What time should my morning basal test start from?

[mum2westiesGill]

What time should my morning basal test start from?
19:15pm - teatime test last night and also last bolus injection
23:18pm - bedtime test last night
7:53am - waking test this morning and basal insulin taken
9am - 9:30am ish is my usual breakfast time

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I always felt that basal tests started giving helpful information from about 5hrs after I last ate carbs and/dosed any fast acting insulin.

So skipping breakfast meant I could see what was going on overnight and then through the morning.

 

[mum2westiesGill]

I always felt that basal tests started giving helpful information from about 5hrs after I last ate carbs and/dosed any fast acting insulin.

So skipping breakfast meant I could see what was going on overnight and then through the morning.

So should I have started my morning skipping breakfast from bedtime last night?

Then
For the afternoon/skipping lunch that would start 4-5 hours after breakfast

Evening/skip tea and start test 4-5 hours after lunch

Overnight/skip any evening or bedtime snacks and start test 4-5 hours after tea

 

[rebrascora]

So should I have started my morning skipping breakfast from bedtime last night?

No, because you had 2 rich tea biscuits at bedtime. I guess you could have started your basal testing 4 hours after that and set an alarm for through the night and done half the night and through the morning.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Use the timings that make the mose sense to you I guess?

Start looking at the information from any time block 4 hours after you last ate (or had insulin). Then don’t eat or dose for a further 4-5 hours - or whatever works for you!

I’m aware you usually have breakfast quite late, so I think you may have to eat breakfast a little earlier, or just adjust the timings of the ‘blocks’.

Really you are only trying to break the day down into manageable chunks so that you can check the full 24 hours over a few days, but the exact timing doesn’t really matter I guess?

 

[Lucyr]

You need to start the test from whenever your overnight test ended. If you haven’t done the overnight test yet then start when convenient.

So if breakfast is usually at 9 but you were up at 7, just test and start it at 7. Then when you do the overnight test you only have to do it till 7

 

[mum2westiesGill]

Use the timings that make the mose sense to you I guess?

Start looking at the information from any time block 4 hours after you last ate (or had insulin). Then don’t eat or dose for a further 4-5 hours - or whatever works for you!

I’m aware you usually have breakfast quite late, so I think you may have to eat breakfast a little earlier, or just adjust the timings of the ‘blocks’.

So have breakfast a bit earlier when I do the overnight test?

Really you are only trying to break the day down into manageable chunks so that you can check the full 24 hours over a few days, but the exact timing doesn’t really matter I guess?

 

[mum2westiesGill]

You need to start the test from whenever your overnight test ended.

Which test is this for?

If you haven’t done the overnight test yet then start when convenient.

The overnight test would start 4-5 hours after whatever time I have tea and bolus and would continue for a further 4-5 hours.

So if breakfast is usually at 9 but you were up at 7, just test and start it at 7.

Which test would I need to start at 7?

Then when you do the overnight test you only have to do it till 7

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

So have breakfast a bit earlier when I do the overnight test?

No, I thinking about when you are planning to do the lunchtime slot. Because you need to wait until 4-5 hours after your last food and bolus insulin. So if you are eating breakfast mid-morning, then a standard 12.30-1.30 lunch would be when you still have the tail end of your breakfast dose active

A basal test is supposed to be when only your basal insulin is active - so it’s best to wait until the previous meal/bolus will have finished acting 🙂

 

[mum2westiesGill]

No, I thinking about when you are planning to do the lunchtime slot. Because you need to wait until 4-5 hours after your last food and bolus insulin. So if you are eating breakfast mid-morning, then a standard 12.30-1.30 lunch would be when you still have the tail end of your breakfast dose active

A basal test is supposed to be when only your basal insulin is active - so it’s best to wait until the previous meal/bolus will have finished acting 🙂

I've injected my bolus at 9:20am this morning and eaten.
I get home from work around 1:30pm ish

 

[Lucyr]

Your overnight test will last until first thing in the morning Gill. So your morning basal test should start from first thing in the morning. Because you need to cover all 24 hours with the testing.Your afternoon test will start at least 4 hours after breakfast.

 

[mum2westiesGill]

Your overnight test will last until first thing in the morning Gill. So your morning basal test should start from first thing in the morning.

