Both my son and I are T1’s, my son being 16 and myself being 42. The past 6 weeks my son’s sugar control has shifted and I am not sure why. We have done basal testing and his sugar control stays within +/- 30 points but for some reason his IC do not work. We are talking about large amounts of insulin required to lower his BG levels. He was a 1:20 and now we are trying 1:15 but that still doesn’t seem to work. If his insulin requirements change wouldn’t you think there would be a change to his basal rates also. His BG has been in the 200’s lately and trying to get the BG to level off at 120 is a problem. Any suggestions?
If you live in a part of the U.S. where there is a noticeable weather change when the seasons change, that could be one reason for the sugar control shifting. I live in IL and when Winter changes into Spring, I have a whole new set of basal rates for my pump and also a different set of I:C ratios. Not all diabetic people have this change, but some of us do. I had to do a lot of experimenting to find the basal rate that was right for me. If you change his basal rates, be sure to do it a little at a time, wait for 3 days to see if your change is making any difference. If not, you may want to consider changing a little bit more. Do either you or your son see an Endocrinologist? They can offer medical advice, where I can only give you what worked for me. Best of luck to you both.
Your endocrinologist is the only one to talk to about this. His basal rates may have to change but he probably needs to be monitored until it gets stable again. His body is also changing regarding hormones, muscle growth and his diet may be increasing. There are many factors involved, that’s why I think it’s important to let a professional handle the changes. Good Luck.
I agree 100% with Janet…this is a job for an Endo. Especially with your sons age…could have alot to do with permanent change his body is going through, and also the weather changes. I know my basal can change as much as a whole .5 of a unit with the change from spring to fall to summer, etc. also, are you both using the same insulin vial? Just to be sure there is no problem with expired or “bad” insulin (I never realized what a huge problem this could be until recently, when I was haveing extreme problms keeping my bg’s below 200 and my endo suggested that I try a new vial…instant success!) Peace, man!
My total daily basal rate amount has never equalled my total daily bolus needs. They say it’s supposed to be a 60/40 or a 50/50 ratio, but mine has always been more of a 70/30. Plus, he’s 16. Hormones are going crazy! So it’s time for his basals or bolus amounts to get a little wacky. If you’ve done the basal testing and everything seems ok there, I would keep trying the ratio combinations. Most kids are down to around a 1:8-1:12 ratio by then (from what I’ve seen), so maybe keep working your way down by 1 (1:15, 1:14, 1:13) and eat the same thing for each meal. I know it sucks, but it’s the easiest way to figure it out quickly.
Did it help any going from the 1:20 to 1:15 or is he still rising about the same amount? Are you accurately counting carbs (no, i’m not trying to slap you on your wrist or your son, but that is absolutely essential with IC ratio testing)? Are you sure he’s not going for seconds or maybe sneaking a little bit? I’m not trying to make you mad, and I’m sorry if I’ve offended you, just trying to think of any possible scenario that could be going on here.
And I’m sure if his insulin to carb ratios have changed, his correction factors would probably change a bit too.
Like everyone else has said, your endocrinologist would be the best person to ask, but I understand that it helps to talk to other diabetics and get their opinions too. 
Keep us updated.
My 17 year old son has a 1:10 IC ratio for breakfast and 1:12 for lunch and dinner. Usually, for him, it is the basal rates that change but occasionally it is the IC. When doing basal testing and are at the day time part of the testing we try very hard to not let the meal/time of day we are testing have any carbs. That has made it much simpler and more accurate. Although my son misses the carbs at that meal time for the days we are doing the test. My son is quite active so I can’t always manage to keep a meal carb-less (I usually test night for 3 nights, breakfast for 3 days, lunch for 3 days, and the dinner/evening for 3 days) That is just the testing part. When we make changes I like to watch those for a few days to see if they seem “right” (I hate to use that word). If they are, then I move on to the next part of the day for basal testing.
Just a quick thought. I was on the Minimed 722 for years and I have terrible control with that in my abdomen, probably due to scar tissue. When I put in the Omnipod and moved to my triceps I had a SIGNIFICANTLY better time with insulin resistance…