My son is a t1d who was diagnosed at 2 years old. He is now 8 and we switched from shots to Ominpod about 2 1/2 weeks ago to try to get better control. The 1st 2 weeks were amazing - almost immediately he was in his target range most of the time. However the last few days his bg has started dropping within 30 min of a bolus & he keeps bottoming out. We haven’t changed his ratios since he started. It is almost like he is in a honeymoon phase again but he has had t1d for over 5 years. He hasn’t had any significant changes in exercise or diet. Obviously if it continues we will change his ratios but I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this.
@smpattee hi Shannon, Welcome to Type One Nation! For me, about once every 18 months I start to make insulin again and don’t need to bolus much or I’ll crash and have to correct, by eating carbs, for the total amount of carbs I bolused for in the first place. It lasts 2 to 10 days. I’ve been t1 for 40 years. I used to get upset… now it’s more like “pizza and beer time”!
let him eat, check frequently, and bolus if his sugar starts to rise. it’ll go back to whatever his normal was. Generally, the right amount of insulin keeps his blood sugar in range, zero, when it happens, is a good number too as long as he isn’t high.
Also and in general , pumping reduces the total amount of insulin by matching the programmed basal rate to what his body needs. people usually see at least a 5-10% reduction in insulin when they start pumping… and get the basal right. what you are seeing is more drastic. hang in there.
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Thanks for your response! It is good to know it’s not just him - and that less insulin overall with the pump is normal.
Hi Shannon @smpattee, I’ll also welcome you to this site and tell you that my experience with insulin needs fluctuating is very much like what @Joe describes.
I’ll also suggest that insulin delivery with a pump may be more efficient than injecting with both long-acting and short-acting insulin - the pump infused insulin is definitely better directed than injected insulin. Years ago when I got my first pump, after injecting insulin for 47 years, the only instruction the endocrinologist gave me for setting basal rates and bolus ratios was that my beginning daily total should be about 70% of the average daily total I was injecting.
My best advice for you is to be observant and make adjustments carefully and with knowledge - I strongly suggest that you use the data software provided by Insulet [I think it is called “*Glooko*”] and upload data frequently from your son’s pump and meter or CGM. Watch for patterns and trends.