hi everyone. since starting up my pump i have noticed that i need less daily insulin. it is only 5 units less, i take basically 25 units total a day. but it still feels great to see a decrease! i am wondering do any type 1 pumpers take less than 20 a day?
I was at about the same level as you - 25 a day (on my pump - I was more also on MDI). Recently I lowered my carbs to lose weight and I'm now under 20 a day.
I take between 10 and 12 u a day.
My Basal is now 20 a day, 4 years ago when I started the pump I was still in the Honeymoon stages and was well under 20 a day. If I ate the minimum now I could be at 20 or less in a day...but then what would I be living for?
Hi Andrea: My TDD (total daily dose) insulin requirement went down by about 20-25% when I went on the pump. I think that is pretty typical. My typical day TDD is now ~19-20 units Novolog.
thats great! how did you achieve such a low daily dosage. diet and exercise? and do you pump with novolog?
yes i have cut most carbs and that definitely helps. the only thing i cant avoid is blueberries..they are so refreshing in this hot yucky summer!
i pump with novolog too, i was using apidra but actually found that i need less with novolog. my endo told me there would be absolutely no difference but i definitely see the benefits. to me, with insulin, less is more!
According to my pump, I average about 17.5 units of Novolog per day eating just under 100 grams per day of carbs. I’m very close to 50% basal and 50% bolus which I used not to be when I ate more carbs.
I’ve had Type 1 for 35+ years so my low TDD is not due to a honeymoon period. I am female, fairly thin, and lead an active lifestyle. I am also post-menopausal which for me lowered insulin usage because I deal with fewer hormones than younger women.
I do believe that everyone needs to take the proper amount of insulin and that no one gives out gold medals for having the lowest TDD. I do think that lowering carb intake makes it easier to reduce some of the peaks and valleys of Type 1. But I still get highs and lows like those on higher insulin dosages because I’m extremely insulin sensitive and tiny insulin dosages and basals can have a huge effect on me just like large dosages do on other people.
I totally agree, Lathump, there is no award for the lowest TDD. We need what we need!
I think the most important thing is to figure out how much one needs. I think most of us were “over-insulinzed” for most of our years with Type 1 and many/most people still are. I look back at the lows I used to have on NPH or even pre-pump on Lantus and Humalog. Some of them were incredibly severe and I think I was at risk for severe lows every day. I do take less insulin now, not because my body has changed a lot, but because the pump, CGMS, and fewer carbs allow me to fine tune what I need. Although I still get lows, they’re definitely less severe because I have less insulin on board.
I am currently participating in a study on Type 1 and driving. Although I believe it is a very important subject, I find that the whole study and the online course I took assume that all of us are taking way too much insulin and need huge amounts of food to treat and prevent lows. It keeps giving me the advice to eat 15 grams of fast-acting carbs followed by a pack of peanut butter crackers. Back in my NPH days that was probably the right advice. But now there is no way that I can eat 6 peanut butter crackers without a bolus or drink a glass of skim milk. Mild lows often require one or two glucose tabs not a carby snack without a bolus. Except to treat lows, I can’t eat anything without a bolus. On NPH, I didn’t even bolus for lunch at all and still went low every afternoon.
But I know that the type of control that many of us at TuDiabetes have with pumps, CGMS, and just a lot of knowledge about our bodies and Type 1 definitely puts us in the small minority of Type 1 patients. Even the people here who really struggle with their diabetes are doing way better than most people who don’t even pay attention to their diabetes or know that it is possible to live with Type 1 and not go blind or lose limbs.
I use Novolog. I run at least 3x a week, play soccer 2hours atleast 2x a week, and I work out at the gym 3-4 days a week. I pretty much eat normal food whatever I want in moderation. No syrup, no regular pop, no caffine, no juice, no candy bars and no chips. Those are my rules lol.