New Sensor Site and Success

Yesterday I decided to give my legs a break from wearing Dexcom sensors and put the new sensor in my left arm (with hubby's help).  It's been doing great so far!  These are my numbers for today:


I'm also incredibly happy to see this proof of success in my Dexcom Studio software:

My target range has been changed.  I now shoot for 65-140mg/dl instead of 65-150mg/dl.  Pretty soon I'll lower it to 120 and keep it there indefinitely!  Also, I'm pretty sure this graph looked backwards almost a year ago when I first started on the Dexcom.  75% in range (lows count too)!  I'm beyond floored at how good God has been to me this year.  I could not have done any of this without Him. 

And, since I'm eligible to order a new Dexcom transmitter and receiver now, I'm in the process of getting that done. 

Appointment with Carrie

I had my appointment with Carrie yesterday.  She said all my blood work came back looking great but, as I had guessed, my levothyroxine dose needed to be adjusted a little bit.  My TSH came back at 0.309 so she gave me a new prescription for 100 mcg (down from 112 mcg) to get my levels above the 0.490 uIU/ML that's in range.

And then...the results I was the most anxious for...my A1C....

With an average BG of 146mg/dl, I got 6.7%!!  (Dr. B A1C of 6.3%!)

She was, as far as I could tell, floored by my improvement.  She said that these sorts of numbers aren't seen in Type 1s (even though we all know they should be!) and she joked that I was her new favorite patient.  When I told her I had cut my Levemir dose down into 3 smaller shots, she was happy to hear it was working, but also told me about a new insulin that was a bit stronger that I could try if I wanted to cut down on the number of shots I take.  I'm pretty happy with the way it's working for me now, so maybe I'll save that option for another day.  I also told her I wasn't eating as many carbs, and she didn't have a problem with that.  "Keep doing what you're doing," she said. 

She gave us the green light for starting a family and then, when I was checking out, I showed her my straight line of blood sugars on my Dexcom screen from the past 8 or so hours.  She then turned around and showed it to another nurse, who told me she was trying to get her numbers down too (she was in the 7% range).  They both couldn't believe how little variation there was in my blood sugar trends. 

This gives me so much hope.  Maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to encourage and help other diabetics strive for the same control that I've been able to harness. 

19th Diaversary - From Darkness to Light

Today marks the 19th anniversary (or Diaversary, as we Diabetics say) of the day I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  I almost can't believe it's been that long but, as I look back on all the years I struggled with my numbers, I can see that I have certainly gone through a lot in that length of time.

I'm so grateful.  I'm so grateful that God was patient with me when I was in darkness and sin, when I was in a bitter depression and raging against Him because I couldn't understand why He'd allowed me to get Diabetes.  I'm so grateful He protected me when I was tempted to just end it all and be done with myself.  I'm so grateful He stayed with me every step of the way and brought me out of the Valley of the Shadow of Death.  The green meadows and still waters are very much there, real, present.     

And I can only be grateful because of who He is and what He's done for me.  I'm also beginning to see the reason for it all.

Since the beginning of this year, when I discovered Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution and the Low Carb, High Fat diet, I've felt God press something on my heart...that this LCHF diet is a good thing.  A necessary thing.  A lifesaving thing.

Just a few months ago, after receiving the news that my father was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, things really started to sink in.  This wasn't just something God was pressing on my heart for my good, but for the good of others.  And I knew it was something that He wanted me to pursue for His glory.  He was growing my passion for holistic nutrition, and I could feel it.  It was a burning passion I could feel so clearly. 

You may not know this but I subscribed to the Simple Carbohydrate Diet or SCD Lifestyle blog over a year ago when I was first looking for a healthier way to manage my Celiac and diabetes.  Then, a month ago, I was invited to attend a free webinar hosted by Jordan Reasoner, Steve Wright, and guest speaker Cynthia Pasquella.  I knew it had something to do with nutrition and decided to see what they had to say.

So what was the webinar about?  Holistic Nutritionist Training at their online academy.  My interest was beyond piqued and I started looking into it.  However, after doing some research, I didn't feel that their academy was the best place for me - their spiritual training courses did not line up with my own beliefs.  So I went in search of another academy that would be a better fit for me.

And I found it.

Now things have gone from Darkness to Light.

Diabetes (eventually) sparked a desire for better blood sugar control, which I have found by following a LCHF diet.  This diet, or way of eating, has fueled in me a desire to help other struggling diabetics obtain the same thing I've found.  And it seems God has opened up a door for me to be able to help them do so by giving me a passion for pursuing a Biblical Holistic Nutritionist Certification.  Please be praying that I'll continue to seek His will, and that He will open up all the doors I need to step through to make this happen.  By God's grace, He will see me through. 

"Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body."  1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 NLT

"No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it."  Ephesians 5:29 NLT

Best Overnight Numbers

Last night (starting at 7pm) I had my best string of overnight numbers.  Sure, I registered as low for a few hours straight but I'll take that over being high any day.  I stayed between 57 and 96 and I'm still going strong!  

 


For point of reference, these were my numbers in September 2014, after being on the Dexcom for a short while and before starting a LCHF diet.

Labwork and Stats

Today I went in for lab work, since my appointment got pushed back.  I was actually able to reschedule it again for July 13, so I'm happy I won't have to wait to get the results until the 21st now! 

Anyway, I'd like to share some pretty exciting stats now.  Check it out:



Here's the breakdown:
Jan 2 - April 1 = 62% high, 38% in target
April 2 - July 2 =  27% high, 1% low, 72% in target

That's an 89% improvement in maintaining my target blood sugars, and an 88% improvement in avoiding high blood sugars.  

Jan 2 - April 1 = Average BG of 176
April 2 - July 2 = Average BG of 130

That's a 26% improvement in my average BG.
Now if I could just get that blue line a little bit lower, I'll be well on my way to a normal blood sugar average!