I’ve read alot of posts where people write things lime this " oh I was running around 160 all day or before going in for my c-section my blood sugar was around 120 " but this is how those scenarios are far from my reality because if I were gonna go into surgery and my blood sugar was 120 I would eat something so that in case I were to drop I wouldn’t go low … My point is this …the only time of day that I feel good between 80 and 120 Is first thing in the mourning after waking up and if my blood sugar is between 80-120 any other time of the day I never trust it cause I feel that feeling that you feel right before you know that your bloodsugar is dropping …I wish that I could run no higher than 160 all day because I know that those are the rules but to be honest I don’t feel safe there because I do not like that dropping feeling …the only time I don’t mind running between 80-120 are when I’m home because if I go low it’s no big deal…but when you go low at work or in a public place I find it very embarrassing so I think that I purposely run my bloodsugars higher when I know that I’m gonna be in an environment where you just do not feel like becoming the center of attention as you sit there acting all weird and shaking as you pour a bag of skittles in your mouth while drinking juice at the same time and how about doing this after you just got done talking to one of your co workers about how good your doing on your new diet ha ha …therefore I run my numbers between about 100 and 220 because I always like to know that if it drops it isn’t goons drop low for example if I’m 180 and about to get a rootcanel done which I just had done yesterday and it tool about an hour ,I know that I can’t tell the dentist while he has his tools in my mouth that I need to eat a sandwich and juice right now…I have had alot of these situations ( don’t know if it’s only my luck ) but I just do not understand how people can run their bloodsugars between 80 and no higher than 130 all day while still being able to encounter everyday real life situations where you know that there is little tolerance for going low and here are some examples of situations where if your blood sugar is around 90 and you purposely eAt something so that you make sure thAt it is impossible that you go low 1) before getting on a rollercoaster2)your walk down the aile on your wedding day 3) getting behind the wheel when your drive is on a highway and you do not want to pull over there 4) on a first date with someone new and your not sure if you want to tell them just yet 5) on a Job interview 6) and especially before any surgical procedure … I guess I just Try to avoid lows as much ad possible because I don’t like that feeling of being out of control with how I hold myself together and when your low sometimes you can’t help but act a little weird …sometimes I think of a life where my bl is 80 all day and only changes maybe by 5 points or so and then I think of all the people who are not diabetic ( and they are able to achieve that without even knowing what the definition of blood sugar mean and I know that there’s other negative stuff out there but I just don’t know how people without diabetes still suffer from mood swings ( they don’t go high) overeating or binge eating ( cause the only time I feel like I can’t control what I eat is when my sugar is either above 250 or under 100 ( ya high sugar makes me so hungry )sometimes I imagine my life without type one and I picture myself smileing all day
Hmmm, it’s hard to guess but one thing I can pick out of your post is that you should have 15 Skittles (1G each) rather than the bag w/ a juice chaser? A lot of times when I sort of lose it and get carried away with carbs, it leads to a high BG and then I blast it with more insulin that pushes it low again and so on and so on. I’d also add that straight people (w/o diabetes…) have wider BG fluctuations than 5 points. I think that when I took lots of insulin to fight “rollercoastering”, it is harder to figure out a correct dose and, even if you are close, a couple of units (or points in a ratio…) off can make you zonked out of your gourd hypo pretty quickly?
Do you try to go out of your way to avoid lows by let’s say eating just because your around 100 ( but you feel fine ) but you don’t want to chance a low
I used to do this myself I would be out in the middle of nowhere working construction with just me and 2 other guys so i would eat five times during my 13 hr work day and not give enough insulin to cover it knowing my hard work would do crazy things to it- I have tried to accept going low now and then is ok- now that I have a less demanding job I try to maintain a lower number and part of it was training my body that the feelin I had was not going low but how I was spose to feel- my body had gotten so used to being high that normal felt wrong- now after some time i can tell you my bs before i test within 15 or so points each way. if you r on a pump you might check the basal rate if that is set to high you can end up creating lows- or if your doing shots the long lasting may be to much- I know for me (and we are all different) I have to tell my self not to over due the skittle and juice thing (my wife still laughs when i say this cuz she says i go crazy) but also if as your going crazy on carbs and you have the mind set to compisate (cant spell) with some insulin like you would a meal that might help but i dont know we are all different and my A1C speaks of a guy who is right there with you with too high ( however, my new CGM confirms that I am doing just fine, so who knows my doc says he does not know my food/workout/BS/insulin logs say i am doing great but that dang A1C …
I was 160 the other day and felt like I was dropping I ate about 20 carbs without taking insulin and two hours later I was 175 ( I know to high ) but I feel safe around there I know at that number I have room to drop but if I were 100 all day everytime I drop I would end up around 60 (to low for me)
It sounds like maybe you need to adjust your basals because if your basals are set correctly you shouldn’t drop low in between meals. Have you done basal testing?
