BI Changes

Hi All,

A bit confused here so maybe somebody will know the answer.
Should my BI be fixed i.e. should I get to a final BI that is the one that I use and only alter due to circumstances like a big day of exercise, or does everyone jsut keep constantly changing their BI and that is how it is supposed to be?
I thought we would get a fixed one eventrually throught the step -wise approach but checked the handbook and it doesn't actually specifically say that. I constantly move my BI from 14 at its lowest daytime to 24 at its highest and form 0 to 6 at night. There is a range and a pattern to this but things are only right for a short time when up at 24 or down at 14 and the slow migration between is not so good as everything is off then.

Thanks,

Helen

The BI dose as I understand it deals with your livers release of glucose throughout the day, probably a bit more complicated than that as I expect it to tackle other forms of sugars from other sources too......

I will also assume that the livers release of glucose will and does change with the body as more or less hormones are released throughout our life.......therefor so does the BI requirement..

In the long term your BI dose will change and the short term but nothing to drastic I would imagine....

My daytime dose seems to be fine, and any unexpectant results can be compensated with the quick acting insulin, but overall your doses should stay the same.......

I babbled on a bit there.......

How often do you change your dose?

What insulin are you on, as the effects of a Lantus change only takes place a few days later.....?

Have you done overnight BI tests, if so what was the outcome?

I don't adjust my BI, as it takes several days for any adjustment to take effect (Lantus)

During the training, we were advised of this so I wouldn't recommend changing the BI unless there is a pattern of constant highs or lows first thing in the morning (based on the BI injection being taken in the evening).
At some point there has been discussions on this site about splitting the BI as some people have found that helps, and prior to DAFNE I split my BI as I was advised it might help my control.

Everyone reacts differently, and I no doubt expect there are times when my body needs less or more BI, but generally I think it is at the correct level at the moment.

My understanding is that BI should keep your BG constant in the absence of any carbs i.e fasting. It is supposed to handle your bodies background requirements for insulin. Although your requirements may change this would happen over months not days. Once your BI is about right you should only need to vary your QA, I agree with others the effect of changing your BI can take days to become apparent so if you
keep changing it day after day you are not seeing the true effect of the change. I would try sticking to say 19 (half-way) for at least 3-4 days and then considering a change if you are high or low, its also worth missing a meal and seeing what your BG does this will give a better idea of if you BI is right.

Hi ... just following on from Marke's post, I find that if my BGs are trending worse at a particular mealtime it is always a good idea to miss that meal and QA and see what the resulting BG is after 2 and 4 hours. This gives a good idea if the relevant BI is about right or not.... especially if you repeat the exercise a few times to confirm the result.

As a bonus, you also give the digestive system a break and might lose a little weight round the middle if my experience is anything to go by!

Sort the BIs, then ensure you are calculating carbs accurately and the QAs can then be tackled with confidence.