Since I discovered that Minimed added Mac compatibility to the Carelink website, I've been pretty religious about downloading my pump/ sensor data and looking at it carefully. I don't really think I'm too great at analyzing data, but it's pretty interesting to see patterns, etc.
The first time I had my graphs and charts I adjusted my overnight to AM basal and it immediately flattened out my levels and improved my morning blood glucose. It was a small tweak, but it made a noticeable difference. I think getting the basal correct is one of those major things that has a positive rippple effect. In reality, I didn't really add basal insulin, I just moved it from the afternoons to the morning and I fixed both a high trend in the AM and a regular dip into the hypos in the early afternoon. My overall basal actually went from 24 to 22.
Some stats:
Right now my average BG for the past month has been 136-139. I'm hoping to see that reflected in an at home A1C test in mid-November.
I'm currently taking 29 units of Novolog a day, with 22 units being basal and 7 in corrections and boluses.
I don't know if you're already aware of this, but the generally used formula for insulin needs says you are probably (not absolutely definitely) still making some insulin if you use less than .5 units/kg of body weight/day. And for 29 units of insulin to be .5/kg/day, you have to weigh less than 127.6 lb. Which I guess isn't that small.
ReplyDeleteI weigh 100 lb an use roughly thirty five units of insulin per day. Most of it is bolus insulin though; I take about 10 units of Lantus and 25 of Novolog per day.
Do you eat low carb or something?
Jonah,
ReplyDeleteI wasn't aware of that calculation of insulin per kg of body weight. I definitely don't weigh less than 127, for my height that would be underweight. I weigh 154 lbs. right now and, yes, I do eat low carb.
My insulin doesn't even really match up with my carbs, I eat very little carbs and bolus for "food"(meaning protein and fats), but it's still pretty small amounts. My average meal bolus is 1.5-2.5 units. Usually there is very little carb there, but I still bolus at that level because it works. Just getting stuff in my stomach seems to impact my blood sugar, so I bolus.
Thanks for your input.
As you know, I'm on Lantus rather than a pump. It is supposed to have a flat curve for 24 hours, but Dr. Reece told me it is not really flat, that it tapers off toward the end. I am going to try taking Lantus with dinner instead of breakfast and see if it carries through the dawn and morning better.
ReplyDeleteI think that there are a number of factors that impact the amount of insulin needed, i.e. insulin resistance. I am 140 lbs. (64 kilos) an average of 25 total units per day. However, I used to take a lot more when I was eating more carbs and before I changed to an anti-inflammatory diet.
ReplyDeleteHere's an interesting article on insulin resistance:
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-causes-insulin-resistance-part-i.html
I thought you'd enjoy it, Nathan, in light of the calorie restriction you've been thinking about.