Last week I went to Philly to see the U2 show that was postponed from last July due to Bono’s back surgery.  This was my first time at Lincoln Financial field and all I could think about was the Patriots beating Philly in the Super Bowl 39.  I sure was glad I wasn’t rolling in any Boston gear.  It was about 6+ years since I saw U2 at the Wachovia Center for the Elevation tour.

The drive wasn’t bad at all and I met my friends easily for a beer before the show.  I checked my sugar just before leaving to go into the concert and it was good at 150.  I didn’t want to take any chances with it being too low because it was a hike to get from my truck to the seats inside. I threw down a quick Larabar just for safe measure so I wouldn’t be hungry inside and also to give me some energy.  I did not take my meter with me as I knew I wasn’t going to be drinking much (had to drive home) and probably not eating (got dinner in route to Philly).

Inside the stadium I had one more beer that lasted the whole show and no other food.  After the show was over I trekked back to my truck, checked my blood sugar and it was 118 around midnight.  Knowing it was about 2 hours to get home, I ate a Raw Bar, took a few units of insulin from my pump and headed home.  The traffic wasn’t bad at all and I got back around 2:30 AM.  Totally worth it, had a great time and my diabetes wasn’t a factor.  Here are some photos from the concert.

Bono

Edge

Question – So what do you do if you’re having a low blood sugar and are close to the stage among thousands of other fans that are packed in like sardines?

Stage Pre Show

For those taking score, the Philly fans/crowd blew away the fans at Fedex Field in D.C. over a year ago when I went.  This crowd was up the whole time and having a blast.  D.C. was full of people just sitting and watching the show like a movie…

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Diabetes with U2 is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

Hypoglycemic (Low Blood Sugar) Incident

Just last week I was up in the middle of the night with a 48 mg/dl (low or hypo) and headed for the pantry.  During the next 20 minutes I came up with the idea for this post when two things collided.  These two things are what I would call the “Perfect Storm” with diabetes.  It’s actually not the first time this has happened to me and I’m sure it won’t be the last.  In the diabetes community, they will probably say that a low blood sugar is the worst feeling in the world and something that scares the heck out of me.

Lowest Low

I can vividly recall my lowest blood sugar ever that was around 8-9 years ago.  When I tested I was in the 20s and thought I wasn’t going to make it.  I was literally crawling on the floor and hyperventilating to the point where I thought I would pass out.  That was scary and something I don’t want to happen again, yet it probably will.  To get that low I think I got complacent and took 20 units of Humalog (fast acting insulin) when I meant to take Lantus (slow acting).  At the time I was pretty much in range, so that much fast acting insulin was a VERY BAD thing.  Needless to say I never made that mistake again and I strongly urge you to highly differentiate between the insulin bottles.  So what could be worse than a low?

2 Things Collide

Whenever I wake up in the middle of the night with a low there’s usually something else present.  That thing is: HUNGER!  When you are experiencing the scariness of a low and the shakes from lack of sugar in your bloodstream, it’s super scary.  BUT, when you are low AND hungry at the same time it usually makes for the dreaded: ~40 t0 300 rollercoaster.  This means you wake up low or let’s say 40 and starving.  You head to the pantry with a laser-like focus on treating the low and getting rid of the hunger.  Problem is that it can take 20 minutes or so for your body to absorb the sugar you ingest.  That translates to about 15 minutes of gorging.

In talking to others with diabetes, I know I’m not alone here.  It’s called over treating a low.  I usually don’t have a problem treating a low without over doing it unless… I’m starving.  Some in the Diabetes community refer to this as:

Treating a low while simultaneously treating the upcoming high blood sugar.  This means eating/drinking carbs to correct the low and then taking insulin to correct the over correction.

Ever done this before?

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Something Worse Than A Low (Hypo) is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

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The A1C

Most people with diabetes or those that have a friend or family member with diabetes probably already knows that the A1C percentage is a measure of the average blood glucose over the last 2-3 months.  In the diabetes world, an A1c is the most prevalent measure of blood sugar control that most doctors routinely measure.  This test is typically done a few times each year for those with type 1 diabetes.  The American Diabetes Association relates the A1C test to a Baseball Player’s batting average, if you are a baseball fan.  It’s the one objective measure that is scientifically based to see how someone with diabetes is doing.  A patient can lie and say their blood sugar has been 120 every day, but the A1C will bring out the truth or at least be more accurate and unbiased.

