[spicciati]

My blood sugars are as normal as can be on the pump but once I switch to the insulin pens it goes up. I take lantus and go by the sliding scale. Does anyone have this problem or have any advice?

[dano]

The pump dispenses insulin per amount of carbs input. When you eat a meal you normally input the number of carbs eaten and the pump calculates the amount of insulin required.

The sliding scale is most-likely the problem here, since it's pretty old school. If you can eat 30 carbs for every meal and take x number of insulin units every time then it works most of the time.

If you know your Insulin Sensitivity Factor (ISF) and your Insulin to Carb Ratio (ICR) then you can calculate the units of insulin needed for each meal the same way that the pump does. There are several apps that will do this for you. All you have to do is set the app up with your ISF and ICR, enter your blood sugar reading and the number of carbs eaten and the app will calculate the number of insulin units to be taken. You can also calculate this long hand, but the app is considerably faster. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Note that your Endocrinologist and/or your "Pump Tech" will most-likely have the ISF and ICR information that you need, if you decide to go this route.