Change is a good thing

I am happy to report that resent changes to my diabetes care are starting to show some improvement..... new insulin (rapid acting) and new infusion sets (Mio) with a shorter canulla (6mm), are making a big difference. Granted, I am having lows that rock my body, but that is still far better than the dia-coaster I have been on. My highest bg over the last three days has been 249, which compared with the 400's I had been experiencing, it's a far better situation. Even Dexter agrees!!

Now with the extreme fluctuations not interfering, I can get back to my efforts to get my BMI optimal. I went to the gym yesterday and met with my trainer....turned over Dexter to his care during my session (he actually gets a kick out of telling me what my bg # is.....every five minutes). We concentrated on ab work. He really put me through the mill. After what seemed like a hundred crunches with various weights, balls and sweat, he had me go to the bench and do incline sit ups. I couldn't move! I was stuck!!! I could bearly get my head off the bench. He told me that I reached "muscle fatigue". What the beep is muscle fatigue????? Apparently it's when you have exhausted the muscle and it's got nothing left. Is this a good thing??? All I know is that my abs were screaming at me yesterday. Today, while doing my Yogafit ab work, I could feel the difference in my ab strength, really improved my contol and felt like I had "upped the effect" of the workout. Go me!!!!!! 

Yanked back!

Ah yes, as always, just when I thought I had some control I get yanked back into the dia-frustration! Holly crap! Last Friday was a really good day until I posted about it. Then all hell broke loose straight across the weekend. My bg's were all over the place. From 400 to 50...all within 15 minutes without warning.

I had gone to Walmart with Morgan and my bg reading was 285. Thinking that I didn't have to worry about another low...for at least a few hours....I set out to get what was on my list (and, of course, something for Morgan as is always the deal). I was making headway and was close to being finished when I started to feel "sick". Thinking it had not been more than an hour since being around 285, that they was no chance of it being a low, I checked Dexter......I was at 70. Crap! I figured that I better also check my meter reading (just in case Dexter was inaccurate) and I was really at 56!!!!! Holly Bat-Crap!!!!!!

So now I'm standing there (in a fog) trying to decide what I should immediately rip open and devour.....juice???.......candy???.... cookies????  Then I thought of Milano cookies, found a bag and began to shove one cookie after another into my mouth, not even getting a glimps of the chocolatey goodness. Panic had taken over and a very nervous Morgan began his constant questioning (his nervous reaction when I'm looking like a crazed diabetic). Trying to contain the mounting panic and fog....I decided to open a bag of Lindt chocolates because I could pop one in Morgan's mouth to give me a quick reprive from questioning. I popped a few in my mouth, too, for good measure.

So now I am able to think a tad bit clearer and decided to check out, pissed that now I had to pay for a half eated bag of Milano cookies and Lindt chocolates. Why couldn't I crave something less expensive??? We get outside to the car and I took another quick look at Dexter.....188! I sat there defeated...depressed....feeling like crap and holding back tears. Morgan now swearing that if he found a magic jeanie and could have three wishes....the first would be a giant robot......the second would be a giant laser that could change things.....and the third would be the ability to get the robot to use the laser and zap a cure for diabetes to all that have it. I was grateful that he included that!!!!

New insulin....and having a 'good' day!

After all this time trying to get my bg's under control, Carolyn and I decided to go back to using Apidra (insulin). Yesterday was the first day on it, and it was disastrous!!! Although, it wasn't as bad as the day before on Novalog....but still it didn't seem like a solution. My bg's hit around 200 by noon and stayed up there until around 8pm. I tried everything, nothing would budge the numbers. Then I ran high again at 11pm (250) so I did a correction bolus.

Woke up at 3am to Dexter's alarm.....I was at 70 (thanks Dexter...job well done) so I did a meter check and I was actually at 58!! I ate everything I could think of with sugar (I'm really beginning to hate sugar now) and waited until Dexter gave me the thumbs up (two arrows pointing up) that my bg's were on the rise. When I woke up at 7:40am I was at 104. I haven't been that low in the morning since I can remember :)

I ate breakfast, went to the gym and by noon I was at a respectable 102!! Ate a power bar (forgot to bring lunch so power bar will do) and only climbed to 170...then back to 142 by 4:30pm!!! Amazing!!!! This qualifies as one of the best "bg" day since I can remember :) even though Dexter looks like a major roller coaster right now.....

