You are welcome, David.
Bradley is my maiden name. You never know who’s related
among the Bradley’s. We seem to be everywhere!

My best friends wife was formerly Barbara Bradley; I doubt you are
related!

David

BarbaraB.

>>Don’t you mean ”units/hour’ rather than ‘units/day’ for
your basal
numbers?<<

>How in the world can they measure a non-DMer’s usage of
natural insulin? I’m
assuming it’s an assumption. Someone clue me in.,

Jan,

There are special tests done with an IV with glucose and an
IV with insulin called an "insulin/ glucose clamp" and a
few other mathematical calculations that can be done in a
medical research laboratory. From endocrinology medical
books in diabetes, and medical physiology books there is
information that says that an adult without diabetes can
produce 0.5 to 1.5 units of insulin per day, the average

being approximately 1.0 units per day of basal insulin. The
additional insulin will vary depending on amount of food
eaten and body weight/height, but it is usually an equal
amount, so the average is about 50/50 for endogenous
(normally produced) basal and bolus insulin.

Please be advised that I said "normal", meaning the average
person. Each individual is different.

Patrick…wow! I had no idea…I’d like to get my hands on that
article! I usually use between 34-41 units a day. Of course there
are ’sick’ days where I major unexplained highs, and then the others
where I run extremely low all day, but…! I guess if I can just get
my roller coaster levelled out a little, and my A1C responds

accordingly everyone will quit treating me like I’m self-destructive
with my diabetes! Oh, and maybe that’s part of the reason I’m so
sensitive to larger boluses! May be part of the reason Brian is too,
since it must not be a problem with our bodies using the
insulin ‘properly’ just a total lack of producing it.

Hang in there Brian…while I was in my ‘honeymoon’ phase, I only
took 10-12 units of combined NPH and Reg a day (of course that was
injected). I didn’t have a lot of lows, but the ones I did have were
pretty significant! Being on the pump should make it easier to adapt
to the changes (hopefully mild) that will come as your body leaves
that phase behind.

Also…is you dr. familiar with pumping? It sounds like he/she might
not fully understand the point of basals & boluses. My previous
doctor (even though he was one of the first to prescribe pumps in my
area) was still trying to get that difference down as recently as 2
years ago. It made it very difficult for me to figure out how to
make changes for myself. Anyway, if that’s the case be sure to talk
to a well trained, qualified CDE. Unfortunately I didn’t have one of
those to start either…the MM506 was just coming out and her
response to square wave was "I’ve never used it, and don’t need it,
so I don’t think you need to know about it"…she had been pumping
for 10-12 years. So I went for 3 years not knowing how to compensate
for those over-reactions to large boluses!

Suzanna

I too have issues with large boluses. Historically, whenever I take
more than 5 or 6 units I have a major reaction, regardless of how
much I eat! Therefore, I rarely take more than 5 units at any one
time, but that is gradually changing as I work the bounces and
rebounds out of my system. My "solution" is to figure my bolus, then
use a dual wave…with 5-6 units immediately and the rest over a 2
hour period. If you don’t have dual wave you can do the 2-step
substitute. Before I had the MM508, I used to take 5-6 units and
then check my bg 2 hours later and dose according to that. The big
problem with that was that my memory isn’t all that good any more.
Not to mention the long term affect on the A1C!

Of course, I think having the option of treating a high based on food

intake, with good base control would be a better option/use of the
insulin pump! That way you aren’t receiving too much insulin if you
eat light, change types of carbs, fats, etc., or move your mealtime
around a little bit. My instruction from my dr. is that if a trend
happens 2 hours after a meal change the bolus, if it is a trend
before a meal, or any other time change the basal. That made me a
lot more comfortable starting to alter my basals myself. I do baby-
step changes… 0.1 unit at a time for several days-weeks, but the
feeling of control and self-empowerment are incredible!

Suzanna