Bad News Day’s

Well Today was a busy one. I had three doctor visits today. Endocrinologist, O.B., and an eye specialist. Not too much, but the drive to get there is kind of long.

The first was my endocrinologist, Dr. Kemmerly,  at 8:45am. She seemed to be okay with most things. Last week she had me drop my long-term insulin (Lantus) down to just 15 units in the morning. My suggestion at that appointment was to decrease the evening dose and increase the morning dose. She insisted on the 15 units in the morning and not taking any long-term in the evening. I agreed with her on trying it “her way”. By Sunday my sugars where up in the 400′s and not wanting to come down. At that time I decided to throw “her way” out the window. I started 10 units of long-term in the morning and 12 units of long-term in the evening. I was still having a little bit of high sugars but now they where just over 200. Today Dr. Kemmerly kept me on the 2 doses but increasing the morning dose to 12 units. She wants to see me again in one week. She said until we get this figured out she will continue to see me on a weekly basis.

After that appointment, dad and I went to a video game store and then out for lunch. We had some awesome Bar-B-Que there in Mobile. After filling our bellies we drove back to the area for the next two appointments.

The next appointment was with the O.B., Dr. Bodie, at 1:45pm. However I got there a bit early, 12:40pm, since this appointment was so close to the eye doctor. This appointment could have gone better but yet could have gone worse. He checked the baby and asked how my sugars have been. At the same time he asked if I brought in my log book. I told him what had been going on as I handed him the log book. He was not happy with what he saw. He is highly concerned with the frequent high sugars. In fact if Dr. Kemmerly had not made changes and wanted to see me next week he would have admitted me into the hospital. He want to have me admitted if my sugars do not show fast improvement. The reason is so that control can be found without putting me in danger and possibly changing the type of insulin used. I will be seeing the High Risk O.B. on Monday and I have until then to get the control he wants. I have my fingers crossed!

The next appointment was with the eye doctor, Dr. Douglas, at 3:00pm. However I needed to be early since this was my first visit to see him. I was refered to him a couple of weeks ago from another eye doctor who found damage in my eyes. The damage being hemorrhaging from the diabetes. This appointment was also not so good. He did some test on my eyes and talked about the treatment options. Being pregnant is going to delay and effect the treatment options. The good news is that this was caught early so it is treatable. The two treatment options are: A) Medication, however the medication is experimental and not used on women that are pregnant, and B) Laser surgery. He wants to try to hold off until after the baby is born. He will be closely monitoring my eyes and if anything worsens seeing me sooner.  I will be seeing him again on October 12th, unless something happens. Once again my fingers are crossed!

Bad news? Yes! But it could be worse. I could have been put into the hospital and have worse news from the eye doctor. Hopefully thing improve over the rest of this week and I don’t land in the hospital next week!

Tags: Blood Sugars, Control, Diabetes, Glucose Monitoring, Health, Health problems, Health Topics, Healthy Living, high sugars, Life, Monitoring Diabetes, Prgnancy, T1D, Type1 Diabetes

Control?

Tomorrow will be my third appointment with my new endocrinologist. This new doctor  is great so far, she came highly recommended by my other doctors. Health care workers throughout the University of South Alabama health systems all speak well of her. After 13 years of doctors dealing with my diabetes, it is always nice to find doctors that I like and can hold respect for.

My blood sugars are getting under better control, or at least most of the time they are. The up’s and down’s are becoming less and less. However yesterday I did have a bad low. My sugars dropped down to 33!

It seems so strange to have such a different reaction to lows and highs. Even more so, having such good control since becoming pregnant. I have heard how much harder it is to get and maintain good glucose control during pregnancies. My A1C levels where 9.5 when I got pregnant and now 6 months along and my A1C is 6.3! I have never had my A1C this low!

Why are diabetics so much a like and yet so different? Why does one thing effect one person one way and the next person gets a totally different effect? Why can one person fallow all the “rules” and still have so many highs and a bad A1C and another break all the rules and have good sugars and a great A1C?

