Trying to Regain My Footing

So, I've had several overnight highs that have messed up my average, regrettably.  I'm not quite sure why some of them happened, other than possibly bad insulin.  The first night with the high, immediate spike was due to a low that I took sugar for and it skyrocketed.  Ever since then I've felt like I've been a mess and I've lost my momentum.  



Now that I've got some good insulin again I am going to try to kick it back into high gear and get these numbers down.  I really do need to stay on top of my carb-counting and limit the carbs I eat as much as possible.  I may be falling into the high-carb trap again...because where there are tasty snacks, I will eat them!   

Amazing Improvement in 2 Weeks!

I'm amazed...simply blown away.  God has shown me such kindness by placing me with a Nurse Practitioner who truly knows her stuff.  She doesn't just tell me what to do - she listens to me and suggests things based on what I know about how my body responds.

It's been 2 weeks since my appointment with Carrie and right from the start I noticed a difference in my numbers.  After 2 weeks, I'm truly excited about what I'm seeing - it's not just a fluke or a one time deal...it's real, actual improvement!  After years of struggling with a seemingly hopeless roller coaster, a recent attitude change on my part, and a slight insulin tweak, I'm seeing a huge difference in my numbers for the better!  See for yourself! 

Here are the stats:

• From January 10-16 (Week 1), my average blood sugar was 197.  The red line shows my average number for this week.
• From January 17-23 (Week 2), my average blood sugar was 156.  The blue line shows my average number for this week.
• There is a 21% average blood sugar improvement between Week 1 & 2. 
• Week 1 has 33% in target.
• Week 2 has 47% in target!

Thank you all for following my Diabetic Journey, and for walking with me as I continue to take steps to improve my blood sugar numbers.  Achieving a normal A1C has always seemed like an impossible feat, but as I press on toward the goal and rest in Jesus's strength and power I see the impossible become possible.

Overnight Success!

The past two nights I've gone to bed with a good number (140-150) to see how my new basal insulin dose works.  13 units of Levemir seems to be just right!  The yellow boxes highlight my overnight blood sugar trends. 



I feel like I've been doing better with my carb-counting too.  Sure I've had some highs after eating, but the insulin brought it right back down...and even a bit too low yesterday.  Must've bolused too much that time around.  Heehee.  If I can keep up this trend I might have my A1C down even more by my next appointment.  It's a daily fight to stay on top of things and I don't think many people realize this...but little by little I'll get there.

I've printed out a chart to help me stay focused on my goal A1C.  It's good to see how far you've come and how far you have left to go.  Here's what it looks like right now:


May 2014 = 11.1% (272 mg/dl)
August 2014 = 10.1% (243 mg/dl)
January 2015 = 9.5% (226 mg/dl)

Looking Good - Sorta

Lab work came back negative for infection related to the lymph node.  Still taking my other meds - nausea has decreased some but not much.  Still coughing and feeling tight in my chest when I breathe. 

Since my thyroid hormone levels came back high after the appointment, Carrie decided to increase my synthroid dose from 125mcg to 150mcg.  I'll be picking it up from the pharmacy later.

My numbers have really seemed to respond well to my increased basal rate, although I DID have to down a bunch of glucotabs last night to keep from going low.  (And my sensor cut off for about 2 hours during the middle of the night, but then picked up readings again.  Ugh.)  At least it worked!  They've stayed fairly consistent today.

18 straight hours under 200

So I'll definitely say the increased basal insulin is working.  Carrie upped it from 12 to 13 and I had to give myself some glucotabs last night before bed to keep from having a low.  That worked well until about 7:30 this morning.  Woke up and had some more glucotabs, then went back to sleep for a little bit.

Now it's after noon and I've bolused, eaten breakfast, and given myself my basal insulin, and it's coming down again...only slightly.  I took more glucotabs and it's stable.

It's great to have a nice long streak of good numbers under 200.  This is what I want to see more often!

 

Endo Appointment Results

Today's appointment carried mostly good news. 

My A1C has come down, but not by as much as I thought.  At the end of August it was 10.1%, and now it's 9.5%.  I am sad I didn't reach my goal, but maybe in a few months I'll have it down where I want it.

A few things came up in lab work, but nothing bad.  Just my thyroid levels are a bit high, and Carrie wants me to experiment with taking my pill in the morning instead of before bed to see if that helps it work better.   If not, we'll have to increase my dose.

A week and a half ago, I noticed a strange, small, tender bump and I told her about it (lymph node?).  She examined it, then had me get some more blood work done to see if there's any sign of infection (white blood cell count).   She said I could/should also get checked by my primary care Dr in the next few weeks.  

Other than that, just some insulin tweaking and I need to make sure I give insulin right when I eat so I don't go up/spike too high.  She also told me about a discount card I can use to save money on my insulin.  I have a lab work follow up in 6 weeks and I see her again in April. 

Still nauseous today, but no headache.  It's also freezing cold!

Fasting Labs

I went in for fasting labs today - they only drew blood.  I was in and out real quick, but I've gone through a bit of an ordeal for these labs.  I would've gone in yesterday morning, only I woke up with a headache that stuck around all day.  I had a headache this morning too but today was the only other day I could go in so I had to push through it.  Nausea has also made things more difficult for me.  Nothing has really helped relieve my symptoms, and I'm not sure what's causing them.

I'm on edge waiting for Thursday to get here.  I'm hoping Carrie will have good news for me regarding my A1C.  I also have a few questions for her and I'm eager to hear her thoughts.

I've noticed (again) that my sensor doesn't seem to do as well on my right side as it does on my left side.  I've been having a bit of difficulty with it since I put it in a few days ago.  It seems to be having a harder time picking up my numbers.  Here's what my roller coaster looks like:
  


Needless to say, I've been facing some frustration and discouragement.  My number seems to be stuck averaging around 200.  How am I supposed to get it to stay more in the 100 range?