It has been so long since I've written a post that I must admit, I am having a hard time writing. It's like keeping up with a friend or family member. If you talk every day, you CAN talk every day. If you don't, you end up with these long awkward silences on the phone after commenting about how hot/dry/rainy/cold/windy it has been lately.
I've been going through a bout of "I have so much I want to write about but.... maybe it isn't a good idea." I don't know if it's the introvert in me that is being more dominant and restraining me in a corner, or if I'm just hesitant because of some irrational fear. Either way... it's time for me to dive back in.
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Wednesday was my quarterly visit with my endo. I was truly hoping that things had improved from my last visit. My a1c had been on an incline for the previous six months, and I knew why. I had been dealing with a lot of pain in my back and as we all know, pain raises blood sugars which in turn raises a1c's. It's an evil cycle. My pain has subsided significantly, and I do my best to keep up with my home exercises, so I was keeping my fingers crossed for an improvement but I wasn't holding my breath.
I had been watching my numbers and kept noticing a trend of running high in the afternoon after lunch. I didn't used to, but then I was also walking at 2pm every day. That helped my afternoons at work go by faster... and helped me walk off any post lunch spike I may have. Now that summer is here, a walk at 2 in the afternoon is just not possible. One of the joys/curses of living in the desert southwest is the high summer temps. Let's take today for example. When I got up and started the coffee at 5:45 this morning, it was already 78F outside. Yesterday at 2pm it was about 95F with a light wind. When temperatures are that warm, and humidity is in the single digits, wind doesn't cool you off, it acts more like a convection oven.
I switched my walk to the mornings, around 10-10:30. It is still warm, but tolerable. I pop in my ear buds, queue up the chapter I'm on (audio books are my newest craze), and head out. These morning walks are great, but have a couple downfalls. First, my afternoon bgs are higher because my walk has already taken place. And second, my afternoons drag! I used to only have a couple hours left of my day when I would return from my walk, now I have more than half the day. The first couple days were the worst for that, but it has been doing better.
To combat the difference in my walk time, my endo suggested creating a summer basal profile. Since all my other rates were showing to be working properly, and the times of those rates worked perfectly with my cooler temperature walks, she didn't want to mess with that profile. Even though I keep a log book of all my settings and changes from each visit, there was no need to have to redo it all in the fall.
I am now on day 2 of the new profile, with the afternoon basal time adjusted. So far so good. I still ran higher than I was wanting to, but by no means as high as I had been. I will give it a week and see if I need to do a little more fine tuning. Who knows, by the end of that week I may have to adjust my walk time even more. This summer is just beginning to heat up, and I may end up having to walk while still in my jammies just to catch the coolness of the day.
Oh, and yes, my a1c had improved.
Showing posts with label insulin pump. Show all posts
Showing posts with label insulin pump. Show all posts
Friday, June 13, 2014
Friday, August 2, 2013
Confusion on the Real Estate front
Have you ever stood there at the kitchen counter with your insulin pump all refilled, tubing primed, and the only thing you have to do is insert the site but you just stand there looking confused? Well, I have, and more often lately that I'd care to admit. It isn't because I don't know what to do, after all I've been doing this for over 2 years (yes.. a short amount of time in comparison, but still).
One issue I have is residents on the Real Estate front. When I first started using an insulin pump I was told to change out my site every three days, and to not use the same area all the time. My current endo said the best thing to do is to find ten spots and rotate through them. That allows each site to heal for nearly a month before being used again. This worked GREAT! I have two sides, left and right, and so all I really needed was five spots. I chose arm, boob, belly, back, and butt, with a spare of thigh. It worked for me. I started on the left side and went clockwise, as if someone else was looking at me as a clock. I always knew where my next site would be and how long it had been since I'd used it.
