CGM Update

 I’m taking a break from the CGM.  I wore it consistently for three full weeks and gathered a ton of data to share with my doc when I see him.  But I really did need a few days off.  Wouldn’t it figure that my second day in, I’d have a very scary and inexplicable bloodsugar of 23 mg/dl, followed by a rebound high of 400 mg/dl the following morning? 

I’m going to go back at it starting tomorrow for another two weeks.  I’ll be seeing the doctor the following week, and I want to have at least a month worth of data look over with him.

Some notes about the system:

*I am not a fan of putting the sensor site in.  It’s actually pretty painful.  There has got to be a way to make the insertion needle smaller, right?  Something I was warned about, but I have experienced only once - “bleeders” or “gushers,” wherein the site goes in and bleeds so badly that you can’t keep it in.  These are a pain, both in terms of the grossness and the waste of an expensive sensor.   

*The amount of tape needed to hold sensors down is ridiculous.  For me, a big piece of 3M post-op tape about does it.  But it’s 2X3 inches and although I know that sounds small, my skin is so sensitive to the adhesive that even that little bit can cause quite a bit of irritation.  I’ve found that changing the tape out every 2 days, while keeping the sensor in for longer works OK. 

*I am getting eight days out of my sensors, with decently accurate results.  I’ve been trying to calibrate pretty regularly, sometimes more often than the CGM asks for, particularly in the last four days of wear. 

*I have already, without even looking with the doctor, found some distinct patterns and made some adjustments I couldn’t have made otherwise.

*The site feels very big and very ugly.  Even though I know it’s not HUGE, it certainly seems that way.  And because it sticks out further than a pump site, it is more easily jostled.  This makes me – and my boyfriend, in moments of intimacy – more kid-glovey with it. 

*I sleep better at night knowing the CGM will catch me if I’m falling or rising.  I have had several times when the CGM pretty much saved me from a stupendous drop or a stupendous rise in bloodsugar.  That safety net has meant the world.  I’m getting better rest.  Of course, on those nights it alarms, the swings in bloodsugar really do make it tough to stay asleep…  And it never fails that the swings ALWAYS cause the CGM to want a meter bloodsugar or two. 

In Other News

I started a new job mid-December.  After three years with Rhode Island Public Radio, a start up non-profit, I was recruited by The Miriam Hospital to serve as their Annual Giving Officer.  This is very, very good news.  Although I miss the station, my friends, and my colleagues – and I still believe passionately in the mission – in such a small, short-staffed environment both burn out and a lack of places to move up career-wise were in full force. 

I’m thrilled to be at The Miriam, a great hospital in Providence with a beautiful story – founded by a group of Jewish women who saw the need for a hospital to care for the indigent in their community.  That tradition of philanthropic good is alive and well here and I’m blessed to be a part.  In addition, the health benefits are a dream.  A low monthly premium, pump and CGM supplies 100% covered, no deductible.  Very low co-pays for prescription drugs.  Surgeries and other procedures, if done within the hospital network (there are five hospitals in network), 100% covered.  $10 doctor visits – and an on-site employee health center for basics like colds, skin infections, etc. 

Beyond all of those good things, the work “tone” here is much more laid back.  I am working 8:30 to 5:00 – and that’s been very consistent, with just one later night sprinkled in the mix of the first month or so.   Many of my same constituents are involved here as with the station – and I’ve hit the ground running.  

I also recently took the time to reorganize my apartment.  Since my roommate left, I had a room in my home that really wasn’t being used for much of anything.  No more.  I’ve decided to turn that small room into a walk-in closet and use the bigger space, that now contains all of my clothes and shoes, as a writing, art creation, painting space.   My goal in this new year is to be more organized at home AND more creative.  I know it’s possible, I just need to focus in order to achieve it – and focus I will! 

So, I think that’s about it for now…  Happy new year to you all.  Sending lots of joy and love out for the most productive, peaceful, happy, healthy 12 months ever…