drat, lotta highs
Feeling incredibly efficient tonight, I went through my charts for the
past two months and (using 85 and 135 as boundaries) pink-highlighted
all the lows and yellow-highlighted all the highs.
Probably one in every four tests was a high.
It floored me. I’ve been telling everyone, "oh, I love the pump, it
gives me better control," but that’s an AWFUL lot of highs! Maybe it’s
no worse than before I started pumping — I didn’t keep records then,
nor check more than twice a day — but gosh, it sure didn’t look like
the portrait of a Diabetic Under Great Control.
Has anybody else noticed such a thing? Am I setting my expectations
unrealistically, uh, high? Or should it be better than this?
Laurie, stunned at all those yellows
HOME AT LAST coming March 2
Silhouette Special Edition #1386
October 26th, 2005 at 4:19 am
The idea of checking your blood glucose so often is 2 fold.
1. To give you the ability to adjust for highs & lows on an immediate basis
2. To look for patterns and make overall adjustments to your settings (basil
rates as well as bolus/carb).
I get down when my BG is high as well but being that we have a condition in
which the body has no ability to maintain BG levels, there will always be
times when our BG is outside that target. Look for the patterns and also try
and correlate those highs with what you were doing prior. Different types
of carbs affect me differently and foods high in protein or fat cause
delayed highs. Stress can also have a big affect.
Just some ideas from my own experience.
Peter
Feeling incredibly efficient tonight, I went through my charts for the
past two months and (using 85 and 135 as boundaries) pink-highlighted
all the lows and yellow-highlighted all the highs.
Probably one in every four tests was a high.
It floored me. I’ve been telling everyone, "oh, I love the pump, it
gives me better control," but that’s an AWFUL lot of highs! Maybe it’s
no worse than before I started pumping — I didn’t keep records then,
nor check more than twice a day — but gosh, it sure didn’t look like
the portrait of a Diabetic Under Great Control.
Has anybody else noticed such a thing? Am I setting my expectations
unrealistically, uh, high? Or should it be better than this?
Laurie, stunned at all those yellows
HOME AT LAST coming March 2
Silhouette Special Edition #1386
Peter
Type I - 1972
MM508 - 5/2000
October 26th, 2005 at 1:36 pm
seems to me ya must be miscalculating the carbs. This is my shortcoming too
sometimes.
fp
October 26th, 2005 at 8:20 pm
<< Feeling incredibly efficient tonight, I went through my charts for the
past two months and (using 85 and 135 as boundaries) pink-highlighted
all the lows and yellow-highlighted all the highs.
Probably one in every four tests was a high.
It floored me. I’ve been telling everyone, "oh, I love the pump, it
gives me better control," but that’s an AWFUL lot of highs! Maybe it’s
no worse than before I started pumping — I didn’t keep records then,
nor check more than twice a day — but gosh, it sure didn’t look like
the portrait of a Diabetic Under Great Control.
Has anybody else noticed such a thing? Am I setting my expectations
unrealistically, uh, high? Or should it be better than this?
>>
Laurie, Hi its Chrissy. Im proud of you. I need to do that because lately
Ive been up and down. I know Jan alias doc will have lots of advice. Shes
been pumping so long shes an expert. I think there could be alot of reasons
for the fluxuations. You may need adjust your basal rates. You can do whats
called a basal fast, its explained in the book pumping insulin. You fast for
like the morning till right before dinner and your BGs should remain
constant. Then the next day you could eat in the AM and fast in the PM. If
your BGs are not stable you will need to adjust your basal rates. Also
sometimes Im sure I eat more carbs than I think. If I dont have that right
of course your sugar will be high. Hopefully Jan will respond also cause she
really knows the ropes. Good luck. Youre motivating me to do some charting.
Chrissy
October 27th, 2005 at 4:28 am
<< Different types
of carbs affect me differently and foods high in protein or fat cause >>
I agree w/you Peter. I recently found out that oatmeal (which I love) makes
me soar. So since I dont want to stop eating it I just take a little extra
insulin than called for when I have it, then a do a square wave bolus and
that works real well. As boc Jan says YMMV. (Your milage may vary).
