11 Years Today

Well, today is the anniversary of my diagnosis.  It's been 11 years and the memories of my diagnosis and the two or three weeks leading up to the diagnosis are crystal clear in my mind.  I wrote my diagnosis story a year or so ago, so I won't bother you with that again.  But it is sort of hard to believe that it's really been that long!  Eleven years!  I've lived about one-third of my life with diabetes.  That's an even more sobering thought.
 
Most days aren't so bad.  I test my sugar before each meal, bolus for the carbohydrates, and just go about my business.  Some days it stops me in my tracks with a low... or a high.  Occasionally I get pretty emotional about an unexplained high; or frustrated with a low that makes me suspend my activities for 15 minutes or more.  The majority of the time I don't worry about long-term complications.  All of my doctor appointments are always good, test results normal.  Some days I even forget I have it.  Other days, it's all I think about.

I've definitely learned how to be a healthier person.  Not that I was really unhealthy before.  I wasn't.  And I shouldn't tell myself (or others for that matter) that I was.  I exercised, I ate well (mostly) and I was a healthy weight.  My weight isn't ideal right now but I'm working on it. Plugging along with the diet and exercise program.  I'm managing my diabetes to the best of my knowledge.  And hopefully, I'm a good example to some people.  I think that I am.  I am well.  That is all.

Is someone going to make me a cake or something?

ADA Expo

Yesterday I took the opportunity (amid all the moving) to go over to our local Expo center and attend the ADA  (American Diabetes Association) Expo.  I arrived pretty late in the day, I spent my morning packing and doing yard work on our house, so there were not very many people there.  I missed out on the speeches and demonstrations but was able to just browse the booths without the crowds.  

When I first got there I figured I had wasted my time even going because everything seemed so irrelevant.  They had lots of cookbooks, overpriced stuffed animals for sale, and diabetic shoes, and socks.  Who wants that stuff?  Well, I certainly did not.  I wanted to check out the new technology.  Look at the new pumps.  So, I wandered around a little trying to see what was there.

I accidentally ran into the Dexcom CGM booth and display.  Ah!  Now that's something worth looking at.  So I stopped, talked to the rep. for a while, and I was pretty amazed at how cool that thing is.  I've blogged about wearing the Mini Med CGM before.  I think the guy asked me if I had ever worn one before.  I told him I had and he knew it had to have been the Medtronic one.  I saw the insertion site of this CGM and was TOTALLY blown away.  I had NO IDEA those things had gotten so small!  My Medtronic CGM was so large and it really hurt sometimes.  By 7 days I had to rip that thing out!  Anyway, so he launches into an infomercial of all the great features of the Dexcom CGM.  It was pretty neat.  It all comes down to relevance for me though.  Do I really need one?  It would be great for control.  But, my control is pretty good already. I know that if I wanted to get pregnant again, I would get one for sure!  I don't really see that in my future though.

As I was wrapping it up, this young girl walks up.  She wears the CGM, and has an Omni Pod insulin pump.  Saddest thing of all, this girl is not at all excited about having diabetes.  And I don't know why anyone would be.  But I just felt bad that she seemed so bitter about it already and she couldn't have been more than 10 years old.  So I hear her dad say that he keeps hearing that "any day now" they're going to get the Dexcom and the pump communicating.  I thought that Dexcom had a pump, or was a pump.  So.  I set out to find the Omni Pod table.

I walked all the way around the ADA Expo floor like three times (it wasn't very big) before I finally found them.  Omni Pod was taking up just a corner of one table.  I couldn't believe how small their display was.  But, there was a crowd and I had to wait for quite a while to talk to the representative.  He asked if I had a quick question, "No, I have a lot of questions."  I responded.

The Expo closed at 4:00pm and I was at his booth probably at 3:45.  So he and his guys were packing up but he's the representative, so of course he's going to take the time to talk to an intelligent "potential buyer" such as myself.  This pump totally blew my mind.  The part where he showed me how the needle works is where I was SOLD on this pump.  So cool!  Omni Pod is really, for me, a total mind-shift.  I love that there is no tubing.  I love that the pump and the meter are controlled on the same device.  I love that it will soon be integrated with the CGM.  And, I love that it's totally water proof.

