First resolution: Plot my blood sugar numbers and try to find patterns.
I haven’t been paying very close attention to the ups and downs over the last couple of months but I have a new motivator now, fingers crossed, but I think 2010 might be a baby year.  So, for the last hour I’ve been laboriously creating graphs with my daily blood sugar readings fromDecember.

Tuesday, December 1: 147, 127, 77, 185, 247
Wednesday, December 2: 103, 60, 164, 171, 179
Thursday, December 3: 148, 207, 182, 101, 32
Friday: 194, 89, 120, 51, 38, 130, 181
Saturday: 47, 70 173, 66, 42, 152, 134, 102, 39, 90

Warning… Sam is showing a kink in her armour here…  I am so mad, sad, frustrated, annoyed, and sick of this. SOOOOO sick of it.  WHY the f*** are my blood sugar numbers so different on a daily basis? WHY the f*** do I have this disease? I’m strong, I’m able, I know I shouldn’t crack or break down, but really, this sucks. I would love to just eat again. Anything. Just Be Normal. I don’t want to test my blood sugar and figure out the carb count. I just want to have a quick snack, a handful of chips, an apple, a god damn tangerine, just once, without testing my numbers. Sure, diabetes is a manageable disease.  But what happens when you get tired of managing it??

Sometimes even the strong people need a break. Sometimes even the happy ones need to be sad. Sometimes, I just want to punch my fist into a wall and scream because I want so desperately to not be diabetic.

Ok, venting helped. I’ll be fine. It was just a momentary lapse in emotion. It’s all good. Being diabetic is fun. I’m good. Really. Family, do not worry about me.

Second, third, fourth and fifth resolutions: Eat only healthy foods, weigh and measure my food, use the exact carb count and keep a food diary.
No more crap shoots on the carb count of the foods I eat. For the last couple of years I’ve eyeballed to figure out the carbs and hoped for the best (which has worked ok). If I’m going to have a baby there is no longer room for errors in my insulin, I gotta play by the rules.  I also need to write down what I’m eating and how the insulin reacted with the exact carb count…

Sixth resolution: Ask for help when I need it.
Yeah, not a fan of this one, but I know I can’t always be the hero, and I know I can’t do this alone. So, when and if I need help, I will ask for it. I promise.

Seventh resolution: Be me.

Happy New Year everyone!

Upon further reflection of my frustations with having diabetes, I remembered my neighbor and her daily struggles with Lou Gehrig’s disease. Knowing how badly she and her family are suffering, I realized I don’t have it that bad after all.

That’s the real deal with diabetes, one sugar cube at a time.

When I mention some fluctuating blood sugar numbers to non-diabetics, their first instinct is to ask “Why?” with a “What did you do wrong?” chaser. I wish I had an answer, but I shrug and say “Just Because.”

Most recently my insulin regiment that I’d come to rely on like gospel went to pot and stopped working. All of a suddent I was going low 5 to 8 times a day. I hadn’t changed a thing – not my lifestyle, not the foods I was eating, not the level of exercise I was getting. I wasn’t pregnant – nor had I lost weight. And, I wasn’t any more stressed than usual. I started to research to figure out the “Why” behind it and all I came up with were the reasons I previously itemized – none of which had changed.  The ONLY thing I could think of was that 8 months earlier I’d stopped taking the pill. But why 8 months later would that change my patterns so drastically?

Something ‘internal’ must have changed. I swear there were days when I thought I’d been miraculously cured. I would take my usual insulin as I’d done so often in the past and go low an hour later. Even the nurses at my endo made comments about my low insulin amounts.

It is a little disconcerting to think that you have no control over your blood sugar numbers and that no matter how hard you work at solving the patterns, your internal system has a mind of its own and will always win. Logic does not have  a place in diabetes, and for those that live by logic, it can get very overwhelming.  So instead, the two words I live by are, Just Because.

