Well, I got podded on Thursday and so far I have to say I am in love! My sugars and been on the low side, I think I had some NPH hanging on for awhile there. If they stay lowish I am going to adjust my basal rate down a tad.
I just got back from my first run. I have the pod on my tricep and I didn't even know it was there. My CDE had me put SkinTac on the outside of the pod tape before I stuck it on. I think that is a great idea. Anyway, I used a temp. basal reduction of 50%. I had a Luna bar with no bolus before I went out. My bs starting out was 91. At mile 4 I was 51. Oooops! So I had a Gu then and another 2 miles later, finished my 8.15 mile run with a bs of 88. I guess next time I will try a reduction of 60%...does that sound good??
Thanks in advance, I am so happy to have found you guys!
Sandy, my son doesn't do that amount of exercise but it sounds like you did the right thing, it was probably because you started out lowish that you went down having the luna bar was a good idea. it is alot of guess work and sometimes something works great once but not another time, we have never done more than a 50% reduction but my son is not super active but we hike alot if we do an long hike or a mountain climb we definitely do the 50% reduction and snack without boluses if needed. i'm glad you are having success so far and i hope it continues, having an open mind, a positive attitude and the ability to shake off an occasional pod problems will take you far, seems like you are well armed, no pun intended, good luck and keep asking! amy
Yeah, my residual Lantus really screwed with my basal testing and I spent the next few days tweaking the settings to avoid lows.
If I'm doing any kind of cardio, or extended exercise, I wouldn't start out at a BG of 91. I found that if I adjust my basal rates too low to get me through the cardio, I end up chasing highs later on. If I go low in the middle of cardio, it's unlikely that i will even have the wherewithall to continue, so I'll shoot for a BG around 120 before getting started. I'll adjust my basal rate accordingly from there.
I find that I have to dial down the basal rate about 1.5 hours before I exercise. Humalog peaks in me in about 2 hours. That way I don't fight the lows as much. Glad to hear that it's going well for you!
I try the same approach - but aim to go out at around 8mmol/L (Europe guys) but then cut my basal by 50% for whatever the lenght of cycling I am doing up to 30 mins before I stop - then bolus 2 or 3 units depending where my BG is. I have a CGM - (Navigator) but the high I get afterwards can be a real pain. Today I did 40 miles - no issue (It was about 5 degres in London today) - I then needed 6 plus units after my shower and stuff.
If I were at 91 before my workout then I would have done a temp basal of -75% and ate the luna bar. If I planned my workout I would have started a -50% temp basal an hour before my workout. However, I rarely remember to do that. I also sip on G2 throughout my workout.
Thanks for that tip. I'm on day three with the OmniPod and have discovered that my dialling down the basal rate just before the run doesn't cut it. I have to eat to keep going. When I stop the BG is fine. But, an hour later it is in the 200s. Thanks again, Bob.
