Good for you. I am so glad for you. I wish I did not have CABBAGE at 47, a brain injury and a fused ankle. If I could walk propery it would be better.
Those things are specific to you. Your previous comment mentioned for type ones, it’s almost impossible to lose weight. Perhaps you could have made your comment more specific to yourself or others with limitations exceeding folks with “just” Type 1. For example I am a very active person, but thanks to a bum knee since springtime, I’ve been unable to hike or do other strenuous things. And then my doc talked me into a knee replacement. Now I feel like an old man. He better be right, that after a while I’ll be back to “normal”. I have my doubts, but I hope he is right.
Do a bunch of research on that knee replacement, Dave44. Those dont always work out, as Im sure you know. Get a few opinions about it, if possible. Knees are so hard to fix. Knees are important.
Its tough, I think @joakim. I’m lucky that I’m still young enough that my weight isn’t that difficult yet - its kinda bounces up and down all the time (20 lbs, or so). My Dad ate nothing but peppers for three months and dropped weight, but then just gained it all back. We wish he wouldn’t do that. As a skier, I know lots of people with mobility issues due to injury (and brain injury). Whats it like to have brain injury? How do you feel about swimming?
Thanks for all your replies. I have been slowly improving my diet and exercise regimen over the last year and a half. I was working on sustainable changes, and I have been happy with the work I put in because there was no backsliding, and very few “cheat days”. In that time, I only lost about 8 pounds, but that is better than nothing. My main focus has been trying to stay in range as often as possible (85% at the moment) and I don’t want to let the numbers get too high because I’m trying to get pregnant, which is also why I’m trying to lose weight. Dexcom says there is no pattern to when these lows occur, which makes things a little more complicated.
Yesterday, I suspended at 79 because it had been going down by 2 points every 5 minutes for about an hour. It was suspended for 2 1/2 hours this time, dropped to a low of 70, stayed there for almost 2 hours, before climbing up to 120, staying there for about an hour after I suspended my pump, before slowly starting to drop again, but it was before dinner so I just did a super low bolus. I didn’t run yesterday, I ate about 130 grams of carbs, and I used 28 units of insulin. But the day before I used 36 units of insulin for a very similar day. This unpredictability is what leads to my lows, and I have not been able to figure out what’s different.
It does give me some comfort to know that other diabetics also struggle with this. Sometimes, I feel like sisyphus, but with two wayward children. I’m trying to climb the mountain, towing my two children (weight loss and blood sugar management), and every time something gets in the way, one of the children rips free from my grasp, and goes scampering down the hill and I have to chase it before starting to trudge up the mountain again.
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Hi. Thanks for writing back. I am lucky I didn’t die because I let my sugar run high to be slinny. I worked as a model, went to hawaii, went blind and had 3 vitrechtomies, cataract surgery. blah,blah. Almost 50 years of D has been hard. But God is not finishedwith me yet.
When I awakened after the open-heart surgery I could barely talk. I forgot pretty much everything. There is no help for someone so young. Thamk God I got better; my brain started to remember random thing. I graduated into Carleton’s School of Jouralism at 16. I went blind at 20 and started writing at Citizenship and Immigration, Canada.
People have been so mean during the recovery. I felt so stupid because I couln’t even recall my phone #, address and things like that. Now I am back to sorta normal. I broke my talus and had it fused(ankle). Then the idiot doctor pulled the pins out in the waiting room. Guess what happened? Bone infection, 3 months of IV antibiotics and almost lost my leg. We cannot sue in Canada.
I should detail all this in a book. Got anything to add? Maybe we can help other diabetics. There is a plan for me. Just don’t know what it is.
Write back. Thanks, Amy Brennan
A little late for me to do research. 
(sitting here, with my it hurting like h*ll).
Ispeak the truth. Why are you advising me as to what to say? I did not have a knee replacement but thanks for that. I have lived with diabetes for almost 50 years and I am amazing. Diabetes is very frustrating. People need encouragement. I think you should stop advising me. I am not male. Thanks again.
Huh? I said that your first comment about impossibility to lose weight BECAUSE ONE IS T1 isn’t always the case and then you mentioned lots of your medical issues. Therefore I said that all those issues would make it more difficult to lose weight than if one ONLY had T1. What the heck is wrong with me saying that?? Geez!
