Swingers

Anyone else a swinger?

okay, yes... some words draw people in. It's like Newsies, and the paper business, and knowing what words sell papes, right? :D

But, I do mean swinger. No one can continue on a line at the same velocity forever. We slow down. We divert. Boredom sets in. Whatever the circumstances might be... so within the last year, I've lost most of my diabetes followers. [Lost seems to be a recurring theme for me lately!] I closed my 'Betes Blog all together because I just couldn't keep up with both. You remember that... :D

Perhaps it's time to hook that wagon back up to the horse and get on. New gadgets help to increase motivation! Right now, I'm waiting on a new insulin pump and a new Continuous Glucose Monitoring Sensor. The pump is a bonus. The sensor is a replacement, because mine finally broke in July. Technically though, I'd gone on a break months earlier and had only been wearing the thing once in a while. Which is why my A1c was 6.7 this week. :P Yuck. I knew it was going to be higher than I wanted, but I suppose the fact that's it's under 7 is pretty good. I expected it to be over 7, possibly as high as 8.

I'm looking around at myself eating like I haven't since I was pregnant. Not over-eating, just eating all the carb happy foods instead of the foods that will be good for me and help me keep my sugars down without pumping unGodly amounts of insulin into my body. More insulin = more body fat. And that's a big booo for me. More fats and proteins = less insulin = more stable sugars. Time to change my grocery list...

Now the question is... do I hurry up and finish all that zuchini bread I made yesterday? Or do I jump on the wagon now and watch everyone else eat it. :(

:)

Type I Diabetes and Exercise

Such a beautiful peaceful weekend.
Yes, I forgot about my daughter's confirmation retreat...
Saturday ended up being about family and a few house chores, listening to music, sleeping in, relaxing. Oops. Not a good recipe for taking care of business. And maybe a retreat isn't exactly business...but it just slipped.

Embarrassingly. LOL :D But I will not regret how my weekend played out over it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yesterday I had a great conversation with a friend about running [for me, walking]. We chatted about eating and maintaining energy, which seems to be an issue for me, has always been an issue for me.

This morning, I got so mad! I had a small bowl of cereal early (6am) and took my insulin as I should...not over-dosing, which I often do when eating cereal because cereal is the DEVIL. When my insulin pump/continuous glucose monitor alarmed a rising high, I wasn't surprised. But I didn't bolus again!!! Like a good girl, I waited! Again, doing something out of the norm...cuz usually I'd be all over another bolus in that frantic race to beat that high back down... (impulse can rule). I ate a three egg omelet at about 7:45. Left the house at about 8:20 to go walk and before I even got on the path at Britt David Park to start my morning routine, my pump/monitor was beeping a low. Two downward arrows!  grrr.  I swear. I was not happy.  I ate my daughter's animal crackers and headed out to walk at about 8:40. Walked a slllloooooow mile, finishing right at about 9. Had to stop.

I swear! I have to figure this eating/exercising ratio. Last week was fine, so I know it's possible. But I can't have days like this. Even when I don't start low...last week ended with me being pretty frustrated, because the second mile I would struggle. My legs would be really tired. Where is all my energy! This whole exercising thing should be getting easier and easier as i go along... but it's not getting easier. I'm holding. Not harder, not easier, doing the same routine. Hmm.

As long as I don't stop, I guess that's good. Maybe I'm just too impatient. :D
Tell me--diabetic or not--what do you eat before exercising???
With Love,
Bethanne

Miracle Monday

How about...
I need a miracle this week!
If you're a diabetic, you know illness can cause wacky sugar levels and mine have been slightly off. Just a hair. Just enough for me to be pulling my hair out. Then by the end of today, I got a funny feeling in the back of my throat. Not a good feeling.

I'm drinking lots of water and keeping my fingers crossed. Must be the weather! You just can't figure it. LOL

A1c -- What the heck does it mean?

Don't look away, writers. Your A1c is important to you, too! Especially if you are crossing into 40 or 50. If you've been sitting in front of your computer so long, you've put on a few extra pounds. A1c tells the doctors alot about how diabetic you've become [Type II].