So you would have your tea then start the overnight test 4-5 hours after tea and test overnight until first thing in the morning then have breakfast?

Because you need to cover all 24 hours with the testing.Your afternoon test will start at least 4 hours after breakfast.

I was going to cover the 24 hours on different days so miss breakfast on day one then miss lunch on day 2 etc

 

[Lucyr]

So you would have your tea then start the overnight test 4-5 hours after tea and test overnight until first thing in the morning then have breakfast?



I was going to cover the 24 hours on different days so miss breakfast on day one then miss lunch on day 2 etc

Yes you do it on different days sorry thought that was obvious because of saying start 4 hrs after breakfast. If you’ve had breakfast you haven’t done a morning basal test that day.

 

[mum2westiesGill]

Yes you do it on different days sorry thought that was obvious because of saying start 4 hrs after breakfast. If you’ve had breakfast you haven’t done a morning basal test that day.

Thanks! Yesterday I didn't have breakfast ie morning basal test but I should've started the test 4-5 hours after tea for that test.
I've had breakfast today so I will start my afternoon basal test 4-5 hours later - I miss lunch for the afternoon basal test don't I?

 

[rebrascora]

but I should've started the test 4-5 hours after tea for that test.

Actually you couldn't have started that test then because you had rich tea biscuits at bedtime because your levels were in the 5s if I remember correctly and the chances are that if you hadn't had those biscuits you would have hypoed through the night and had to abandon the test anyway, so what you did was correct.
People CAN incorporate the night time basal test with the morning test if their levels at bedtime are safe to start the test but I don't think yours would have been on that night.
You did fine yesterday with the morning basal test.
When you come to do the overnight test, I think it would be wise to bear that in mind that you need to start it on a reasonable BG level.... not too low or too high.... by low I mean below 7 or 8 as your levels usually drop but not above 10 so in your situation I would not start the overnight test unless your levels are between 7 and 10.
Tresiba usually involves making carb adjustments at different times of day because it is less flexible and you have to take that into consideration when you are trying to find the best fit dose to cover the full 24 hours. It is unlikely you would get a perfect fit.

 

[mum2westiesGill]

Actually you couldn't have started that test then because you had rich tea biscuits at bedtime because your levels were in the 5s if I remember correctly and the chances are that if you hadn't had those biscuits you would have hypoed through the night and had to abandon the test anyway, so what you did was correct.

Great!

People CAN incorporate the night time basal test with the morning test if their levels at bedtime are safe to start the test but I don't think yours would have been on that night.

If you didn't want to incorporate the night time basal test with the morning test would you start the night time basal test 4-5 hours after tea then if all levels stay stable finish the test at breakfast and have breakfast?

You did fine yesterday with the morning basal test.

Thanks

When you come to do the overnight test, I think it would be wise to bear that in mind that you need to start it on a reasonable BG level.... not too low or too high.... by low I mean below 7 or 8 as your levels usually drop but not above 10 so in your situation I would not start the overnight test unless your levels are between 7 and 10.

Thanks

Tresiba usually involves making carb adjustments at different times of day because it is less flexible and you have to take that into consideration when you are trying to find the best fit dose to cover the full 24 hours. It is unlikely you would get a perfect fit.

Maybe I would be better on Levemir but I don't know

 

[rebrascora]

If you didn't want to incorporate the night time basal test with the morning test would you start the night time basal test 4-5 hours after tea then if all levels stay stable finish the test at breakfast and have breakfast?

Yes, you could just start the test at bedtime and finish it in the morning and then have breakfast.

Maybe I would be better on Levemir but I don't know

The thing with Levemir is that it needs much more thought and adjustment and I am not sure you would manage that. You do 2 injections with Levemir instead of 1 with Tresiba and you then need to decide if one or both need adjusting and also perhaps when to take them, so it can become a lot more complicated. You seem to be quite happy to regularly eat biscuits at bedtime to stabile your overnight levels with Tresiba and that is fine but I would not be as that would be a slippery slope back to disordered eating for me. I can adjust the Levemir so that I very rarely need carbs at bedtime but I have to think quite hard about my doses almost every night. I am not sure you would cope with that so the Tresiba might be the best option for you.