Hi all, I need your help. Im using a Medtronic 640g pump and have been going very low for the past four mornings when I wake up, no idea why, lets just say this isn’t normal for me at all.
I’ve already adjusted my basal rates before I wake up in the morning, but my gut feeling is that I need to change the sensitivity ratio so that any correction given doesn’t drop me so low I can’t function. Do I need to put the ratio up or down, would welcome any advice on this, thanks, somehow I can never remember. Many thanks, Sally
Hi @Scrumpyjack65 the way you tell us to skip breakfast. If you are still going low it’s still basal. If your bs is good from the time you wale up until lunch then you start with the carb ratios.
The way Medtronic does it is the number in the pump are the number of carbs per unit. Mine is set to grams carbohydrate. So when I see 10 that’s 1 unit per 10 grams carbs. If I need less insulin per gram I would put in a bigger number. Say 12. That’s 1 unit per 12 grams carbs. None of this matters if your basal rate is off. Cheers good luck.
Hi @joe, thanks for your response… unfortunately I hadn’t even got to breakfast to be honest before it went low but did give a dose at 03.30am as my levels were high which is why Im thinking its the sensitivity rate not the basal. But maybe not! I have the carb setting separately, currently set to 14. I cant understand why my basal rate would be off its been fine for months, but thats the challenge of living with Type 1 … hey ho … another day today, hoping for better things tomorrow.
@Scrumpyjack65 I am guilty of being tired this morning. Sensitivity in Medtronic is the amount your bs will drop per unit. A sensitivity of 32 means you drop 32 mg/dl per unit. So the bigger that number is the less insulin you will get (if you are using bolus wizard)
3am to morning are the tough hours overnight basal is probably the trickiest. Sorry if I made confusion.
HI, @joe, I appreciate your swift response considering its some ungodly hour with you in the US. Its the afternoon here in the UK and often forget the US timescales. Yes Im using the bolus wizard, ok will up the figures and hope for better success tomorrow morning. I would agree though that the midnight to 3am are the tougher hours, but I just put on a temporary basal overnight and it seems to work fine. I appreciate your response, thanks.
Hi @joe, btw, it seems you were right, basal levels not right as I dropped again this morning. Hey ho …I thought I had dropped enough previously, clearly not …Im off for a few weeks from work and whats interesting is that I need less insulin by not going to work … hey I could get used to this. Of course back to reality of course I’ll be working again soon … it will be a good brief holiday.
mmmm me too. work stresses me out and that stress increases my insulin resistance. enjoy your holiday and I hope you have a nice easy re-entry back to work. (I’ve been off for 3 weeks now. There’s a pile waiting for me!