Summertime basal changes: In drawings

Summertime means changing basal rates.

Let me get right to the point: This is how I feel about changing basal rates.

 For those of you who aren’t familiar with what a basal rate is, it is the underlying insulin that is delivered via the insulin pump to my boys' bodies 24 hours a day.  It delivers whether they eat or not.  Whether they are high, or low…it’s always there. 

We need insulin to survive because it metabolizes the sugar in our blood stream.  To keep moving my boys need insulin to unlock the energy.  It’s pretty cut and dry if you think about it.

 Each of my three boys has four different basal rates.  At different times of day, they need different amounts of basal insulin. 

 I used to have those rates memorized.

Yeah.  I don’t anymore.

Anyhoo, summertime means a change in activity and schedules, which in turn leads to changes in basal rates.  The problem is, changing one basal rate can have a domino effect and as a result, all the blood sugars can go to hell in a hand basket, fast.

 This summer I’ve had the pleasure of trying to find the perfect new basal rate for all three boys.

Here’s the kicker.  My boys are not the same boy.  Their bodies are different.

 I know.  Not cool.

So I’ve had to dial J’s basal rates WAY down, and I’ve had to dial L’s basal rates WAY up.  B I’ve had to tweak minimally…but I had to tweak nonetheless.

Long story short…I’m losing my hair.

 It’s been a long 6 weeks, but we are almost there.  Vacations required tweaking, but we have been home a couple weeks now, so I am very close to getting the boys to where they need to be.

But here’s a funny story:  They start school in four weeks, and then I get to change them all again. (Spoiler alert: It's really not funny at all.  That's what makes it funny.)

It’s almost like I’m willing my hair to fall out.

Thankfully, seeing numbers on the whiteboard in the hallway that for the most part start with the number 1 warms my heart so.

My reward is predictability, and we all know predictability is pretty hot.

 In light of what I’ve learned lo these past 16 years, I will try not to stew about the impending changes, but rather bask in the light of good numbers while they last.

 Basal changes may take my hair, but I’ll always have my smile!