July 9: Fairport to Arcade, New York
The insulin adventure continues.
Yesterday evening, after getting rid of my compromised supply of insulin, I had lowered my nighttime basal rate back to its pre-tour amount. I checked my blood sugar one more time before bed (125) and woke up at 1 AM with a blood sugar of 45. I chugged a bottle of apple juice and after I could think straight again, lowered my nighttime basal rate by another .05 units per hour. I woke up this morning with a blood sugar of 70.
The route today took me against a headwind and through a primarily agricultural area with lots of rolling hills. Some of those hills came with a 15% grade on both sides. My priority today was to get myself to Arcade, New York without any high or low blood sugars. I’m afraid sightseeing got lost in my concerns over whether my new basal rates were set properly.
After heading out from Fairport, New York for a six and a half hour, 78-mile ride to Arcade, I tested my blood sugar six times. The highest was 160 and the lowest was 102.
When I arrived in Arcade, I was very tired, but I was also very happy that my blood sugars were back to normal and that my insulin adventure seemed to be over.
At least that’s what I thought. After the ride, I sat down to a diet soda and a late lunch. It was after lunch as I was getting into the shower that I noticed that my infusion site had come out. It was still in place (barely), but the teflon needle (the part that’s supposed to be subcutaneous) wasn’t. Now I suspected that the bolus for lunch hadn’t been delivered correctly. I showered and checked my blood sugar again — 294. Yeah, probably not. I quickly put in another infusion site and repeated my lunch bolus.
What a day! I’m glad tomorrow is a rest day!
July 9th, 2006 at 8:29 pm
What is a basal rate?
July 10th, 2006 at 3:46 am
Hi Robby!
Sorry for the confusion. Most of my entries that discuss basal rates have this term linked to a definition. With the struggles of the last few days, some of these details slipped through the cracks.
A basal rate is the amount of insulin a person’s body needs to support basic daily functions. This amount is delivered continuously throughout the day. The basal rate, usually measured in units of insulin per hour, can vary throughout the day which makes it somewhat difficult to set properly — especially the nighttime hours. If my basal rates are set properly, I should be able to fast for 24 hours, go about my normal daily activities, and my blood sugars would not stray from the normal range of 80-120 mg/dL (provided my blood sugar was in that range to begin with).
Here’s a link to a definition:
July 11th, 2006 at 1:59 pm
Peter,
Just wanted to wish you the best for what you are doing.
By the way if and when you get to Chicago, there is a great bike trail along lake Michigan that takes you from one end of the city to the other. If you can make it let me know and I would love to ride with you and interview you at the same time.
Good Luck
Your friend in diabetes Care
Steve Freed, R.Ph., CDE, Publisher
www.diabetesincontrol.com