There were a few draw-backs for me.  First, it doesn't hold as much insulin as my Revel.  My Medtronic Revel holds 300mL of insulin.  The OmiPod only holds 200.  My body requires an average of 75 units per day of insulin so I'd go through that every 2.5 days, that would be annoying.  Second, I just got a new pump so my insurance won't cover a new one for a few more years.  And third, I'd really have to take some time to get used to the larger site.  They say they are decreasing the size of the pod, which is good.  But I'd really like to see it in a larger vial capacity too.  Having such a large pod would definitely take some adjustment.  At the same time though, NOT having to wear a pump on my belt every day could be pretty amazing.  Hey, I could maybe even wear a DRESS again!  Wow.

Anyway, I think that when my insurance is ready to cover a new pump, I'm going to do some more  research and most likely, I'll be switching to the newer and better technology.  Just way too cool!  Those are the kinds of things I CAN get excited about.

365 Project

I'm doing a photography project this year.  I'm taking a photograph every day for a whole year.  So far, I've done really well at sticking to it.  Some days, I take multiple photos and some days I take none, but for the most part, I've been able to remember to take a picture, upload it, and post it.  I'm using 365project.org and I really like it.  I've also decided to use a list of photographs for the month of February.  In January, I just did my own thing.
Here are my pictures.  If you click on the picture below, you'll link to my "project".  I'm posting most of them to Instagram so if you have an account you can follow me: sugarfreesweety

adjusting to a new schedule

Keeping good control over diabetes means making frequent adjustments.  A friend of mine, and diabetes podcaster recently asked the question; "How often do you make changes to your basal rates?"  This questions means making adjustments to the amount of insulin your body receives throughout the day.  Basal rates are the amount of insulin your body requires at different times in a 24 hour period.  Each time I visit my Endochronologist, like I did about 2 weeks ago, we look at my blood sugars, analyze my A1c, and examine my basal rates.  Usually, we make some little adjustments.  My doctor has taught me that there needs to be a minimum of a 10% change in basal rate for an effect to take place.  I see my doctor every 3 months.  Occasionally we don't make any changes, most of the time however, we do.  I rarely make adjustments to my carbohydrate ratio (the amount of insulin I take for the amount of carbohydrates I consume) but in the beginning I made those changes more frequently.  I also made carb ratio changes when I was pregnant because EVERYTHING changes and gets really wacky when you're pregnant and diabetic.

Anyway, recently, my weekend schedule has changed.  I wouldn't say that it has changed dramatically but it has changed enough for me to notice a pattern of change- for the worse.  So, I've got to decide what I'm going to do to make some changes and adjust to this new change.

Each year, our church schedule changes.  We attend church for a three hour block of time.  Each "ward" or congregation, is assigned a different start time so that the buildings may be shared by more than one ward.  This year, its our turn to attend the 12:30-3:30 block.  AND I HATE IT!  I absolutely detest this schedule.  It's not good for me, and it's not good for anyone else in my family.  Last year we were lucky enough to attend the 9-12 block.  Yeah, it's nice to sleep in on Sundays but I'd much rather be finished with church by noon.  Also, when do you eat?  Either you sleep in and eat a big, late breakfast; or you wake up early and eat two small meals before attending church.  This is what has been really whacking out my blood sugars.  In the 5 weeks we've attended church in 2012, I've had ONE Sunday where my sugars were under control.  The other weeks, I've had one issue or another.  I've been high, I've been low, I've been quickly rising and falling fast.  Ugh.  I cannot figure out this schedule.

