Diabetic patience do you have it? In a world with high speed internet, answers to questions at your typing finger tips, and the generation of instant feedback do you have the patience you need to manage your diabetes correctly?
With diabetes technologies advancing quickly many people with diabetes are taking advantage of continuous glucose sensors. We are now able to see glucose numbers every minute and trends in our glucose numbers that couldn’t be seen before unless hooked up to a lab machine 24/7. How amazing is that? But what do you do with all this new information?
Here in lies the problem or answer depending on how you look at it. With all this information, diabetics can make better improvements in their daily management of their diabetes. By noticing trends we can prevent lows. We can more easily do correction ratio and carb ratio tests to see if our insulin needs are being met. But the temptation to “not consult” with your Endocrinologist or Diabetes Educator is there as well. Do you have the knowhow to make these changes?
When using continuous glucose sensors there is a temptation to over correct and over bolus for high blood sugars. As a diabetic for 20 plus years I grew up, Blood sugar readings were a time for me to “act” on my diabetes, most likely doing insulin or eating food. This is not the case with continuous glucose sensors. Not every reading is something to act on, far from that actually. Being patient after a correction bolus when you can see your high glucose readings every minute or so can drive some diabetic’s crazy, wondering every few minutes if their blood sugar is going down. Stacking your insulin can be a temptation some people just can resist.
With wearing an insulin pump, there is a temptation to just click a button and deliver insulin at any given time. Not that doing insulin injections are different but the availability to deliver insulin whenever you want is made easier by a pump. This is why diabetic patience is a valuable tool to learn. Most fast acting insulin has a duration of action of about 4 hours. Meaning if your blood sugar is 180 at 8:00 am and you correct with insulin for that, the amount of insulin you take will get you at your target in 3 to 4 hours, So 12:00 pm you should be in your target range.
So to conclude this blog I wanted to just make an observation on how having patience for your diabetes is an important asset to have. One day of testing does not give you enough information to make adjustments with your insulin. Many days are needed to get a good average. Medical professionals are at our finger tips, just a call or email away. Keep them involved in your management and success will be an easier goal to reach.
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