Fast forward a year and enter CGM. This absolutely wonderful device threw a kink into my schedule. I won't put a pump site close to the sensor so I have to alter my rotation. Combine this with scheduled activities and adjusting my pump site to accommodate, and you can see where I get confused. Did I use this site recently? Will it be in the way of my massage this weekend? Will my CGM sensor need replacing before this site does? How well did that spot absorb last time? Should I let is rest more? And these are just some of the questions that I'm thinking while standing there.
How do you keep track of where to put your infusion sites?
One issue I have is residents on the Real Estate front. When I first started using an insulin pump I was told to change out my site every three days, and to not use the same area all the time. My current endo said the best thing to do is to find ten spots and rotate through them. That allows each site to heal for nearly a month before being used again. This worked GREAT! I have two sides, left and right, and so all I really needed was five spots. I chose arm, boob, belly, back, and butt, with a spare of thigh. It worked for me. I started on the left side and went clockwise, as if someone else was looking at me as a clock. I always knew where my next site would be and how long it had been since I'd used it.
Fast forward a year and enter CGM. This absolutely wonderful device threw a kink into my schedule. I won't put a pump site close to the sensor so I have to alter my rotation. Combine this with scheduled activities and adjusting my pump site to accommodate, and you can see where I get confused. Did I use this site recently? Will it be in the way of my massage this weekend? Will my CGM sensor need replacing before this site does? How well did that spot absorb last time? Should I let is rest more? And these are just some of the questions that I'm thinking while standing there.
How do you keep track of where to put your infusion sites?
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Adventures in Surgery
This post talks about my recent foot surgery. I have refrained from posting any graphic pictures, and tried to not be to graphically descriptive. However, if you have a weak stomach and vivid imagination, consider this fair warning.
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This last Thursday I had foot surgery. It was supposed to be for ganglion cyst removal, nerve un-strangling, hardware removal, and possible tendon repair. A blue light special as my podiatrist put it.
It started a few months ago. I couldn't wiggle my big toe, by itself without it hurting. I could manually move it.. wiggle it with my hand.. just not on it's own. The ultra-sound showed a rather large cyst with floaties in it. Dr. Foot suspected a ganglion cyst. He tried one shot of cortisone..much to the dismay of my blood sugars, but that didn't help at all. The next option was to go in and remove it, especially since it also appear to be pinching off a nerve. Have you ever had a hair wrapped around your toe? Imagine that feeling all the time.
So we set the date for July 11.
I got my time to report for surgery... 2pm. I was NOT a happy camper. Everyone knows that before surgery you stop eating at midnight. How in the world was I supposed to go from midnight to 2pm without food?! Having Type 1 diabetes is no fun, but it does allow silver linings sometimes. Being scheduled first for surgeries is one of them. I tried to argue and get an earlier time, but I had no luck. I was, however, allowed to eat breakfast and clear fluids.
Thursday afternoon finally arrived and I show up at the surgical center. My podiatrist came in and informed me that he'd been talking with my anesthesiologist about my CGM and he was fascinated. Dr. Sleep came in and wanted to know exactly how it worked and what to expect. I gave him the full low down. He was excited! He said being able to see what was going on, so he knew what needed to be done and to help the others in the OR with IV fluids was going to be so nice. Everyone was a bit concerned about one part of the surgery and how it would interact with my CGM. At one point, I get hooked up to a "zappy *" machine that "melts *" the ends of blood vessels to help control bleeding (*Dr. Foot terms). They put an additional pad near the site for the electrical current to go to. It was on my upper leg and my CGM was on my OTHER leg. It shouldn't have been a problem.
Surgery went very well. Come to find out, there was no cyst at all. My tendon was severely damaged and the screws from my previous surgery were very much stuck in the bone. To repair the tendon, Dr. Foot took another tendon from the same foot and moved it over. This relieved the nerve at the same time. The nerve immediately sprung back, almost like it took a deep breath. Yay for no neuropathy! He was able to remove the screws, but it took a bit more work.
