Reading the CARELINK

The carelink is the software/website that generates the charts that contain Jimmy's information that's stored in the pump. One of the charts looks like this:

And it looks like a foreign series of lines and dots, but it actuallly tells the history of what's happening in Jimmy's pump... There are about a dozen charts that I can generate, but Jimmy's Doctor (and awesome Nurse, Rachel), look specifically at 2 of them. So, this morning, I spent the past 2 or 3 hours studying and reading and learning and trying to identify what needs to be done to tackle the overnights which is when Jimmy seems to have the most high blood glucose readings... Here's what I wrote to Rachel...

Hi Rachel!
We're making strides... Jimmy opted for a belly site on Wednesday! Of course, it was near traumatic, but we toughed it out... Now it's back in his arm... He almost refused the new site, but when I acted sad and told him it was ok if he didn't want the site, and went to get the levemir and novo pens, he stopped complaining and wanted the site... poor kid - what a choice he has to make - between awful and worse. My heart breaks for him on a regular basis, but I guess all I can do is my absolute best for him and keep him as healthy as I can. I'll take the tears (from both him and me) and give him lots of love and attention for everything else in his life.

By the way, his basketball team won this morning by a score of 8-1, and Jimmy scored ALL 8 points!!! woohoo!!! go Jimmy!!! He seems to be eating, sleeping and drinking basketball these days - and even goes to see Jim referee all the games he can! The referee assigner is even going to give Jimmy his OWN paycheck (out of Jim's pay of course...) How cute is that??!!! His last practice/game is next week... Not sure how that's going to go over, but hopefully spring comes quickly and baseball will start. He's got Jenna's and Jim's games to go to in the meantime...

One thing before I get into the #'s... I think it was on Jan. 19th or 20th when he started having some high readings, and low and behold, he woke up with an terrible ear pain in the middle of the night on Saturday into Sunday. Trip to the pediatritian confirmed an ear infection, and he's on amoxycillan. I'm glad teh carelink charts are for 2 weeks, so those 2 or 3 days won't stick out too much... Is it typical that numbers raise a bit if an infection is brewing? or was it just a coincidence...

OK, now for the guessing game...
I'm looking at the results for the past 2 weeks. Here's what I think I see...
His average BG from
12am - 6 am = 199 (with 12 readings) yikes!
6 am - 10 am = 140 (with 34 readings) woohoo!
10 am - 3 pm = 184 (with 55 readings) ouch
3pm -9 pm = 153 (with59 readings) I'll take it!!
9pm - 12am = 193 (with 20 readings)yikes again

Ok, so we need to fix the nights to mornings first, right?
Also the 10-3 pm's... but, being that we have to fix one thing at a time, we'll start with the nights? I won't do anything until I hear from you, but...
I'm thinking either:
we add a 9pm basal rate
or
we raise his 12 p.m. basal rate from .3 to .325
or
lower his insulin to carb ratio at dinner from 35 to 30

Hopefully one of these is right, or at least close. I'm studying really hard to put it all together. It's like putting a puzzle together that will never be completed!!!!

I'm not even a year in, and I feel like it's been a lifetime!

Ok, so that's it I guess for this round - we'll fix this and then move on to the days next week, right? (I'm also thinking that when spring comes and they can get outside at school for recess, that will help - as of now, I guess inside recess isn't the best thing for diabetics, huh?)

Thanks for listing to all this rambling... I'm doing my best to verse myself in all of these charts and diagrams (also liking the data table besides the modal day hourly and the logbook diary.)

Thanks so much in advance! Hope you're doing ok in all this snow!!!!

Peace,
June