My Last A1C

I dropped .2% in my A1c, which probably translates to an average blood sugar difference of 10 MG/DL over the 3 month period.  I worked quite hard and was a bit disappointed as I recently discussed in my newsletter.  I was doing P90X and started up my new site: www.eatcleanstayfit.com that came from my motivation to keep eating healthy.  I did have some slip-ups and wasn’t monitoring my blood sugar via CareLink like I should have been.  Below I share the translation of what each A1C percent is in terms of average blood sugar.

[Source]

Blood Sugar Alternate View

Here’s a challenge for you.  Click on the image above and print it out.  Maybe even laminate it and keep it where you mainly test your blood sugar.  Whenever you test, translate the MG/DL number to what the A1C percentage would be.  I guarantee that if you look at a 350 as a 12% A1C, it will help motivate you to do better.  If you are like me and want an A1C in the 6′s, that means your average blood sugar needs to be less than 170.  So any blood sugars that come back 170+ are going to push my average up and cause for much dissatisfaction at my next doctor’s appointment.

Warning

This is where I temporarily get on my soapbox.  Be careful of getting obsessed with the A1C.  It’s pretty common to hear that most people with diabetes want an A1C in the 6′s.  My goal is to be in the high sixes each and every time I get tested.  I’ve said this before and want to say it again.  It’s near impossible to have a perfect A1C with diabetes.  In order to average out your blood sugar to <6% A1C you will probably have too many dangerous lows.  So BE CAREFUL.  My doctor says that an A1C below 8% is “good” control.  Anything over 8% is where the chance of complications start to climb dramatically.  I would say anything under 7 is Excellent control.  <– Again, my opinion.  Many recommend an A1C that is 6% or lower, which, quite frankly, is bullshit.  I think they recommend 6% because they know it’s a stretch goal and many are around 7%.  If they recommended 7%, then people would be happy at 8%.  Though everyone is different.  Someone who has already started with complications would do better to have a lower A1C.  I’ve heard that kids are safer to run a little higher.  Though, they have the longest runway with diabetes so any improvement could mean a big difference way down the road.

Want to Know More

I’ve decided to post my A1C trend over the last 12 years in an upcoming newsletter article.  I sifted through all of my old medical records and recorded each A1c, cholesterol, Kidney, etc. results in a spreadsheet.  The data is very interesting and I would think that many can relate to my results.  So if you haven’t already, sign up for the FREE newsletter where I share tips, ideas and data that isn’t available anywhere on this site.  The subscribers are amazing and I’ve had some awesome feedback and shared information with many folks on a personal level.

My Opinion

Over the last 13 years I’ve noticed a trend when I get my A1C tested.  This is purely my observation and not based on facts or anything scientific.  Ever notice that your A1C seems to be lower when your blood sugar is almost perfect at the time your blood is drawn for the A1C test?  I’ve notice this over the years.  Has anyone else noticed this?  I always try to have a near perfect blood sugar when I go for my test just in case.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

A1C: Some Key Facts You May Not Know is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

What goes up….usually comes DOWN [read on...]

Baltimore Airport

Last week was my first air travel since all the new security measure were put into place as the family and I went to Disney for a week.  As I went through security with my 5 year old and 2 year old the only thing they did was ask if I had a phone in my pocket.  I politely told them that it was my insulin pump and they waved me through.  No questions asked, no “step aside”, no fondling, nodda.  I passed through the metal detector and whisked away my children.  There wasn’t even any sign of a body scanner.  Oh well, seemed to be business as usual to me.  Maybe since Bin Laden has been dead they eased up a bit.

