It's been a tough week for me. And I don't really understand why.
Maybe it stems from my A1C at the end of October. In July my A1C had plummeted to 7.0 from 8.4 in April. So I was really looking forward to an even better number.
Running the stats from my Dexcom, I expected at least a small improvement. Especially because I'd been working really hard at improving my diet, adding more exercise. For maybe the first time ever I was starting to think that I had wrestled my diabetes to the ground and won.
Then I got my end of October result.
8.1
What's going on? This number just didn't feel right.
Since then I've had two further A1C tests. One by means of Kevin's excellent A1C-by-mail, HomeCheck A1C, which gave me a result of 7.6 in mid-November. Another at my doctor's office a week later that gave me an A1C of 7.4.
This is one of the great frustrations of diabetes. I'm using a lot of diabetes technology:
And with all of this, I can't seem to get my A1C levels down to a lower level. That's really frustrating.
But I notice that my life seems very flat. Colorless.
Yes, I'm still blogging, and still taking daily photos for the Diabetes365 Project. For the most part I'm taking care of myself.
Recently this has gotten a lot harder. Maybe it's the same kind of issue that Allison is struggling with, but I don't think so.
Perhaps it's some type of low-level depression, which I know often accompanies diabetes. This disease is so wearing, it's a wonder that more of us aren't depressed.
Whatever it is, I just wish it would stop.
If you've got any suggestions, do please let me know.
I'm still recovering from lost sleep due to the World Series. Remember I come from Ireland originally, so I'm still really learning about baseball. But having the Sox win in 2004 really got me interested.
And then there was the final game on Sunday. It's 11:30 at night and we're heading towards the end of the game.
Thanks to my Dexcom CGM, I'd watched my blood sugar heading lower. But I didn't want to miss the game to correct it. Finally I tested with my OneTouch, and it pretty much agreed with the Dexcom.
So I had to run downstairs to get some quick-acting carbohydrates to bring my blood sugar up to a normal range.
About 30 minutes later my blood sugar was closer to 100 mg/dL and the game was over. Victory for the Red Sox and a safe enough blood glucose reading that I could go to sleep.
There's no cure for diabetes. Yet.
If you've got diabetes and would like to show others what it's like to live with it, please join the diabetes365 photo project.
For some reason I was battling a low blood sugar from about 3 AM. I took two small amounts of carbohydrates during the early hours to try and get my blood sugar to come up. But I still ended up with a value of 59 mg/dL before breakfast.
This means I can't take Symlin so my after breakfast blood sugar readings will be higher. It also means that I can't drive until I'm sure my blood sugars are above 100 mg/dL. This is the lowest value at which I like to drive.
Remember there is no cure for diabetes. Those of us with Type 1 diabetes use insulin (and sometimes Symlin) to try and keep our blood glucose values within a reasonable range. This is really an imperfect approach.
This is the second photo in my diabetes365 series. You can find photos from others taking part in the diabetes365 photo project on flickr.
I've been using Symlin since late 2006 to reduce the blood glucose peaks that I get after eating.
Symlin works by slowing down food processing so that your sugar levels rise more slowly after you've eaten. Typically you need to reduce your insulin dosage and, if you're using an insulin pump, take the bolus over an extended duration so that you don't have a low. It takes time to get used to Symlin and figure out how much Symlin to take and how to properly take whatever insulin you need to cover the meal.
When I started using Symlin I had a lot more lows. They were hard to fix because the Symlin slowed down the absorption of the juice or Gatorade that I took to get my blood glucose levels up.
I finally figured out this tip for fixing low blood sugars that are caused by Symlin. I chew one dex tablet at a time, holding the chewed up mess in my mouth for as long as I can. That way some of the dextrose is absorbed through my mouth What does get into my stomach is easier for my digestive system to work on. After 2-3 tablets I wait for 15 minutes and see how things are going.
This works much better than drinking a lot of juice and then having to deal with the super highs later. The juice absorption is slowed enough by the Symlin that it takes more time than usual to work.
If you're using a pump, don't forget to cancel any bolus in progress otherwise you may have a recurring low shortly after fixing the first one.
I really do like Symlin - and I've had a lot of success with using it at breakfast time.
When I last saw my endo (still waiting on the A1C from that) we talked about my trying Symlin in the evenings also. That's the time I'm most likely to eat too much.
So this evening I did use Symlin. And here I am now writing some 30 minutes after climbing up out of a low 38 mg/dL. I so hate when that happens. With the insulin on board from my square wave with dinner, I'll have to watch things for another 2 hours or so.
I think I'll have to ease into Symlin with dinner. It's going to take some getting used to.
Disclosure: I have owned shares in Amylin, makers of Symlin, in the recent past. And I'll probably buy them again at some stage in the future. So don't make any financial decisions based on what I say here.
The Diabetes Technology Blog is focused on using technology to life better with diabetes. I review: blood glucose monitors; continuous glucose monitor; blood sugar meters; diabetes software and living with diabetes.
About Me
Name: Bernard Farrell
Location: Massachusetts, United States
I was born in Ireland and now live in the US.
I have had Type 1 diabetes for over 35 years. I struggle with my blood sugar, the same as most people with diabetes.
I wear a Cozmo 1800 insulin pump and a Dexcom SEVEN CGM to track my blood glucose levels. I also take Symlin to help control my post-meal blood sugars.
I'm blessed by God, and every day brings the possibility of a cure.
Yes, I'm still blogging, and still taking daily photos for the Diabetes365 Project. For the most part I'm taking care of myself.
