Corrections ~ what would you do?

[mum2westiesGill]

What would you do on waking at around 7am ish & level is high then you eat breakfast at around 9am. Would you not do the correction on waking & leave it until you eat breakfast?

 

[Northerner]

I hardly ever do corrections, I usually just add a little extra to my next meal dose - saves getting confused with insulin stacking 🙂 So I wouldn't correct, I would wait and include any correction required to my breakfast dose, unless the reading is very high, of course, where it would need more immediate action - in that case you'd need to think hard about why it was so high on waking 🙂

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Everyone is different Gill.

I would correct straight away so that the correction had time to take effect before I ate. That way there's a chance I would be closer to being in range at breakfast time and I would not get the problem of the BG rise from breakfast going on top of an already high BG.

I also find that if I don't have insulin straight after getting out of bed my levels start to rise even without eating ('feet hit the floor' phemomenon - a bit like dawn phenomenon). So I would definitely need to correct straight away or I'd be even higher when I ate breakfast.

 

[khskel]

....and just to prove everyone is different my levels tend to fall after getting up.
Whatever you do exercise caution.

 

[SB2015]

I would also correct, and my meter deals with any stacking as it includes that in the later calculation at breakfast.

I test when I get up, do correction if needed and also have a pause before breakfast to give me a chance to be back in range before lifting BG again by eating. If however I am low I just get up and have breakfast straight away, with a big treat of a tiny glass of cranberry juice if I am approaching hypo (Libre arrow vertical), to compensate for having had to get up a little earlier than usual.

 

[Northerner]

I suppose it's entirely hypothetical for me as I have never had to really consider it. When on lantus I would wake up low, when I stopped lantus I would wake up in range and still do. I have also, for the past 8 years out of the 9.5 I have been diagnosed, always injected as soon as I get up - I can then wait up to an hour before eating because the insulin won't really get to work until then. So, I'm very different to most people 🙂

 

[Greyhound Gal]

And to confirm everyone is different.... I wouldn't correct as waking readings can be higher due to liver dump and my levels then sometimes drop down. If I was still high before my breakfast, assuming I am testing 30 mins or so before I eat, I would then add extra insulin to my breakfast dose.

 

[Sally71]

For us I think it would depend how high. 10-11 ish I'd just leave it until breakfast. In the teens or higher I would correct straight away and then test again at breakfast time to make sure it was coming down. I'd also be looking for reasons why it was that high and be testing every day at the same time to see if a pattern was forming - if so, basal might need adjusting. If you have a Combo Pump or Expert meter it knows you've already done a correction and won't do another one at breakfast if not enough time has gone past.

 

[Radders]

Personally I would correct and borrow my breakfast bolus as well. That way my levels will be in range a bit sooner. But I have a pump, so it’s a bit easier for me.