A Change

Okay, I've made a jump to a new site located here:
The Jagged Edge

Please let me know what you think of it.
Take care!

Mark

Pasta!

Growing up with diabetes is challenging. I was constantly reminded how deadly going too high or too low (in terms of blood sugar) can be, especially at bedtime. Over the years, I've focused on tips and tricks to manage my bg numbers when eating pasta or pizza. Frankly, I love both. Pizza will always be a staple in my diet. That said, being on MDI (multiple daily injections) has cramped my pasta eating abilities.

While on the pump, I could set a small temporary basal before bed to account for the carbs in pasta. Guess what? On MDI you can't do that. I had a wonderful baked ziti dish for dinner last night. Complimented with fresh baked garlic-buttered bread. My bg before bed (11 pm) was a respectable 118. This morning, much to my dismay, I jumped to a disgusting 257.

Thankfully I had my bottle of Novolog ready for the correction, and now I'm sitting at a 130 (even after breakfast). As soon as the hot, sticky summer heat is past, I promise to go back on the pump. Believe me, I can't wait.
Enjoy the summer!

Mark

Predictability

Yes, predictability - intransitive verb - to make a prediction. For our purposes today, to ably predict how much insulin we need for food.

My inner child spoke. "Okay, yesterday for breakfast you had a 1/2 bagel with two slices of cheese and a diet coke. Your post meal bg was 150 which fell to a 68 before lunch. Today, you had the identical same breakfast and your post meal bg is a 248. You took the same insulin. You had nearly identical morning bg numbers (129). What gives?"







(My life...sometimes)

I've heard that diabetes loves routine; it loves predictable moments. However, I don't believe it. Better yet, I am doing the same thing today as I was doing yesterday. So, my inner child asks a very good question. What gives?

Our life equations go something like this:
A(x) x B(x) x...= God only knows

Bg numbers, food, possibly exercise, stress, hormones, other illnesses, can all play dirty. There is no predictability about them. I ate the same food, took the same amount of insulin, and halfway expected around the same post meal bg. But no, that didn't happen. It's this unpredictable disease that takes a toll on us.

Nothing like a little insanity to begin my day. :-)

Medtronic STAR 3 Trial

I saw the original headline from Diabetes Health, so I can't take credit for finding this. However, I've become more and more fascinated with studies using a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGM).

Alas, Medtronic has conducted and published their study here:
STAR 3 (website)
STAR 3 (pdf)

I have argued this point before, so I'll do it again. I believe the CGM is probably the most significant and vital product of our time. And arguably, more important than the insulin pump.

Why?

At the end of the day, our blood sugar levels determine the functionality of our lives. Damage to our bodies can occur if we are not in control. I'll be the first to admit that I didn't take care of myself for many years and it led to minor complications. I'm better now, but only because I try to keep my sugar levels in control. I have my good days and my not so good days. I test myself approximately 8 times a day. Do I plan on using a CGM in my near future? Sure do!

And in other news...
This diabetic is taking a break from pumping this summer. I've tried everything just short of duct tape to keep my infusion set on in this heat, and I can't make it stick. I usually apply Mastisol, and generally it works great, but for some reason my sweat is dissolving it. Strange, but true. Going back on shots hasn't been too bad though. It has made me think twice about whether to eat a snack. Hello weight loss and more time in the pool! When given lemons, make lemonade...sugar-free preferably.

Keep strong!

Mark

When Diabetes Just Works Out

Imagine a possible worse case scenario:
You are a type 1 diabetic, who wears an insulin pump, and who is on a mission trip deep in the mountains of Tennessee. Halfway there, your spidey senses tingle that you forgot something; something important. Instead of worrying about it, you continue onward believing all will be well.

Next, you realize that you need to change out your pump (or pod since I wear the OmniPod) beginning on the second day of the trip. You gather all your supplies and go through the motions, when you realize what you forgot - a new bottle of insulin.

Okay, rule number one: don't panic. I had 110 units left in my old bottle, but I usually fill a pod with 150 units for three days. Thankfully, I had a number of things going for me which made this worse case scenario not so bad.

Thankfully this mission trip involved A LOT of outdoor, physical activity. Next, I tend to eat much less when I'm hot and sweaty. So with pump in hand, I maintained a temporary basal for much of the time on the trip and ate very little carbs. Lo and behold, when we got home late Sunday evening, I was down to 40 units and averaging a 130 bg. Not too shabby. (Just a FYI, I managed to burn 10,000+ calories on each working day.)

And what would I have done if the situation were much worse? Easy. The nearest pharmacy was 10 miles away, so there was no reason to panic. However, even for me it was a reminder that we can never be overly prepared for a trip; for nothing beats a good backup.

Stay adventurous!

Mark