The bolus bonus - lower HbA1c A bolus is the additional insulin you give yourself at meal times. But you can also give yourself a bolus in between meals if your blood glucose levels are too high. And that's a smart move, according to research done with pump patients at Royal Bournemouth Hospital in the UK. According to the research1, the only variable to reduce HbA1C level was the number of times the individual used a bolus. That's right, the more boluses a person used, the lower their HbA1C became. You can see how effective that was in the chart below. By doing around 6 boluses a day, you could expect to see quite a drop in your HbA1C levels. And that's an important goal in managing your diabetes. Doing a bolus is just the same as injecting yourself with an extra dose of insulin, as you did in the days before you went on to a pump. But with a pump, it's a whole lot easier. The Accu-Chek Spirit pump is so easy to do a 'quick' bolus, you can do it without looking. You don't have to take the pump off. You don't even have to get the pump out from under your clothes - you can do a bolus through your clothes. You just press the bolus arrow buttons, and your extra insulin will automatically be delivered. So, if you haven't been using the 'quick' bolus feature on your pump, try it out. Remember, it's usual to have almost half of your daily insulin requirement made up of the basal rate. That's the regular amount your pump delivers in tiny doses throughout the day. You need to make up the other half in boluses. That's usually at meal times. But as the research shows, it can also be a good idea to bolus at other times too. It's a good idea to talk to your doctor or specialist before you make any major changes to your therapy. But if you're having trouble getting your HbA1C levels down, talk to your doctor about increasing the number of boluses you do each day. It could make a big difference. Reference: 1: Kerr D, James J and Nicholls H. Technologies as therapeutic devices. What do we expect from users of insulin pump therapy. Infusystems International 2008; 7: 1-4. « Back to eNewsletter