BG Results all day

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Marier

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Type 1
Hi Guys maybe bit of a daft question but not really sure how or what im trying to ask. here goes do you guys on pump find that you have days everyday , most days , occasional days even where you BG is not on target it either low or high you have nothing really inbetween or do you how often to you guys fine that with pump you are on target 4 times day breakfast,lunch ,dinner , supper ,


I am still having very big battle with this pump and iv reached the satge I feel I want to g back to MDI as nothing I do seems to work I very rarely have on target have 4 or 3 good BG results im mainly in the red :( iv done all basal test now last one done 4 weeks ago and was as steady as a rock basal rate been changed and tryd various ratio,s isf seems ok to what im eating on TDD. Sorry im mayb sounding a bit silly here and confusing you all with what iv just wrote Im just at end of my teather im back to Diabetes Nures who helps me on 12 th June and feel il want to give it once last chance
x
 
Hi Marier,

To answer your question, yes we have plenty of days when my son's BGs are off target! In fact, for him to have a complete 24 hours all in the 4-7 range happens less than once a month. 🙂 I feel satisfied if he's in range about two thirds of the time, and p'd off when we get a day less than 25% in range. Unless you lead a very routine life, always eating the same things at the same times, always doing the same activities, never stressed, never ill, etc., there are bound to be variations (and for us there is also the joy of growth hormones in the mix!).

Our approach has been to test his BG more frequently, so instead of just doing it before meals and at bedtime, he also checks mid morning, mid afternoon, and I check him a couple of times while he is sleeping at night. He also does extra checks before and after exercise. This helps us in two ways - firstly, you have the instant information, so that if his level is high, he can intervene and correct at that point in time, so that he will hopefully be back in range by the next meal. If his level is lower than ideal for that point in time, he can have a small snack to bring him up a little or set a reduced temp basal and prevent a hypo. By doing this, although we may catch BGs that are out of range, it means they don't stay out of range for as long as they would have.

Secondly, the data from these extra tests can be reviewed every few days to spot any trends, any times of day that need to be focussed on, any tweaking of bolus ratios or basals that may be needed.

Obviously if you're unhappy on the pump you have the choice to go back to MDI, but it's really a great tool if you persist with it 🙂. Have you read "Pumping Insulin" by John Walsh? It's quite helpful.....
 
Pretty much agree with everything Redkite says 🙂

I had a bit of a moan on here a week or two ago, but after a small basal tweak things are settling down a little. Though I know it won't stay like that for long.

I am trying not to be so hard on myself - one thing I have realised since being on the pump is that I am inclined to be much harder on myself for wobbly weeks. Perhaps because I have this high-tech gizmo and a part of me thinks that rock-steady BGs should be achievable?

Of course they aren't (for all the reasons redkite says) - life and D in general are just too unpredictable.

I think I gave myself more slack on MDI - but now I've glimpsed better periods of BG I want that more often. I completely recognise the weeks where it's one extreme or another though - very annoying!

Maybe you could 'eat boring' for a few weeks? When I'm trying to get to a more stable place it helps to eat exactly the same lunch and breakfast every day - that way some of the calculation errors are minimised.

Keep at it. You'll get there 🙂
 
If you think of it _ a pump is just another way of giving you insulin ! It is much easier with a pump & more precice. I wouldnt give mine back 😎
 
Marier said:
Hi Guys maybe bit of a daft question but not really sure how or what im trying to ask. here goes do you guys on pump find that you have days everyday , most days , occasional days even where you BG is not on target it either low or high you have nothing really inbetween or do you how often to you guys fine that with pump you are on target 4 times day breakfast,lunch ,dinner , supper ,


I am still having very big battle with this pump and iv reached the satge I feel I want to g back to MDI as nothing I do seems to work I very rarely have on target have 4 or 3 good BG results im mainly in the red :( iv done all basal test now last one done 4 weeks ago and was as steady as a rock basal rate been changed and tryd various ratio,s isf seems ok to what im eating on TDD. Sorry im mayb sounding a bit silly here and confusing you all with what iv just wrote Im just at end of my teather im back to Diabetes Nures who helps me on 12 th June and feel il want to give it once last chance
x
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Just remember Rome wasn't built in a day or even four months which is the length of time you have been on a pump.
Many people hit a rocky patch or two so don't give up. Take one day at a time and it will all fall into place.
Check your basals again as some people do not have a steady basal pattern, (Me included).
Then think about the delivery of your boluses if you are sure the basal is correct look next at carb ratios. Then look at the type of delivery for the meal eaten and the time of the bolus.
No one ever gets perfect results every day and all day. If they say they do then best present them with a bucket of salt.
You are not a machine so many variables come into play with the human body. Like every other mortal on this earth you are not perfect so why expect perfect results? 🙂
Chin up, things do get better.
 
