Friday was my endo check up. It's the second appointment that I've had with the new doctor. And I'm still incredibly pleased with how it's going. She is nearly everything that I could ask for in an endo, especially at this point in my life.

I spent about an hour with her, reviewing my logbook and discussing my issues. The best part is that she doesn't make me feel any more guilty than I already do for not doing things 100% all the time with my diabetes. She's understanding and accepting.

We talked about my post-breakfast highs for quite awhile. Everything from trying a lower carb ratio (done, still see highs with nasty lows after) to the types of foods I eat for breakfast. She's on board with my next suggestion of going on Symlin.

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Tuesday night, I switched my Lantus over to a once-per-day shot instead of the split doses I'd been using previously. I started with 22 units of Lantus at 8pm. I knew I'd see some highs, but I didn't want to risk an unexpected night low after making the first switch.

And I did see some elevation. I ran mostly in the 180-290 range all through Wednesday, which wasn't as high as I was expecting really. I made sure to consider food in the highs, along with the usual post-breakfast spike. And I was confident that a few more units of Lantus might do the trick (or at least get me closer).

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As I looked at my averages last night in preparation for my Friday endo check-up, I couldn't help but complain to myself that there is no pattern. Every day is different, often drastically so. I can't find any constant area. There aren't variables causing these random shifts, at least not to the naked eye.

First, there's my morning blood sugars. Sometimes I wake up low even after a bedtime snack with no bolus. And sometimes I wake up in the 200 or 300 range with no apparent cause. Because of my history of seizures and severe lows, I lean towards the lows though. At this point in my life, I'd rather wake up 300 occasionally instead of trying to raise my insulin to counteract those highs.

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November is always a crazy month for me. First, it's my birthday month. Second, it's also like 5 of my friends' birthday month. Third, it's Thanksgiving! Fourth, it's the busiest month in school as projects, papers, and exams take place all right before final exam season in December. Fifth, it's American Diabetes Month!

So here we are at the 2nd already...wasn't it just September last week? Sheesh...this year is flying by faster than I can even say it's flying by. I have lots of plans for American Diabetes Month. And I'm definitely excited to start checking some things off the list while exploring some new fun ideas.

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You may have noticed that diabetes hasn't been my first priority here lately. Not only is school speeding by faster than I can possibly keep up, my other health conditions are facing a lot of changes. Changes that I'm so ready for, but also not prepared for at the moment.

First, I'm starting birth control today after going off the progesterone almost two months ago. I'm hoping that the birth control will help with the premenstrual symptoms that I experience (like cramping, joint pain, headaches, and fatigue), without leaving lasting side effects (like weight gain, stroke, or pulmonary embolism). It took a lot to make the decision to go on it again, but I've made the decision and now I'm excited to see the results.

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I remember posters of dull needles from the pediatric endo's office. The difference between a new needle and the old was always quite disgusting. The old was frayed, with shards of metal sticking out abnormally. It was definitely a good way to scare a teenager into changing lancets and syringes on a regular basis.

The bad thing was that I never remembered that poster after I left the doctor's office. I'd go back to my usual routine. I wouldn't change the lancet until someone reminded me. I'd use a syringe repeatedly, until the numbers wore down or the needle bent. It could be days before I'd even think about switching it out...after multiple uses per day.

It's a bad diabetes habit that I'm in. I try to be better...I put extra lancets and syringes in my meter kit. I try to make schedules, changing them on Sundays or once a night or on the 1st of the month. Anything to make the habit more often than it is. (READ MORE)