Orlando Airport

I have a new love for the Orlando airport after having to travel with my family, a bazillion bags, stroller, diaper bag, 2 car seats, and backpacks.  It’s a nightmare to go even 100 feet with all this stuff because my wife and I just don’t have enough hands.  So when arriving to Orlando to find the car rental area attached to the airport and not a shuttle ride away, was a pleasant surprise.  I gladly paid the $4 for a cart and piled it up like a circus show.  Easy in, on time via AirTran and on our way to the resort.

Arriving at the Resort

We get to the Marriott resort that was right up the street from SeaWorld and start unloading the bags.  Out comes a nasty low that caused me to run to the vending machine because we hadn’t gotten groceries yet and the snacks I had weren’t going to cut it.  Our friends arrived shortly after and I felt like an ass because I didn’t offer to help them bring their bags to their suite because I was low.  Not wanting to get into it with them, I just took it easy until my sugar was up.

Enjoying Vacation

Almost the entire vacation I found myself going from 50 to 30o.  I was eating a lot of garbage food including high fatty foods that can caused delayed absorption and highs.  So I would test and be in the zone and a few hours later I would be 300.  It was frustrating.  On top of that I was visiting parks and spending obscene amounts of time in the pool and at the water-park on slides.  So I had long durations of disconnect from my pump.  The lack of true waterproofing from Medtronic is almost enough for me to want to change.  The parks had me doing a lot of walking and totally off my diabetes/eating routine.  I ran a little high not wanting to pass out in the park and ruin the trip.  Plus, it was in the mid 90s most of the time so dealing with the hotness and kids was enough work.

Leaving Orlando

I had much of the same experience leaving Orlando with going through security. Although, I did get to use the employee line when going through security where they helped me with the kids, stroller, bags, etc.  No scanner, no pat down, not even a question about the pump in my pocket this time.  Maybe this isn’t a good thing, but I was relieved that I didn’t have to deal with 2 young kids and a fiasco getting through security.

I guess I’m probably not alone in that traveling with diabetes is a challenge because it takes you out of your routine and comfort zone.  Routines and consistent meals are definitely key when it comes to diabetes management.  Fo’ sure.

More to come on Thursday – I pay it forward by passing on one of the greatest tips I’ve even gotten by a reader!  I’m also going to share a rather funny story (not funny at the time).

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Traveling with Diabetes Sucks Because… is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

The last 5 weeks have been as close to what I imagine hell to really be like.  I exaggerate, but probably not by much.  As of late yesterday, my youngest daughter was fever free for the first time since around March 22.  Seriously.  The past 5 weeks have looked like this:

(Flickr)

• Stomach virus went through the whole house, at once.  To the point where all four of us were in misery.  To kick me more while I was down, even one of my cats was throwing up.
• Pneumonia with my 2 year old along with an ER visit.
• Another round of stomach virus with my two little girls
• Pneumonia with my wife and 2 year old
• Last 2 weeks of fevers with my 2 year old that the doctors kept calling “a virus that needs to run it’s course”.  Just yesterday, I took her in to the doctor when her fever was 106.5 (yes, there’s no typo there) and they finally found it out to be Strep.  That was after 2 ER visits and 2 Ped Doctor visits.  They actually told me to go straight to the ER again, but I went to them and thank goodness they found out what it was.  Within hours of taking antibiotics she was 100 times better.

So if you’ve noticed a shortage of posts here over the last month or so, you now know why.  My posts and exercising took the brunt of the hit.  Yes, the last stretch of P90x got derailed a bit.

Sugar Low From Being Sick, Really?

I have had my share of days with a cold, flu or some illness that has kept my blood sugars high without apparent cause or resulting from food intake.  Those days are to be expected every so often and it doesn’t surprise me at all anymore.  I can almost use it as a barometer to tell me when I’m getting sick for real.

When I was down and out with the stomach bug mentioned above, it was all I could do to keep my blood sugar up to 70.  I’ve never experienced the constant lows that come from an illness before with diabetes.  It was scary because I wasn’t eating ANYTHING and had a fairly empty stomach, if you know what I mean.  I was popping glucose tablets like popcorn and drinking juice with sugar in it just to keep from passing out.  I had all but suspended my pump for almost a day because I wasn’t bolusing (taking insulin) at all.  It was really scary.  I just can’t believe that I’d never had this happen in the last 13 years.