Many people have said to me that type 1 diabetics always have to be right. I believe from your actions that this is correct. You seem to need to have the last word as well. Go ahead. I hope you eventually become enlightened enough to know what is involved with having Type 1. You are not there yet. I really hope you can do a better job. Maybe some day. Perhaps in another life. I have spoken to many people who think tu diabetes is of no help. I continue to hope that it is. Good luck.
Perhaps you meant Type A personalities, rather than type 1’s. 
I think you’re probably right that type 1 diabetics have to always be right. I think it comes with the territory when if we make a bad decision, the results are potentially life threatening.
In this case, I don’t think Dave was trying to cause offence, but merely stating his own experiences. Diabetes is hard, but it is also different for everyone so I appreciate getting other experiences that might not be aligned with my own.
You are amazing. We are all amazing just making it through the day.
It comes down to lowering calories, but some people don’t have to lower it as much as other people! People’s metabolism makes a big difference and Type 1’s are prone to under functioning thyroids which doesn’t help. You have sugar and insulin running around in your blood much longer than “normal” people so why should you burn fat? I knew someone a few year ago that ate 3 times what I did and she had trouble keeping weight on!
I gained weight with each drug they tried on me and on long acting insulin, then fast acting insulin, then the pump, which I guess is pretty normal. What finally made me lose 30 pounds in 6 months is an injury that cut my appetite. I usually eat under 1,000 calories a day nowadays. But this drastic cut in calories is the only way I managed to lose when I was younger too and I was highly active then. So not a surprise that that’s what it took to start losing. My thyroid is borderline so I know that’s part of the issue.
With the less calories I cut my basal insulin doses by almost half of what they were, I was dropping a lot and had to keep making adjustments for a few weeks until I found the right tweaks. Some of that was insulin/carb ratio tweaks.
As for exercise even short bouts of walking will make my BG’s drop pretty quickly. I had read somewhere lately that they have found it’s better to temporarily lower your basal rate than suspend while exercising. I know I do a temp by 50% about a half hour before I get in the dentist chair because I always drop. Starting a half hour before means that I am getting less working insulin when I actually am sitting in the chair and I don’t spike afterwards because I still have gotten some insulin.
And I guess we really are all different! And it’s a constant evaluation of changes that occur all the time. Some of your issues sure sounded like some of mine!!!
It would sure be simple if we gave 1 unit for 3 carbs all day and night and the same basal all the time, that must work for some people out there! But I guess that’s why they invented a pump with all those adjustable settings!!!
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@BeckyZ, I dont know if this helps, but I have these periods of ultra variability that might last for months, but not for years. Part of me thinks that if you waited a bit, it might just go away. But, I bet that even if you got the numbers super stable, they would just unravel once you got pregnant, anyway. I think that Joslin diabetes works with athletic diabetics to help with some of this complicated stuff. https://www.joslin.org/
@Dave44, You could always consider an appointment with the Mayo. Sometime its worth it to buy one expensive drink, rather than 12 crap ones.
@joakim, have you heard this woman’s interview? She wrote a book. It was really interesting. You might like. After a Stroke, a Scientist Studies Herself : NPR
“Give me Ham on 5, hold the Mayo.”
BTW, I’ve no idea what you are talking about.
You sound like my brother - all the Mayo jokes. I mean, like, go in and get a full, independent analysis of your options. https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/orthopedic-surgery/home/orc-20126749
ah, the knee. I texted the surgeon yesterday about my recent, increased pain. He said “hang in there” and does not think that anything is “out of place” as I wondered out loud to him. This Thursday it will be x-rayed, so we’ll see.
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Thanks for that.
Thank you again. I listened to the interview thinking"This woman seems soooo intelligent.’ Turns out she is a doctor. Very interesting to hear about what happens when your brain bleeds. I do not wish this on anyone. You have really helped me.
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Dave - Something could be wrong, or it could just be the long recovery needed for knee replacement
My sister had both hips done 4 years ago (not at same time). Her recovery was full and complete after 6 months. She had a knee replaced 2 years ago - she only felt “nearly whole again” after more than 18 months.
Another friend had a knee done early this year. She finally went to the doc out of her mind in pain and found out there was a bone infection (which hospitalized her for 2 months)
Better safe than sorry
Hi Dave, he sent the link for the Mayo Clinic, it’s a very famous group of medical clinics that tries to get you the best information for your problem, they will treat you, but a lot of people just go there to find whats wrong or for a second opinion. They are known for diagnosing hard to diagnose issues. Or coming up with the proper treatments for people that need some extra help.