thanks for sharing, Christine.
Your story is encouraging even when i know we are all so different and could never speak for what will happen indefinitely.
Have a wonderful Christmas season.
I just started the cgm 3 days ago (best 3 days of my life!)
The first day I was all over the place, the second day not so much. Today more like little rolling hills, just a slight flux. I've already noticed that timing of insulin is everything to get the peaks into hills.
sweet! That was my experience, too, Sarah. I was surprised by how quickly I could make things better.
Congratulations on your cgms. :)
Congratulations on the new CGMS! D control would be way harder without it. If you have a moment, please check out the flatliners group HERE and post some pictures of your trends!
I've already joined :)
I'll see if I can post a picture of the chinese food trend, very interesting night.
I look forward to it! Thats always an interesting one to watch and figure out.
I never flatline except when I don't eat. That means my basals are set correctly.
When I eat, I peak, and then come back down again, which means my insulin:carb ratio is right. Perhaps if I bolused earlier, I might see a flatline, except that partly I don't want to think that far ahead (OK, I'm really disorganized!), and partly I'm afraid of lows.Sometimes I just go high for no apparent reason, and I just correct for that.
Personally, I think you should do whatever feels right to you. I've never been dependent on a doctor to set my ratios except in the very beginning, and then when I fired my endo and went to a new one after my coma.
When you're pregnant, you need a doctor because insulin needs change so drastically during pregnancy, but when you're not pregnant, you should be able to handle it yourself, IF you're comfortable doing so.
I have noticed a big change since I started using Apidra instead of NovoRapid ( started off with samples I received from the Nurse at my Diabetes Center this past summer ) . Even my A1c came down by .2 . I know we are all different , so this mention maybe totally of topic for you .I consumed for the past 31 days an average of 170 grams of carbs ; a little less than I used to , a little less exercise as well .
All the best with Babe !
I think that's what I'm discovering, Natalie. I had THE MOST WONDERFUL CDE during my pregnancy. My sugars, though at times unpredictable, were totally great. Then she recommended my new doctor. So I had ultra high hopes that this guy would get it right [like no other doctor I've had before]. But as I've thought about it over the past week, I think it's a bit unfair to expect the doctor to know as much as the patient. All he sees are numbers, and really, he only sees the numbers he looks at. I don't think he sees everything. There's too much for one person to look at, one person who has dozens of other patients.
So, I've decided to put my guilt aside and just take care of myself, checking in regularly to let him know what I'm up to. :D Have you checked out the Flatliners group, Natalie? Flatlining doesn't mean no rises. Yesterday, my sugars rose each time I ate as well. But I was able to avoid the 180s that I had been experiencing for about 3 weeks.
You know what was funny about being pregnant this time? I was SHOCKED by the amount of insulin I was taking by the time Darla was born. Almost a hundred units A DAY! I can't believe I survived my previous pregnancies without the CGMS. Right now, my basal total is just under 17. Phew! nice to be back to normal [sorta!] haha. :D
Thank Nel!!
I'm already a member of the Flatliners Group. However, I'm not as successful as some of the people on that group are. Some of them manage to stay under 140 nearly all the time, which I cannot do. My goal is to stay under 180. Like I said, the lucky thing for me is that I go up there very briefly and come right back down again. I am also a low glycator, and my A1c will be in the 6's next time. I suppose I should aim for the 5's, but that would probably take more insulin and I don't want to gain any weight.
I hope you are successful in taking the reins and being your own best advocate in your diabetes care!
"...but that would probably take more insulin..."
Natalie,
For me the opposite seems to hold true. At higher BG levels my insulin resistance goes up and I need more insulin.
yeah, it's a work in progress, isn't it?
i have already had a spike of 200 today. Apparently peanut butter is not my friend. :( Or perhaps it's the kind of peanut butter I am buying, which--of course--is cheap and sugar filled. :D
Thank you. Have a wonderful Christmas too!!
It might not be healthy or normal, but it seems to be the best I can do, even with a pump and CGM. I suppose I could cut out milk, which is the last source of carbs I have, or at least drink my milk WITH protein, instead of alone (mixed with water in tea). But I am reluctant to give up my last pleasure as far as food is concerned.
Natalie, what are you eating? I mean generally diet wise. Or what sort of eating plan are you following?
I dont think one can totally cut carbs out. I eat about 35 a day, consciously and find that if I have LBS, I can add another 20-40C no problem. Plus, there is a ton of carbs in things you dont think of when you eat carb rich, but when you go LC, they start showing up. An example is cooked green beans and broccoli containing about 10C each for a cup. those with pizza, I might not dose much, but with salad or alone you bet I need to cover them.
I basically cut out bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, corn and cereal. I'm eating a lot of salad, because I like raw vegetables OK, and some cooked vegetables like broccoli, green beans and peas and Asian stir fry vegetables. Plus meat, mostly beef and chicken, and cheese.
The reason I go up is because I like tea with milk (a lot of milk!), and I often want just a cup of tea, and the milk makes me spike. If I start out reasonably low, like in the 80's or 90's, I spike to about 150, but I don't always start out that low.
Bernstein advocates giving up milk, but I just can't bring myself to do it. I guess I've always been a carbaholic -- I remember loving to munch on bread and butter when I was still in my highchair!
If you give up milk, you can never go back to drinking it without a lot of intestinal distress for months. I learned that the hard way. I gave up milk once, thinking it was the cause of my allergies (it wasn't), and when I started drinking it again, I had trouble for a long time. So I'm just not willing to give it up again.
I've had diabetes for 19, going on 20 years now, and I've always spiked, but I'm a low glycator (A1c is always below where you would expect it to be) and I have no complications, so I'm wondering whether the short-lived spikes are all that important and maybe I just shouldn't worry about it. In 20 years, I'll tell you in hind-sight!
This is interesting. I'm like you Natalie. I've had diabetes for 22 years with no complications and an A1c that has never been over 8 in that time. But spikes have been a part of my life. Who knows, right? My aunt Irma is in her 80s. she's had diabetes for about 40 years. I hope to follow in her footsteps.
Also love MILK [and have avoided it for the past week]! :( I haven't gotten that far in the book, but I am starting to wonder if Dr. B is into vitamins, because as women, we should be drinking milk... right? I'm just thinking about all the wonderful things about food--outside of the grain realm that is so good for us. I think it will take some real compromise and perhaps some moderation to make the B method work. I'm enjoying the read, though and have just hit the diet explanations.
Thank goodness I LOVE SALADS!!!
Imho, Bernstein wants you to hit 80 and sit there all the time right? And Helmut is right, "Healthy people on a normal diet don't flatline." However, last time I checked, healthy people didnt have a history of 300mg/dl BGs to contend with. So, I'm thinking Bernstein's point is that if we strive to keep this flatline or close there abouts, we then can counter what has happened in our BG history. Or even what we are predisposed to have happen by being PWD.
The body is fantastic at recuperating and Im thinking that flatlining allows it to do so without hangups.
Be it unrealistic or not, Im gunning to reverse some of this retinopathy Ive acquired. If that means Ill always have a carrot dangling that isnt attainable, so be it. I can always take solace in the fact that my BGs are close to that flatlne and I did my best to get them there. Just my 2c mind you. =^)
Im working out the kinks, my man. But well get you that photo! =^) (omg is this unhealthy psychology or what! LOL)
You too Danny. You are a fantastic driving force within this community. Thanks.