Hi Marier,

Frustrating as it is - ask yourself how you would resolve these issues using MDI!😉 The pump is an amazing tool and will do what you programme it to do - but your body is human and doesnt play by the rules so dont be so hard on yourself. Alex (15) has now had his pump for nearly 4 years and we hated it for the first 2 months or so because it seemed alien to us. But now we wouldnt be without it as its the best way of delivering insulin in all situations in our opinion.

What it did for us what to force us to understand Alex's body in a way that we would never have done on MDI - which at the time was really annoying - but now we have 'passed' the test in terms of knowing his body and his sensitivities neither of us would turn back the clock.

Persevere and you will love it one day - just give yourself time and experiment and test so you know your body better than anyone.🙂Bev
 
Thanks Everyone 🙂

Don't feel so alone now I do feel I need to go back the way again unfortunately to rule mayb few things out like going back n testing basal as a starting point so If and when I get the oppurtunity I will re test basal . I tonight had Potato 15cp, 1 large 56 grm sausage 5cp , tomato, and liver for dinner total 20/21 cps BG WAS 5.8 🙂 and at 11 pm BG 13.9 now im sure my carbs were right.

pumper-sue can I ask what does delivery of bolus mean ??? and type of delivery does that mean normal / combo

God there are far to many cinarios to consider

thanx again
 
Marier said:
Thanks Everyone 🙂

Don't feel so alone now I do feel I need to go back the way again unfortunately to rule mayb few things out like going back n testing basal as a starting point so If and when I get the oppurtunity I will re test basal . I tonight had Potato 15cp, 1 large 56 grm sausage 5cp , tomato, and liver for dinner total 20/21 cps BG WAS 5.8 🙂 and at 11 pm BG 13.9 now im sure my carbs were right.

pumper-sue can I ask what does delivery of bolus mean ??? and type of delivery does that mean normal / combo

God there are far to many cinarios to consider

thanx again
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Hiya,
type/delivery and timeing all need to be looked at 🙂 Sausages for instance have a lot of protien and fat in them. Plenty of protien in the liver as well, so all that will hit your system quite a few hours after eating.


So look at extended boluses and combo bolus. Keep a diary of the different food types/meals and how you delivered the bolus, then you can see what has worked or hasn't as the case may be.

The easiest way when starting on a pump is keep meals plain and simple then be more adventurous once things start to fall into place.

We all get frustrated when things don't go right for what ever reason. My favourite saying is dump the pump. I still say this even after 5 years of pumping. Nothing is perfect but at the moment the pump is as near as it can be to a pocket pancreas.
Take small steps before you run and you will get there, it's not a race
 
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Pumper_Sue Thanks so you think that because I had a lot of protein in my T last night that's what caused 13.9 at 11 pm /???? Ok I understand about using combo only used combo for pasta and this week bran flakes for breakfast🙂 what I do find so difficult is what works one day doesn't work the nxt cause there so many combinations of what going ok
x
 
Marier said:
Pumper_Sue Thanks so you think that because I had a lot of protein in my T last night that's what caused 13.9 at 11 pm /???? Ok I understand about using combo only used combo for pasta and this week bran flakes for breakfast🙂 what I do find so difficult is what works one day doesn't work the nxt cause there so many combinations of what going ok
x
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Would suspect 99'9% that was your main problem.
I know if I eat a protien rich meal and don't remember to set an increase on basal or bolus I know all about it by the early hours of the morning and can still be higher than desired on getting up in the morning.
 
Gosh 🙂 Im amazed by that So what happened was 13.9 at 11 pm took correction and HYPO 2.40 AM BG 2.1 again im baffled im sure Diabetes team will be able to explaine when I go 12 th June but I am very interested in the mean time. didn't have anything to eat after my T last night.
Thanks Again
x
 
Thats what i love about a pump "if you dont want to eat you dont have to" 😎
 
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