True. Sorry to hear that. A Stupid question then. I suppose that it wouldn’t be feasible for you to move to Ontario then, Rainbow? I know that it would be a Big Life change experience but some say, so is owning a pump.
Hi Nel: 
Happy belated 69th. Sorry, I missed it.
This comment was made on a news release, I think back in 2006. I will try to find it for you. Of course, I suppose the Gov. can change their minds with Good reason since they weren’t expecting this recession mess to happen. I hadn’t considered that. I hope it goes through anyways though…
When the money is given to the Provincial Gov., they are supposed to use the money on the cause for which it is given.
If it is not an option for you, dont focus on it. There are many many people who are not on pumps and are fine. Of course people on pumps think they are amazing, but that does not mean there arent other options. You have clearly stated you cant have one… so lets move on. Work closely with your doctor, do a couple of days of checking at intervals in the night to see what your trends are and work with your doctor to get a correct dosage.
You have diabetes, there is no getting around that. Live as healthy as you can in your means.
And to the subject at hand… I have actually had more problems when I am in the 60-70 then when I am in the 30’s! The only times I fainted I was around 76?! Really? It was very strange. Now when I am very low I am extremely crabby… that can be pretty life threatening around the wrong people j/k
Simply, you dont know how you will react and why. That is why we have target ranges and we should stay in that target the best we can!
Hi Rainbow I am really sorry that your government does not subsidize you, but you seem to be angry and taking it out on our own community. I thought this discussion was about Marps’s thoughts about Hypos and chance of death.
Meanwhile I am not on an insulin pump either, and I do appreciate all the advice that others are giving as this at least gives me food for thought for the future.
In case you would like to raise money, a friend of mine raised £10k for cancer research by cycling from London to Santiago, I am sure that you could raise money a similar way for your own good deed.
Your concluding determinative bon mot conveyed the conjecture of a venture of ensconcing an ignominy through use of grandiloquence utilizing the presupposition of third party incoherence.
I was indicating a respectful discordance with the “functionality” and “counter regulatory” remark regarding my homologies by opting for the “no contest” plea.
That’s all I was saying.
I have a question about lows and I’m trying to think how to phrase it so it won’t sound like I’m accusing people of not managing their diabetes well because that’s not at all what I mean. I’m fairly new to all of this, only on insulin since February. The one time I had a severe low was when my doctor and I both screwed up in how we prescribed my dosing. Maybe I am just lucky so far. I don’t understand why people report “dozens” or even “hundreds” of severe lows. Is this something that happens with time with Type 1? Is there no way to change dosing to prevent at least the majority of these lows? Is it the result of attempting to maintain a very tight control that makes lows more likely? Thanks in advance for explaining.
While each of us can only really speak to our own experiences, every body is different. Over time, and sometimes unexpectedly, one’s sensitivity to insulin can change. For me, maintaining tight control for the last two years has resulted in an average of 3 below-70 readings per day. Whn I’m striving to be between 70 and 100 most of the time, it seems inevitable to me that I’m going to dip below that. Most of my “lows” are in the 60s and caught and treated quickly, but I have seen so many 40s since attempting tight control. In the 18 or so years that my A1c was high and my average BGs were in the 200s and 300s, lows were less common.
Now, that’s not to defend frequent lows. My CDE and endo, while lately praising me as a star patient (after years of being labeled noncompliant) disagree with me that the frequency is inevitable and push me to rethink my basals and ratios. I’m sure they’re right, but diabetic life is challenging and that’s on my diabetic to-do list still.
Poor control and bad dosage/eating schedules can also be at fault though. Haphazard insulin use, blind pump bolusing, and not accounting for one’s activity level could all cause frequent lows, too. Whatever the case - noncompliance or tight control or a body that proves unpredictable or hypoawareness issues (which can develop over the long haul) - it’s easy to blame the diabetic. It comes down to the fact that we all need help and support gaining control over the problem. But, yes, frequent lows are a problem.
I wonder if you CDE or endo have managed D for themselves or anyone they care for? To achieve most readings between 70 and 100, I would say it’s impossible not to have some lows unless you are doing nothing but managing your diabetes 24/7.
