I’ve been using the pod for almost two months now and while it has taken longer to get my basal issues under control, I’m starting to notice a trend. I’ve realized where the pod works best for me (so far) on my lower back/upper buttox/thighs. My arms do not seem to have great absorption and my stomach has too much scar tissue. However, I’ve been noticing after a pod change my BG is good for at least 1.5-2 days. When I am past the 48 hour mark and am approaching the 72 hour mark my BG runs high and despite correction after correction, they refuse to come down into range. Nearing the 72 hours, between days 2-3 I seem to be running around a constant between 210-300- without much budging. I’m beginning to wonder if the insulin is not getting into my body as well as the first 48 hours due to slight pod shifts (rolling over on it while sleeping/sitting) ? Has anyone experienced a problem with this?
My son is 10 and his endocrinologist actually wrote his prescription for every 2 days instead of every 3. When we do 3 days we do often notice it is a higher day than the other days. I just hate wasting the insulin!
Are you wasting insulin because your changing it on day 2?
For the majority of the time yes, but there have been occasions (very few) where I’ve made it to day 3 without any problems.
Why not use 2 days worth of insulin and save the other days worth?
My honest concern was my BG running higher- without much explanation. I can normally pinpoint a reason of about 90% of my highs. Maybe I should just start changing every 2 days to see what happens. Just curious to see if others had experienced the same issue.
I like to stretch the pod changes as far as I can to save pods, not so much the insulin. Sometimes it is as though the site becomes a bit inflamed and absorption is effected. Ocassionally I have to change the pod before 3 days also. It seems likely that extra jostling would cause irritation at the site.
I find that if I extend my boluses that the absorption seems to be better as it seems to be gentler on the tissue and they last me the 3 days. It’s worth a try.
That might not be a bad idea. How long do you normally extend them for? I have not tried extended boluses for anything more than pizza/rice/etc.
I extend almost everything, for 1/2 an hour…60-80% up front…depending on how long before I will eat, fat and protein content, and my current blood sugar.
I usually extend mine over an hour unless it’s a smaller dose and then extend over 30 minutes.
I also extend almost everything, usually doing 60-70% upfront and extending the rest for 1.5 -2 hours. I always get the full 3 days from a pod, and the absorption seems the same on day 3 as it does on day 1. I also often do corrections in the form of higher temp basals, rather than bolusing.
Since the cannula is so short, a good rule of thumb to use is, any bolus, over 5 units, should be extended by 50% over a 1/2 hour period. I use this is for a normal low fat/normal fat meal. If I'm eating Mexican or Italian, I'll extend the time out 3-5 hours, depending on the exact food consumed. It has worked well for me.
Cheers,
KCO
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll have to play around with some extended boluses and see if that helps.
@KC -It's funny you mention the short cannula, compared to the quick-set I was using with my Minimed pump ..the pod cannula is much longer. Will def experiment with some extended boluses, can't hurt to try. Anyway, I def appreciate the feedback :)