Think I Need To Lower My Basal ...

[TheClockworkDodo]

Thanks, Mike, and sorry, that should have read "high-ish" rather than "really high", shouldn't it?! They are high for me, and for the first few years after I was diagnosed I used to mostly wake up to 4s and 5s, so I tend to think of an ideal waking reading as being in the non-diabetic range, which I think is 3.9-5.3, or thereabouts.

I prebolus about 30-40 minutes before breakfast, and I find if I leave it any longer I will tend to hypo during it, or occasionally even before I eat.

 

[Tracy Petty]

That's awful, Tracy - they should have given you the insulin well before you went home, with at least a basic introduction to how to use it!
Was the baffled nurse a diabetes specialist nurse at the hospital, or one at your surgery? If the latter, it's definitely a good idea to get in touch with the hospital asap and get yourself referred to a DSN - surgery nurses won't know very much about diabetes (even if they're the surgery diabetes nurse!), especially about type 1.

I have a hypo hangover today too so my basal will be going down again tonight. My waking readings tend to be really high (usually 7s and 8s, sometimes 9s or 10s) so I often dither between whether my basal should go up or down - but I suspect they're high at the moment because I'm hypo-ing in the night and my liver's panicking and dumping out a load of glucose into my system first thing.

And last week (my diabetes weeks start on Wednesday as that's the day I was discharged from hospital) was a 15 hypo week 😱 which feels like going back to the bad old days of Lantus - I only had 6 hypos the week before, and 3 and 4 respectively the two weeks before that, when I was stressed and ill - usually it's about 6-10 because I'm really sensitive to insulin 🙄

Yes it was a shock to the system Juliet !! But as we all do we have to live and learn, I think I’m doing well if my bloods are 12 and under I think I spent the first couple of years at about 25!!! Although a the time I was suffering a lot with my pancreas and being in pain was more noticeable than actually having diabetes I just didn’t get it lol. It was places like this and forums I was forever reading that I slowly. took stuff in. I actually had one diabetic nurse at a surgery tell me “don’t think you will stay this skinny when you start taking insulin” I think she thought I was doing it in purpose totally ignored the fact the when I ate my pancreas set off and I needed morphine hence I was so skinny anyway.... have a great day everyone !!! And may your sugars be “normal” lol x

 

[Sally W]

Thanks, Sally, and sorry, I keep meaning to pm you, but between my health and the hot weather and our neighbours noisily putting in a new patio I've been a bit frazzled for the last few weeks 😳

it’s fine Juliet and I’m sorry to learn about the neighbours work: as you know that would drive me mad too. But take care and catch up soon x

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

They are high for me, and for the first few years after I was diagnosed I used to mostly wake up to 4s and 5s, so I tend to think of an ideal waking reading as being in the non-diabetic range, which I think is 3.9-5.3, or thereabouts.

I prebolus about 30-40 minutes before breakfast, and I find if I leave it any longer I will tend to hypo during it, or occasionally even before I eat.

I would have aimed just the same until quite recently, but having worn sensors (especially Libre which don’t alert) I have seen that I can spend hours and hours below 4 overnight and wake up with no idea 😱

The most recent guidelines suggest waking BG is better if no lower than 5, as waking in the 4s is often associated with undetected overnight hypos.

You and me pre-bolus by the same amount! But more recently I’ve been experimenting with altering prebolus time based on waking BG. So if 5s or 6s 20 minutes seems to prevent possible dips into low BG, while if waking in the 10s or above 45 mins rather than my usual 30 seems better.

Good luck with your tweaking and basal reductions 🙂