Staying on top of things

The other day I set my HIGH alert to 300.  Next week I'll set it down to 250.  The week after that I'll set it down to 200 and leave it there.  I'm really trying to crack down on these high numbers, a little at a time.  So far, I seem to be pretty successful, and eating a low carb diet is going to help me do that.  I had to stay on top of my carb-counting yesterday while I was at a family reunion, but it ended up being pretty easy since most of the food wasn't gluten-free.

I've noticed that my numbers seem to stay pretty steady overnight if I don't eat or bolus beforehand.  This is good.

I'm currently watching my number drop - I may have counted too many carbs this morning for breakfast.  I'm down into the 70s...time to take action.

Rough Day

Yesterday and today have been pretty rough for me, diabetes-wise.  It was Dexcom Day for me, or the day I'm supposed to change my sensor.  My first sensor was on my right side and seemed to still be holding up pretty well.  I decided to try to make it last a little longer and reset the sensor session.  After a 2 hour wait to recalibrate it, everything seemed to be going fine.  Then, around 8pm, it gave me the alert that it couldn't pick up readings from my sensor.  I waited for about an hour, since it had been able to sort itself out last time.  As bedtime neared, I decided to just go ahead and start over with a new sensor.  I inserted the new sensor on my left side and waited the 2 hour time period for calibration.

Upon calibrating, I noticed that the system wasn't recognizing the correct blood sugar values as it had done the first time.  In fact, it was saying I was low when I was actually in the 160s.  Then, the Dexcom stopped showing me numbers.  I had some tea and bolused for it, and then went to bed around 2am.

I slept off and on, waking up and checking my Dexcom to see what it was doing throughout the night.  It was HIGH all night.

Most of my nights this week have been filled with waking and checking - not very restful!  I'm continually tired and frustrated.

Around 6:40, I woke to my Dexcom telling me my number was still high.  I calculated a correction and gave myself a shot.  As I rolled over to go back to sleep, I had the notion to check my number on my glucometer.  It came back at a shocking 187.  I realized I had just given myself an overdose and ran into the kitchen for more tea and raisins (they have lots of sugar!) to equal the "bolus" I'd just given.  My number stayed safe and I was able to go back to sleep.

Lesson learned.  Always check your meter!  Don't do anything without a fingerstick!  Unfortunately, lack of sleep caused a lapse in judgment this time.

It's just hard because I'm trying to conserve test strips.  I'm not sure when I will be able to get more.  I need to call the pharmacy to see if my endo's new prescription has come in. 

My Insulin Pump Decision

I read a blog post/article the other day that helped me figure out what I should do about my pump decision.  The author mentioned a few things to take into consideration when deciding between a pump and injections. 

1.     The cost.  Pumps are more expensive and I don’t know how much my insurance will cover (probably only half, like with my Dexcom).

2.    Pumps can have more things go wrong than syringes can.  The battery can die; kinks and air bubbles can prevent insulin delivery; scar tissue build up will prevent insulin absorption; water damage and other malfunctions, etc. 

3.    Pumps don’t work for everyone.  The machine is only as good as its user.  Being on a pump before showed me that I wasn't a very good user.   

4.    Being connected to a pump was something I didn’t like years ago…in fact, I hated it.  The tubing would get caught on things if I wasn’t careful (and I’m clumsy, so that doesn’t help matters), the infusion site sometimes got yanked out prematurely (so annoying!), and I would sometimes drop the pump or it would fall from my hands (I fumble with things a lot).

5.    I want to see how well I do with being “connected” to the Dexcom.  Even though there’s no tubing connecting me to the receiver, I want to see how well I do with changing the transmitter site every week.  Most likely I will do well because it will be showing me patterns in my numbers and I will want to stay on top of them.  I like following numbers on charts and stuff.  Once a week is a whole lot better than every 3 days! 

Therefore, I have decided to not get a pump at this time.  I will be staying on shots.  They are working for me and I see no need to switch.  I just need to choke up on my discipline and I’ll be doing great. 

My Personal Goals

Since my next appointment is on August 28 at 3pm, I figured it would be a good idea to set some goals to meet by then.  I have 33 days from now.

By August 28, I am going to try to get my A1C down into the 10% range.  My A1C in May was 11.1%, so anything in the 10% range would be an improvement.  

My big goal after that is to get my A1C down to 7% by December 31, 2014 (year’s end).  That puts me at a little over 1% per month.  I will accomplish this in several ways:

• Stay on top of correcting high blood sugars and giving accurate food boluses.

• Use the Dexcom (whenever I get it) to track my blood sugar patterns and trajectories. 

• Use my secret weapon – namely, GC Control from Melaleuca – whenever I am able to order it.  
  
  

I think blogging about these goals and my progress will help me stay accountable and diligent.  If you are a diabetic, I hope I can help you in some way.  Likewise, I would appreciate help from you!  Thank you for joining me on my journey!