Maybe I can do this.........

Appt. with Carolyn

Had my appointment with Carolyn, pump specialist, today. We are revamping all of my basal rates and being a bit extreme. After downloading all the reports from Dexter and Emma, it seems very clear that the basal rates are not enough. I agree with the decision, but I'm very nervous about the reaction. I will be a very interesting 24 hours. Keeping my fingers crossed!!

Where ever I go...

Where ever I go, they go with me. They are my constant companions! It's not so bad now that my Thunderbolt has joined Emma and Dexter. I am an electronics geek and bionic diabetic!!! LOLThat's how I'm looking at things today....happy day in my techno-dia-world!

D365- Day 2 entry

I am at the end of my very first Dexcom sensor. It's been seven days and it's time to retire. It's been a very kaotic seven days racked with very, very highs and very, very, very lows. But my impression is that Dexter is a welcomed addition to my team. I find that we are becoming very used to each other and I have learned a lot from the graphs and trends. So I took my final picture of the sensor and posted it to my D365 set on Flickr. Now....on to the new....

Oh, and I finally got my new cell phone, HTC Thunderbolt........unbelievable!!!! It's charging right now so I can't play with it. I will gush about it tomorrow :)

D365 Diabetes 365 photo challenge......2011

D365 Diabetes Photo Journal    

Today is day 1 for me. I'm going to see how long I can keep up with the challenge. It's great to combine my two obsessions together (although the third is my cell phone/smart phone...but it was used to get the pictures so I guess that counts as a third). The 365 day challenge starts today, March 16, 2011. What do I get if I complete it????? Maybe a cure :)

First appointment with the Podiatrist, Ms. Larocca, this morning and my feet are in excellent condition. Even without nail polish on my toes, they were beautiful!! All is good there.

Tonight I'm going to the circus with Morgan (and brother's family) so it will be a great day. My bgs are very high, but I'm fighting it and won't let that stop me from enjoying the circus!!!!

Yesterday....the good...the bad....and the ugly!

Yesterday, I rode the dia-coaster again!

The good..... I went to my cousin's house for a St. Patrick's day party. I tried to make the parade but with the dia-coaster in full swing, it wasn't going to happen. Gene is a T2 diabetic and her daughter, Kate, is a nurse so I felt it was a good day to try out the new insulin (Apidra) that Carolyn had wanted to test. Started it around 9:30 am when I changed my infusion set. All was looking good. Bg's were holding at a normal range. So I set out to Gene's house. Bg around 135 so I was hopeful.

The bad..... shortly after arriving, I was noshing on a few potato chips, tortilla chips with salsa and a few small slices of strawberry (truly the amount wouldn't have amounted to much, maybe a cup in total). I bolused for 13 carbs, 2.1 units of insulin was calculated by the pump. Within less than an hour I was at 228, so I did a correction bolus of 3.4 units. 40 minutes later I added another 24 carbs to be calculated so that there would be another correction bolus (I didn't eat more, it was to add another bolus) so I got another 4.0 units of insulin. By another hour I was at 400+. Dinner was served so I ate and added 42 grams of carbs to the calculation for 7.0 additional units of insulin.

The ugly.....within a half hour I was at 504 adding another correction bolus of 11.4units. Half hour later I was reduced only to 489, so I added another 40 grams of carbs to the calculation so I added another 10.5 units (the correction was 19.2units but there was still 7.8 units of active insulin). Twenty minutes later, I'm still at 480. In utter frustration, I injected 10units of insulin in my stomach. Nothing through the pump was bringing down my numbers all day. I injected the same insulin as was in the reservoir (this was at 5:40pm). The bgs finally started to come down. By 9:29pm (only 3 1/2 hours later) I was at 85.

From 9:29pm to 9:51pm I bottomed out at 65 and ate an additional 3 glucose tabs (12 grams), grape juice (25 grams) and four Tagalong Girl Scout cookies (at least 30 grams) to bring me to 140, which I remained at until around 7am this morning.

