CCBImages

One of the most frustrating aspects of diabetes management is the fact that diabetes has a mind of its own. At any given moment, your body can do the strangest things that you have no control over. Stress, hormones or the weather can have a huge impact on blood sugars and insulin levels. And it's the worst when it's completely unexpected.

Every so often I have weeks where I run higher than normal. I've never found a correlation to one specific trigger, but usually I notice it's when multiple triggers seem to go off at the same time. Whether it be a combination of increased stress and decreased sleep or change in hormones and a change in exercise or maybe even all four, I run high for a few days. (READ MORE)

My family sat down for dinner last night and I was feeling frantic and stressed and generally not in a good place. My fasting sugars have been a little high and I'm sure my post-lunch have been too, with all the goodies available at work.

The tragic Colorado church shootings took place Sunday just a few miles from my home. My 4 year old has questions I don't know how to answer.

This is crush week for us for the holidays. If it's not shipped or mailed by Friday, it very likely won't make it in time. 95% of our friends and family don't live in this state so I have to be done this week.

Halfway through dinner, the 5 month old started crying. Not a light fussing, but an full-on screaming crying -- something was DEFINITELY wrong with her. Kate does not do this very often. It ratchets up my stress level immediately. I feel SO bad for her and guilty (of course) that I may have done something to cause it. And there's the worry that something is seriously wrong. (READ MORE)

Yesterday morning, I started having a specific kind of pain. It was the same pain that started with my ovarian cyst back in April. I dreaded how the day might progress.

The pain went off and on as I went to class and work. I felt like I had been transported back to April. All the signs were there.

Throughout the day, my blood sugars had been perfect. I was amazed. But as the pain became more consistent, my blood sugars started to rise.

After dinner, my blood sugar was 387. And so it began...just like April. I knew that I had bolused correctly for my meal and hadn't eaten any food that should cause a spike like that. I was sure that the pain and the blood sugars were connected.

Just like in April, I bolused to bring my blood sugar down. And just like in April, they wouldn't come down. Bolus after bolus, pumping insulin into my body.

  (READ MORE)