I am having a love affair with my sensors.
They're little devices that I stick into my thigh with a nice, big-gauge needle.
And I love them to bits.
They tell my pump what's going on with my blood sugar, and with a little click of a button I can see blood sugar trends and get alarms if I am going low or high.
They're not perfect, and each new one only lasts me about 6 days. The first day is a training day for the sensor, and I don't trust it that day. The next days have been rock solid so far. I used the previous sensor technology, with a giant hanging transmitter that looked an awful lot like a computer mouse. Hated it. It dragged on the sensor and my readings were terribly inaccurate. This one looks like a seashell, it's tiny, and it works so steadily.
They've seen me through 3 weeks of horrible blood sugar, three weeks of the worst blood sugar so far. I've made corrections of multiple units of insulin, trying to send myself flying downwards. It didn't work, by the way. My body was going through some weirdness. Last night, the sensor saw me through multiple slight low blood sugars that would have ended me in unconsciousness had I not woken from my pump's alarms. Evidently the weirdness is now ending, and I'm going back to my original basal rates. And the sensor can tell me this - even if it wakes me every hour to tell me, that's better than not waking at all.
Gotta love em.
The problem? They are danged expensive, and not covered by insurance. They're about $200 for the month. Little gold-plated security blankets, they are. I just shelled out for next month's quota. I just need to find some more consulting work, and I'm all set. Right. Easier said than done!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Beware the muscular bottom
Caution - far too much information below.
Ok, so I started running in May. I have always used a certain type of pump site on my -ahem -rear. It works for me. Or so it seemed.
The last 2 weeks I've had TERRIBLE blood sugar. It was totally random, and I blamed it on stress, PMS, eating at restaurants twice, Thanksgiving (I'm in Canada), everything.
I was awake for ages the last 2 nights, as my insulin requirements to keep me under 300 were more than double my usual insulin. I had visions of using hundreds of units a day, as opposed to my usual 30 or so.
This morning at 4 am I figured it out. My muscles in my bottom have gotten larger from running, and my fat layer is thinner. The Quicksets sometimes work, sometimes not. I'm going to have to switch to another type of pump site (Silhouettes) in my rear (already use them in my tummy).
I used a Silhouette all day, and everything was normal - finally!
This is my official public service announcement for any pumper starting an exercise program: beware the muscular bottom!
Ok, so I started running in May. I have always used a certain type of pump site on my -ahem -rear. It works for me. Or so it seemed.
The last 2 weeks I've had TERRIBLE blood sugar. It was totally random, and I blamed it on stress, PMS, eating at restaurants twice, Thanksgiving (I'm in Canada), everything.
I was awake for ages the last 2 nights, as my insulin requirements to keep me under 300 were more than double my usual insulin. I had visions of using hundreds of units a day, as opposed to my usual 30 or so.
This morning at 4 am I figured it out. My muscles in my bottom have gotten larger from running, and my fat layer is thinner. The Quicksets sometimes work, sometimes not. I'm going to have to switch to another type of pump site (Silhouettes) in my rear (already use them in my tummy).
I used a Silhouette all day, and everything was normal - finally!
This is my official public service announcement for any pumper starting an exercise program: beware the muscular bottom!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
The synergistic effect of pizza on blood glucose levels. Or is it the phases of the moon?
So. Pizza. Not the reason that my blood sugar was crazy today by any means. No, that was because my insulin reservoir leaked and my site failed. Auuugggghhh! Luckily, I have a backup stash of my "drugs" and my "supplies" at work, so I was able to fix both things and introduce a program on a blood sugar of 12ish. Can you say fuzzy brain?
But pizza. It is the great mystery of diabetes.
Since I developed diabetes, I have limited myself to 1 slice of homemade pizza at a time. I take too much insulin for it. I check my blood sugar regularly and through the night. Sometimes I can manage it, sometimes I can't. I really, really like pizza, but I am beginning to think that it is just TOO MUCH WORK.
Yes, pizza has a lot of carbs and fat and protein, all stewing together in a little slice of goodness. Mmmmmmmm, pizza. Oh yes, and the fat and protein are converted to sugar overnight, so they slowly raise your blood sugar.
But why can I eat a slice of toast with cheese and meat, and it doesn't work the same way as pizza? I can have said toast with no problem. But not the pizza. I think that there must be some strange chemical reaction going on. The fat and protein and carbs do a little happy dance and make more fat and protein and carbs than there ever were before.
I've tried homemade pizza pockets made with low carb wraps, and they work ok. But they are not quite the same. I've tried pizza soup. Ditto.
When the good fairy comes to cure diabetes, I've got to say: I'm going out for a HUGE pizza, eating every dripping bit, and then I'm going for a run.
Hah! Eat that, pizza!
But pizza. It is the great mystery of diabetes.
Since I developed diabetes, I have limited myself to 1 slice of homemade pizza at a time. I take too much insulin for it. I check my blood sugar regularly and through the night. Sometimes I can manage it, sometimes I can't. I really, really like pizza, but I am beginning to think that it is just TOO MUCH WORK.
Yes, pizza has a lot of carbs and fat and protein, all stewing together in a little slice of goodness. Mmmmmmmm, pizza. Oh yes, and the fat and protein are converted to sugar overnight, so they slowly raise your blood sugar.
But why can I eat a slice of toast with cheese and meat, and it doesn't work the same way as pizza? I can have said toast with no problem. But not the pizza. I think that there must be some strange chemical reaction going on. The fat and protein and carbs do a little happy dance and make more fat and protein and carbs than there ever were before.
I've tried homemade pizza pockets made with low carb wraps, and they work ok. But they are not quite the same. I've tried pizza soup. Ditto.
When the good fairy comes to cure diabetes, I've got to say: I'm going out for a HUGE pizza, eating every dripping bit, and then I'm going for a run.
Hah! Eat that, pizza!
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