Anesthesia and I don't get along very well. I normally take quite a while to wake up, and it likes me to revisit anything I may have eaten on the sly. I was given a dose of anti-nausea medicine to help. I was told it wouldn't spike my blood sugars like the one normally used. So I was hopeful that my night would be good. No such luck.
When I was fully awake, I look at my CGM graph and was hovering around 160. I was content. The odd part was the approximate 30-45 minutes of no reads. I wondered if Dr. Sleep had wandered away too far, or if all the other equipment interfered with the signal. I was hoping for interference. Come to find out, the screen went blank mere seconds after the "zappy" machine was used. Oops.. no permanent damage done though.
When I got home I was STARVING! The funny thing is, I don't remember what I ate. I do remember how rough a night it was bg-wise. That anti-nausea medicine that wasn't supposed to spike me? Well, it failed at that. I climbed the whole evening. I had corrected and still didn't come down. At one point, I think it was about 1:30 in the morning, my level was 439. UGH!! I switched out insulin, cartridge, and site in hopes to help. It brought me down to upper 100's as long as I didn't eat. First food brought me to 300+ in no time. I was frustrated.
Friday was doing better. I was walking around. I hadn't had to take any pain meds. My numbers were still high. This is where the love of the DOC comes in. Sugarfreesweety checked in on me and suggested increasing my basal. Now, why I never think of that myself, I'll never know. I increased basal, and that helped budge my numbers.. but I was still running high. Doughuss popped in and reminded me that surgery will do that, and it could be a couple days. *sigh* Thankfully, by Saturday I was pretty much back to normal. I was exhausted, but doing decently.
Now, if I can only remember all the extra steps needed for when/if I have surgery again.
------------------------------------------------------
This last Thursday I had foot surgery. It was supposed to be for ganglion cyst removal, nerve un-strangling, hardware removal, and possible tendon repair. A blue light special as my podiatrist put it.
It started a few months ago. I couldn't wiggle my big toe, by itself without it hurting. I could manually move it.. wiggle it with my hand.. just not on it's own. The ultra-sound showed a rather large cyst with floaties in it. Dr. Foot suspected a ganglion cyst. He tried one shot of cortisone..much to the dismay of my blood sugars, but that didn't help at all. The next option was to go in and remove it, especially since it also appear to be pinching off a nerve. Have you ever had a hair wrapped around your toe? Imagine that feeling all the time.
So we set the date for July 11.
I got my time to report for surgery... 2pm. I was NOT a happy camper. Everyone knows that before surgery you stop eating at midnight. How in the world was I supposed to go from midnight to 2pm without food?! Having Type 1 diabetes is no fun, but it does allow silver linings sometimes. Being scheduled first for surgeries is one of them. I tried to argue and get an earlier time, but I had no luck. I was, however, allowed to eat breakfast and clear fluids.
Thursday afternoon finally arrived and I show up at the surgical center. My podiatrist came in and informed me that he'd been talking with my anesthesiologist about my CGM and he was fascinated. Dr. Sleep came in and wanted to know exactly how it worked and what to expect. I gave him the full low down. He was excited! He said being able to see what was going on, so he knew what needed to be done and to help the others in the OR with IV fluids was going to be so nice. Everyone was a bit concerned about one part of the surgery and how it would interact with my CGM. At one point, I get hooked up to a "zappy *" machine that "melts *" the ends of blood vessels to help control bleeding (*Dr. Foot terms). They put an additional pad near the site for the electrical current to go to. It was on my upper leg and my CGM was on my OTHER leg. It shouldn't have been a problem.
Surgery went very well. Come to find out, there was no cyst at all. My tendon was severely damaged and the screws from my previous surgery were very much stuck in the bone. To repair the tendon, Dr. Foot took another tendon from the same foot and moved it over. This relieved the nerve at the same time. The nerve immediately sprung back, almost like it took a deep breath. Yay for no neuropathy! He was able to remove the screws, but it took a bit more work.
