The constant ADJUSTMENT! I can’t stand it, it drives me crazy!!!
My control the past two weeks has been awesome, but now all of a sudden things change within 24 hours and all my pump settings are suddenly way too low! So I’m adjusting them upwards again. So within one day my I:C ratio has gone from 1:14 to 1:11, ISF has gone from 1:2.8 to 1:2.2 (1:50 to 1:40), and basal rates have gone up by 0.2 units an hour. That’s assuming I finally have them set right and don’t have to up them yet again!
This after adjusting them downwards a week or two ago. Then in two weeks or so I’ll start going low halfway through one day and suddenly have to lower all the settings back down again.
I’ve talked to other T1 women and I know I’m not the only one who has this problem, but it drives me crazy! I have been sticking to an absolute routine over the past six weeks due to school and it’s so irritating to suddenly go high or low for hours when I haven’t changed a thing.
I don’t think I would get half as frustrated at diabetes as I do if I could just set pump settings and leave them for weeks at a time. Adjusting a few times a year would be fine; adjusting every two weeks even when my routine is not changing in the least just gets so tiring!
I suppose at least I jumped on top of it immediately. If I wait for a “pattern” for three days then I end up fighting highs for two weeks non-stop.
And thus ends my, “The only highs I’ve had are ones I actually caused!” streak.
I so feel your pain. Yes, those female hormonal cycles can really screw things up. I find that I’m constantly adjusting my basal rates (and even my I:C ratios) based on where I am in my cycle. And then throw in the summer months, which always causes more lows for me, and things really get screwy. The answer I have found is that there is no solution. You have to just know how your body reacts to different situations and adjust accordingly. The one thing I like about the pump is it makes those adjustments so much easier & quicker. You don’t have to wait for your next basal injection to change something. For me, this has been a huge benefit!