User's Manual

CHAPTER 4

Understanding and Delivering Bolus Doses

■ What Is a Bolus?

A bolus is an extra dose of insulin, delivered when needed to:

•Match the carbohydrates (sugar content) in a meal or snack—

also known as a meal bolus

•Lower blood glucose when it gets too high—also known as a

correction bolus

This extra dose is in addition to the basal rate delivered through-

out the day and night (see Chapter 3, Understanding and

Adjusting Basal Rates).

The size of a bolus dose depends on the factors current at the

time you deliver the bolus:

•Your blood glucose level

•Your insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio

•Your correction factor

• Your target blood glucose

• The amount of insulin on board (active insulin) from previous

meal and correction boluses

•Your correction threshold, the BG level above which you

would like to take insulin to reduce an elevated blood

glucose

•Your activity level

• The type and amount of food you eat

With the OmniPod System, it is easy to adapt to any situation.

With just a few button presses, you can adjust to unexpected or

changing insulin needs.

During setup, you entered bolus dose settings in the PDM (see

Chapter 2, Getting Started). You can adjust these settings as you

fine-tune your System or when your needs change (see Chapter

6, Using the Personal Diabetes Manager).

Check with your healthcare provider before you adjust

these settings.