Anesthesia and I don't get along very well. I normally take quite a while to wake up, and it likes me to revisit anything I may have eaten on the sly. I was given a dose of anti-nausea medicine to help. I was told it wouldn't spike my blood sugars like the one normally used. So I was hopeful that my night would be good. No such luck.
When I was fully awake, I look at my CGM graph and was hovering around 160. I was content. The odd part was the approximate 30-45 minutes of no reads. I wondered if Dr. Sleep had wandered away too far, or if all the other equipment interfered with the signal. I was hoping for interference. Come to find out, the screen went blank mere seconds after the "zappy" machine was used. Oops.. no permanent damage done though.
When I got home I was STARVING! The funny thing is, I don't remember what I ate. I do remember how rough a night it was bg-wise. That anti-nausea medicine that wasn't supposed to spike me? Well, it failed at that. I climbed the whole evening. I had corrected and still didn't come down. At one point, I think it was about 1:30 in the morning, my level was 439. UGH!! I switched out insulin, cartridge, and site in hopes to help. It brought me down to upper 100's as long as I didn't eat. First food brought me to 300+ in no time. I was frustrated.
Friday was doing better. I was walking around. I hadn't had to take any pain meds. My numbers were still high. This is where the love of the DOC comes in. Sugarfreesweety checked in on me and suggested increasing my basal. Now, why I never think of that myself, I'll never know. I increased basal, and that helped budge my numbers.. but I was still running high. Doughuss popped in and reminded me that surgery will do that, and it could be a couple days. *sigh* Thankfully, by Saturday I was pretty much back to normal. I was exhausted, but doing decently.
 |
| I don't think I'll be running any marathons anytime soon. |
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
2013 Diabetes Goals
This post is my January entry in the DSMA Blog Carnival. If you’d like to participate too, you can get all of the information at http://diabetessocmed.com/2013/january-dsma-blog-carnival-2/
My list of Diabetes goals for 2013
One of the goals that I have for 2013, diabetically speaking, I have already achieved. January 4th I had my regularly scheduled endo appointment. I wasn't expecting to leave with a LOWER A1C, but I did. I had hoped to have a lower than 7 sometime in 2013. I just wasn't expecting it to be four days in... and AFTER the holidays!
SO..
Goal 1: Have a lower than 7.0 A1C = CHECK
Goal 2: More than one no hitter day on my CGM in a month/week =
Goal 3: Purchase extra 'clothes' for my pump =
Goal 4: Actually order my G4 before the 'upgrade discount' expires =
Goal 5: Exercise consistently for longer than 3 weeks =
Goal 6: Figure out a more attractive D-bag =
I'm sure I could.. and I know I do.. have more goals. Some of these are trivial and really have nothing to do with my physcial health, but they make me smile.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
2012 In Review
“This post is my December entry in the DSMA Blog Carnival. If you’d like to participate too, you can get all of the information at http://diabetessocmed.com/2012/december-dsma-blog-carnival-2/"
So this if my first DSMA Blog Carnival entry.. ever. The topic is to reflect on diabetes in 2012.
Holy cow!! It has been quite a year for me.
The first couple months of the year were your normal everyday months. Work, laundry, family, pets, chores, work, laundry, family, pets, chores, etc. Nothing really stands out diabetically speaking until March.
In March I had my first, and hopefully only, surgery since getting "Freeda" my insulin pump. My doctor was very accommodating. When I talked to him about staying connected, or at least reconnecting right after surgery his response was, "You can take care of your diabetes better than we can so we will give you back control as soon as possible." Have I said that I really REALLY like the doctors I have now? No? Well, I do.
In April I got "George" my CGM. Who knew that having that much information could be addictive? My readings have always been WAY OFF if I start the new sensor right after inserting, so I usually swap out the sensor before I go to bed, and then start it in the morning. That does mean I have a whole night of no safety net alarms. I did it all the time, so why should I worry? But I do. Those nights I don't sleep real soundly. Thankfully I can get about 14 days out of each sensor.
