Finger Food and dessert party and extended bolus

Diabetes Technology Insulin Pumps
1

I'm going to a retirement party tonight with finger foods and small handheld desserts. I've tried the extended bolus just once and I didn't do very well.

But how would I bolus for two hours of grazing? Hard to assign a carb count to small foods. I want to eat whatever I want tonight. I won't be drinking alcohol because I'm taking a heavy duty pain med for compressed nerves in my neck. So just eating...and eating...and eating...

Thanks in advance.

2

Guess light at first. Then correct afterwards based on your BG readings immediately after and a couple hours after.

3

Test more often
Then bolus for each food as you eat it
The corr. As needed
Then test, test, test, etc…

4

Good luck & be careful
Enjoy

5

Thanks everyone, great advice!

6

I only use extended boluses either to cover slow adsorbing carbs and protein or to avoid bolusing more than 5IU at once (where I just do a half our delay on part of the bolus.)

For unpredictable food intake, not just grazing, but restaurants too, I do a nominal amount to cover 20 or 30g of food then another bolus later, e.g. when the main course arrives on the table.

It doesn't work to test because the Omnipod model of carb adsorbtion is broken; the PDM assumes it is all adsorbed instantly. I have my insulin action time set low so that I get a good result if I test and correct after a couple of hours, but if your insulin action time is set to the usual four hours you will find that corrections after 2-3 hours under correct.

So we really have no choice but to carb-count, however inaccurately, and bolus appropriately (without entering a bg reading!) If you test to check for low BG *don't* answer "yes" to the "use this for bolus calculations" screen, otherwise your blood glucose will go through the roof.

For low BG eat (and don't bolus), for high BG ignore it and just keep bolusing for what you believe you have eaten.

John Bowler

7

Hope your party worked out well, and that you were able to keep somewhat in control. Don't beat yourself up if you ran high. When grazing, most of us eat more carbs than we think we are consuming. You were good to be aware of what you wanted to do; I hope the steps you took worked and that you had a great time at the retirement party.

8

I did terribly! I did an extended bolus, 30% upfront and the rest over two hours. Up to 250 and never came down until I corrected several hours later. I didn't even eat that much.
Disaster!

9

Well, that's not so bad; for me 250 is about 4 units of insulin which corresponds to 50g of carbs, but some food can go in fast and, as SherryAnn observes, it's very difficult to estimate carbs in those small carby things you find people serve. I tend to assume that if it looks like pastry it is 100% carb, so 50g is only two petit fours; they tend to be somewhat dense.

Temporary highs are no big deal, they happen to all of us after a meal. We notice, we correct.

10

Thanks all! I just got my first pump at the beginning of March so I am very new to all of this!

11

i think you did very well for being so new to the pump

we live & learn
12

If you had said "up to 400" I would agree with you, but 250 after a "grazing" session is not that bad. You were aware and you took appropriate action. You will learn about your body's absorption rates, your needs, and your reactions. That does not come in just two or three weeks, and we are all different. Continue to learn and to enjoy the new freedom that the Pod gives you.

13

I love the pod! I've been having such good BG's that now I feel like I failed if it rises above 180, that I misjudged my carb intake or the dose. But I am trying to calm down about it all, because, overall, I'm doing great on the Pod.