On a normal day not long ago, I woke up and tested my numbers: 77. Not bad. I got ready for work and commuted into NYC like I’d done so many times before. I waited to eat until I got to work, another usual ritual. After 2 hours in the office I started to get a weird feeling. It’s hard to explain, but it felt like I’d just run a marathon – my heart started to beat a mile a minute, I started to feel nauseous, and I couldn’t focus on my computer screen. The strange thing is that I didn’t get the usual “high” feeling I’d experienced often in the past. I didn’t even think to check my blood sugar numbers – I actually thought I was having a heart attack. I mentionned my symptoms to a friend and he asked if I’d checked my blood sugar. “D’uh, no, I haven’t.”.  I pulled out my meter and pricked my finger.

“450! WHAT! How is that even possible?!”

Had I had 12 pieces of pie that I’d forgotten about? No. Was my pump not delivering insulin? Hmmm… no alarms, looked ok. But maybe??

Uh oh, nausea just turned into the urgent need to throw up… I ran to the bathroom, clearing a path as I went, yelling out that I was not pregnant (don’t want the rumor mill starting). I made it in time to throw up – twice.

What the hell was happening? I search the last 4 hours in my mind to remember if I did something wrong but came up empty.

I programmed my pump to deliver correction insulin – put my head down on my desk and waited 5 minutes before checking my bs numbers again. 396. Ok – so the insulin is being delivered and is working… it’s may not be my pump, but probably a good idea to change the set in case…

I called my husband to see where he was, told him what happened and he mobilized to pick me up. I of course did not have all of my pump paraphenalia with me and decided I needed to go home to rest.

I checked my numbers again. 350. Ok. It’s dropping. I really felt like I’d been hit by a mack truck at this point and still couldn’t believe I had rocketed almost 400 points in 4 hours. Over the course of the next 90 minutes on the way home I kept checking my numbers: 300, 249, 208, 187, 148, 117, 90, 42… Sh*t – now I’m low… Juice!!!

So four hours later I’d returned to normal and took the afternoon off to rest. I couldn’t help but think to myself that having an 800 point swing in 8 hours could not be good for my kidneys – but – I quickly pushed that out of my mind since I really didn’t have any control over it. 

Since I’d left the office in such a rush I’d left my co-workers worried. When I told them what had happened their reaction was the same – “Why did that happen?”. I shrugged and answered “Just Because”.

Most of you are probably wondering why I didn’t call my doctor through this experience – I suppose I should have, but, simply put, she couldn’t have helped – she most likely would have told me to correct with insulin and drink lots of water and to call back if the blood sugar does not drop.

I did mention the story to my diabetes educator later that week when I faxed her my weekly blood sugar numbers. Being a diabetic herself she knew the frustrations. Her comment was “I wish I could tell you whty, but it’s just the disease – things happen just because.”

That’s the real deal with diabetes, one sugar cube at a time.

So, a little history first and then I’ll explain what the pump is. After a year of 10 shots a day and my A1C tests consistently above 7, I went to a diabetes show in search of some help. I’d read about this “insulin pump” that claimed to give diabetics their lives back. I was sick of living on a schedule, not being able to sleep in, always having to eat, and I was plain old sick of finding fat to shoot my insulin into. My stomach looked like a pin cushion and I was starting to get a little depressed about having the disease. BUT – if this insulin pump did what it claimed it would, I was ready to give the new technology a try.

After visiting the Medtronic booth I knew the Minimed pump was the one for me. They did the leg work with my insurance company and three months later a new shiny device arrived at my doorstep. It is about the size of a pager (for those that remember pagers).  I quickly read through the 3 instructional booklets and it seemed easy enough to figure out. Medtronic also supplied me with a diabetes educator who came to my house for some pump lessons and to help me set my insulin regiment.

So what is it? Basically, the pump is like wearing an external pancreas. It provides a constant drip (Basal), as well as an immediate drip (Bolus) prior to eating. All I need to do when I eat is plug in the number of carbs I’m about to have and it does the math for me. AND, it only requires one shot every 3 days to insert it.  For a more technical details, check out the website: http://www.minimed.com/

The only drawback to it, and for me, it didn’t really outweigh the pros… is that you have to wear it all the time. You’re connected to a machine 24/7, but hey – you’re connected to diabetes 24/7 so why not make your life a little easier and give yourself some freedom right? 

