I know exactly what you mean about seeing people post like that. I woke up Monday just after midnight at 59. It was one of those all at once wide awake, something is wrong kind of deals. Stumbled down the stairs, to test and treat. 20 minutes later, only gained 3 points. The anxiety was going good for that one.
I am considering the dex more and more here lately. I used to hate doing pump infusion sets, and that is my only hangup holding me back on the dex.
I know how you feel about insurance too. I recently ran out of strips because between insurance not wanting to fill what the doctor wrote for, and the doctor not calling them back, it took me 3 weeks to get them filled.
The one piece of advice i wish someone had given me 20 years ago is not to get discouraged when your numbers get all crazy. I have been a T1 for over half my life and i still have days when no matter what i do, i can't get below 200. Just take it one meal at a time and eventually it will become second nature. Some days are good and some days are bad but at least you have to tools to make yourself better. Also, when in doubt, check your blood sugar. btw, it's OK to hate your diabetes. But with good control, you gain your power back! :)
Well, I can't compare to infusion sets as I've never tried those. But I will say I was absolutely terrified the first time I did a Dex insertion, and it was WAY easier than I expected. I have only ever worn a sensor in the lower back/love handle/upper buttock area and there have been times where I didn't feel the insertion at all, some times where it kind of hurt but just for a second. For some reason, I am mentally better with putting it back there, it's like my stomach area feels more tender and protected, and what's behind me can't bother me. As a guy, you might have luck with thighs as well--I haven't tried as I don't think it would be too compatible with skinny jeans. :D Plus, it's easy to get a week's worth of wear out of one, and most times I restart the current sensor to get a second week out of it.
The alerts have been fantastic for me. I generally set the low alert as high as it will go (100), sometimes at night I'll put it down to 90 or 85. Either way I get warning before it gets into a dangerous territory. Yeah, being woken up by it is annoying, but less annoying than the paranoia of waking up knowing you're really low.
Thank you! When my numbers are high, I have to constantly remind myself that I'm doing better than when I was diagnosed, because now I have insulin to get the numbers down instead of just living with them high and crazy.
Your experience is QUITE similar to mine though I was 22 years old when I was diagnosed in June of 2013. I was misdiagnosed with type 2 based entirely on age nothing else (I was 5'5" 133 lbs at diagnosis) and I also didn't have an "extreme" blood sugar I rarely would go into the 300's or even 400's but I felt sicker than a dog. Insulin for me was easy at first and gave me such relief because I was misdiagnosed and the insulin came months too late after I already wasted so much of my life (it feels like at least...when you're in your 20's 3 months or so is a lot) feeling like crap. and I adjusted pretty well to it. My A1C wasn't given to me at diagnosis but I went down to 7.2% to 6% now I've been somewhere in the 5% range for a long time (since November of 2013?) and I'm pretty proud of it. I also have anxiety about my numbers and everything else with this disease, my big suggestion would be get a therapist (if you think you can handle it with talk therapy like I can, get a psychologist and and if your doctor's nice you might get a just in case xanax rx like what I have , if you can't get a psychiatrist for medicine) I do have generalized anxiety disorder though and that's never been a friend to my diabetes lol. I really wish endocrinologists would include a psychologist or even a social worker in their diabetes team but that's a whole other rant, but I really think you need someone to help you out on this and work you through it. Your diabetes educator might be able to help but they may not be enough.
Seriously, you'll get the hang of it, I've been doing this for almost 2 years, I have had an A1C in the 5% range for over a year (usually 5.5% but sometimes up to 5.7% and as low as 5% when I was in the hospital for another illness) . Just keep working on it , be proud of your 6.7% though that's still great, don't let anyone tell ya otherwise.
It's really hard for non-diabetics, and even T2's, to relate to our everyday struggles. It's so much information, constantly changing, and when we feel "off" it doesn't show in our physical appearance, so those around us have no idea what we go through from day to day. That's OK, we can't expect them to. But that's why we're all here, and I'm thankful that these forums will be here to hopefully help you as you go along. We didn't have anything like this when I was diagnosed as a teenager in the 80's, so I felt really isolated and clueless, especially with a family that took a very hands-off approach with me. Reach out anytime.
It does sound like the sensors are easier than the time I had with the pump sets. I don't think I would use my thighs though. When I was a kid, my parents used my thighs for shots, and they hurt so bad. A lot of them burned compared to other sites. I've never been able to bring myself to try any injection or pump set there since.
I think the alerts would really help to ease my anxiety over lows. If enough people here keep talking about their experience with the Dex here, I may just take the dive. Unfortunately, as of now, my insurance won't pay for it. I can swing the system cost. Its the ongoing sensor cost that worries me.
It has really helped me, I hope you are able to get one. Dexcom has been very good about replacing any sensor that didn't last 7 days (even though at the beginning I really think it was more user error than defective sensor).
Our insurance covers it under Durable Medical Equipment. Any chance you'd be able to trial it through your doctor's office?