I'm a Type I, Insulin Dependent Diabetic.
This pancreas ain't makin' no juice. Uh uh. No way, no how.
Even with some debate on the value of the A1c result, I like the look it gives me at how I'm doing.

A1c is a number, based on calculations, that represents our average blood glucose over three months.
Your average, non diabetic will have an A1c of about 5, with blood sugars that range from 70 to 110.

So let's look at the chart:
A1c = mg/dl
13 = 326
12 = 298
11 = 269
10 = 240
9  = 212
8  = 183
7  = 154
6  = 126

So when you go to the doctor and you have a 6.5 or a 7, and the doctor says, that's good or that's not bad. You can say, "No. I don't think so. That number puts me at about 140 mg/dl, on average. That's not going to work for me."

As usual, i'm not your doctor and there are circumstances in which you might lean on the side of caution. For example, young children who are not always as adept at identifying lows would want a sugar level that sticks as close to 6 or even 7 as possible. For sure, any changes in your care should be talked about with your doctor or caregiver. :D :D

Enjoy your weekend!
I'm looking forward to an extra day with my husband and kids, to sunny skies and relaxation.
Not to mention, I'll be writing.
With Love,
Bethanne

The Older I get...

The less I feel like doctors want to listen to me.

I have hit a wall in my search for a doctor who will acknowledge that I know just as much if not MORE than he does. This latest doctor is the worst! Not only is he the worst, he loves himself WAY TOO MUCH. He says that he is working with Minimed, consulting with them to change things, but the changes he suggests do NOT coincide with how I manage my diabetes. As a matter of fact, it leaves everything to the doctor [which is good for the doctor with the God complex]. It eliminates the use of 95% of the data I get from my CGM and pump. He wants premeal blood glucose levels and a bedtime one, if I feel like it.

WHAT THE YOU-KNOW-WHAT?!

Isn't that taking a step BACK in diabetes management?

"Uh, yes ma'am, it sure as hell is." <--that's me, talking to myself.

See, there's this AVERAGE in diabetes that is a statement of about how much basal insulin [basal is the ongoing rate, not based on what you eat] a typical diabetic will use. The rates, starting at midnight, rise at predawn then slowly decrease through the day. Sooo, maybe I'm not that typical, but Dr. God, on seeing my rates, shook his head and said, "This is a mess."

He then proceeded to suggest changes that replicate what an average diabetic's basal rates should be.

But, after seven years on the pump and three kids later, I can tell you, without a doubt, that my basal rates do not follow that trend. WHAT?! how is that possible?! But, again, as with my last doctor, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. [or perhaps I just wanted to prove him wrong] But I changed my rates to his suggestions and watched my sugars go way up and stay there for three days, with just an occasional drop because of the raging corrections I made.

Now, let me set you straight. Perhaps you want to believe I'm just too obstinate or rebellious or bad. What do they call it when a patient refuses to follow doctor's orders? I don't know, but it would be easy to believe I am that patient. It's true I've changed doctors a good bit, but at this point, it has never been because I disagreed with a doctor. I just move around a lot. When I saw this new guy for the first time and he said my A1c of 6.4 was good, I knew it wasn't going to work. I've had an A1c of under 6 for over a year. I've had NO hypoglycemic episodes [low blood sugar symptoms] of the debilitating variety. My sugars are tight and that's how I like them, because we all know that the better and lower I can keep them, the less likely I am to get complications. You know, like retinopathy or neuropathy or glaucoma or appendage loss... heeellllllooooo?!?! Dude, really? Don't tell me a 6.4 is okay. Ask me if a 6.4 is okay with me.

This is the first time in 23 years, I am about to cancel an appointment with a doctor because I really dislike him alot. Part of me wants to write him a letter to make sure he knows that he is NOT helping the diabetic community. That his methods, even if they work for him or most of his patients, are not giving them the tools to manage their own diabetes, which is the ultimate freedom.

Or I could just quietly leave.


I just switched from Standard Tricare to Prime, which basically means we're going from a PPO plan to an HMO plan [another story all together], but it does give me the option of talking to another doctor and getting a feel for who out there, if anyone, can let me be in control. hahahaha.