good idea to just go on all day, not sure thats what you were meaning.

ok so you have tested, obviously if you get too high you will have to give some insulin and call of the test as the novorapid will make it impossible to test basal only. Hope that makes sense.

Test every hour or so until lunchtime and assess, if you remain steady (with fluctuations around 0 - 1.3 mmol) basal is fine. If goes up then you will need more basal, if it lowers you will need less. That is a basic simple explanation.


I would only test one period on any one day personally, good luck!🙂
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thanks tracey - yeah I was only planning to go until lunch 🙂 I'm hungry enough as it is (I'm having coffee though, is that allowed???)

So shall I leave the 9.7 as it is? Thats a bit of a duff result really as I was a little tipsy last night :/
 
I wouldn't do a basal test if I was out of range at the start. John Walsh 'Using Insulin' writes "start testing when your breakfast blood sugar is 5.6-8.3mmol/l". So it seems better to only basal test when you start off ok.
 
sofaraway said:
I wouldn't do a basal test if I was out of range at the start. John Walsh 'Using Insulin' writes "start testing when your breakfast blood sugar is 5.6-8.3mmol/l". So it seems better to only basal test when you start off ok.
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good! I'm too hungry to basal test :D
 
I agree, dont do the basal test if you are out of range, probably not the best to do it after drinking either as that can have an affect on your levels for a while.

Remember you can eat non-carb food while basal testing - that was what my DSN said anyway, I know some people have been told differently.
 
I'm doing basal testing and just had egg,tuna,and fried some onions with salad for lunch as dsn said ok to have non - carb food - but now i'm wondering if i'm gonna get correct result coz have onions got carbs in them? also i had two vodka's and lemonade last nite before bed.. do you think i should do another basal test another day?
 
chezpez said:
I'm doing basal testing and just had egg,tuna,and fried some onions with salad for lunch as dsn said ok to have non - carb food - but now i'm wondering if i'm gonna get correct result coz have onions got carbs in them? also i had two vodka's and lemonade last nite before bed.. do you think i should do another basal test another day?
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I think vegetables do have very small amounts of carbs.........but it depends on the accuracy you are after to be honest.......I think you will be cool, but it wouldnt hurt, I could easily eat no carbs for a day or two........salads and the like........
 
I always count eggs as 4 carbs - but this is if they are fried. I know they are not supposed to have any carbs in - but through trial and error we have realised that they do have an affect on blood glucose levels.🙂Bev
 
bev said:
I always count eggs as 4 carbs - but this is if they are fried. I know they are not supposed to have any carbs in - but through trial and error we have realised that they do have an affect on blood glucose levels.🙂Bev
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Thats is interesting to know...............what is your theory behind this........

As a non pumper this value would not mean anything to me but for a pumper it could be included!!
 
i didnt know eggs had carbs in them i thought they were protein! what about onions?? so what do you eat if your basal testing coz i dont think i could go from breakfast till tea without any food at all!
 
Ideally you should not eat anything when basal testing, but on MDI you can probably get good enough results with eating a carb free meal instead. Haven't done basal testing for a long time, but I feel like I know where I need more and less basal but I can't match it with my lantus.
 
Please tell me you dont have to count eggs! My D eats at least 6 a week and I never count them:confused:
 
carolynsurry said:
Please tell me you dont have to count eggs! My D eats at least 6 a week and I never count them:confused:
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We do - but it could be that your daughter is fine not counting them - remember that diabetes is a very individual condition and what works for one may not work for another. Perhaps you could try letting her have some eggs on their own and checking BG after 2 hours to see if there has been a change?🙂Bev
 
novorapidboi26 said:
Thats is interesting to know...............what is your theory behind this........

As a non pumper this value would not mean anything to me but for a pumper it could be included!!
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There is no theory really - like I say - its just trial and error. I think if the eggs are fried then the oil slows down absorption - so if eaten with other food like bread etc then this has an impact on the timing of when insulin and food peak. If I dont count them he will be high at the 3 hour mark.🙂Bev
 
carolynsurry said:
Please tell me you dont have to count eggs! My D eats at least 6 a week and I never count them:confused:
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I wouldn't think you need to. I believe a percentage of protein (more and more quickly) and fat (less and slower) get metbolised into blood sugar, but they are fairly small amounts, and tend to be 'ignorable' for most T1s compared to the more immediate effect of carbs.

I do know T2s who are uber-careful about such things (esp with increased insulin resistance in the mornings) and have to watch the small amounts in onion etc too.

I think the body gets more efficient at making BG out of protein and fat for those on very low carb diets too. But I'm not sure where I heard that, and may have made it up 😱
 
chezpez said:
what about fried onions? do they have carbs in them too??
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7?9 g per 100g of onions (when raw)

-so as someone has already said, it would depend how much you were having whether you neede to count them or not.
 
Thanks for all the responses - i'll see what my BGL is at tea, then will decide if any adjustments are needed..
 
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