Basal rate crap-shoot ... double roller-coaster ...
Argh. I need help, advice, etc. ... maybe just a place to vent. Despite my decent A1c levels, my BGs over the past few years have seemed all over the place. I was looking at the basal rates on my pump today and thinking, "Where do these numbers come from? Is there any logic here?" Answer: not much.
Any medical or paramedical support I've sought recently has, reasonably, pointed me in the direction of basal rate testing as a starting place. And I've tried. But how to make sense of any of that data when (and here's the big source of my frustration) my unpredictable monthly hormone shifts mean that any given basal pattern will be pretty much useless a few days later and not at all reliable one month after that? Exercise adds in a whole other set of complications.
I've read Walsh's Pumping Insulin, Colberg's Diabetic Athlete's Handbook, Bernstein's Diabetes Solution, and I've got Scheiner's Think Like a Pancreas on order. I've done camps and seminars and phone consultations. I'm hooked up to my CGM pretty much all the time. But I'm feeling like diabetes is controlling me, rather than vice versa.
Any suggestions or ideas for dealing with roller-coaster basal needs would be much appreciated! Thanks!
Any medical or paramedical support I've sought recently has, reasonably, pointed me in the direction of basal rate testing as a starting place. And I've tried. But how to make sense of any of that data when (and here's the big source of my frustration) my unpredictable monthly hormone shifts mean that any given basal pattern will be pretty much useless a few days later and not at all reliable one month after that? Exercise adds in a whole other set of complications.
I've read Walsh's Pumping Insulin, Colberg's Diabetic Athlete's Handbook, Bernstein's Diabetes Solution, and I've got Scheiner's Think Like a Pancreas on order. I've done camps and seminars and phone consultations. I'm hooked up to my CGM pretty much all the time. But I'm feeling like diabetes is controlling me, rather than vice versa.
Any suggestions or ideas for dealing with roller-coaster basal needs would be much appreciated! Thanks!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by FHS on -
I'm not familiar with using metformin so maybe input from people who do use it would help.
But, I think that if you add exercise into the equation, especially something as demanding as rowing, you might be asking for more problems than solutions by suppressing gluconeogenesis from the liver. Sure, random breakdown of glycogen from the liver when you don't need it can be problematic, but not having glycogen stores from the liver available when you do need them during exercise would be the suck, especially if you are not sure what the underlying causes of the rollar coaster BGs really are.
Again, being unfamiliar with the effect of metformin, does it suppress breakdown of glycogen from muscles as well as the liver?
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Permalink Reply by Heather on -
Yes ... without knowing the underlying causes of the swings (I suspect there's more than one), I'm hesitant to medicate ... and definitely don't want to be without glycogen when I need it!
Still, it's an interesting possible solution, Holger ... thanks for the additional details. I'm seeing my endo this week and will ask him what he thinks.
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Permalink Reply by nel on
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Heather, not necessarily any hints here, however I can commiserate .
I enjoyed dragon boating , participated in several festivals , including in Vancouver . I never mastered my insulin dose ...Alcan Festival numbers far too high to even think of exercising and here in my community low enough , that my fellow paddler, seated behind me noticed , that I had a LO . I gave up after 4 years , that's how I dealt with it ...my reasons were not monthly hormonal shifts, I think ...I was in my sixties .
I can locate , I think, Canadian Chris Jarvis, Olympic rower , marathoner , cyclist, insulin pumper , GCMS wearer 's e-mail address , if you like to chat with him as well about the exercise end of your concerns .He used to have a blog on Medtronic's website, however I tried that today and was unsuccessful in connecting .I'll keep tuning into this discussion .
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Permalink Reply by Holger Schmeken on -
Another idea: how long do you use your pump? Is it possible that you are experiencing absorbtion problems with the pump site (scar tissue and other skin changes)? Best way to find out is a pump vacation for some days or weeks (back to two shots of Levemir and Apidra/NovoRapid/Humalog).
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