Yesterday, it finally clicked that something had been off for five straight weeks, each and every Sunday.  Yesterday I took the day to sleep in.  I slept until 9:00 am like a total slob (for a mom) and didn't eat breakfast until 9:50am.  At that time, my blood sugar had dropped to 59.  I didn't even feel it.  I almost always feel lows. Not this one.  So I ate.  And I ate.  And I probably did eat too much.  And I didn't take any insulin.  So, 2 hours later, my sugar was like 280.  Then I got to take my naked and free shower (where you aren't wearing a pump site or sensor) and put in a new site after my shower.  I bolused and figured I'd come right on down.  Only no.  1 hour after my bolus I checked my sugar and it was 316.  I felt super dizzy.  And super thirsty.  And it just happened to be the first week of the month which means that everyone is fasting.  So I'm taking down at the water fountain when all the adults around me are fasting from food and drink, including water, for 24 hours.  Ugh.  But you do what you have to to take care of yourself, right?
Eventually my sugar came down and I spent the rest of the day fighting lows.  Which leads me to tomorrow's post.

So, let me get to the point here, I know I've got to make a change.  And I hope it will be an easy one.  I just need to wake up earlier.  No more enjoying the ONE BENEFIT of this stupid late schedule, I've got to get up at my regular time and eat breakfast at my regular time.  As for lunch, I don't know.  I think I'll just go for a little carbohydrate and protein combo snack before church and maybe another portion when I get home and then have dinner at the regular time.  That should do it.

I'll let you know how it goes.

a visit to my Endo

I saw my diabetes specialist today.  It was probably one of the easiest appointments I've ever had.  I had to take my almost 4 year old with me but he fell asleep about 2 minutes out and slept in my arms the whole time.  I didn't get weighed in or my blood pressure checked because I was holding my sleeping "baby".  My bp has been excellent recently and it's usually only slightly high when I'm pregnant.  Yea for not having bp problems!  My weight has also decreased and I was only slightly sad I didn't get to weigh in to prove it. 

ANYWAY, last time I went in, the doc had me do a full lipid pannel and 24 hour urine collection- on the fun things you get to do when you're diabetic!  Today we went over those results and all of my tests were really good.  My A1C today was a 7.0.  I was hoping for a 6.8 but I'm still happy with 7.0.  All of my lipids were normal and I'm so happy that I don't have high cholesterol either.  The LAST thing I want is another medication to take!  The only test that was a little off, but still in normal range, was my Vitamin D.  Usually Vitamin D isn't tested in patients and mine had never been tested before.  So, he went ahead and had it run with the rest of my blood work.  It was within the normal range but a little on the low side.  I have NO idea what that means or anything but Dr. Day didn't seem too concerned about it. 

I pretty much told doc that I have stopped taking Symilin.  He wasn't too surprized, or concerned so I guess that's okay too.  He increased my basal, like always.  I'll make the changes, be low for 3 days striaght and lower them back again.  It's a common cycle.  But I'm not too worried about it. 

He asked me if I was planning another pregnancy.  When you're diabetic, you HAVE to plan, plan, plan for pregnancy, and you cannot just "accidentally" get pregnant either.  In the past, I've begged my insurance company to cover birth control in the past and didn't hesitate to have Dr. Day write me a letter of neccesity.  Usually, and currently, however, it has been covered.  But I digress, I told him I have started thinking about maybe having another one.  I aksed him what he thought, if I were healthy enough.  He said I was healthy enough, and young enough, but that I did need to get my A1C down to a 6.5 or less. 

I've GOT to make this decision in a year or less.  Why?  Well, because little brother is almost 4 and I'm opposed to having a kid farther than 5 years difference from him.  Since he was born, I've struggled with this decision.  I always thought I'd have more than 2 kids.  But somehow, it seems like enough for me.  I had a really, really hard time recovering from my second c-section.  Pregnancy is mega, super hard when you're diabetc.  Do you hear me rambling?  That's me trying to make a decision.  Husband told me JUST TODAY that I'm terrible at making decisions.  I am.  (but so is he).  ANYWAY, I'd love to have a baby girl.  or boy, maybe.  But I just don't know if I'm up for it. 
It means testing my sugar every 2 hours for about a year.  That's 4,382 tests.  It means wearing a CGM.  It means GAINING WEIGHT.  Lots of weight.  And I'm already 25 pounds over weight.  It means DELIVERING a baby.  It means having ANOTHER c-section.  And then RECOVERING from that surgery.  It means sleepless nights.  But, it also means another wonderful, beautiful, special human being in my family.  I just don't know!  I wish God would come down and just TELL me.  "Jen, you need to have another baby."  Or, "Jen, it's  okay, you're family is complete."  I just have not received an answer on that prayer.  And I've prayed about it for four years. 