In my years of dealing with diabetes I have often pondered about this. Yet, while I was pondering I still was one that always was on a roller-coaster with my control. Here I sit and I haven’t changed any habits other than checking my sugars on more of a schedule. I haven’t changed how much insulin I take nor what I eat. I do not drink diet sodas or use artificial sweeteners. I love breads, pasta’s, and other high carbohydrate foods. I do not exercise any more than I used to. Is my pregnancy the only reason I have better control?

Control? What is control for one diabetic to another?

Tags: Blood Sugars, Control, Diabetes, Glucose Monitoring, Health, Health problems, Health Topics, Healthy Living, high sugars, low sugars, Monitoring Diabetes, Prgnancy, T1D, Type1 Diabetes

1st Trimester & 2nd Trimester with diabetes.

Pregnancy is not always easy, even when you don’t have any major health problems. With diabetes being so common these days, more women are facing diabetes and pregnancy.

Most of us know, or have been told, that the blood sugars need to be under good control and to also have a A1C of 6.0 before becoming pregnant. This is not easy and many have a hard time reaching these goals, some never get the A1C to stay at the 6.0 mark. The health care providers advise that careful planning be in place for any thought of pregnancy.

I have always had a hard time with that part. Careful planning in anything has always been a struggle with me. I have had two miscarriages and they were most likely due to high blood sugars. I am pregnant now, just into my 2nd trimester. I had not planned the pregnancy. I had been planning for one in the future and was in the process of getting my A1C and blood sugars down. I had blood work done right about the time I became pregnant. The A1C was better but not where it should have been, the A1C being 9.3. A month later I had blood work done again. Hard work and tight control, in short time, paid off! My A1C was much lower, 7.5!

I use an insulin pump and have been using it since 2008. After finding out I was pregnant and still having problems getting my sugars more balanced, I started using a continuous glucose monitor. Big difference! I still have highs and lows but now I can see what is going on and take much quicker action. The high peeks in my sugars are happening less often and the lows are able to be brought up before they get too bad.

When first finding out I was pregnant, one of the first things I was seeing with my diabetes was more frequent lows. Not just the blood sugar reading of 60 type. I was going down to the 30′s at least once a day! I was constantly lowering the total amount of insulin I was receiving and had a fear of taking any extra for food. The only big change that had happened with my life was the pregnancy. So I started researching to find out if the low sugars were common during pregnancy. That was easier said than done! Most of the information I came across was people who were not even diabetic! They seem to need to eat more often because of a drop in their sugars. This was still not anything like what I was trying to find out. People with diabetes seem to need more insulin, not less. It was a dead-end everywhere I looked! I came to the conclusion that this was just my body and it being different.

The OB I was seeing did not have the skills to have me as his patient during this pregnancy, so, he transferred my care to a high risk OB. My first appointment with her was this past Monday (June 21st). She wont be delivering the little one but she will be the one making sure the both of us stays healthy. During this appointment, she had been telling me that the “blood sugars need to stay balanced”. “Highs aren’t good but neither are the lows”. Well now, the last part of that caught my attention! I had asked ” I know the highs aren’t good but are the lows dangerous for the baby”? She replied “yes they are”. The extreme lows, and staying low can actually be more harmful to the baby. Pretty much for the same reason as always being high. Ketoacidosis happens when the blood sugars stay high or a person is not getting enuf insulin. This can also happen if someone has steady lows. I did know that a person who cuts out all carbohydrates can go into ketoacidosis, but I didn’t put the two together. My good news was that lows are common for women during the 1st trimester and also that my sugars don’t stay low. I just drop low more often.

That part changed real fast! Even during this doctor visit I was seeing my sugars staying higher than normal. The day after the appointment was my first day of the second trimester. It was also the first day of constant high sugars! I have had to up my insulin dose with the hope of getting some balance back!

Such a big difference between the first and second trimester! A few more days to make sure that it is this change that is effecting my blood sugars. I just have to sit and wonder how many other diabetics have the same or similar issues?

Tags: Blood Sugars, Continuous Glucose Monitor, Diabetes, Gadgets, Glucose Monitoring, Health, Health problems, Health Topics, Healthy Living, high sugars, Insulin Pump, Life, low sugars, Monitoring Diabetes, Prgnancy, T1D, Type1 Diabetes

Diabetes and pregnancy…

I am a type one diabetic and I am now 14 weeks pregnant. My A1C when I found out I was pregnant was 9.3. My sugars where staying more stable than they ever have before but still not good enuf.