Chrissy
October 27th, 2005 at 3:54 pm
> I know Jan alias doc will have lots of advice. Shes
> been pumping so long shes an expert.
Ummmmm - Chrissy - wrong list.
These people are newer, therefore, know the
new stuff. I fell through the cracks (as well as Gail) since it is *assumed*
we know the ropes.
> You can do whats
> called a basal fast, its explained in the book pumping insulin. You fast
for
> like the morning till right before dinner and your BGs should remain
> constant.
I think for the rest of the world you meant *lunch*. I think this is supposed
to be done over a 3-day period in 4-hr segments. Wouldn’t it be unwise to make
an adjustment over one portion of fast. Seeing a trend causes adjustments.
> Hopefully Jan will respond also cause she
> really knows the ropes. Good luck. Youre motivating me to do some
charting.
> Chrissy
October 28th, 2005 at 12:02 am
> As boc Jan says YMMV. (Your milage may vary).
> Chrissy
Wrong list again, Chrissy. These people don’t have a clue what *boc* means.
LOL
Jan (~_^)
October 28th, 2005 at 12:59 pm
<< Wrong list again, Chrissy. These people don’t have a clue what *boc* means.
LOL
Jan (~_^)
>>
Sorry Jan, Im easily confused!
I guess Im just looney no matter what
list Im on. Chrissy
October 31st, 2005 at 1:32 pm
Laurie,
Maybe you are setting your objectives too tight; but, the more important
thing is, how much time do you spend daily in the normal zone (I would
define normal as 110 +/- 40)
I am hoping for the day when we have continuous monitors available
generally; this would allow one to integrate the area under the curve,
as they say mathematically, and find the true number reflecting where
one lives most of the time.
Are you using any computer data processing program for the Bg data?
Many of these programs offer guidelines to stability.
I used to use these programs, but have more recently abandoned them in
favor of the moving average over 14 or 30 days, which the OneTouch
Profile provides. A plot of this moving average on a daily basis is
very instructive.
David
November 1st, 2005 at 6:37 am
I am just putting my two cents in here and this has never been proven
medically or I have never even read about it before, but ……. I have
been pumping 19 yrs. Had alot of stress in my work, nursing and I didn’t
handle stress well, so I had alot of flucuation. No matter what I did I had
unexplained highs. In Dec. my GYN put me on hormone therapy because I am
going through menapause. I have not had any unexplained highs, since then
and very few elevated BGs at all. I don’t know, but I tend to think the
flucuating hormones through out the month had alot to due with my
unstableness. I did have to orginally set my basals up for the whole day,
but they have remained stable since.
I don’t know if this would be an explaination for anyone else, but it goes
to prove we all react differently and it is sometimes impossible to figure
out the causes.
Gail
November 1st, 2005 at 3:24 pm
Gail,
Glad to know I’m not the only one. My hormone levels have always affected
my BGs. The day before my period starts my blood sugar drops dramatically.
I call it "the drop" and know what’s ahead. Two weeks of the month they are
really hard to stabilize. It’s been better the last couple of years on the
pump. Now I just adjust the basal a little higher during those weeks. I
still get the unusual highs but it is better. I wonder if hormone therapy
would help me. Maybe I need to eat more estrogen helping foods like soy? I
guess I should talk to the Dr. next week when I go. Maybe in addition to
graphing the blood sugars we need to monitor the foods, emotions, stress
level, exercise, and hormones!! Yikes!! Way too many things to think about
huh? LOL –Jeana Ü
PS I have read about hormones in one of my books. (I think it was either
"Hormones" or "The Diabetic woman") Both were written by a really good
author named Lois Jovanovic-Peterson, MD. She’s a diabetes research
scientist in my hometown of Santa Barbara, CA. She is also diabetic
herself. She specializes in Pregnancy and diabetes. "The Diabetes
Self-Care method" written by her (and others) is a great book that changed
my life. I never knew how to take an active part in my care until I read
her book in 1985. I think a newer edition is available at amazon.com
—– Original Message —–
November 2nd, 2005 at 10:05 am
Jeana,
Talk to your GYN - he/she is the expert in this field. The endo won’t treat
you the same. BESIDES, you DO go for your yearly checkup with a GYN (I’m SURE)
so that’s whom to speak to. (~_^) How old are you?
