I started out with one basal rate, now I have 3 basal rates... Is this normal???
12am: .0700
8am: .0625
2pm: .0575
Yes, according to John Walsh in Pumping Insulin (a good book to get if you don't have it), "only 9% of pumpers use one basil rate, 14% are on two rates. Most pumpers are on three or more basal rates a day."
I myself have 9. That's one of the beauties of the pump, that we can tweak our basal rates to meet our actual needs which vary throughout the day.
What kind of pump do you have that measures out to 4 decimal places? My Ping only adjusts by .025 and I thought they claimed to have the lowest adjustable rate!
I have 1/2 dozen, w/ most of the adjustments 12:00 midnight until lunch.
My son has always had multiple basil rates. It's one of the perks to the pump, to be able to fine tune!
I also have two basal rates: One for daytime and one for sleeping.
That's the beauty of an insulin pump...that you can fine-tune the delivery to your specific body needs!
Ruth
I use 5 rates, with the lowest also being mid afternoon (3-6pm). I use different patterns (Standard, A, B) for different situations. All my patterns have 5 rates.
I think it's normal to start out with 1 rate, and then adjust as necessary to deal with highs/lows or to meet the goals the person is trying to achieve.
I have 5 basal rates, depending on the time of day. I also use different patterns as well. Read "Pumping Insulin" that Zoe suggested for more info. Yes multiple basal rates ARE normal. The pump allows you to set the rates as YOU need to.. there is nothing that is exactly thr same from diabetic A to diabetic B.. Our lives are continuous, individual, mini science experiments; and we are able to use the data and tecnical capablilities from our meters and pumps ( and some of us have continuous glucose Monitors), to better manage our condition.
God Bless,
Brunetta
I have 4. 12am, 3am 12pm and 9pm and of course mine are quite hefty.
Yep, in my standard pattern (which I use on work days) I have seven basal rates. I started with one and adjusted slowly from there over the span of about 5 months. Then, in another pattern which I use over the weekends, I have three different basal rates (and then I still do a lot of temp basals depending on whatever activity I'm engaging in). My third pattern is my "PMS pattern," which I use before my period starts. That hormone surge can cause some wicked high BGs, thereby necessitating another pattern.
Yes, it is VERY typical to have multiple basal rates. In fact, that's one of the beauties of the pump! A normal pancreas secretes varying amounts of insulin throughout the day, and the pump attempts to mimic that. BUT, even with the ability to automatically vary your basal rates, you have to be very familiar with what activities cause your BG to drop or rise. Once you're familiar with those things, you can learn how to do temp basal rates to counteract the highs and lows before they appear. And it's not a science, but more of an art form. It takes practice and trial & error.
I currently have 3 too. I also have 2 different programs of rates, depending on my activity for the day. Or, in more simple terms, I have a week-day program and a week-end program. I'm much more active on the weekends.
I have two basal settings
All day: .625
All Night: .600
I also set a temp basal for when I exercise or eat slow digesting foods.