The very ugly..... so this morning I start out at 140, then rising to 181 with no apparent reason. I had my coffee, bolused for 10grams of carbs, and I find myself at 213 within ten minutes. Completely frustrated and fed up, I decide to remove the reservoir with the Apidra and change to new reservoir with Novalog. What do I find?????? A huge gap of no insulin beginning at the end of the tube going into the infusion site to about an inch up the tube! So no insulin was going in. Also, the reservoir was full of bubbles (one very large)!!!!!!

So now I am back on the Novalog, new reservoir, having had my Shakeology and a Fiber One bar....and my bg is 173. (Heavy sigh) I don't know how much longer I can take the dia-coaster :(

Dexter.....meet Emma

The wait is over and it was love at first sight!! This is affectionately known as my team, Emma and Dexter.

I got Dexter up and running during my endo appt. with Carolyn yesterday. She ordered him only one week prior to getting him which I have to say kudos to all the companies involved (Oxford, Dexcom and Edgepark) and the people who worked so hard to get the paperwork streamlined. I do feel blessed that I am able to have the "latest and greatest" that technology has to offer at present. After all the meetings and seminars, and knowing what's down the road in technology, I'm still in awe of what I have now. My team.

I'm giving all of this info my complete attention so I can master this damn disease. I'm very smart, very tech savvy, very dedicated and very curious.....all the desire needed to crunch all the info and get my A1C back to a respectable level.

Still, there are mountains to climb..... basal tests, carb factor tests, insulins to test, patterns to study, software to install, tweaks to apply, books to read, experiments to conduct, mountains to climb.....

But I'm so happy to have Dexter join the team :)

No Dexter yet....

Waiting.........I was so pumped (pardon the pun) to see Dexter today, but, no sign of him yet.

While I'm waiting, I have been studying the book "Pumping Insulin" in an effort to gather more knowledge in regard to controlling my uncontrollable numbers. There is so much information there that I can only read a few pages and have to stop so I can process the info. There is no doubt that mastering this book would make even me a pump guru. Carolyn (my pump guru) told me to read this book (actually had the book in my collection of yet not read books). It's ironic that the book had been in my possession all this time, and if I had read it I would have had a better understanding of Emma (affectionate name for my pump). I don't think it would have made me more aware that my Thyroid had taken a crap, so it may not have helped. But now that I am aiming to get my A1C down under 8, it is without a doubt a must read.

Have I mentioned that I am patiently waiting for Dexter????

Another topic that I have not addressed lately is the gym thing. Being cut back to only a half hour at a time and separating the cardio from the weightlifting, I have adjusted my routine to accommodate my obsessive nature with the limited requirements. Today was cardio...which means treadmill. My goal was to push what I have done every time. So the incline hit "9" for the first time (8 the second time) and I ran for three minutes at "55" (usual setting for walking is 38 so 55 is a running pace). It hurts, it's exhilarating, it sucks, it presses my willpower, it hurts, it's hard to breath.....but it feels great!!!! Only a month ago I ran for the first time on the treadmill for 1 minute at 48. It killed me but I kept going. Now, I'm going 3 minutes at 55....twice!!! Getting stronger.....slowly......but surely :)

Counting down the days until I meet Dexter....

Before reading another blog and forgetting about entering in my own post, I am here. Just got a call from Edgepark (insurance people for Oxford.....don't ask) and Elaine informed me that my Dexcom is approved and shipping (hopefully) today with the additional $31 for overnight (my own choice). I have to say, I can't wait. After being on the sensor from MM and seeing exactly what my bgs were, was very exciting. I admit I hate having yet another thing stuck on and in me, but the info you get is priceless. Especially going through the situation I have had going on the past few months. Info is power.......or just makes you feel less....powerless.

I also forgot to write about the Diabetes Educational Seminar I went to on Saturday. I had called the JDRF's office to find out why there was no Type 1 meeting on Friday night and Betsy told me that it was because of the seminar. Not knowing what she was talking about, she was very excited for me to be there so she signed me up. I'm so glad she did!!! It was an amazing amount of information for one morning's time. Well worth the effort of getting up early!!!

For breakfast I had the pleasure of sitting with the scientist that was giving one of the lectures I was going to attend. He was a fountain of info and didn't get bored with my questions. I loved having the opportunity to talk with such a knowledgeable person. His lecture was on JDRF's efforts in the Artificial Pancreas project, which he leads. Very very very interesting!!!

