Great! I would have loved that size when I was on MDI! Maybe this rebate can help you!
I bruised for as long as I was on injections (5 years). For some odd reason, I don’t bruise with the pump sets. I think some people must have capillaries closer to the surface of the skin than others.
Yes it was MUCH better!! 
Thanks for the replies guys! Guess I’ll have to experiment and see if I can figure out anything that helps. I did start using the 4mm as of last night and it helped some. If you stick in the needle and have immediate pain is that how you know you hit a muscle?
Okay so I am still doing some testing and experimenting and my endo has basically left it up to me to adjust my insulin dosages so I’m looking for a little advice. I am currently going to bed at around 140, taking 2 units Levemir and waking up at 120 and am around 120 before meals. Should I increase to 3 units? How much of a difference would this make? I would love to get my fasting&pre meal numbers down but as you all know I am hesitant about increasing insulin and am trying to take it slow to prevent hypos.
Hi, LiL MaMa. If you want to increase your dose by just 1/2 unit, you can remove the insulin from your pen with a syringe. Here is a case when you would need to prime your pen the next time you use a pen needle after using a syringe. I do this all the time: I take 5 units at night with the pen needle, 1/2 the next morning with a syringe.
Hi -
I personally wouldn’t adjust the basal up a half unit. You don’t want your basal to be taking you down more than 30 points over night. I would try to go to bed around 120 rather than 140 instead. Without changing your insulin dose, you could try to reduce your total carbs at dinner by 4-5 which should result in something like a 20 point difference going to bed.
You’ll discover that a scale that weighs food in grams and has a database will be your best friend in fine tuning your blood sugar at this point. Salter makes one that I use.
If you don’t plan on pumping right away, I would ask my endo to prescribe a 1/2 unit pen for your rapid insulin.
You’re doing great,
Maurie
I don’t think that in the 60’s without taking insulin or meds is the same as when you are. My husband is in the 60’s when I have tested him (he is not diabetic) and he feels fine. I am not even sure that would be consider hypo for a normal person.
I am pretty sure that you will feel an insulin induced hypos if you are awake as you are very new and I doubt have hypo unawareness, which tends to develop with time. You are,also much more likely to experience symptoms when your blood sugar drops fast rather than gradually. I can wake up at 68 and eel fine, but if I drop from 130 to 68 in 15 minutes, watch out. I will feel like crap.
Two is a super small dose, I started at 7. Just test a lot. If it is any consolation to you, I have had many many lows at night and they always wake me up, often before my CGM )which I now have) goes off. Always test if you wake up at night and always test before you drive.
I don’t think the basal lows are any different for me. I had terrible lows on NPH and they hit incredibly fast. When I was on lantus I got lows too, which came on quickly, even without humalog on board. Levemir might be different, and that was just me, so who knows. But in my experience, basal lows can be quite fast too.
Oops, I meant 1 1/2 units in the morning. If you follow still_young_at _heart’s good advise, you may still at some time in the future want to go up by one half unit, because in time you will probably need more basal.
No, you don’t need to wait to take them. I used to mix them together in a syringe (with the older insulins) and take them at the same time. That was common practice.
Can you increase by 1/2 units?
Hi, Hope. Read above! You can take 1/2 unit by using a syringe on your pen, then priming next time you use a pen needle. I am extremely sensitive to insulin, so that taking exactly 1 1/2 units in the morning is important so as not to have a crashing low in a few hours, which happens with 2 units. I prefer to have my Levemir in a pen and Apidra in a vial so as not to accidentally mix up the two.
Actually, I’m not sure one 20 point drop reflects insulin action at all. Often you will have variation from night to night, so dropping one night may not suggest anything. Most conservative guidelines suggest adjusting your basal up and down by 10% for small adjustments and if you still are way off do 20%. In your case, even a 20% jump is less than a half unit. Once you have made an adjustment, see how it goes for 2-3 days, then consider any further adjustment. It is really hard to tell whether the basal actually has provided any action at this point, your improvements so far could all simply be because of your meal time bolus. What you could try doing is keeping your 2 unit night injection and add a 1 unit morning injection. That way, you can see if the extra unit is too much during waking hours. If you stagger the shots at 12 hour intervals that will give the flattest overall response.
Thanks. yes, it know it can be done, I was asking Lil Mama is she would be able to do that.
I used to, back when I needed less insulin.
Thanks for clarifying.
Thats what I was thinking Maurie…I’m needing more dinner time insulin for my carbs so I am going to lower my dinnertime insulin to carb ratio and try to go to bed at a lower number to see if that helps. Yes I do think I need a half unit pen as well and originally asked for one but he said he wanted me to try the regular pen first. I have a Salter scale as well and use it several times a day! Thanks for the advice!
Thats prob what I will end up doing if decreasing my dinner insulin to carb ratio does not help because I am worried one more whole unit may be too much.
Thanks Trudy, I did not know this could be done! I will def make a note of this if decreasing my dinnertime insulin to carb ratio does not help.
Two nights I have dropped 40 points and 2 nights about 25 points.
I am only bolusing at night before dinner as of right now the 120 before meals is after eating low carb/high fat&protein. I have been eating about 10 carbs for breakfast and riding the bike followed by about 5 carbs with an early lunch. Then about 25 carbs at dinner.
Yup, that’s what it sounds like. You could try angling the injection a little in order to stay in the fat layer and not get down to muscle. Also, be sure you pinch up a LOT (Yeah, I know, you don’t HAVE a lot!! ). But do the best you can. Some people find that their “love handles” are the best place to go, because that seems to be the first place the body stores fat. But it’s hard to reach – could hubby help you?
Best of luck in your continuing adventure!