Jan H (aka boc)
November 3rd, 2005 at 8:03 am
I turn 41 next week. I haven’t really thought about menopause yet because
my mom and grandmother didn’t hit it until their 50’s. I did just read
somewhere, however, that diabetics sometimes get menopause earlier.
Unfortunately I haven’t been to the GYN for quite awhile. Long story. I
quit going to my endo a few years ago during my rebellious stage. I didn’t
want to be on an ACE inhibitor and thought I could control my blood pressure
with herbs! I went to a regular internist with leanings towards natural
medicine who gave me physicals and Gyn stuff. When I couldn’t control the
diabetes very well (A1c was over 11), she suggested I go on the pump and
referred me to a "specialist" who just happened to be my old doctor (I
didn’t tell her though because I was too embarrassed). I finally realized
the errors of my ways and got back with the endo and now I also see her
partner who specializes in kidney stuff. So now I just seem to go
specialists and haven’t had a general physical in over five years. I need
to change that don’t I? Thanks for the reminder. Love, Jeana Ü
—– Original Message —–
> Talk to your GYN - he/she is the expert in this field. The endo won’t
treat
> you the same. BESIDES, you DO go for your yearly checkup with a GYN (I’m
SURE)
> so that’s whom to speak to. (~_^) How old are you?
> Jan H (aka boc)
November 4th, 2005 at 2:43 am
Happy Birthday, Jeana (next week!)
Were your mom and grandma DMers too? That can make a diff. I think I have 12
*-ologists* and it does get discouraging. But, you know, the best doctors have
the most patients who die. Why? Because we wait toooo long to go to the best
and it’s often hopeless. Get the best treatment NOW - in this day and age when
there are left nostril specialists, etc., each one knows in depth (should!)
what their specialty is.
boc Jan (~_^)
November 4th, 2005 at 8:26 am
Thanks for the b-day wishes. My mom was only diabetic for a year because
they removed her pancreas due to pancreatic cancer. My grandmother was
hypoglycemic so she did have insulin problems. I like your theory about the
best docs. You’re right! - Jeana Ü
November 5th, 2005 at 9:39 am
<<It floored me. I’ve been telling everyone, "oh, I love the pump>>
You also have to remember that most meters can be off by as much as 10 to 15
percent on a glucose reading. Good idea is the next time you have to go for
a blood test bring the meter with you and test right after they draw the
blood. I have noticed that the Accucheck complete seems to fare very well.
The last time I went for a blood test it was off by 2 percent. My meter read
145 but the blood test was 150. When I was on the CGM the meter was right
on.
I used the fast take for a little while but the results were inconsistent
with the way I was feeling. The size was nice but the results were not.
November 6th, 2005 at 4:26 pm
<< I don’t know if this would be an explaination for anyone else, but it goes
to prove we all react differently and it is sometimes impossible to figure
out the causes.
>>
My endo told me the same thing. So yes hormones definitly will affect you
BGs. Chrissy
November 12th, 2005 at 5:48 am
Hi Laurie: yes, it’s normal! your awareness is the key, and the fact that
you HAVE taken charge and not using "benign neglect". Our energy demands
vary throughout the day, and we will never, truly never, keep our glucoses is
the absolutely normal range. The goal is to understand when you are getting
those highs, and see what you can do to tweek it…..Joan:)))
November 13th, 2005 at 6:11 am
Hi Gail: y
November 13th, 2005 at 10:27 pm
Hi Gail: you’re right….sorry, hit the touchpad….
as we become perimenopausal….before actual menopause, most women start
seeing fluctuations in our levels, increased weight gain, dry skin, more
erratic levels, and insulin resistance for us type 2′rs….all the good stuff.
going on HRT (hormone replacement therapy) or ERT (estrogen replacement
therapy) can help with some of the above….nothing like teaching a group of
50 and turning beet red with a hot flash (me!!)
Stress whether physical, or mental can also impact on our levels, so for
everyone, the goal is to be reasonable and not get tooooo crazy with each
number, just increase your awareness about what makes you tick!!! Joan:))))