Ok, so how does it work? Simple – when you eat, test your blood sugar. If you have a synchronized device, your meter will automatically beam your bs number to the pump. Then, enter the carbs you’ll be eating and voila - it tells you how much insulin is needed to cover your meal or correct a high. Hit Act to deliver the insulin and you’re off to the races. Of course, this is a simplistic explanation, but essentially, that’s all there is to it. There are some other fun features like dual and square wave delivery methods, temporary basal rates, patterns and alarms, but for now, let’s stick with the basics.

Assuming your regiment is set right, it gives you the insulin you need – to eat when you want, to sleep when you want,  and to live like you want.  The key to it is – and this is very important – you still have to tell the pump what to do. It does not take the I out of dIabetic, but it does allow you to diaBEtes.

At the beginning, I tried wearing the pump on my waist band when I was out and about, but I didn’t want the world to see it. Plus, it just wasn’t comfortable for me. Since I’m no Dolly Parton, I quickly figured out the best place to conceal it was on my bra, between my boobs. It fits perfectly, it’s hidden, and within reach. The only time this poses a problem is when I wear a dress. I either have to excuse myself to the bathroom to calculate (like a true lady would do), or I have to reach down into my cleavage.

On my wedding day, my husband and I were sitting at the sweetheart table in front of 125 guests. A toast was given and our meals arrived with all 125 pairs of eyes on us. I reached down into my strapless dress, much to my Yiayia’s chagrin, and pulled out my insulin pump to plug in my carbs.  I then remembered the eyes, looked up, waved, and said “Sorry everyone, but you know I’m diabetic!”

I’ve since upgraded to a new pink insulin pump, equipped with the ability to wear a sensor that automatically tests my blood sugar every 5 minutes, but I’ll save that for a later post.  I’m used to this 24/7 accessory. I don’t care that people see it, or that I have to always wear it. What I do care about is my life. The pump let me take control of it again and allowed me to dictate my patterns, instead of diabetes dictating it for me.

That’s the real deal with diabetes, one sugar cube at a time.

Pump supplies in my back-pack, enough to get me through in case my bag is lost. Check.

Back up boxes of pump supplies in my luggage, in case I can’t get home for a month. Check.

Insulin. Two bottles. Check.

Test strips. Enough for the week and then some. Check.

Back-up fast-acting pen. Check.

Back-up cap needle heads for fast-acting pen. Check.

Back-up basal Lantus. Check.

Back-up syringes for basal Lantus. Check.

Back-up meter, just in case, hell, I’ll throw in two. Check. Check.

Glucagon emergency needle. Check.

Glucose tabs. Check.

Snacks for the plane, in case we’re delayed or diverted and the entire plane runs out of food. Check.

Bag of candy to have handy in my purse, just in case. Check.

I get to the airport with a CapriSun in my bag, hopeful I can get it through security. At the checkpoint, I pull out my giant ziploc bag and announce to the kind security woman that I’m diabetic. 

“Is that why you have juice?”

“Yes.”

“Good luck.”

 She lets me through with no other questions, I walk through the x-ray machine,  snatch up my stuff and thank the heavens that the ziploc bag didn’t burst open on the conveyor belt whipping my supplies into other people’s bins.

Stop at the magazine shop to pick up another juice bottle for the flight. Check.

Luckily the flight was uneventful and undelayed, my bags arrived with me and I was reunited with all my diabetes periphenalia. 

While in London my numbers remained pretty stable. Being 5 hours ahead kind of messed up my eating and insulin schedule, and of course I forgot to change the time on my pump but all in all I was ok.

My girlfriend Mel (see My Diagnosis and a Birthing Bed) was very sensitive to my numbers and kept checking in to make sure on our walking tours of the city I wasn’t too low and I had plenty of food in my system. I did manage to go low, right in the melee of Piccadilly Circus, in the rain. I whipped out my CapriSun sippy sack (they have them in London too, Mel picked me up a couple packages), drank it in a second and chased it with a mini-box of nerds and kept walking. I was still shaky after the infusion of sugar so we pulled over and I tested my numbers on the edge of the sidewalk. 41. Hmm, must have been really low. Mel shot me a look of despair as if I was dying but I reassured her I’d be fine. After leaning on the wall for a few minutes and adding a bag of crisps into my system I was back to feeling good and we continued our walkabout.