I have made big changes in my life and I am hoping that my next A1C reflects those changes!

The one thing that I am noticing with my glucose levels is not at all what I had expected! I have read in many places that the insulin needs go up during pregnancy. I know that every diabetic if different from one another with similarities between them. My insulin needs have dropped dramatically! I am only taking half the amount of insulin I was 4 months ago! I am still having lots of lows sugar readings! I have now started to eat a small snack every 2 hours, to prevent the lows!

I am going to be meeting my new high risk OB this coming Monday. Along with the new OB will be a whole new list in my health care team. I don’t have much of one now since I moved, so, I am relying on my past education and online research at the moment. I have run out of ideas and I am SO looking forward to having some help with this!

I am a bit scared to drop my daily insulin any more. I don’t want to have my sugars on the high side but these lows just feel so miserable! I have to wonder, with everything I have read, how many other diabetics have problems with low sugars during pregnancy? Most of the people I have read about on the internet, that have problems with low sugars, aren’t even diabetics! Am I just missing something?

Diabetes and pregnancy, how many others out there?

Tags: Blood Sugars, Gadgets, Glucose Monitoring, Health, Health problems, Health Topics, Healthy Living, Life, Monitoring Diabetes, Prgnancy, T1D, Type1 Diabetes

Diabetes doesn’t define me, but it does help to explain me!

I was diagnosed with type1 diabetes in 1997 at the age of 15. I have now been a diabetic for 13 years.

When the doctors learned of the problem, my blood sugars where 2200. I had been sick for a few months but the symptoms had been over looked. I have family with diabetes but the majority of them have/had type2. I had been sick with a cold and the doctors had given me steroids to help boost my immune system. That made the problem worse, as you can imagine. My family had thought for quite a while that it was the cold or something to do with the cold that was causing me to be sick. I was admitted to the hospital and was very lucky. I was released six days after I got there. I was never in a diabetic coma, but was still not in good shape when I was first in the hospital. For the first two years I was in and out of the hospitals on a monthly basis. My blood sugars averaged out at about 1000, over those first years. My A1C was at 14, if I remember correctly.

At the age of 19 I was diagnosed with also having T2. I was on T2 medication for 2 years after that. After I had got my weight down and was eating healthy again I no longer needed the medication. Staying active and eating healthy and I no longer have problems with the insulin resistance.

I was put on a pump for the first time in July of 2000.

The pump worked very well for me but not with out problems. After being on the pump for just over a year, I had it malfunction and started Lantus. I had issues with going on the pump and it took a lot of convincing to get me on it. When the pump malfunctioned I felt that it was the issue that I had feared it would. The Lantus worked almost as good as the pump (when the pump worked right). After about two years I decided to give the pump a try once more. I was tired of having to carry my insulin around and do the shots all the time. Once again the pump worked and then malfunctioned and once again I started Lantus. I was not going to the hospital as often and most of the time it was to the E.R. without being admitted. My sugars bounced up and down all the time. I worked with my doctors fallowed the “rules”, took my insulin (as directed), and my A1C was, at best, 11. In or about June of 2007 I found an endocrinologist that was highly recommended by a few friends of mine. At first I wasn’t sure about him, but he didn’t sound like the others that I had seen in the past. He did not say, “I can fix you” or “I know what your problem is”. He didn’t tell me what I was or wasn’t doing was wrong. He listened. Just that simple, he listened. He had me try one thing at a time and told me that together we would figure things out. He understood my reasons for not wanting to go back on the pump, and was willing to work with that. After a few months he had me willing to try the pump again, reassuring me that the insulin pump companies had come a long way since my last pump. I was unable to get a pump until December of 2007, because of insurance issues. My A1C level had dropped to 10 in the time my new endocrinologist worked with me, prior to the new pump. Once I got my new pump, which by the way was from the same company that my previous pump was. Things improved with my sugars right away. I was working with my new endocrinologist, and other new people in the health care industry. March 2008 my endocrinologist ordered my blood work to be done and we had high hopes about it. The blood work was done on a Friday and the next day I got a call from him telling me that my A1C was 8.6. I think we both could have cried, it wasn’t perfect but boy it was much better! Over the next year things improved a bit, my control was very good. The only problem I had was the lows.

