Search Results

The past week has been terrible on my blood sugars. I'm scared that I have/had another ovarian cyst. It seems to be pointing in that direction, or else my insulin and whole life has gone bad.

For about a week, my blood sugars have been high to no avail (well, about 3 numbers below 185 in 5 days). I've been stuck in the 200-260 range and I'm incredibly frustrated. Because it seems like there is nothing that I can do about it.

I've used extra Humalog and Lantus the last few days, but still nothing except for a random drop to 121 Friday that soared back to the 200's within a few hours. I've worked out several times this week, which usually causes a decided drop for a little while. And I've tried to watch my food intake by avoiding "bad" foods and relying on the foods I know don't prove a challenge to my averages.

Rating (0) 0

Email this Comments (0)

OK, aside from the heat in the summer, er, maybe *because* of the heat in the summer... summer can be pretty unbearable here. In the three summers we've been here, though, I've definitely learned to appreciate the fact that 90 degrees here is dramatically different than 90 degrees in the Midwest. 90 degrees here is actually pretty nice. In fact, the other day the high was 103 and it felt pretty pleasant.

But when the predicted high for the day is 112 and it's already 86 at 7:30 a.m. and your air conditioning goes out, the only thing you want is for it to be about 60 degrees outside! 

Rating (0) 0

Email this Comments (0)

Health issues can be especially lonely at times. Your body is racked with pain, your head is spinning from a low, or you're just worn out from a night of blood sugar issues. Chronic issues don't exactly create a great place of friendship and community. Yet it's so vital for us chronic care patients to bond together.

We are all struggling and trying to survive with whatever ailments we are going through. We are all feeling lonely, depressed, and frustrated. We need places to turn to lay our heads down, to say "I can't do this anymore!" and to just be heard. Truly heard.

At four years old, I couldn't grasp diabetes or community or how important it all might be for the rest of my life. I really don't remember what I grasped back then, except I've been told that I was just angry. And I couldn't understand why the doctors couldn't fix me. They were doctors! They were supposed to make you better!

Rating (0) 0

Email this Comments (3)

The most recent heat wave may have passed, but summer is still in full swing -- which means heat-related health alerts. While these issues are not directly related to diabetes, diabetes can confound a heat-related health issue, making it harder to recognize and treat. Heat-related symptoms can mimic sugar-related symptoms and vice-versa, so it is in our best interests to know our normal ranges and reactions to the greatest degree possible.

The most basic heat issue is hydration. For some of us, dehydration will cause our blood glucose levels to drop; for others, it will cause those readings to rise. For some of us, the physical stress of dehydration will, at one point or another, trigger an adrenaline response and its associated glycogen release, leading to u-shaped curves (think "Dawn Phenomenon").

Rating (0) 0

Email this Comments (1)

Today I had a breakdown. Not the sobbing, woe is me kind. But the kick it to the curb, throw it out the window kind. I'm ready to kick my health to the curb...once and for awhile to get everything straightened out and stop stressing over hormones and supplements and money. So here's what I decided to do:

Since starting the bio-identical hormone treatment, I've seen great improvement in several areas. My fatigue is generally improved (unless I'm under high stress). My periods are less irregular. My joint and muscle pain is usually completely gone (had a few bumps while they moved things around). And a lot of the odds and ends of pain that struck my body at random moments vanished. Plus we all know that after starting these treatments I lost weight that wouldn't budge before then.

Rating (0) 0

Email this Comments (0)

Many hot-weather health issues center around proper hydration. My last post discussed how much water we should be drinking, and whether or not fluids other than water counted towards that volume. I finished up by mentioning that in addition to the amount we consume, we need to take into account how quickly we process those fluids, and what should (or should not) be in the fluids we are taking to maintain proper hydration. 

Rating (0) 0

Email this Comments (0)

My pump sites have just not been cooperating lately.  No matter where I put the canula - it ends up hurting.  A lot.  Enough so that I complain about it. 

To give you an idea of what it takes for me to complain - I am a girl who has had external fixators drilled into a bone in my arm for eight weeks and who refused pain killers (other than Tylenol) after two days.  I'm not a sissy.  Not at all.  So these sites are causing me more than a little bit of turmoil.

Rating (0) 0

Email this Comments (0)

Now that I'm off the Accutane, I can really see how my energy was affected. I need less sleep these days. I wake up feeling more refreshed than before. And I can make it longer in the day before feeling like I just can't go on anymore. That isn't to say that I'm 100% energetic and some days are worse than others, but overall I'm liking the way this feels.

It's so much better that I've already gotten back into my running routine. I ran twice last week. And I plan to run twice again this week. I'm not doing as much as I was before, actually about half. But it's still something.

Last summer and early fall, I was running about three times a week for two miles a time. I was also working out in the gym or at home at least twice a week. It was the burst that I needed to lose twenty pounds.

Rating (0) 0

Email this Comments (0)