Caleb’s last A1C was applauded by our endo. I was disappointed, thinking it was too low. My gut fearing that he had too many lows to even out the highs to get such a good A1C. I expected the reaction to be “work on those lows” and was disappointed when I was told “there’s just no pleasing you.”
The CDE I saw last time (I’m seeing one who specializes in pregnancy nutrition right now, rather than my standard CDE), when I indicated that lows were something I lived with and treated daily, freaked me out when she told me that lows were depriving my baby of oxygen. Here I am freaking out every time I take the baby over 150 (despite all the great diabetic pregnancy advice telling us all to calm down) and now I have to freak out about the lows, too.
Medical practitioners at our side daily might be able to scale every obstacle we face - maybe - but we all have to live with the reality of daily diabetes - and that means never achieving utopian perfect numbers. My A1c is 5.8, my avg BG is under 125, and I probably range from 60-200 most days. Some days I wonder exactly what you ask, Lorraine. And also what they asked of you. What more do they want and is there no pleasing you? For god’s sake, it’s exhausting.
Hi Scott! No offense taken! I am not a pumper, but have had the pleasure of using one. Unfortunately, it did not work out for me, but I feel I have better control over my numbers on MDI. This is good for me- does not work for everyone.
I ended up doing middle of the night testing for a few weeks to learn my natural fluxuations and to find the best time to do my basal. Turns out my best timing is to basal right before bed and to not bolus for two hours before bedtime-which means no eating atleast three hours before bed.
This works for me.
I just don’t want the wrong impression to be given. Low BG is DEFINITELY dangerous and it should NOT be taken lightly.
Thanks!
Marps
Rainbowgoddess:
I could not afford a pump and it was not covered by my insurance when I first got one (about five years ago). I had no insurance through my job and had no savings account.
So, I worked a second job until I could afford a pump and then got a better job in order to get better health coverage.
The pump ended up not working for me- so I’m back on MDI… This is good for me and I’m doing fine now.
But, I just don’t understand the animosity coming from you.
There is always a way to figure it out. And the people here are basically trying to help. They aren’t saying to “get a pump!” but just stating that using the pump saved their lives. If you can’t afford a pump, then you can skim through the messages here and find another way to help yourself.
I’m sorry for your situation. But for you to demand complete strangers to give you money is just… mean. There are other ways to go about it.
What’s that annoying saying? “Where there’s a will, there’s a way”
I wish you luck and understanding.
Marps
i’m not sure if ive had a seizure during sleep,but oddly enough i have woken up with my sugar at 19.that was one of the scariest things ever,i always thought once you hit 25mg/dl its seizure time.maybe i ve beaten the odds so far,but back in h.s. i went to a tech school in another city.there would be days the school bus driver would take off intentionally early & i would be stranded.so of course i had to walk home,at that time i didnt carry any supplies because i misunderstood how it all worked.but there were a few times when i got home & knew it was low so i grabbed all the fast acting sugar in reach.i would check 1-2 mins later & my level would be in the mid 20’s.i always wondered why i haven’t suffered blackouts or seizures do to those levels.since then i smartened up and always have a backpack filled with whatever i may need for diabetes issues.
I don’t have a pump. I don’t have a CGMS. I use Levemir and Novolog. Do I go low? Occasionally. But never to the point of passing out. My endo and I experimented with dosing schedules and dosages until we had a regimen that kept my A1C low (just over 6 ) while reducing the potential for lows. My pre-meal BG is between 75 and 85. Post-meal (2.5 hours) BG is between 100 and 160.
Middle of the night testing was one of the methods my endo and I used to learn how my body behaves with Levemir. I was also loaned a CGMS for a week so that we could understand when my lows (and highs) were occuring. With that data we were able to adjust dosage and dosing schedule to come up with something that works.