I have since moved and I am still on the pump. I do take time off of the pump and use the Lantus but not for very long. I have allergies to tape so my infusion sites get raw and sore easily, even moving them around. My numbers are not perfect and I have my emotional up’s and down’s with them. My last A1C was 7.9.

I have learned so much from others and myself over these 13 years. I am always learning new things and new tricks. I read pretty much everything I can find. I haven’t been as active with the researching over this last year, but I am getting back into my game with it. I still am bad about some of the things that I should do all the time, but I try to correct it and work with it. I have no children but I am 12 weeks pregnant now. I don’t have a career but I am looking at changing that part as well. I don’t have any other health problem caused by my diabetes. My kidneys are showing a little damage but keeping my sugars under better control should help reverse this. I was misdiagnosed with diabetic neuropathy but after test and treatment options for that, we learned that my nerve pain was caused by a bad fall off a horse several years ago. I have bad eyes but this is caused from living in a dry dusty area. My eyes do get a little blurry if my sugars are bouncing around but as soon as I get control of it they get better. I have been so lucky and it makes me wish that my luck could be shared. I have learned and helped others and then learned some more.

I feel bad a lot of times and stress, of any kind, is my number one killer. A lot of time I don’t feel like doing things but force my self to do them. I strive to learn more about myself and to overcome the problems. I love to help others and remind friends and others to ask, I will do my best to help and/or point in the right direction.

I was born and raised in Arizona and lived there most of my life. I am now living in Mississippi and trying to get my life back on track. I miss Arizona but I love this new corner stone in my life, change is good.

Try new things, and learn from the old ones. I am now using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). It is helping me learn a lot more about how things affect my blood sugar readings. I am new to the use of this cool gadget but I am already learning so much! It is amazing how much better control I have after just a few days! People that have got to know me, since moving, can see the difference in my sugars! I would wake up with highs and have lows. I still have a few highs but not near the level they where. My lows are happening more frequently but with the CGM I am seeing them before I get real sick.

Diabetes doesn’t define me, but it does help to explain me!

Tags: Blood Sugars, Continuous Glucose Monitor, Diabetes, Gadgets, Glucose Monitoring, Health, Health problems, Health Topics, Healthy Living, Insulin Pump, Life, Monitoring Diabetes, T1D, Type1 Diabetes

I got it!

Tuesday is here! I also now have my CGM! The whole process has been pretty good.

I had tried to get a CGM 2 years ago. At that time my insurance wouldn’t approve it, even with my extreme highs and lows!

That has changed!

Insurance companies seem to be more willing to cover this type of equipment. I have been seeing, over the last year, that more and more people are getting approved for CGMs. This is good news for a lot of us!

The Dexcom Seven Plus starter packet includes the following: 1) wall charger, 1) USB cable, 1) carrying case, 1) silicone case, 1) tutorial disk, 1) software disk, 1) owners manual, 1) transmitter, and 1) receiver.

Also with the initial order you get the one month of sensor packs, there are four in the box.

Inserting the sensor was easy. The sensor packs have their own insert device that is not reusable.

This is the part that goes against your skin.

The insert part was fairly easy. For the most part, it is pain-free. The infusion set for my pump hurts and sounds much more painful! The only thing I felt was a small pinch. I don’t think I would have felt it as much had I not been so slow at pushing the insert device!

After the sensor is inserted, you remove the insert device and attach the transmitter. It snaps right into place with little effort.

After you attach the transmitter you turn the sensor on from the receiver. This part takes some time, a full two hours. After the two hours you calibrate the sensor. You check your blood sugars twice and enter both into the receiver. All done!

The sensor checks your blood sugars every five minutes. The receiver is the visual part, where you can look at what your blood sugars are doing. You can see how foods, stress, exercise, and medications affect your blood sugars. You can enter insulin doses, exercise, and food into the receiver.

