Hello Donna
@Woodywoodpecker,
Others may suggest clearer ways forward. But my instinctive thought is a change from 6 to 5 units of Levermir is already a significant drop of some 17% and if you were to now go from 5 to 4 units that's a further 20% change. Have you tried to get a 1/2 unit pen for your Levermir which would be very appropriate for your existing small doses? I appreciate that such a change of pen will take days rather than being instant, but getting more controllable insulin supply is worth you making this a priority future step.
I found Levermir unsatisfactory and despite my (then) DSN's guidance for my 1st 12 months I never felt my BG was well managed, nor did my logbook readings reflect any stability. You might find a much longer profile basal, such as Tresiba, more helpful to you moving forward. I was over 70 when I had my pancreas removed; I was physically fit and active before and again now - but it would be fair to note that I had already stopped structured exercising such as going to a gym and working out. So I feel my basal needs are more stable now than when I was in my 40s, working irregular hours as the main bread winner and being run ragged trying to keep up with children coming into their teens. With a long duration basal I spent a few weeks optimising it for late evenings through to breakfast, then only needing to adjust my basal for the changes in seasonal weather. This has, for me, the huge advantage that I manage my BG without the additional variable of changing basal. I use food (carbs counted in), bolus insulin to mitigate those carbs and (of course) using exercise and general activity to further help my BG management.
At the very least it would help to see the bigger picture. Has your Time in Range (TIR) changed significantly with these recent higher readings? Have you also been adjusting your bolus arrangements? Are your bedtime drops happening after significant changes in daytime exercise and activity? What is your total daily insulin (ie basal and bolus)? The ratio of basal to bolus can be a useful indicator for BG management, not least because it can provide clues to how much natural insulin resistance you might have.
I know you are very new to this D malarkey, diagnosed last April (?) and it does take time to find a balance between time spent on BG management in relation to just getting on with your life! In his book "Think Like a Pancreas" the author Gary Scheiner astutely tells us that Diabetes is Complicated, Confusing and Contradictory. You are probably seeing and feeling each of those 3 Cs! Have you come across this book? I found it very useful and was about 9 months into my D management when I read it.