When I initially started on insulin (Levemir and Novolog) my dosage was set by the hospital doctor. Once my BG came down to “normal” range I started having lots of lows. My endo told me to reduce the Novolog/carb ratio but that led to higher BG (and A1C). So we returned to the original Novolog/carb ration and experimented with the Levemir; both the dosage and dosing schedule. I still get a few lows but they most often occur after exercise or other physical activity. My last A1C was just over 6. I think I’ll just learn to live with that.
Rainbowgoddess:
Well, I guess you just have too many problems.
I don’t understand why you’re so cynical about these things. Nilufer was offering a suggestion. If you can’t use it- there is no need to criticize. I mean, really. If you don’t want to be on these forums and take advice from strangers, then why are you here?
We all have other issues to deal with. Basically everyone is dealing with money issues- do you think you’re the only one who’s got it bad? Do you think it’s really necessary to demand money from complete strangers? When I was having tight money issues, I got a second job (that I hated) - though I’m sure you’ll come up with a reason as to why you can’t do this.
Please learn to take suggestions from these strangers (who took time out of their busy days and from their own problems) without such animosity.
You may find that you will actually learn something.
It’s also important to remember that we don’t all know one another or visit these forums often enough to have intimate knowledge of one another’s diabetes. It’s unreasonable to expect everyone to remember “oh yeah, don’t mention a pump to rainbowgoddess or you’ll get your head bitten off.” People are just here offering their best advice and you have to take it in the spirit in which it’s given.
My best advice I’ve learned this year is to take insulin before meals instead of on top of them or after them, but do I remember to whom I’ve said it and how they each responded? No. Do I remember who is on a pump or who is not? No. Should I have to? No. We’re here to support one another with suggestions from our own experience. We have PLENTY of people here who choose MDI over a pump, have never tried a pump, cannot get a pump, etc. I also completely understand that you’re tired of hearing that you should magically get a pump with no money. BUT, please stop taking it out on people who don’t know you and don’t know better than to suggest what worked for them.
Remember that there is not a “typical” diabetic story or standard diabetic treatment. We each have financial obstacles, additional medical hurdles, differing national/state/insurance systems, and unique circumstances. What ties us together is that we all try to help one another with controlling the one thing we all share. What works for you may not work for me, but I am unlikely to belittle you for offering up your suggestions or experience.
I knew someone who died from a hypo several years ago. Yes it can happen. This person had diabetes for a very long time, had diabetic unawareness and also lived alone. I also know that drinking alcohol will arrest the “dumping” of sugar from your liver. Its a dangersous situation and in my opinion should not be taken lightly. Of course I don’t think anyone likes or wants hypos - it just happens.
Linda
I’m sorry to hear of your friend.
Thank you for posting. There have been a few discussions here on the other forums where T1Ds are saying that you can’t die from insulin shock while sleeping- that you will miraculously wake up and be able to help yourself. I just wanted to make sure that others realized that severe lows are a major deal. Not necessarily 40s and 50s (though not GOOD), but the more devestating ones- especially while you’re sleeping and “unconscious”.
Thank you for sharing.
When I have a seizure then ask me. However unless or until I have one, I cannot worry about what might maybe happen. That leads to insanity quickly… I’ve seen seizures in many. many others… none of them died. I have had them, and did not die.
To me for whatever its worth to you…it seems you are getting hung up in the numbers and the might maybe’s worst case scenerios. Worthy of consideration sure, but don;t make yourself insane thinking about it… it will lead to nothing good mentally, emotionally.
Am I blase, no. I am very expereinced and very little phases me, I cannot say sane, alive if I fixate on those dark moments, which others remember far, far too vividly. I consider them the past, no matter how fresh the incident(s) might me and do not wish to be defined exclusively by them. Untreated your body WILL turn on ALL its emergency reserves, dump the horemones and any glucose it can find into your bloodstream.
Whether that will be sufficent, enough to counteract all the insulin you’re bolused/injected cannot be easily determined. I’ve been diabetic c. 40 years now and I’m NOT DEAD YET. Experience will teach you respect for the disease but one hopes not fear of it.
Untreated, lows (as in ignored entirely) is ignorant. One does not walk into the tiger cages and slap the tigers with impunity…
Stuart.