what the heck is bolus??? is that something to do with the pump? i keep hearing this phrase that people have to adjust their bolus so im confused. i keep hearing alot of terms on here that im not sure of like bolus, lantis, cde...lol i need a cheat sheet.
"Bolus" is the fancy way of saying "taking insulin for food". :) It's called a bolus on our pump screens, and my old endo used to refer to it as that as well, so I tend to use the term frequently now. Lantus is a type of long-acting insulin. CDE stands for Certified Diabetes Educator.
You can always ask questions... or use my best friend, Google. :) You're not the only one. I didn't know what MDI (multiple daily injections) meant until I joined Juvenation, and I had already been diabetic for 23 years by then!
You know, having a "cheat sheet" for diabetic terms on this site might prove useful. Hmm. Gina?? :)
juvenation has enlightened me to all sorts of new, fancy terms. i feel so smart every time i leave here! haha :o)
and when it comes to understanding your d-care, there are no stupid questions!
Had to chime in. I was taught the only stupid question is the one not asked!!
Basically it's just a medical term, based on latin, that makes it faster to say that you are taking a bunch of insulin. I found this on the web: "In medicine, a bolus (from Latin '''', ball) is the administration of a medication, drug or other compound that is given to raise its concentration in blood to an effective level." It differes from "basal" because basal is a continuous amount and is kept at a stable level. I found this definition on wiki (not always my favorite site, but it works) "Basal when used in a medical sense refers to a minimal level that is necessary for health or life. As used by diabetics and health care professionals, it describes a low, continuous dosage of insulin (either as a basal rate from an insulin pump or a slow acting insulin injection) intended to "cover" the glucose output of the liver."
Never be afraid to ask about something you don't know. That's we're all here for.
Cora
The way I remeber bolus and basel is that
Basel is the base unit you take. the steady supply through the day should not change much day to day
Bolus is the bonus you take for eating the extra amount which varies from day to day
Even when we did insulin pen we called the lantus the basel dose and novolog the bolus dose. Thursday is our sons 1 yr d-day.
I learned a new one yesterday. Isig! Oh, and now I forget what it means. Something to do with the signal from the CGM, 'er Continuous Glucose Monitor. I was chatting with the Medtronic rep and he said it is an important term. Hmmmm? I think doctors use these terms because they have studied medicine so long they have to justify the time with a new, different vocabulary.
My observation, bolus and basal both start with "b", are 5 letters, three of which they share. Who's trying to confuse whom? It's a plot. Black helicopters and all!
I learned "euglycemia" this week. Never heard it before. It's a fancy word for "normal blood glucose", as in what a non-diabetic's numbers are, and what we'd ideally aim for. Roughly 75 - 165 and without sharp fluctuations. Wouldn't that be nice?