Monthly Archives: October 2011

Not Sure What to Think.

A1c, BG, BG Meters, Edgepark

Recently I mentioned in a post that I have been testing my BG 17-19 times on some days.  I am trying to “control” my BG like never before but those frequent tests do not have all to do with my efforts.  I can thank many of those tests for the lack of confidence I have in my glucose meter readings. A few months ago I blogged about frustration I was having with my One Touch meter, leading me to switch my primary meter to the Freestyle Lite.  Since then, I have used the Ping meter on occasion since I am lazy it is convenient to be able to bolus from that, especially when I wear a dress or skirt and the pump is tucked away.  Also on occasion, I have continued my comparison between the two meters.  Here is where things take a turn.  When I conducted my “testing” between meters back a few months ago, the Freestyle was ALWAYS higher.  And I mean always.  Now in recent weeks, every time I do a comparison, the Freestyle is ALWAYS lower.  And I mean always.  (Except when I encountered a meter reading fantasy and the meters read the exact same!)  This is so perplexing. 

I was so sure that since using One Touch, I was not getting a1c results I expected since it was reading lower than my actual BG readings.  Now, I’m not so sure.  I don’t know what to think most times when I test my BG.  All I want is a reading that will help me manage my diabetes and let me make the right decisions that my health and life depend on.  All I want is information I can work with to get my a1c below 7%.  How am I supposed to do that if I’m not even sure what my BG really is?  Can the FDA or a diabetes meter company answer that for me?

Thank goodness for Edgepark allowing a split shipment of test strips between different kinds. I’m not sure what I would be doing if I didn’t have that option.

Guest Post.

Emotions, Guest Post, Pregnancy

I met Sysy this past spring at the Diabetes Sisters Weekend for Women conference in Raleigh, NC.  I’m very glad I did 🙂

Being that she has children of her own (two beautiful twins mind you) she had asked me to provide a post on the perspective of being a woman with diabetes and not having children.  It was a hard one to write but I did want to share that with everyone.  I’m honored to have my post over at The Girl’s Guide to Diabetes today. 

A Type 1’s Decision Not to Have Children 

Thank you so much Sysy for the opportunity to write for you!

381.

Uncategorized

Values that are found in friendships (from my good ol’ reliable friend Wikipedia):

  • The tendency to desire what is best for the other.
  • Sympathy and empathy.
  • Honesty, perhaps in situations where it may be difficult for others to speak the truth, especially in terms of pointing out the perceived faults of one’s counterpart.
  • Mutual understanding and compassion; ability to go to each other for emotional support.
  • Enjoyment of each other’s company.
  • Trust in one another.
  • Positive reciprocity — a relationship is based on equal give and take between the two parties.
  • The ability to be oneself, express one’s feelings and make mistakes without fear of judgment.

Do most of the members from the diabetes community interact “online”? I’d say yes. (Hence the name DOC) Does that stop any of the above values from existing? No way. Every single one of the values of friendship exist among the diabetes community and that is what makes it so incredible. And the meetings in person just magnify everything it is made of. Empathy, sympathy, honesty, enjoyment, positivity, non judge mental, compassion. It’s all there. I’ve been fortunate to attend numerous diabetes meet ups of various kinds. This past Saturday I attended the biggest meet up I have experienced yet. There were 17 people with diabetes in attendance as well as some type 3’s. All to meet and hang out with a fellow diabetic from very far away; Australia. Diabetes wasn’t always the topic of conversation. Probably more often than not, the topic was something entirely different. But there was a lot of fun being had. By all of us. The whole time. I love the friends I’ve had either growing up or since my adulthood began. But in the past 3-4 years I have gained so many more friends that just happen to have diabetes also. And these friends have touched my life in a way that is indescribable. For that, I am forever grateful.

To steal an idea from Sara, together the 17 of us had diabetes for 381 years. That is A LOT of diabetes experiences. A LOT of high and low BGs. A LOT of finger sticks. A LOT of insulin. Yet there were A LOT of smiles and laughing all day long. Diabetes isn’t always the pits. You can do this.

Bummer Appointment.

Complications, Emotions, Endocrinologists

Yesterday afternoon I had an appointment with my endo. On the train on my way home (my endo is in my home neighborhood, not near my job) I found myself wondering why I wasn’t feeling my usual nerves.  It was then that I began to feel like I didn’t care. Like I wasn’t concerned with how my appointment was going to go. I can’t pinpoint what brought those feelings on but I was still pretty calm when I got to the doctor’s office. 

Overall my a1c went up a bit, my weight went up a bit and my BP was up a bit. I also had an ANSAR test done. If you’ve never heard of that before, it’s a test that determines anything wrong with the autonomic nervous system.  Dr. K is concerned that since I started with retinopathy, the chances of other complications may be likely. All of these new-to-me tests are scary. They are part of the reality I have always been afraid of.  But I know they are for the best. If I want to stay healthy, I have to be proactive and diligent about my body.  It was not the best appointment of all time.   But Dr. K thinks my “control” is decent and knows that I’m doing a lot to manage my diabetes.  I appreciate her outlook and her recognition of my hard work.  There is more fine tuning that I need to do which will happen with the help of my CDE.  And also with my own efforts of keeping up with exercise.  I feel like now more than ever, my BG control matters.  I’ll be soon commemorating 30 years living with diabetes.  And that’s a long time.  But to quote Dr. K, “you still have a long life ahead of you”.  And I want to make sure that life ahead of me is stable.  

So for the record, in looking over my meter downloads, I realized something. I do care. I care enough to check my BG 17-19 times in one day.

Exhausting.

Uncategorized

One might think that people living with diabetes get a rest at night when they sleep. Not so. Unfortunately blood glucose (BG) levels can change during the night, even while you are not doing anything but sleeping. Crazy right?  And this is where using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) can help alert you of high or low BG that you otherwise may not know of.  Since you’re well, sleeping.  Except that those alarms from the CGM can cause for restless nights.  Last night had to be the worst in my CGM-ing history.  Before going to sleep, around 9:15pm, I was 156.  A while before that I had a low that was being stubborn.  And of course the carbs I ingested caught up to me.  Around 10:30 I got my first high alarm.  (my high alarm is set at 200 mg/dL)  I tested and was 231.  So I corrected and went to sleep.  And so it began. The night of hourly high alarms.  I wasn’t terribly high but hanging around the 200 mark. All.  Night.  I corrected, I increased my basal. But nothing seemed to bring me back to normal.  And since I was trying to sleep, and wasn’t dangerously high, I kept trying to sleep.  And the Dexcom kept waking me. Then my pump would go off too. The 2 hour reminder after my bolus.  And the beeping that I was down to 20 units in the reservoir.  If I wasn’t such a considerate individual, I would have contemplated screaming. And if it wakes me up, of course it wakes the hubby too.  So sorry Joe.

Diabetes doesn’t sleep. And that means sometimes, neither do we.

No D Day 2011.

Community, Family

Today is No D Day which is a great idea started by the D ninja himself, George.  And on that note, here is my No D Day post.

Joe and I do not have children and if you know me, you know that is not at all a light subject to me.  But there are two little people in my life that mean just as much to me as my own children would.  There are two initials tattooed on my right middle finger – JK.  That is for them.  My niece and nephew.  The children who were born into this world by my twin sister and her husband.  And I am blessed to be their aunt and godmother.  They bring such joy to my life and are one of the biggest treasures of my world.  Maybe I feel a deeper bond with them because I don’t have a child of my own.  But whatever the reason, I would do anything for these two.  J and K, Auntie Stacey loves you 🙂