Tricky, this whole diabetes thing

#1

Just when you think you have a pretty good handle on everything, things get crazy. I’m starting to think there can never be a pattern, or a norm or even an answer to how blood sugar rises and falls. I’ve decided that diabetes is very, very sneaky!

It started when I randomly checked my blood sugar right after I woke up and got a reading of 257. What?!? I thought my meter had gone loopy. Everyday previous to that one, I checked my BS about an hour after I wake up, before I take a shot and it is always in the 110-115 area. It had to be a mistake, until it happened again, and again. I realized that as I get up and move around it drops dramatically, so I never saw the high. I think, well as long as it is coming down on it’s own, I’m good.

Now, other things are changing, like my weight. I’ve lost about 8 pounds in the last couple of weeks, bringing me to 95lbs. Now, I’ll never complain about weight loss, but it’s also affecting my sugars. I’m running at a great 85 before meals, but even with my insulin, I’m spiking to 300s and landing at around 180 (and that’s on 23 grams of carbs at 1 meal!!) I’ve always been very sensitive to insulin, and I think I still am sensitive to my basal. I changed my novolog in case it was bad, but no change. The crazy swings are starting to make me feel tired and bad, and I’m afraid to adjust my insulin on my own.

And then there are unexpected lows, I’ve recently started to have. Like the dramatic drops after I start to run, or on the drive home from a party. They always seem to happen in the worst place…MY CAR! I am now sufficiently stocked with candy corn, glucose tabs and all things sweet wherever I go!

Luckily, I see the endo next Friday, and I hope he will have some answers.

#2

I’m totally experiencing the same kind of things. I always tested first thing upon waking but never before my breakfast dose which was always an hour later. When I started testing both times, I found that I woke up great but was much higher by the time breakfast rolled around. I also have been going low too much so I started futzing w/ my basal numbers but that hasn’t seemed to fix things. I actually forgot my basal yesterday (both times - how does one do that with an alarm to remind you?) and woke up this morning, with no basal in my system b/c it had been about 36 hours, and I was at 130. What’s that all about? Anyway, I have my endo appt this Friday along with pump training. I’m hoping the pump will stabilize things. At least I can’t forget my basal that way.

#3

Congrats on the pump! Hope that solves a lot of your problems. It’s definately not hard to forget the basal does, especially if your late for work!

#4

Hi Chloe! I’m quite new to diabetes, and I know what you’re speaking about, having the idea of keeping everything under control and then suddenly something happens… I rememeber that the first lows I experienced really scared me, they happen random it the most unconfortable places, but now I’m used to it, as you say, I’m always going around wih sweets, cereal bars… you dog is soo sweet! My grandpa has a similar one called Chipie. Hope to hear from you soon!Ale x