seriously. it appears i can do only one thing well at a time.
no idea what my new a1c will be. haven't dared to go to the doctors.
but, i printed off lod sheets, came back to tuD and am admitting my d management sucks when i am not focused about 100% on it.
how do other people ...especially women, with hormone fluctuations.....do it all?
because i obviously haven't figured it out.........
Hello boedica! Great handle you have there--she was a valiant warrior-woman! Take her as your inspiration in combatting diabetes.
I was dx'd in October, so I'm still pretty new at this. I've been on insulin since just after Christmas. I test my BG about 8-10 times a day and only take Humalog for meals and corrections, so far.
It helps me to keep my meter in its case on my desk. I also run an alarm program on my computer--since I work on the computer all day--to remind me to test at specific times, usually one and two hours after each meal. Testing only takes a minute and doesn't interrupt other things I'm doing very much. I can take a test while on the telephone, for example, with no problem.
I'm 53 and in menopause so I don't have a lot of advice to give about hormone fluctuations except to say that I still think I'm producing some estrogen or may have some stored in body fat. All I can recommend, though, is that you test, test, test. Over time, you should be able to see some patterns in your BG. A lot of women find that their numbers vary widely depending on whether they're ovulating or having their periods.
I see from your profile that your last A1c was 6.7. That's not terrible! I think that many younger women find it difficult to have A1cs in the 5's. Your profile also says you're on a pump. Can you talk to a CDE or even to Minimed about how to set the pump for different times of the month?
I really understand how frustrating it is to try to figure everything out and then find that you're still not getting the results you want. I think that should be cited as one of the key symptoms of having diabetes! Please try not to feel too embarrassed or to blame yourself too much. It doesn't help and may make it harder to get things resolved. Everyone has trouble adjusting to diabetes. We're all so different! But there are a lot of people who are sympathetic, compassionate and who want to be helpful. Please seek them out. Don't take blame and judgment from anyone who doesn't have diabetes themselves, okay?
thank you ann <3 i do test often, about the same as you. the 6.7 range is perfect for me. i felt good, no big highs, no big lows....comfortable without being completely engulfed in nothing but my diabetes. the hormone fluctuations are, unfortunately, no longer quite monthly. and even the range of craziness is erratic. so, all i can do is test and dose as often as necessary. but i am blindsided often by HIGHS and low-lows. logging has got me on track in the past. and basal checks (hate those).... so frustrating.....i've been working for 7 months....and have recently considered leaving for my health.
we eat out out every day. i need to bring a microwave into the office so i can bring my lunch (weighed and measured). my boss insists on ME going and getting his lunch so its easy for me to be lazy about it.
I get unexplained highs, sometimes, too, and occasionally go low for no apparent reason. I hate those times! The only thing that I can think of, that makes a difference, is to try my best to keep my carb intake low and to drink plenty of fluids. (I notice that when I'm not well-hydrated, my numbers are all over the place.) I also think my BG is very sensitive to stress and, unfortunately, I have a stress-filled life. I'm trying to take more time to relax, meditate or read something not related to my work.
Eating out every day could be a real pain! It's so hard to know exactly what's in the food you're being served. I'm amazed by the amount of sugar and starch that restaurants sneak into things--I wouldn't do that if I cooked the same thing at home. All I can advise is to keep on trying to do your best.
First, you need to figure out what it is about your job that makes you pay less attention or makes it harder to manage your D. Easier said than done, I know. You mention your boss making you go get his lunch. Anything you bring from home will be better (and more accurate in carb counts) than something you eat out. I too fell into this cycle about two years ago. I work in DC and there are so many nice restaurants and friends who want to meet for lunch. And it's easier than schlepping food onto the metro. BUT, this made me gain weight and resulted in my A1C shooting up.
So I stopped. I just made the decision that I would bring my lunch and that's what I've been doing. I allow for occasional treats out, but even then I stick to low-carb items (salads, fish, etc) that I know won't cause too many problems.
If there is something about your job that is causing problems (i.e., not getting the time to check your BG or take insulin or whatever) you need to speak up. D is covered under the ADA and they have to accommodate you. I ran into a problem at my current job where meetings would run over (I'd think we were meeting for an hour, but 1 hour would turn into 3!) I had to put my foot down, including to my superiors sometimes, and just say that I needed to step out to take care of something. And no one questioned it. A few people know I'm a T1, but many don't. And I don't feel like I have to explain myself either.
I also make sure to stockpile my office with D-friendly snacks. This way, if I'm tempted by something, I have a back-up plan.
Stress is still my big enemy. A stressful day/situation can cause my BG to shoot up over 300 and just get stuck there. For hours. When this happens, I do a temp basal increase anywhere from 50 to 100 percent and check as frequently as I can until I see it start to come down.
Is there something in particular about your job or schedule that you can identify as causing the most problems? Is it the food or something else? Food is often the easiest thing to solve. The other stuff (stress, hormones, etc) can be more difficult.
i start off screwing up every day. walk out the door without eating.
i'm due in at 730...eating is crazy hard to fit in there.
we have a fridge....i can bring breakfast to leave there, i suppose.
i work in a very small office. i'm actually the only one there other than my boss. we are an electrical contractor. i manage the office. so, i have free range. have been able to check...actually leave my meter, open, on my desk. i've also change my pump site at work a few times....
i think its the not paying attention to carb count and not logging to notice trends.
a few months ago i couldn't keep my numbers UP (for a week or more) and now i have up days and down days with seemingly no rhyme or reason.
i hate my cde. i think i should look for a new one....lol
I explored Kind bars @ the grocery store and the Almond-Macadamia-Protein are like 11G of carbs and extra (whey) protein and are very tasty and *extremely* easy to eat? They're not exactly cheap but are better than nothing? Very portable "instant food". http://www.buy.com/pr/product.aspx?sku=218030488&sellerid=33253980
Hi boedica, I can empathize with your frustration. I work full time and am also in crazy-lady hormone mode.
I don't think anyone who hasn't experienced puberty or the transition to menopause with diabetes can really understand how erratic the bg can become during this time. It's like trying to chase a moving target because it's constantly changing. All we can do is react because you can't anticipate. It's hard to know where you are in your cycle when even that is erratic so there are no patterns.
I've also had the low-lows and the stubborn highs with this craziness. Some days I feel like it's getting the best of me and then I'll have one good day, which gives me the strength to continue to fight.
I also have trouble paying as much attention to my control as I would like at work. I'm like you and leave my meter out on my desk. I have complete freedom to do what I need to do diabetes-care wise. But when you are super crazy busy with the phone ringing, people walking in, meetings, and projects...I can lift my head up and it's 3 hours later.
Food wise at work, I've gotten to the point that I bring all my food from home. I can't eat out successfully with the raging hormones. I've also gone way low carb, especially when I'm working. Not having as much active insulin in my body at work helps with not having to be as attentive. Sometimes for breakfast, all I will eat is a cheese stick. Many times for lunch, salad. I've also used protein bars that are low carb either for a meal or a snack but I've had mixed results with these - some make me spike.
YES! you get it....the whole perimenopausal thing creates a reactionary style of management....nothing more, nothing less.
hopefully, i'll have a short transition.
really great idea about the low carb only for the workday. i need to be better organized at home to achieve this, but its doable, and worth it.
i think a huge part of the craziness has been that my home was under construction for about 4 months....while i was living there....on top of the new job routine and the hormonal transitions.
its incredibly hard to eat low carb when you "go out" to eat. i am gluten-free, so its a bit easier, but i still eat crap too often....and its hard to weigh and measue and carb count when you have really no idea what you are eating.