Has anyone else experienced lows from being sick?  The highs seem fairly common…

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Opposite of a Diabetes Sick Day is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

Do you train in the morning or evening? If in the morning, do you eat before or after your workout, and how do you adjust your basal/bolus levels?

Since my daughter was born, just over 5 years ago, I have fully worked out from my home gym.  I invested in a bunch of equipment because I knew that time would be the barrier to being able to workout with young children.  So I have a Life Fitness treadmill, Elliptical, BowFlex Ultimate, Power Block dumbbells up to 90 lbs, TRX, Bosu ball, exercise ball and medicine ball.  Now I workout in the evenings because of the kids and needing to get them ready for school in the mornings.  Even before kids, I would work out after work at around 6PM.  When I workout now it’s after the kids go to bed and more like 9 or 9:30.  If I was to workout in the morning, I would probably eat first.  I’m usually starving when I get up and like to get some energy.  If that was the case I would eat and bolus.  I have a higher basal rate set for mornings anyways (7 days a week).  Before working out, I ALWAYS check my sugar and make sure it’s on the higher side of normal and all the way up to about 180.  My optimal starting blood sugar is probably 160.  I will either eat or bolus to get to that number.

If you workout on the P90X (which I assume is similar to the bodyweight training of the TRX) do you bolus before you exercise, and if so, how much? How much does your bg rise after a P90X workout?

Since late December I’ve been on my first round of P90x.  Actually, I’m 2/3 of the way completed as of this post.  When I finish, I have a round of Insanity to get through that lasts 60 days.  Both are similar in that there is little to no equipment needed and most of the workout is using movement and body weight.  Because these workouts are pretty intense, I try to keep my blood sugar a little high because it always comes down quite a bit.  If I started at 120, I’d end up having to stop to treat a low, which can really kill a workout.  I don’t really find that my blood sugar rises more than 20-30 mg/dl after working out.  Since my workouts are pretty close to sleep time, I always make sure I’m around 110 before going to sleep.  If I go to bed lower, I’ll end up low in the middle of the night.

Do you snack before you workout on the P90X?

I’m typically not that hunger because I’ve eaten dinner about 2 hours before my workout.  If my blood sugar is 110 or below, I will usually eat something like a Kashi or granola bar.  If it’s between 110 and 140 I might take a few glucose tablets or have them handy during the workout.  Another secret is to substitute a sport drink for water while working out.   This way the energy you are burning is somewhat replaced by the carbs of the drink.  This is probably what I might do if I was working out at a gym.  It’s easy for me right now because a refrigerator or snack is just a room away.

Do you drop your basal after a P90X workout?

This is one of my little secrets that I’m happy to share with you.  Whenever possible, I will set a temp basal rate of 50%-80% instead of treating like I might go low.  This is key for working out right at bedtime and not wanting to go low during the night.  So lets say I am 90 at bedtime right after my workout.  I would probably set my temp basal to 75% for 3 hours or so.  This also helps when I am trying to restrict calories and don’t want to be treating with food all the time.

These secrets and things that work for me may or may not work for someone else.  Always do what’s best for you and your body because everyone is different.  Also, it’s important to work with your doctor overseeing your diabetes treatment when starting an exercise program.  I doubt anyone really does this, but it needs to be said.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Secrets on How I Exercise with Diabetes is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

[Source]

I sometimes long for the freedom of no tubing or infusion sets.  I wonder what life would really be like if i was cured.  How long would I continue to test my blood sugar after being cured out of habit or curiosity?  When I am in between infusion sets and showering it’s the best feeling.  I don’t have to worry about the infusion set getting attacked by the towels’ strands. I know I digress, so I’ll get to my point of this post.

There will always be syringes in my house for two very good reasons. 

