Hospital time today. Have to go every 2 weeks for the time being until I get all my ratios right and the right bolus rate too. The first one was really useful as I had little things I was unsure of and needed to get straight in my mind and I filled the hour appointment up with 5 minutes to spare. They never changed anything the first time even though there was a clear sign my bloods were rising every day before dinner and then dropping at tea. I wanted to do something then but they told me to leave it. So I did.
I went back today and I was literally there for 15 minutes! What a waste of time! I missed a tutorial at UNI to be told that I was doing great and to carry on with what I was doing. I didnt expect there appointments to be so relaxed; before I got the pump they told me there would be intense contact with the hospital for 22 weeks but so far I havent witnessed the "intensitity. I was a bit miffed really; my bloods are still rising at dinner time and I think that I need to change the ratio at breakfast time to correct this but my DSN has told me not to change anything myself. Highly annoying!
Hi. It seems crazy to me that your DSN won't let you change basal rates yourself. Are you expected to go to the hospital every time you need to make a change? Surely the point of being on the pump is to help you manage your diabetes successfully and independently.
ReplyDeleteIf there's a definite pattern of BG rising at certain times (and you've done fasting tests?) then you should be looking to tweak your basal rates about 3-4 hours before the rise. My DSN is happy for me to make these adjustments as she trusts me to know what's best for me!
I'd suggest doing fasting tests where you eat nothing between 10 - 4 or 2 - 8 (delaying either lunch or evening meal) and testing BG every 2 hours. This is pretty difficult if, like me, you enjoy your food! This will tell you if the basal levels are correct - if they're not, you'll see the rise despite eating nothing and then you could make the adjustment accordingly.
Sounds like you're getting on well with the pump - I've been pumping for 1.5 years now and love it..I'd never go back to injections! Good luck