Also in April, I unknowingly at first, participated in my first ever JDRF walk. I was the adult in charge (no laughing) of the JROTC group that was helping with the games and clean up. My doctor was there and said that next year I should be on the walk committee. So far, the committee meetings have been great. I think we're doing a tour of the local pizza parlors though.
In May, at my regular doctor's visit my doctor asked if I tweeted. I didn't at the time, but looked into it. I've been tweeting ever since. I found the DOC (Diabetes Online Community) and participate in DSMA Wednesday evenings, just about every week (life permitting that is). I have met some awesome people around the world that someday I hope to actually meet in real life! It will happen.. life permitting that is.
In October I started this blog. There were so many ideas running around in my head of things I wanted to share. Things that took more than 140 characters to explain. Can anyone really tell their diagnosis story in two sentences? I couldn't. The hardest part in getting started, however, was figuring out a name. Looking around my desk at work, my house, and my hectic life it came to me.. My life was a zoo, a Sweet Zoo.
In November I participated in the National Health Blog Post Month. The joy of having topics given to me to write about was great. Little nudges of ideas that got my brain working in a certain direction. Some days I was stumped. I now have a greater appreciation for those that always do a blog post everyday.
So here we are in December. My first DSMA Blog Carnival post.
What will 2013 bring? I have no idea.. but I'm sure that there will be lots of things worth writing about so stay tuned.
So this if my first DSMA Blog Carnival entry.. ever. The topic is to reflect on diabetes in 2012.
Holy cow!! It has been quite a year for me.
The first couple months of the year were your normal everyday months. Work, laundry, family, pets, chores, work, laundry, family, pets, chores, etc. Nothing really stands out diabetically speaking until March.
In March I had my first, and hopefully only, surgery since getting "Freeda" my insulin pump. My doctor was very accommodating. When I talked to him about staying connected, or at least reconnecting right after surgery his response was, "You can take care of your diabetes better than we can so we will give you back control as soon as possible." Have I said that I really REALLY like the doctors I have now? No? Well, I do.
In April I got "George" my CGM. Who knew that having that much information could be addictive? My readings have always been WAY OFF if I start the new sensor right after inserting, so I usually swap out the sensor before I go to bed, and then start it in the morning. That does mean I have a whole night of no safety net alarms. I did it all the time, so why should I worry? But I do. Those nights I don't sleep real soundly. Thankfully I can get about 14 days out of each sensor.
Also in April, I unknowingly at first, participated in my first ever JDRF walk. I was the adult in charge (no laughing) of the JROTC group that was helping with the games and clean up. My doctor was there and said that next year I should be on the walk committee. So far, the committee meetings have been great. I think we're doing a tour of the local pizza parlors though.
In May, at my regular doctor's visit my doctor asked if I tweeted. I didn't at the time, but looked into it. I've been tweeting ever since. I found the DOC (Diabetes Online Community) and participate in DSMA Wednesday evenings, just about every week (life permitting that is). I have met some awesome people around the world that someday I hope to actually meet in real life! It will happen.. life permitting that is.
In October I started this blog. There were so many ideas running around in my head of things I wanted to share. Things that took more than 140 characters to explain. Can anyone really tell their diagnosis story in two sentences? I couldn't. The hardest part in getting started, however, was figuring out a name. Looking around my desk at work, my house, and my hectic life it came to me.. My life was a zoo, a Sweet Zoo.
In November I participated in the National Health Blog Post Month. The joy of having topics given to me to write about was great. Little nudges of ideas that got my brain working in a certain direction. Some days I was stumped. I now have a greater appreciation for those that always do a blog post everyday.
So here we are in December. My first DSMA Blog Carnival post.
What will 2013 bring? I have no idea.. but I'm sure that there will be lots of things worth writing about so stay tuned.
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