Search
Blogabetes

dLife Daily Tips

Vitamin D for pain

Read More View All Tips

dLife Weekly Poll

Alec Baldwin announced he has prediabetes, becoming the latest celebrity to reveal a diagnosis. How did this latest reveal make you feel?

February 7th, 2012
Category:
Type 1Type 2Oral MedsInsulin & Pumps
ChildrenFoodHighs & LowsRelationships
ComplicationsEmotionsIn the NewsFitness
Women's IssuesMen's IssuesReal Life


I updated my logbook and did the usual averages last night. I jumped from the 160/170 range to the 170/180 range over the last week. That's with a one unit increase in Lantus too.

 

It seems like my morning numbers have jumped back up again. I'm easily waking up in the 180 to 220 range. A few morning highs are from snacks or large meals the night before, but mostly I'm not dropping at all overnight. So I bumped the Lantus again, this time from 16 units to 17 units at bedtime.

 

My other problem area is post-meal numbers. There are only a handful of decent spikes after my larger meals (breakfast and dinner). Mostly, I'm staying out of range for several hours on end. So I'm going to spend the week testing my insulin to carb ratios and getting a better feel for exactly what is going on with these post-prandials.

 

The easiest way for me to check my ratios is to reconnect to the pump. Using the Bolus Wizard, the active insulin, and the "Check BG" alarms, I can manage a fairly stable routine and see results faster. I did this last August as well.

 

I connect to the pump like usual, infusion set and all. But I leave my pump's basal units at 0.0 for the full 24 hours. So I use the pump ONLY for boluses and I keep taking my Lantus as my basal insulin.

 

There's a little variability in using the pump for ratio checks. For one, infusion sites give different absorbence than my typical injection sites. Two, the pump gives minute insulin injections compared to what I can easily manage with a syringe. But even given those two differences, I at least have a better idea where I should be and how well I'm doing on carb counts.

 

Just bolusing with the pump isn't near as bad as using it 24/7 for both basal and boluses. But it's still a task that I don't like. I hate the infusion sets. They make me itch and feel robotic. The tubing gets in the way of my clothes. And just remembering to attach and unattach the pump can be especially annoying.

 

That is the bonus with just bolusing with it though. I can unattach for hours on end and not stress about insulin. I just have to remember to reattach at meal times. Or when I'm out of range. And that only works if the infusion set is easy to access through clothing.

 

But it's something that I need to do. I have an endo appointment next Wednesday and I'd really like to go in knowing that I'm taking the right steps, to get an "A-okay." I got my A1c drawn on Friday, so none of this will matter in that aspect. But at least I'll know that I'm one step closer to bringing that A1c down, no matter where it is.

 

Right now, I just have to talk myself into bringing out the infusion sets and actually hooking back up to the pump. Bring on the pep talk!




Login to rate
Rating (0):
0
Email this Comments (2):: Add a comment

I'm always curious - what logbook do you use?


I actually make my own logbook. I've had trouble finding one I like for years now. They never include enough space to record things that aren't numerical...i.e. medications, exercise, stress, or food. I break mine down by hours in the day and leave space for averages and comments.


Would you like to comment?

Join dlife for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Sign up for FREE dLife Newsletters

dLife Membership is FREE! Get exclusive access, free recipes, newsletters, savings, and much more! FPO

FPO

Congratulations!
You are subscribed!
Congratulations!
You are subscribed!
Congratulations!
You are subscribed!

MikeDurbin
MikeDurbinMike was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes on December 29, 2008, and congestive heart failure the very next day. Talk about a double whammy for anyone, let alone a 24 year old.  He didn’t have to come up with New Year’s resolutions that year; his doctors did that for him.  That kind of humor has been instrumental in keeping him, and those around him, going over the last year and a half.
(Read More)
Brenda Bell
Brenda BellBrenda was diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and Type 2 diabetes in July 2002. After a rocky start, her diabetes has been diet-controlled since January 2004 and she hopes to keep it that way for as long as possible. (Read More)
Our Other Bloggers: Nicole Purcell, Lindsey Guerin, Carey Potash, Michelle Kowalski, Megan, Robert Hudson, Julia, George Simmons, Scott Marvel, Kim Doty, Kerri Sparling,