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Alert: Product and Recall NoticesTackling The Unexpected
In my last post I talked about using my pump’s Dual Wave Bolus feature to tackle foods that are rough on my blood sugar. But the Dual Wave isn’t the only feature on my pump that helps with my blood sugar management. I also make use of the Temp Basal function to try to cut down on highs and lows.
When I was on multiple daily injections I sometimes found the inflexibility of my long-acting insulin tough. My endo had recommended reducing my 24-hour dose a bit if I knew I’d be having an unusually active day. But in life things are often spontaneous. A day of hiking can be ruined by an unexpected storm. A quiet day can quickly become anything but. Now that I’m pumping I appreciate having more flexibility for unplanned activities. By setting a Temp Basal rate, I can turn my basal up or down by a certain percentage in half hour increments for as little as thirty minutes or for as long as 24 hours. Why might I do this?
I might set a higher temp basal when:
- I’m sick and it’s causing my blood sugar to soar.
- Hormonal changes are making my blood sugar high.
- I’m at a party and grazing on snacks throughout the evening.
- I’ve eaten a meal that makes me spike long after my Dual Wave finishes (Mexican food does this to me every time).
- I just have a very high sugar that won’t budge down.
There are also times setting a lower Temp Basal helps me avoid hypoglycemic episodes, such as:
- When I’m doing aerobic exercise.
- When hormonal changes are making my blood sugar low. (Yup, depending on the time of month, hormones may spike me or make me drop.)
- When it’s time for bed and I’m not quite low enough to need a snack, but I can see my blood sugar is trending down.
- When I’m going out shopping. Trips to the grocery store or to Target tend to bring on lows every time.
Of course, as with my Dual Wave Boluses, the Temp Basal settings took several discussions with my doctor and some trial and error. And there are times when I still end up too high or too low. But usually they help me stay closer to the range I’m aiming for, and that lets me enjoy my day even more!
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
– Medtronic Diabetes insulin infusion pumps, continuous glucose monitoring systems and associated components are limited to sale by or on the order of a physician and should only be used under the direction of a healthcare professional familiar with the risks associated with the use of these systems.
– Successful operation of the insulin infusion pumps and/or continuous glucose monitoring systems requires adequate vision and hearing to recognize alerts and alarms.
Medtronic Diabetes Insulin Infusion Pumps
– Insulin pump therapy is not recommended for individuals who are unable or unwilling to perform a minimum of four blood glucose tests per day.
– Insulin pumps use rapid-acting insulin. If your insulin delivery is interrupted for any reason, you must be prepared to replace the missed insulin immediately.
Please visit MedtronicDiabetes.com/isi for complete safety information.
Tags: insulin pump, temp basal
About Author
Editorial Team
LOOP Blog Editorial TeamAt Medtronic Diabetes our vision is to transform diabetes care together for greater freedom and better health. Each word in that statement is important – including the one “together”. We’re a group of passionate people working hard to make a big positive impact on the lives of those with diabetes. But we can’t do it alone. Collaboration is key. With healthcare providers, academic institutions, non-profits and other companies. And, most importantly, with you – the people who live with diabetes every day.
Karen I too am a long time veteran of Juvenile Diabetes. I was diagnosed at age 11 in 1974. I have seen sooooo many changes to try to make our lives better as you have. Test tubes, fizzy tablets and those awful strips we had to urinate on. I have had my insulin pump since 2006 and it has been the best change I have ever done. My A1C has been great! However I am falling into a problem which is running out of sights wear insulin absorbency is not a problem. Any suggestions?
The major reason that I pushed to get on an insulin pump was to get away from having to fight lows all day or having to add correction to every bolus because of hard to lower high blood sugars from something as simple as a virus, or an infection. Thanks for the blog posting.
Your comment about shopping trips sometimes causing lows is much appreciated! I told my endo about this happening and she insisted that “normal” activities should not cause lows unless My basal was wrong. So reading your comment wil help me to make adjustments when shopping. I guess to her, normal shopping may mean picking up a few items, not shopping once weekly for a family, pushing a fully loaded carriage, loading a truck, unloading, flights of steps, not to mention putting all the stuff away. Thank you!
People might think I’m crazy, but I love being diabetic. It has given me a close relationship with my body. I know my hormonal cycle down to the meal… 😀 Basals up for sickness, for hormonal swings, for stress.
Today, I’ve been sick for 11 days with a cold. A cold, a nasty virus that has no rememdy but time. Without that temp basal, I’d have spent the last week with sugars well over 180, continually correcting with each bolus. Not any more. With the CGMS, fingersticks, and the temporary basal options, now I only feel sick for one reason, not two.
Great article, Karen. Thanks for sharing.