I agree that you probably should test your basal.
I also think you are almost phobic about going low, and that maybe you should talk to your doctor about it. Ensuring you don’t drop during a root canal is one thing; consistently running 160 and up is something altogether different.
It’s also worth pointing out that the reason you feel low when you’re 80-120 is precisely BECAUSE you run too high all the time. The feeling will pass in a few days. 80 is not low. (I remember when I was first diagnosed and put on insulin, I had my first “low” in the doctor’s office… only it was 86. She laughed at me and told me that was typical for someone who had been running much higher.)
I agree with Zoe. If your basal rate is correct it should allow you to sit at a pretty small range indefinitely (unless the bolus/food throws it off). Basal testing could be a good idea for you.
Basel is too high. That used to happen to me until I learned about basal testing. Try it. Hope that helps. Good Luck. xo
sounds like some echo’s in here so…
-basals and not knowing the normal feeling have been said couple times
(again we are all different )
but maybe worth talkin to your doc about-
it is a tough thing to be in - waking up at 330am at 37 sucks i know the feeling of not wanting to go low but in the long run 160’s r going to cause more trouble than the now and then low
In a way I am a bit phobic of going low cause I don’t get the symptoms until I’m like in the 40s ,I used to get the sudden hunger , shakes and everything above so it was very easy to go about my day and not think about it and when it happened I would be able to feel all those symptoms now the only symptom I get us a sudden I can’t concentrate feeling and that feeling where I need some sugar like this second …and it’s annoying thAt it comes on so suddenly where I’m feeling great one minute and then boom ! I start feeling weird so I think that I go out of my way to avoid lows all together and that is why my a1c was like 8 ( as of yesterday I’ve been getting pain in my hands ) I know what it is the nerves ! This diAbetes never surprises me but I think that I’m trying to hard to outsmart the lows
yah that does sound very sucky - CGM should help that when you get on it - scary though -
About the cgm I’m not sure I like the sound of it cause I’ve heard people talk about bleeding ( I never bleed with the pump insertion ) and how your cgm could read 80when your really lower than that and how you have to calibrate every 3 days it’s sounds like alot of displeasure for something that’s only accurate half the time but I know that I need something to help me with this fear of lows due to hypounawaeness
yah i just started my CGM 2 months ago (see my forum on my rant about it) but the bleeding has stopped now that I changed my inserction angle and as far as the lower when your CGM says 80 the good advise someone on here told me to try and seems to help me is to set your low alarm to go off at at a higher number so it beeps at 100 when your really 80 and so on- it is kinda a pain in the butt but i am finding it helps me keep better numbers
A CGM and Pump have done wonders for me. Maybe some counseling about the “Low Phobia”
Some great days running between 80 - 120 (mostly)
Hey Marie - I found that the dexcom insertion is no more painful that an insulin injection. Is the insertion device scary looking? You bet! Is it painful? Nope! And (while I’ve only been on it for 2 months) I’ve NEVER bled once. ever. And I don’t feel it in me. ever. Sure I feel a tug on the adhesive, but that’s a different story 
Also, I find the opposite is true for my dexcom readings. What I mean is it will tell me that I’m lower (or higher) than I actually am. A cgm does NOT replace a finger stick. I learned the hard way not to respond to my reading on the cgm without verifiying on my meter first.
As for calibrating…all you do is enter your bg# into the machine. That is a total non-issue for me! No extra blood or pain required! Just key in a # twice a day.
I find that the cgm accuracy is VERY good. Perfect? nope. My CDE explained during my training that finger sticks and cgm’s aren’t apples and oranges, they are oranges and tangerines. They are in the same family and giving reading of your glucose levels. The difference is one uses blood and one uses the interstitial fluid.
I guess what I am trying to say is if you think a cgm might help you out, you should look into it and maybe wear a demo from your endo or local rep. I know it can be very overwhelming and scary, but don’t let fear of the unknown keep you from living the best life you can have with D. I know from experience that a cgm is not as scary as I made it out to be Good luck!
When you hear people talking about pain & bleeding, ask which CGMS they are using. Although bleeding can happen with a Dexcom, it doesn’t happen that much. Kind of like 1 out of 50 shots you might hit something and bleed. Like Kate said, the Dexcom is not painful at all. I don’t feel it go in nor do I notice it there.
So if I’m understanding correctly all you have to do is insert it properly , enter in your meter blood sugar reading , and change it like every 3 days and if so what else is involved
Dexcom gets changed every 7 days. You have to calibrate 2 times a day (like Kate said, calibration just means enter your BS). You have to keep the receiver within 5 feet and it will beep at whatever you have your alarms set at. Piece of cake!
Has anyone put on weight after getting on the cgm