Any suggestions for me regarding Colonoscopy and Basal rates on my pump? I have had numerous experiences with this lovely procedure, but I am new to changing basal rates.
I plan to have diet and regular 7UP on hand to regulate my BG level - I am curious to hear how others have done with this.
In “theory”, if you are not eating anything, your basal rate should maintain your BG nice and level. But of course, we know things don’t always work the way they are supposed to!
Something like this would not generally lead to a BG drop. Usually things that are stressful to an individual - doctor or dentist visits, traffic court, presentations at work - anything like that can raise your BG.
But to be on the safe side, since the procedure is not too long, and you will be possibly doped up a bit, you’d want to cut your basal a little bit before you begin, and then turn it off for the procedure, just to be safe. Also, if they remove a polyp and you need to watch what you eat for a while afterwards, you don’t want to have a low that forces you to eat or drink.
There is not much downside to just turning it off while you are going through the procedure. You may spike a bit, but you can fix that after. It just removes a risk of dropping or being low after.
If you have a CGM, and someone is with you that you trust, ask them to watch your CGM and decide if they should turn the basal back on for you when you are done. Depending on the anesthesia used, your mind may not be clear enough to make that decision for a while until it wears off.
So as a general suggestion (it will depend on how nervous you are with dropping low), maybe cut 50-75% for an hour before, and then turn it off completely while you go into the procedure.
@Spinlady During your prep it should not be difficult to control your Bg while you are just on basal. You may bed that regular 7 up!
You should probably cut your basal down a couple of hours before the procedure. Don’t worry about going up a bit, the surgeon probably would rather you be a bit high than low during the procedure.
It’s unlikely they will let you keep your CGM on during the procedure, but when you advise them you are T1 they will monitor you to make sure you don’t go low.
I know it will be hard to turn off your CGM. I know it was for me when I last had surgery, but it will be OK.
@Eric why ever would you think it’s stressful to go to the dentist? My office is the Happiest Place on Earth 
I’ve had bad experiences with Dentists (multiple…not just 1). They tend to make a small problem into a MASSIVE problem. Example…I have a cavity. They fill the cavity. I am feeling pain under the new feeling (but I never experienced any pain with the cavity there before the filling). So they have to then do a root canal. Then I find out the root has a “fracture” (whatever that means), so they have to do a full extraction. That’s just one example. I’ve had other examples pertaining to cavities turning into caps that have turned into a root canal that’s turned into an extraction.
I’ve never gone to the dentist where anything was actually FIXED…there are always issues that result from their work, that I have to spend thousands to fix. So I’m always stressed when I go to the Dentist! Worried about how much this work is going to cost me…later. lol
I’ve probably just had bad experiences, though.
@ClaudnDaye Geez, sounds like some real horror stories. It sounds like to me you’ve been going to the wrong dentists.
It is VERY unusual that I wouldn’t know a tooth would need a root canal before the filling is started, and it is very unusual for a tooth that just needed a filling but then needed a root canal would fracture irrestorably. I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I can’t even remember the last time I had a patient in pain after a filling.
I’m really sorry you’ve had these problems, but you need to find a more skilled dentist.
Wish you lived nearby! I’d love to have a great dentist. I’ve had 5 or 6 different ones in my lifetime and I don’t think I’ve ever had a time where I wish I hadn’t just kept my cavities! I’ve lost 2 teeth so far…both started out as just small cavities that weren’t bothering me at all and led to years of pain, lots of money and eventually, lost teeth! I always thought fillings were supposed to help me KEEP my teeth!
Thank you! I will let you know how it goes. I am doing the prep on Monday and the procedure is on Tuesday morning.
This might depend on the practice. I haven’t done this, but when my wife did it they just handed her the gown and told her to change. They didn’t go through anything like saying she had to remove anything (she is not a diabetic, but they didn’t seem to care what she had on her). Maybe it depends on where the sensor is located or how strict the doctor is?
@Eric No, they certainly didn’t ask me to remove my sensor and transmitter nor would I have done so. But they did ask me to turn off the receiver and that they would monitor me during the procedure.
It was cataract surgery and perhaps the doc didn’t want to get startled by the alarm 
I understand now!
When you said, “keep your CGM on”, I thought you were talking about the sensor being physically on your body, rather than the receiver being electronically on.
Is that right?
Dang, I have been confused by stuff all day!
i have had this exact same example happen to me, not once, but twice. it was painful and very tedious and very expensive. i ended up needing to have implants put in where the teeth had been extracted. and in both instances it was due to root fractures. the dentist just short of blamed me for grinding my teeth too hard while i slept, but i wear a night guard that he fitted me for and i have been wearing it for years. i believe i spent over $10,000 per implant from start to finish (extraction, bone grafts, x-rays, more x-rays, 6 months later implants, then a crown to cover the entire thing…and, oh, to different DDS’s; one to do the surgery and one to fill the so-called “cavity” and then do the root canal, and then another to perform the surgery itself. unbelievable.) (but i do live in NYC, and prices can vary; here, everything is over-priced and expensive)
Bingo!
Then he gave you the wrong kind of night guard.
Sometimes I find it hard to believe I practice in the same profession as some of the yoyo’s who call themselves dentists.
Do I ever screw up? Certainly, every human being does. But I would never put it on the patient and I would make sure to let them know I screwed up and I’ll pay to fix it.
It’s stories like you and @ClaudnDaye tell that really make me angry at some dentists.
We wish you were an Endo. 
5 posts were split to a new topic: Night Guards (i.e. mouthguards to prevent grinding teeth)
UPDATE:
Well, I was at 75% basal the night before, and woke up at 135. I switched it to 50% basal when I began to get ready in pre-op. My BG was 89 as measured by the staff. Still at 50%, I had the lovely procedure.
A little over an hour later, I was at 116!!! After I woke up, I bolused 2 units and changed back to 100% basal. I had higher than normal BG readings after I started to eat again, but it was a most successful day of diabetes control.
That is a great approach, glad it worked for you. Also glad that the medical team worked with you. So during the procedure you had your basal at 50% correct?
50% basal during the whole procedure.
Outstanding!
I am jealous because we are still on MDI and can’t do what you did.
Quite possibly, Michel is the first person on the internet to say he was jealous of somebody having a colonoscopy…
I know what you meant, I am just giving you the “bizness”! 