Anyway, I really feel like 2012 is OUR YEAR.  It's our year for change.  Could be another baby, could not.  We'll just have to wait and see.  :) 

Diabetes Doesn't Care

Diabetes doesn't care if it's 2 hours after you went to bed. Diabetes doesn't care if you just fell into a deep sleep. Diabetes doesn't care if you've counted all your carbs, bolused correctly, had a bedtime snack, did your exercise, and otherwise followed through with all of your normal "diabetic" routines. Diabetes doesn't care if you're sick, or tired, or if you have a big day the next morning. Diabetes doesn't care if you have carefully calculated your basal rates.

When Diabetes wants to strike you with a "low" or a "high" then Diabetes is going to strike. Diabetes is 24/7 - 365. It doesn't break for holidays, sick days, birthdays, or Sundays. It doesn't EVER go away!

Monday night I went to bed at a decent hour. Back to a regular routine in the morning. My blood sugar at 10pm was 130. Just about what it had been all day long. Nice and steady.

I worked out at about 10am that morning, so it had been a good 12 hours since then. I ate my regular 6:00 dinner.

I had NO REASON to believe that my blood sugar would plummet. However, just about an hour into my deep sleep, I woke with the distinct feeling that I was low. When I was first diagnosed with Diabetes, I thought for sure that I'd never wake up with a low blood sugar. Little did I know, I just wasn't experiencing them. Once I did though, I knew they'd always wake me up. I don't know how my body does that. But I'm really glad it does. Sleeping through a low could be very dangerous. I wake up and think, "aw crap, I'm low". I reach over to the bedside table and flip on my light, test my sugar: 53. So I stumble down the stairs to the kitchen on my terribly aching feet and get the rest of the juice out of the fridge. There's only a half cup left and I water it down for the kids so I know it isn't going to be enough. I grab a slice of bread, pour some honey on it and climb back up the stairs to bed.

Then this post starts running through my head until I can finally fall back to sleep. My sugar at 7:30am the next morning: 130. Just what I thought it would be... without the escapades in the middle of the night.

New Year: New Goals

So, I've been thinking about what I'd like to work on this year. 2011 I did a great job of improving my diet and increasing my exercise. I'm a regular at our local recreation center. I swim, spin, and when my feet don't hurt take Zumba or run on the treadmill. I've even been to a couple of yoga classes.

One year ago this week, I started on Weight Watchers. I've done a really good job at tracking what I eat, focusing on the power foods, and sticking to that program pretty well. It hasn't really worked great for weight loss for me. But, I haven't GAINED any weight, not even over the holidays. They recently made a few changes to the program and since then my weight-loss has really improved.

Anyway, my last A1c was 7.0. My blood sugars since then have been great! I go see my Endochronologist in about 3 weeks and I think my A1c may have come down a couple of points.

So... as far as goals for this coming year.... I think what I'd like to do is decrease my soda intake. I don't drink regular soda... only if it's the ONLY option for a low blood sugar, that's super rare. Like maybe 3 in a whole year. BUT, I'm a HUGE Diet soda drinker. I LOVE my Diet Coke. Too much! Way too much. I think what I'd like to do is just slowly decrease my intake of diet soda to where I'm drinking one or less per day. I didn't buy a 12 pack of cans this week at the store. So, Sunday I had 1 and today I've had 1. So far... so good I guess.

The other thing I want to do is the "take a picture every day" challenge. I think I'll do the 365project.org. My URL there is http://365project.org/sugarfreesweety/365 I'd like to let Diabetes be the main focus for this project but it will probably end up being pics mostly of my kids... like everything else I do. Kind of a fun way to document the year. Hope I'm not taking on too much with this tho.

So, yeah, those are my goals for this year. I think they're ones that I can definitely work on; and I get pretty determined when it comes to setting goals so I hope I do as well this year as I did last. Now, if I could just get my damn foot healed, then maybe I can start running again.