I have no idea why it didn't hit me until yesterday afternoon. I know what stress does to my blood sugars: it lowers them. They get pesky and no amount of carbs will bring them up. So as I was contemplating this weekends' low annoyances, it hit me. Stress.

Last week, my stress level definitely went up. The first round of tests started for the semester. I had group meetings and papers due. Plus I've been dealing with the medical stress that comes with changing treatments and making important decisions. All that added up to leave me with averages like 84 and 69 (over six hours of riding in the 60's).

So Saturday morning, I dropped the Lantus back to my original dose (14 units in the morning and 15 units in the evening). I'm still having a few lows (more than the week of highs), but I'm also seeing a mix of highs in there. Sadly, those highs are my own doing.

For fear of more lows (since my stress level is only just now starting to decrease), I haven't bolused as aggressively as usual. I've been delaying boluses if I'm not already above my comfort "threshold" before eating. I'm not bolusing for every last carb, just guessing and using a lower dose. I know those highs, although easier to get down than the previous ones, are still taking their toll on my averages and my body.

On the other hand, I'm slowly finding a lower comfort level with my blood sugars. Watching Kerri lower her A1c to prep for pregnancy had me thinking...her goals are much lower than my own and she's not seeing any terrible side effects from it. So why can't I run at 80 for a few hours? Why do I have to treat everything below 100?

So I've been doing just that. Tuesday morning I woke up at 81. But I didn't end up eating anything until mid-afternoon. My blood sugar by that point: 89. I felt great, not low, not fuzzy. Perfect. So I've decided that I don't need to treat everything that shows up out of range.

I'll let my body guide me for most of these decisions, but I'll also use what I know from the past. Feeling low at 81 might mean that I'm dropping, but feeling fine at 81 might just mean that the Lantus will keep me riding in that range for awhile. Anything below 140 to 150 at bedtime is still something I prefer to "treat" with a light snack. And of course, anything below 80 is still low to me.

But at least it's progress. It's a better comfort zone than I'm used to, closer to normal and closer to a lower A1c. Now I just need to focus on the bolusing (maybe I should go back to bolusing with the pump?) and I'll be in perfect range for my next A1c draw.

Guess I'll do some soul searching and brain storming over the next few days. Symlin is something I still really want to try too...maybe I can get some samples before my next doctor's appointment.