I am just curious if anyone of you have experienced a change in your insulin need with the change in season. Since I started using the pod my # have been great but the last day they have been terrible. I had to change my correction ratio from 30 to 1 unit of insulin to 15 to 1. I have not changed my insulin to carb ration or basal yet.
I am just curious how much of a change if any anyone else get with the change of season. (normally summer to fall and winter to spring only)
I have found I need more insulin during the colder months. This is mainly because during the warmer months (late spring to early fall) the weather is nicer so I’m outside more (I really think the sunlight helps my system) and also getting more exercise (walking more, running around, playing sports with friends, etc.). I know the exercise helps lower my insulin needs, I really think the sun does too. Also, what we eat tends to change with the seasons (more heavy foods during the winter). I’ve never noticed as much of a change as your noticing. Usually my change is 10% or less but I do need more insulin during the colder months!
I am less active in the winter and can’t workout nearly as much, and I notice that my insulin sensitivity goes down some, so I require more insulin…I sometimes have to change my carb ratio and sometimes I also have to change my correction factor.
Unrelated to the seasons, my correction factor actually needs to vary as well (which at this time the pump technology cannot account for…but maybe someday For example if my target is 120 and I’m 200, my correction would be around 1:29 or 1:30. But if my target is still 120 and I’m 300+ for some reason, it requires a correction factor of something like 1:18-1:20.
That’s really interesting! I didn’t know that about the old cozmos…
I know there is lots of red tape and hoops to jump through regarding the FDA, etc, but it would be nice to compile all of the ‘best of the best’ features into one pump…things like adjustable correction factors, the various methods of calculating IOB (to include what you’ve bolused to cover food too, which omnipod currently does not do), etc, tubeless factor, integrated CGM, integrated glucometer…mp3 player, makes phone calls, surfs the web…the list is virtually endless
We don’t want much, we just want more.
Jeff,
I have been on a pump for 9 years. I ended up changing my basal rates probably 2-3 times a year due to season changes. I cant say that I do a whole lot of changes though with the bolus ratios.
It is weird though, as Bradford notes that when you are up over 240, at least for me as well, I need to take more insulin than the recommended bolus.
That is way slick that the Cozmo use to do that!
I’m all for improvements to the Pod…let’s just stop the beeping!@!!