I have been asked by my endo to do the lovely basal testing again. I have been pumping for almost 9 years, so I have done it before. While I don’t mind doing it, she wants me to do it on a “typical day”. Since I teach full-time and am taking classes part-time, I do not have a typical day. There is no such thing at this point… maybe after I take my final next weekend. How necessary is the “typical” day part?
Thanks!
Your typical day is not Sunday as you are not exercising the same as you do at your job.
Your typical day is Monday-Friday when you’re teaching full time. If you shop/exercise/on your feet differently on Saturday, it isn’t Saturday either!
Thanks! Actually, even when I’m teaching I don’t have a consistent day as we have 2 different sets of classes. One makes my numbers go insane… the other, things stay nice and steady… I think I’m going to wind up on 2 different basal patterns…
Any 4-6 hour time slot w/o food or background insulin will work. Be aware that any adjustments you make to your basal will not take full affect until 36-72 hours, so don’t over adjust. Although your endo has a medical license, the information provide that you describe is not an appropriate way to advise someone on calculating basal dosages.
You may want to have a work day basal pattern and a weekend pattern if your work days are drastically different from your weekend days.
The books, Think like a pancreas…" and “Pumping Insulin” are both good reads for learning how to make basal adjustments.
Emily, I have never been able to basal testing while working at school. I only do it on weekends. I understand so much about no day being “typical” when you work at a school with young people
I do have qualms about testing that much at school.There is no spoken nor unspoken nor written policy about blood glucose testing of diabetic employees in front of students. I do not think we are supposed to do it. I was told something about blood-borne pathogens and that the Type one kids have to test in the nurses office, away from others. No formal blood glucose testing policy for employees. I wrote up one for me, after I dropped a lancet during a low testing and “got caught”, as an adult co-worker picked it up and got jabbed. I had to cover myself legally, so I generally do not test in front of students and always keep my supplies and used lancets in a separate container now. I do not reuse the same lancet more than two times. It hurts when it is dull.
All of the diabetic employees that I know are type 2’s I have never seen them test their blood glucose not talk about it, so I do not know when nor where they do it.The one type one coach./physical ed teacher has retired. He used the inhaled insulin, and I never saw him test either. Maybe they are just more “private” than I am and slink away unnoticed to do it(?)
So When and where do I test in a public school? It just depends. If I am feeling low, of course I test. I have told all my students and explained to them what I must do. I test in front of adults at will. I guess I just have never taken the time and effort and to test every hour on the hour for the morning basal on three consecutive days, then wait a week and do the afternoon. I do not multi-task as well as I used too, and when I am working with the kids, I am thinking about them and their responses.
Do tell me how you manage to do it, as I MUST redo my basals, and I am not looking forward to it .I do know that the outcome of a correctly set basal rate is overwhemingly positive . I just wish I did not have to do it and work with kids at the same time.
I do have three different basal rates, one for everyday, one for weekends, and one for “sick/stress” days. I got to them by much trial and error and estimating. I had to do a "guesstimated "redo of them after I took the steroids this October. I did not follow the hourly testing; just looked at the CGM. Did not do it as formally described with the fasting and hourly testing / logging: Just could not imagine HOW do do it AND work with the kids.
God Bless,
Brunetta
Brunetta, have you tried the accu check multi clix? It hides the sharps in plastic and has a 6 sharp barrel, this is the one our school recommends for kids with D that test in the classroom.
https://www.accu-chek.com/us/lancing-devices/multiclix.html
I find it to be very comfortable, and it helped me prove the point that my kids could test in the classroom and no one would need to deal with sharps, and a labeled red sharps container handled the used test strips, and now that they are in college and middle school, a small ziplock bag is where used test strips go so there is no danger of leaving a “bio-hazard” behind. I’m kind of surprized your district has never been challenged on the test in the nurses office policy, I understand for younger kids, but for older kids, that class time they miss hurts.
The avia meter typically costs less than buying the lancet device by itself, I get them and donate the meters, but hold onto the lancet device.
Thanks, Jacky. I will check out the Avia meter and lancet duo. By the way, I do not thinkj that any parent in my large urban district knows they can challoenge the test in the nurses office rule. I hav4 experenced elementary kids who came to the nurses office for testing, and have seen the older ( middle and high schook kids) do it that as well They kind of want to get out of class to do it. Howeveer, I see no rreason why a 15 or 16 yearold cannot have their supplies with them, but I have never seen it done in my district. not in my 31 years of employment.
God Bless,
Brunetta
Answer…test when needed no mater where or what is happing. To not allow you to do that in the school is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and is clear discrimination. Does the school ban seeing eye dogs, wheelchairs, hearing aids or bar people with walkers from others to not disrupt the school? If so, it is lawyer time!
I actually think a typical day is a usual day. If your basal is perfectly set for a day off, then when you're more active at school you'll have to adjust it down anyway.
Maurie
Both of my diabetic "kids" actually carry meters and syringes (both are on MDI) with them... I tend to test in my desk drawer so most of the time the kids (and I teach high school juniors and seniors) don't even notice. Yeah, no typical day... and this week the stress has me eating everything in sight (unlike last week's 300s)...
I do test when I need to... my issue is finding a "typical" day to do the basal testing... I teach 3 extremely tough, remedial classes one day and then my other day is a group of honors students... add to that that I'm spending Saturdays in class (well, not after tomorrow's final!) and everythign else going on... makes it difficult.
I know about the stress of blood sugar swings and no typical days. Like today we had an imprompotu "fire drill" and I had to move quickly up and down stairs to help with kids and coats and closing doors and rushing to get every body, including our special ed kids, and the third graders with a substitute teacher, safely and qucikly out. It was orderly, but quick , quick quick,. Felt low, did not have time to test during this rush, so I grabbed some caramel covered poppcorn from the teacher;s lounge on the way back uo the stairs at the end of the drill... I know I recovered, then spiked...That happned on a so-called "typical" day for me... I "feel ya", Emily....
God bless,
Brunetta.