That same night I woke up at 3am and didn’t feel right. Tested my number. 429. YOWSER. What the hell did I do wrong… made sure my pump was working. It was. Tried to focus on the events of the night to figure out if I ate or drank something diabetic-unfriendly. Nope.

When I went to sleep at 11 my number was…what was it… 131. I had my usual snack…hmmm, did I not take my bolus insulin with it? I did. Oh well. No clue. I set my temporary basal at 200% and adminstered a correction insulin amount and fell back to sleep quickly. When I woke up my numbers were fine. Wait, maybe I was dreaming??

Funny how stuff like that only happens when you’re thousands of miles away from home. Lucky enough it worked itself out and it didn’t impact my trip more than the wake-up in the middle of the night.

The rest of my time in London went quickly, no other blips to report and my diabetes did not dictate my every move.

That’s the real deal with diabetes, one sugar cube at a time.

Hypoglycemia can occur for a few reasons, but typically it is because too much insulin was delivered – whether it was because the carbs were overestimated, not enough food was eaten, your basal or bolus rates are off, or because your system changed and you now don’t need as much insulin.

Now that you know the definition, let me explain how it feels.

For the years before I was diagnosed there were times when I felt shaky – I’d have something to eat and I’d feel better. Everyone at some point in their lives have felt it – this doesn’t only affect diabetics. Like many people, I didn’t think much of it. After my diagnosis however, I quickly learned the term, how to conquer it, and that is was one of the side effects of too much insulin in my system. I still remember lying in the ER, my first post-diagnosis “low”, my heart started pounding, I got clammy, shaky, I yelled out and the nurse ran over with a dixie cup of OJ. Five minutes later I was fine. Like nothing had happened. On the positive side of going low is the ability to “come up” quickly – as long as you catch it before you pass out.

I carry a glucagon emergency needle with me at all times. This is similar to an epi pen but holds a quick shot of glucose to be delivered in extreme cases. It comes in a bright red case that screams emergency BUT when you open it there are about 5 steps to take before it is ready.  http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/d_0n_022.htm

First… push the liquid into the little vial…mix it with the sugar tablet… then draw the liquid into the needle… then jab it into the unconcious diabetic – anywhere, through the clothes. Hmmm, that sounds like it could take a few minutes?

Knock on wood that I haven’t use it yet – but I did come close – when I was alone – on a bus – commuting home from New York City.

I’d gone low twice at work that day and drank the 2 juices I typically carry with me. One of them was right before leaving the office so I assumed I would be ok to get home. My commute is about 90 minutes – walk 15 minutes, bus 60 minutes, and drive 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes on the bus I started to feel a bit shaky.

“You’ve got to be kidding me” I mumble to myself.

I pull out my meter, take my numbers – 41. “Sh*t!”. I know I don’t have any juice on me so I rummage through my giant purse to see what other goodies I have in there. The guy sitting next to me looks over and gives me the stink eye – apparently I was rummaging loudly and he couldn’t hear his iPod stream.

Hmmm…granola bar (the fiber kind, not so fast-acting, 25 grams), 1 laffy taffy (about 4 grams), and a fruit roll-up (about 10 grams).  Now keep in mind that the medical experts tell you to have 15 grams of sugar, wait 10 minutes, and if necessary have another 5 grams until you feel better. This thought doesn’t even cross my mind as I try to quickly chew the laffy taffy. Not so easy. Next i shove the full fruit rollup in my mouth and continue chewing, quietly. Still shaky, and feeling worse by the second. I wolf down the granola bar. About 5 minutes go by and I’m still shaky, and getting clammy. I test my numbers again. 42.

Ok… I just have to give it some time. Stay calm. Breathe. I don’t feel so good. Don’t think about it. You’ll be fine. You just have to let the magic laffy taffy do the work. Test my numbers again. 40. Ugh. (Laymen, remember, Zero = VERY BAD!)

I look through my purse and locate my magical glucagon kit. Now, how do I ask stink eye to jab me with this needle if I pass out? I’ve never had to recruit help before. And this is kind of a bit involved. I tap him on his shoulder.

