Well I have a question for the pump users…I just went to my endocrine and I am so frustrated by the visit when I should be excited…my last a1c was 12.8 and I had it done today and it was down to a 9.8!!! But all he did was yell at me because I had “to many bouluses” with my pump!!! I do it everytime I put something in my mouth…I put what I am eating and my bg and if it needs to bolus then it does it! Is there such thing as “to many boluses”??? How many boluses do any of you have with in a day???
As many as it takes. I also take a bolus everytime something goes in my mouth. Sometimes that’s 3 or 4 times a day, sometimes that’s 9 or 10 times a day if I’m hormonal and have the munchies. Some of those boluses may be less than one unit. My way of thinking is that if a nondiabetic person eats anything, their pancreas “boluses” them, I do the same thing with my pump. My A1C runs 5.7 to 5.8, so obviously it’s working. Now, on the down side, I will say that on the days where I bolus 9 or 10 times, my sugars are not as stable. Because the insulin we get through our pump has a little lag time before it kicks in, frequent snacks can add up to higher average sugars for that day. But I don’t do that all that often and, again, look at my A1Cs.
I’m currently on injections, but will also bolus when I take in extra carbs (whether that’s the standard 3x day or 2 or 5). One thing I can think of to be concerned with is stacking insulin (adding more on top of what’s already there). However, I think that is used more when doing corrections since you don’t want to overcorrect. If you’re able lower your A1C like that without crashing all the time, then it looks like your method of bolusing is working.
Congrats on lowering your HbA1C too
I agree with the as many as it takes. I don’t snack in between meals much, but I do have gastroparesis and I never know when my food will digest. Even when I was on MDI, I did on average 3 shots per meal and I haven’t changed that with the pump. You need to do whatever it takes. Just because someone else can do it on 3 boluses a day doesn’t mean that you can.
Congratulations on the big drop in your A1c!
Another one for as many as it takes. I go anywhere from 5-20, depending on how much I’m eating and other variables. I’m pretty aggressive about issuing correction boluses throughout the day, and some days require more tweaking than others.
I bolus every time that I put something in my mouth or my glucose levels are over 140. I would find another doctor. My endo always makes me feel good no matter how bad I feel before walking in her door. She is awesome. She is worth her weight in gold.