A Day in the Life - July 5, 2016

I promised y'all a "day in the life" post a while ago (4 months!  yikes!), and I've finally picked a day to share.  Starting at midnight, here's how things went on July 5, 2016:

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Midnight:  Took 7 units of Levemir (long-acting basal insulin), along with my nighttime supplements.

1:09am:  My blood sugar was 100.  I went to sleep.

8am:  My alarm went off for my morning Levemir shot.  I checked my blood sugar and it was 85.  I took 7 units of Levemir and tried to fall back asleep but couldn't so I just lounged in bed.

10am:  My blood sugar was still 85.  My stomach was growling so I got up and ate a yummy breakfast, including a low carb breakfast cookie, a mozzarella cheese stick, an avocado with Himalayan Pink Salt, and a Chocolate Praline Fat Bomb, along with a bottle of sugar free flavored water.

11:30am:  Calibrated Dex with a blood sugar of 99.

12pm:  Took my Armour Thyroid medication.

1:08pm:  Checked Dex (as I do often throughout the day) and noticed that my blood sugar had been trending upwards since around noon.  Blood sugar was 124, so I took 1 unit of Apidra via an IM injection.

1:56pm:  Blood sugar was 98.

3:35pm:  Blood sugar was still 98.  Dex showed steady at 99 (almost a unicorn!).  I made myself my second meal:  3 hot dogs, 5 boiled asparagus spears smothered in Kerrygold butter, and a Molokai Coconut Bai drink.

4pm:  Took 7 units of Levemir, as well as 0.5 unit of Apidra (IM) for food.  I then sat down to refill my weekly pill box and noticed I was almost out of Armour Thyroid.  I called the pharmacy and ordered refills for my Armour and Apidra prescriptions, then went back to filling up the pill compartments.  Then I took my 4pm supplements, drinking down plenty of sugar free flavored water.

This thing seriously helps me keep track of all the supplements I'm taking!

5:26pm:  Dex buzzed HIGH with a blood sugar of 120.  Finger-stick confirmed blood sugar was 123.  Decided to give insulin another 1/2 hour to leave system before re-checking and correcting again.

6pm:  Dex showed 119.  Blood sugar tested at 113.  Blood sugar seemed to be coming down somewhat so I decided to wait it out to avoid over-correcting.

6:42pm:  Dex buzzed again at 120 (HIGH).  Blood sugar tested at 110.  I decided to do another 1/2 unit correction while I figured out what to make for dinner. 

(This is a prime example of why I don't correct based on Dexcom's readings.  If I had done a correction of 1 unit instead of 1/2 unit I would've gone low!  1 unit brings me down 50 points, 1/2 unit brings me down 25 points.  So at 110, if I had taken 1 unit thinking I was 120, I would've dropped to 60 instead of 83.  I wait 2 hours in between correction shots given as an IM because they start working faster and leave my system faster than regular subcutaneous shots given in non-muscular locations.  I have to constantly think ahead about how things will affect me.) 

The Rule of Small Numbers for the win!

7:30pm:  I finally chose to make Lemon Butter Chicken with Cheesy Broccoli for dinner.  I pour myself a tall cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk to go with it.  Dex was showing 106 with a slightly downward-angled line.  It has been 40 minutes since my shot and I can start to see it working.  I also just received a text message alerting me that my Apidra and Armour prescriptions are ready for pickup.  I'll have to get them tomorrow.  

8:06pm:  Dex reads 92.  Blood sugar is 79, according to glucometer.  Dinner has already been put on the stove so not much longer before I can eat.  I can already tell I'll be doing a delayed bolus, as veggies and protein don't usually kick in right away.

8:55pm:  Dex 89, finger stick 81.  Dinner is finally ready!  Hubby and I sat down to eat and watched an episode of 24. 

9:40pm:  Dex alerted 122 (HIGH) and trending upwards, blood sugar was really 112.  Again, appearances were deceiving!  Dex made it look like I was higher than I really was.  This caused me to debate between taking 1/2 a unit and 1 unit; I figured 1/2 unit would be the current safe amount, as I could always give more later.  I then realized that I wanted some of the low carb chocolate pudding I'd made yesterday.  (Mmmm...yummy!)  I took 1/2 unit and ate my pudding.

10:51pm:  Blood sugar is 116.  (Dex shows 125, gradually coming down.)

11:35pm:  Dex prompts for calibration (for the second time).  I test and put in 128.

11:55pm:  Dex is now showing steady at 123.  Two hours have passed since my last shot, so I figure it is safe enough to do another 1 unit correction of Apidra along with my 7 units of Levemir before bed.  I grab a bottle of water out of the fridge and take all of the bedtime supplements in my pill box, including my Armour Thyroid.  

Here is my Dex graph for the day:

~*~*~*~*~*~*~
And that, my friends, is just one day in the life of a Type 1 Diabetic.  

Unfamiliar terms:
Dex = Dexcom CGM
IM = intramuscular; given in the deltoid of the upper arm
Apidra = rapid acting insulin, used for meals and high blood sugar corrections, as needed
Levemir = long lasting insulin, used for basal rate to keep blood sugars steady while in fasting mode.  I take in 3 small doses every 8 hours (at midnight, 8am, and 4pm).