1. They are a backup for the time when/if my insulin pump dies
2. I use them very effectively for correcting my blood sugar

Anytime my blood sugar is over 300 I will almost always use a syringe to correct it.  I have found through experience that an injection in a different area than the infusion set will bring my blood sugar down faster than a corrective bolus any day of the week and twice on Sunday.  I imagine it that when I am bolusing and infusing insulin in one area, it can tend to get pooled up before it is absorbed.  If I eat a lot of carbs, bolus and then find I am still high, I find it more effective to inject into a different site.

Another benefit of using a syringe is that you take out the unknown of a bad infusion site, pump problems, reservoir problems, bleed backs, gusher, etc.  I know that when I inject the insulin my blood sugar WILL come down.  If I enter a corrective bolus, it’s a crap shoot.  When my blood sugar is really jacked up, I might inject about 70% of the corrective dose while bolusing for the other 30%.

Maybe this is a no brainer and you haven’t even read this far into the post.  Maybe you don’t even have an insulin pump. Quite possibly you don’t even have diabetes.  But if you didn’t know, now you do. A box of 100 syringes has lasted me literally years and only set me back about a $20 co-pay.  It is so worth the money and you will always find some in my case or home.

If you pump insulin, do you correct the same way or do you rely on your pump?

Like what you see here?  Check out our new Facebook page for more tips and insights into real-living with diabetes.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Pumping Insulin: Keep Those Syringes Close By is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

2. Caffeine

3. The Diet

4. Progress

So far I have discussed what the plan and goal is, the amount of caffeine I was drinking and the new diet I have started.  This post will discuss the progress I’ve made in a very short time.  Just to recap, I started with a goal of getting my blood sugars more in control and consistent.  Just like in my golf game, I will take consistency [in range] over distance any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Running & Shins

I’m not a huge fan of running especially for distance.  I played a lot of soccer in my younger days and did a lot of running, but that was much different.  Since high school, a few years back [wink wink], I haven’t done much running.  I will do a little jogging on the treadmill, but nothing that would win races.  The first piece of cardio equipment I purchased and still use was an elliptical, which is much easier on the body than running.  Since writing this post last November, I have wanted to get back into running to be more fit and drop a little weight.  The problem is that I would start with shin splints soon after starting to run regardless of how much stretching I did.  I tried everything, wraps, creams, stretching, exercises, etc. all to no avail.  That is until now… Part of my diet has been no caffeine and at least 8 glasses of cran-water mix per day, which I have been doing with ease and then some.  Well, now that my body is hydrated, I haven’t even had an ache or slightest bit of pain in my shins – none, nada, zip, zero.  It’s such a relief to be able to run, I’ve gone up to 4 miles so far with absolutely no pain in my shins.

Caffeine

After a week of weaning off of caffeine, I went cold turkey on Monday July 27 [3 weeks ago].  I’ve had a few cans of Diet Mt. Dew just to use up the supply I have on hand, but absolutely nothing like before.  Do I have times that I really want some, hell yes.  Does it quickly pass, yes.  I use to never be able to go down the soda isle at the grocery store without buying either a 2 liter or cans of the Dew.  Now, I just walk right by and could care less.  I also miss the Lo-Carb Monster, but not enough to give up how great I feel without caffeine.  No longer do I crash in the evenings.  When my kids are here and want to play, I have so much more energy.  I’ll never go back. Never.  I think people in general underestimate the power that caffeine has on the body and is very addicting.  The last benefit is that even with drinking so much cran-water, I go to the bathroom about half as much.  The soda just goes right through you.

Diet Progress

Remember my goal was to lose a few pounds and start eating more healthy.  I started probably a little more then 200 pounds, but let’s just call it 200.  After two weeks on this diet I was down to 193.5 pounds, roughly 3 pounds a week.  So even at 194ish, I only have less than 10 pounds to go and we’re just 2 weeks into the diet.  I don’t have the stats, but most diets probably fail because people lapse back to their old [poor] eating habits when they reach their target weight.  Not here – I have committed to a lifestyle change.  It’s so refreshing to eat healthy.  I’m not going to lie and tell you that eating salads almost every day is as tasty as a bag of Doritos or a hearty cold cut sandwich, but it’s liberating.  This coming from someone who ate sandwiches every day for years.  I don’t see much difference in the mirror, but feel a lot better. I have also switched to mainly organic and whole foods.  I asked my wife if she thought I look like I lost weight [loaded question].  Her response was, “how are your clothes fitting4″?.  After thinking for a second, I said, “yeah, my shorts are a bit loose and I’m down a belt notch.”  Enough said.

