I’m a OmniPod user- 2 months on it–
Does anyone check BGs AFTER meals before the 2-hr window?
If so, would you correct a high BG whithin the 2hr window after a meal?
You certainly can check your BG before the 2 hour mark, but be careful about correcting that soon. Your meal bolus is still active for 3 - 4 hours after you gave the dose. Adding another bolus before the first one is used can cause big problem lows. I personally do not correct after a meals until at least 2.5 - 3 hours after.
It’s rare that I would try to correct a high BG within two hours of delivering a meal bolus. If the number was higher than normal, say 200+, I may consider giving a corrective dose. The problem with doing that however, is that you have to take into account how long your meal insulin has yet to work. This is the “insulin on board” number or IOB that’s helpful to take into account in order to avoid taking too much insulin.
If I’ve had a trend of going high after dinner, let’s say, and I know from experience that my post dinner BGs cross 200 within 90 minutes post-dinner and then head to 300 if left untreated then I may deliver a couple of units to pre-empt that high. I may do that even if my IOB at 90 minutes is technically enough to bring the high down.
If this scenario becomes a trend then what you really need to do is look at your insulin to carb ratio (I:C) for that meal and deliver more insulin. Or you may need to adjust your basal rates. The best thing to do is to keep a written log and test often. That way you can learn what does and doesn’t work for you. As many on this board suggest, you can learn a lot about these techniques from books like John Walsh’s Pumping Insulin.
If I give extra insulin that “violates” my IOB then I always keep a close watch on my BGs to avoid any epic lows!
Keeping a close watch on your BGs may seem too much of a bother or you might think its obsessive. I’ve found it’s counter-intuitive though. Occasional periods of careful observation often pays dividends of more freedom down the road.
Sometimes I check. I will correct, but I will usually check it like a half hour later, and consider the insulin on board, when the carbs will peak, and how fast I am falling or rising.
I am not sure it differs with a pump, but for me approx the following amount of humalog is left after injection:
1 hour 90%
1.5 hours 50%
2 hours 30%
3 hours 10%
My BG was 235 3 hours after dinner tonight. I wasn’t sure what to do but when I checked at bedtime it was down to 101. Not sure how to handle that.
Hi my diabetic baby!!!
BS or BG of 235 is not good. Since I really don’t know your history and hesitant to give firm advice. But the BS needs to be lower than that. What medications are you on and when did your doctor tell you to take them? How are you suppose to take them? Because you are a baby there will be a learning curve with meds and meal planning to see how your body reacts. What did you eat? All foods are going to cause a spike in your BS but with meds it can be controlled. Did you eat a bunch of carbohydrates (bread, pastas, gravy, rice,stuffing, mayo). Look for items with a low glycemic index. Google Diabetic Diets…These are not written in stone but it will give you an idea of what to each and how to cook for yourself.
Please keep testing so you doctor (hopefully and Endo) can formulate a plan on when to take your meds as per your meal schedule. Have you seen a Diabetic Educator or a Nutrionist? I want you to start a diabetic support team for yourself !!!
PLEASE start educating yourself on your diabetes. Learn what are the myths and what is normal BS. Again if you are feeling depressed or wants some advice…just HOLLA.
thanks tom for your reply.
Terry thanks so much for taking the time on replying. I’ll buy the book & keep your suggestions handy.
Thanks Dave- have you used a CGM? I’m thinking about getting Descom… I also test lots of times, so it might be worth it…
I wish my highs will slide down as fast… If I don’t take insulin, it’ll be high for a long time…
thanks Tanya for replying. The pump tells you how much is left, but it you’re high I wsn’t sure if I correct considering what’s left… it seems like that’s the way to go. still need to ask my endo how to go about it…
Thanks Christalyn fo replying. Yes, my endo keeps my settings & lets me know how to adjust, but I can’t get her all the time or takes her days to get back to me. I was wondering how to treat very highs low before the 2 hr window… but you make a really good point & it’s the glycemic index. I have to learn more on that, but since it’s my baby, it’s hard for us ttrying to find what he would eat… thanks for your suggestions & I will keep learning…
when I go down like that it was bc I did not count my carbs right most of the time. Christalyn also makes the point that not all carbs are the same-- some have higher glycemic index than others… and that’s an area I need to learn much more…
I USED to use the OmniPod, and one of the many problems I had with it is that it only keeps track of correction boluses on board, NOT meal boluses. Unless you set your insulin duration to something outrageous like 4 hours, you are likely to overdose yourself with insulin if you test before 2 hours after a meal and pay attention to the correction bolus suggested by the PDM. I did that once, and ended up with a BG of 49 about 40 minutes later!