What am I hoping to achieve with my new CGM? Well I want to avoid the highs and lows in my glucose levels. I want to get my hemoglobin A1c (A1C) to a normal number. Me being pregnant means that I must have super tight control with my blood glucose. Over all, I want to live healthy and deliver a healthy baby!

I wonder how much of a difference I will see, with my blood sugars? Will I notice the difference in a day, a week, or in a month? I am going to say, with what I am seeing right now, I will see a difference in less than week!

Tags: Blood Sugars, Continuous Glucose Monitor, Diabetes, Gadgets, Glucose Monitoring, Health, Health Topics, Healthy Living, Monitoring Diabetes, Type1 Diabetes

Click on SocialVibe

You will notice the tab on the right here.

If you click on it and spend just a few minutes with it, it will help out a great cause.

It just takes a few minutes and it’s not that bad. I have done it myself and it only took a few minutes from my “tweeting”!

Help out with the American Diabetes Association. I have received much help and support from this group! They have a lot of resources to help people with diabetes.

My newest “cyborg” piece!

My newest “cyborg” piece! Tomorrow I should be receiving my DexCom continuous glucose monitor ( CGM).

http://www.dexcom.com/

What this little gadget does is SO nice. It is a wireless monitor to read the blood sugars every five minutes. It sends the information to a receiver that I can view. It will tell me when my blood sugars are rising or dropping at a sudden rate, at those times it will sound an alarm. I will still have to confirm the blood sugars with a finger stick with a regular blood glucose meter.

I am hoping that is new device will help me avoid sudden lows as well as the frequent high’s. Being pregnant and a type1 diabetic I have got to keep my sugars at a normal rate at all times. Not only does the high blood sugars affect my long-term health but also the health of my unborn baby. I have been having a lot of low blood sugars and I just can not feel them before they are WAY to low. A normal blood sugar should read 90-100. Mine are reading anywhere from 30 to 300. A big difference and I am so tired of trying to keep the readings normal and still having these problems.

I am doing everything I can. Hopefully between my insulin pump and this CGM I can come up with much better readings.

Tags: Blood Sugars, Continuous Glucose Monitor, Diabetes, Gadgets, Glucose Monitoring, Health, Health Topics, Healthy Living, Monitoring Diabetes

iWant

This medical device has been on my “I want” list for a while now. We have all heard of the iPod, iPad, iPhone, iTunes, and a number of other “i‘s”. This one is a little different. The term I am now using is “iWant one“!

Imagine insulin pump therapy, research it a little, and even talk to people who have tried or use an insulin pump. If they have tried it, they will normally have the complaint of feeling “tied down” or “loss of freedom“. I am on an insulin pump and I had stopped using it several times. I stopped the use of it for those reasons among several other reasons. I have learned that the control of my blood sugars while on the pump over ride my nit picks.

The hardest part about wearing a pump is it is always on you, at least if you want insulin.  Most pumps are not designed to go in a shower or to use while active in or around water. The one I have is not water proof at all (I currently have a MiniMed Paradigm  522).

So you understand more about the pumps. These little machines work like a mini IV. They give you small amounts of insulin over a 24 hour time period. You also tell the pump when you eat so that you can get extra insulin for the food you eat or drink. Different pumps have similar and different features for each pump. They always seem to be trying to improve the therapy system.

Remember me saying the pump works like a mini IV? Well this means that there is a tube, or as us pump users call it “a leash”.

This is not true for the “iWant“! No leash! This pump has no tubs what so ever! How does this work? Well you manage your personalized insulin delivery wirelessly with your easy-to-use and handheld PDM (personal diabetes manager). I can only say that it IS worth checking out.

http://www.myomnipod.com/about-omnipod/system-overview/

Controlling my blood sugars at all times is more important than ever. I hate having to disconnect for my showers/baths and I love going swimming and being around water. I worry about my pump getting wet every time it starts to rain. This freedom would be so great! Now I am just trying to get my ducks in a row so I can get the OmniPod or the “iWant“. One gadget at a time right? I do plan on this being my next!

Tags: Blood Sugars, Diabetes, Gadgets, Health, Health Topics, Healthy Living, Insulin Pump, Monitoring Diabetes, Type1 Diabetes