The other lecture I attended was for Diabetic Athletes. Another very informative question and answer session. True, the only way to actually figure out what's the best technique for being a pumper and exercising is by trial and error, but the info made some of the experiences I've had working out more understandable. Golden rule.....cardio (aerobics) will lower bgs......weight lifting will raise bgs...but with a false high. Glucose levels will decrease quickly after about an hour.....and more so after 12 hours. Ahhhhhhh more variables to consider.........

I left the seminar feeling less confused and much more invigorated. It definitely gives me (and my type A personality) more info to work with and obsess about! After all, using my existence as one long science project is actually fun for me. Silver lining??????????

Update on Dexter...

Spent part of the day calling everyone involved in the order/prescription/approval/insurance process of getting my Dexcom CGSM to me. I have spoken with my Endo's pump guru, Carolyn, twice. Dexcom company (thank you Nate) to find that they already forwarded the paperwork to the insurance company. Then I spoke with Elaine at Edgepark (who manages the Oxford something or something) and she said that she already submitted paperwork and has heard back that it is covered. She's waiting on the release (or something) and she took my cell number so she could call me as soon as she gets the release so I can call in my cc# to pay for overnight shipping.............phew

Hopefully tomorrow they will be able to send Dexter to me.............. :)

Got caught up reading all the blogs....

Yes, the diabetes community is a blogger's haven. There are so many bloggers that I read daily just so I don't feel alone. It has really made a huge difference in my emotional well being. With all the I am facing, I find that the general consensus is very mutual.....this disease sucks!! It sucks the life out of you!!! Ahhhh, I feel better just acknowledging that already :)

I am excited though, waiting for my new CGM to come via Fedex. As I mentioned before, it's a Dexcom and it seems to be the sensor of choice. So I'll give it a shot (not of insulin, just an expression). I decided to call it "Dexter" (may not be too original but it was funny to me). My pump is Emma and now there's Dexter. So Emma and Dexter. My team. Naming them makes it seem less mechanical and more like a team to cheer me on. I really can't wait until I can upload a photo of a 24 period with no line beyond the "high and low", which other bloggers call a "no hitter". Or, if it's more the opposite, it will confirm the diacoaster ride...with a graph.

Being the electronic junkie that I am, this is still something I get very excited about. A new electronic gadget. Dexter.....my new obsession...at least until the HTC Thuderbolt is released!!

What a difference a day makes.....

Had my appt. with Carolyn today. I couldn't be happier with her or what she brings to my diabetes care. I am in "glucose shock" in my body and it's most likely due to the Thyroid situation (as we already knew).

We decided that I am going to start over with my numbers because we actually don't know where I am yet. My bg's have come down considerably...now fighting lows!!!! It's crazy!

She showed me the newest insertion sets from Medtronics call the "MIO" and we are going with the 6mm cannula because she didn't understand why I was using the 9mm. That should be more comfortable in itself.

We also decided that I would try the Dexcom sensor because it was more sensitive than the sensor that comes with my pump. She's afraid of the overnight lows (me too) and this sensor will help alarm me when it happens.

I was with her for over two hours and it was one of the most thorough interviews I have ever had. She also loved my logs and reports.....I got an "A" for my anal, type A personality!!! LOL

So more to come on this.........time to go home!

Bad results from blood work

Ugggg I met with my Endo Monday afternoon. Yes, "he" made a big mistake calculating my insulin usage. I met with Susan, the physician's assistant, and I love her! She actually heard me without coming to conclusions that I wasn't doing what I was supposed to be doing!!! (Let's hear it for the female doctors!!!). Long story short, there is a serious problem with my Thyroid.

Talking numbers... I went from a "1.1", which was well within range, to a 37! No, I didn't forget the period in the number, it's a whole number 37. What essentially has happened is my Thyroid has decided to stop releasing harmones. harmones I need to live, in case there were any question on the severity of the situation. My body is in shock because my metabolism is nill and I am starved for insulin. Great. All this effort and I was dying inside.

So, now I have an appt. with Carolyn, the pump "expert". I'll have to fill in the rest after tomorrow's appointment. Besides, It's 6pm and I have to get out of my office before I grow roots here........