Blood Sugars

For ten years I’ve been trying for consistent blood sugars in the acceptable range [70-140].  I am all over the place and my doctor just says that many of his type 1 patients are all over the board like me.  I do a good job and rarely test less than 5 times a day.  I try to do all the right things, but snacking always kills my blood sugar.  Maybe I tend to underestimate my carb intake, but I am playing the 140, 340, 45, 250 game.  I will say, not proudly, that I can correct the shit out of a 250+ blood sugar without going low.  Put my going to bed sugars at anywhere from 250-400 and I will wake up in the morning between 80 and 150.  Since starting this serious diet 3 weeks ago, my blood sugars have been phenomenal.  I haven’t seen one 300 or even close to it in 3 weeks.  Think about that… I couldn’t go a few days without correcting one of these highs in the past.  Now 3 weeks without one even close.  That’s TIGHT.  The difference is that I’m not eating chips, rice, potatoes, bread or other processed carbs.  I get a ton of fiber and really my only carbs from fruits and vegetables.  Try getting a 300+ blood sugar from eating lettuce, peppers, carrots and sugar snap peas.  You’d have to eat a truck full.   Plus, I get full from these foods because they have very little carbs/calories and I can eat a lot.  I am filling my pump reservoir with about half as much insulin as before and my basal rate is much lower.  Honestly, this has been the most refreshing accomplishment in 10 years with type 1 diabetes.  Now I feel like I can win.  No longer do I feel like I’m fighting with one leg and my arms tied behind my back.

Thank you for all of your support.  I’m truly grateful for my readers and the feedback I receive.  As I’ve noted before, always consult with your doctor before starting a diet or exercise.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Blogging Diabetes – Progress [Part 4 of Series] is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

In the last few weeks I have gotten back on the bandwagon with weight training and cardio at least 5 times a week, coupled with a tight diet of more greens, salads, and fewer carbs.  It’s no surprise that my blood sugars went from getting into the 200s on the daily, to having to tweak my basal rate because I’m going low a lot.  I am finding myself in the 80s, 90s, and low to mid 100s for the majority of my testing.

Seriously, this isn’t rocket science.  More exercise and a better diet can only mean good things for someone with diabetes.  For me, it’s such a wave of relief.  I was constantly asking myself why my sugar was going high so often.  Now I am correcting to keep from going too low.  Granted, I haven’t been going to bed until almost midnight because I’m working out after my kids go to bed.  But, it’s so amazing to see the 90s and 100s so often again.  Losing about 10 pounds and getting better control has me so motivated it’s scary.  I’m not giving in to complacency and my doctor saying I have “good” control.  I want excellent control.  I want to see my kids grow up and think of their dad as an inspiration instead of a statistic. 

The Holy Grail to winning the battle against diabetes is simply exercise.  No excuses, period.  If I can do it with a 3 year old, 8 week old and full-time job, you can too.

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Disclaimer – always consult your physician before changing your routine or introducing exercising.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

The Holy Grail For Diabetes is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

From time to time I will get a series of highs that will drive me crazy.  I review what I ate, how much insulin I took, if my basal rate stopped working or even if my pump battery somehow died without warning me.  To no avail, everything will seem to be right.  A few extra crackers won’t send a blood sugar from 125 to 290 within a few hours.  So what gives, Mr. Diabetes?  When I get a series of unexplained highs or my blood sugar doesn’t come down after one or even two correction boluses, I start to go through my mental checklist.  If you pump insulin, I’m sure you can relate and probably have defined your own system for troubleshooting the highs.

