Diabetic Recipes
Is it so much to ask for to want to wake up every hour from midnight to 7 am and take small drops of blood from my 5-year-old son all night long? I'm sure this is every dad's fantasy. Insane, the things I wish for now.
We have been trying to do overnight basal testing for Charlie now for thirteen days straight. We just can't do it. It's absolutely ridiculous. Every single night we're forced to abort our mission before we can even get started. What's most frustrating is that all we need as a prerequisite is to have him somewhere in the 120 to 220 area at about 9 pm-10 pm, when the dinner insulin has run its course. Amazingly, we can't do it. Night after night.
Attempt 1 - Too low to begin test.
Attempt 2 - Too low to begin test.
Attempt 3 - Site change night. He runs low. Can't basal test.
Attempt 4 - Too low to begin test.
Attempt 5 - Cutting back on dinner bolus to make it work. Now too high to begin test.
Attempt 6 - Site change night. Can't basal test.
Attempt 7 - Again, too high to begin test.
Attempt 8 - Giving full dinner bolus to make it work. Now too low to begin test.
Attempt 9 - Site change night. Can't basal test.
Attempt 10 - Damn! We had take-out for dinner. Charlie had fries. Can't basal test.
Attempt 11 - Bad site. Can't basal test.
Attempt 12 - Too high to begin test. Maybe he's getting sick. Maybe it's a touch of Giants fever! Go Big Blue!
Attempt 13 was last night. I thought I finally had it. 289 at 9 pm was high, but with .6 units still active, I thought he'd come down just enough to actually do some basal testing. No can do. As badly as I wanted to basal test, 255 was just too high. ABORT! ABORT!
The night wasn't a total loss. I salvaged it by taking the opportunity to test his sensitivity factor. I woke up at 1:30 am and again at 2:30 am, confirming that his overnight sensitivity factor was right on the money at 150 points per unit of insulin. Good times!
I'm just a basal testing failure. Just like my high school guidance counselor said I'd be.
Tonight, we go for it yet again. Wish us luck.
I soooo know what you mean! SOMETHING is ALWAYS affecting the rate I just changed making me UNSURE. Was it dinner? Had to correct a low, have to correct a high...Ugh!It can take me months to feel comfortable with an over night adjustment, and even then I still HAVE to wake up to check!
I agree - there seems to ALWAYS be something "muddying the waters"!
Such is life I guess. Way to find something productive to do with it!
Dear Carey,
I missed the fact that your son is five. Maybe this will help. Consider the day to be a time line. There are three major variables for the time line. What was the time of the bolus and the amount of insulin? What was the time of the blood glucose reading and the number? What was the time of carb intake and what was the total amount of carbs?
Thoughts for taking blood glucose readings. They are a pain!!! This is what I do. Wash hands in warn soapy water. The more bubbles the better. Use the finest gauge lancet. BD has a (31)thirty-one gauge and this is soooo much better than a 28 gauge. Aim for five. One day before meals, the following day for five radings after meals. Have one night a 2 am and the next night at 4 am. Hopefully a pattern will develope. Hope the suggestions help and have a great day.
D2