Unexplained Series of High, what I do:

1. First, I review my carb intake vs.insulin taken to ensure there wasn’t a snack consumed while I was “sleep walking” or something.   If everything checks out, then…
2. Take a correction bolus and don’t eat or drink.  If that doesn’t work, then…
3. Take a correction injection and remove the infusion set, then…
4. See if there is a gusher or a fair amount of blood from the site, then…
5. Check the infusion set tubing to see if it looks like it was kinked or damaged, then…
6. Insert a new infusion set at a different site.
7. In the rare instance (happened maybe twice in 10 years) that the next infusion set doesn’t resolve the unexplained highs. I throw away the insulin and get a brand new one from the fridge.  I have had two instances where the only thing I can logically explain is that the insulin was bad.  When this happens be sure to save the vial and report it to your pharmacy.  They have a way of tracking the lot number on the vial to see if others were reported.

[source]

When these unexplained highs happen, it’s so demoralizing.  You try to do everything right like, count carbs, basal rate is “dialed in”, eat right and exercise only to find out the site was bad or the insulin was bad.  Scott, who has type 1 diabetes and writes for Diabetes Daily, said it best:

“We are in this imperfect war, fighting unbalanced battles, sometimes barely winning the fights, and almost always taking a blow to give a blow. It is not easy…” Scott K. Johnson via Six Until Me blog

The title of this post is right; all the trouble with infusion sets isn’t an issue if you are on injections.  You can’t really mess up an injection, unless the insulin is bad.  That said, I wouldn’t trade my pump for injections.

Like what you see?  Subscribe to Blogging Diabetes to stay updated on what’s new with diabetes.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Insulin Pump Disadvantage is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

In the past when I would have a low blood sugar, I would typically attack my pantry with reckless abandon.  Anything that had a good deal of carbs was fair game.  Some of these things included, pop tarts (Diabetic Kryptonite), chips, candy, cookies, brownies, juice (rarely), etc.  The problem that I ran into was I would eat until I felt better, which as you could guess, is about 15 minutes later.  In that time, I would definitely over correct my low blood sugar and many times would have to bolus or take insulin to counteract all the carbs I just took in.  It sounds crazy, right?  Well, if you have experienced it before you probably understand.  I’m pretty confident that I’m not alone here.

My new method of correcting a low is the grape "beauties" below – Glucose Tablets.  Instead of tearing up my pantry, I am simply going to take these tablets and WALK AWAY for at least 15 minutes.  If my sugar is dangerously low, I will probably add some juice to the mix.  I typically keep some high-test (non diet) Snapple on hand.  By doing this, I should be able to treat my lows more effectively and won’t end up on the high side.

How many times have you woken up in the middle of the night at 45 mg/dL, ate food, gone back to bed, only to awake with a blood sugar around 250 mg/dL?  I’ve had my share and then some.

Recently, I found the glucose tablets below at my pharmacy, CVS.  The grape flavor is amazing and really tastes like candy.  There are 4 carbs per tablet and 50 tablets per bottle, which costs about $5.  These "babies" are so good that I almost don’t mind correcting my blood sugar any more.  They can also be found at Amazon.

What is your method to treating a low blood sugar?

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Treating Low Blood Sugar [Hypoglycemia] is a post from: Blogging Diabetes

Here is a summary of the blood glucose numbers:

• Before dinner – 175 BG
• Dinner at 50 carbs and gave a bolus for 70 because I was snacking too
• After dinner – 44 BG
• Correction carbs – 40 carbs
• Workout – 30 minutes weights, 40 minutes light cardio (watching Nip/Tuck)
• After workout – 468 BG (mommy)

So, this is what a doctor doesn’t tell you:

The Next Day

The next day I woke up at 58 and ate 50 carbs for breakfast with a correct bolus.  Just a few hours after that, I tested and was at 367.  Baffled, I threw out my insulin vial and started a new one straight from the refrigerator.  After changing the insulin, I worked my way down to 135 before dinner.  A few times in the past I can only explain high BG readings from a bad insulin vial.  What a day – Phew.

Diabetes, in my opinion is 50% physical and 50% mental.  Everyone with diabetes will probably have a day like this; just know you’re not alone.

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I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support. This blog is better because of you.

Diabetes – What The Doctor Won’t Tell You is a post from: Blogging Diabetes