“Umm, excuse me sir, I know this is kind of weird, but, um, I’m a diabetic, and I may go into diabetic shock, and if I do pass out…do you think…um, do you think you can…” I launch into the 12 step program explanation of how the glucagon works.

“Yeah, so, can you stab me with this if you happen to notice me unconcious?”

I get a blank stare from him. “Sure, but I can’t make you any promises.”

Ok, wow. I am so happy stink eye is the one next to me today.

I’m still feeling shaky, praying that my numbers start to go up so stink eye doesn’t have to save my life, and all of a sudden… the bus pulls off the turnpike and looses power. That’s right. LOOSES POWER. We are broken down, 25 minutes into the trip home from hell.

I test my numbers again. 50. Ok, at least I’m going up and most likely won’t need stink eye to stab me.

Now I just have to hope that I don’t go low again while we wait for a new bus (30 minutes) or on the rest of the commute home (30 minutes). It dawns on me at this point to turn my pump off to stop the insulin delivery and buy some more time.

Luckily I made it the rest of the way home without going low.

Lesson 1: Always have sugar on you, especially when you’re alone and unable to quickly access.

Lesson 2: Overcome your fear of asking a stranger for help.

Lesson 3: Tattoo “I’m a diabetic” on your forehead.

So what is it like to go low? From what I gather it varies for many. When I was younger, one of my favorite movies was Steel Magnolias (go figure right?). The scene where Julia Roberts is getting her hair done, her blood sugar drops and everyone rushes to get her orange juice – her mom needing to force feed it as she knocks it away and is a real biatch. Well , that’s not how it goes for me.

I have yet (knock on wood) to be force fed juice and I know when I don’t feel right, I test my numbers, see I’m below 70, grab a CapriSun, drink it in about 2 seconds and wait for the magic.

Not long ago I was going low 5 to 8 times a day. When started to get the shaky feeling, each time I tested my numbers and each time I was already in the 30s. Juice became a main staple in my diet- in the middle of paying bills, on the phone, cleaning the house, watching tv, walking to the office, working, sleeping, cooking, swimming, commuting, showering, sitting… What I was experiencing was hypoglycemia unawareness.

Hypoglycemia unawareness is basically a term used to say I had no idea I was so low. http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=22381

Usually you start to feel shaky in the 60 range and are able to treat it before it gets lower. I, on the other hand, would test my numbers just because and get a 34 reading. Shoot. 29 – wow, didn’t even feel it. 46. I am so sick of this….

I started testing my numbers 10 to 12 times a day in hopes of catching it earlier and that helped, but I still don’t feel the lows very quickly. (I am happy to say I fixed those lows, turns out my internal system changed and the insulin regiment I was on – all of a sudden – was too much insulin for my body to handle.)

 That’s the real deal with diabetes, one sugar cube at a time.

Figuring it all out can be overwhelming, and, if you don’t get it, the disease will grab and take you down.

The Insulin Regiment

Insulin is what the pancreas is supposed to produce, but in Type 1 diabetics, it doesn’t. In regular people, the pancreas will work to offset your internal system, the food you consume and any exercise you undertake. If a non-diabetic and diabetic eat the exact same thing (without taking insulin) and both checked their BS (blood sugar but sometimes bull s**t) numbers an hour after they ate, the diabetic’s number will be much much higher, regardless of the food consumed. 

So – to fix that, a diabetic has to manually inject insulin. And of course, it can’t be easy. There is no magic pill with the “right” amount of insulin. There are many different insulin types to take, and, to make it even more complicated, how much insulin will depend on the person, their current blood sugar level, what time it is, what’s going on around them, and what they eat.

Sometimes, it just plain sucks. Sometimes, I just want to scream about it. Sometimes, I just want to ignore it.  But most times, I try to smile, say it’s no big deal, and carry on with my life. I cannot let it get me.

Back to the facts. There are two rates of insulin in the regiment: basal and bolus.

Basal insulin regulates the glucose over a 24-hour span. It is the constant insulin released into our system to help overcome internal fluctuations. If set right, it is supposed to keep our blood sugar numbers within a good range, without varying more than 30 points up or down. Figuring out the basal rate is a bit tricky, but there are a few  formulas to follow, for example, take your weight and multiply it by your height, divide by your dress size, and then add 3 if you’re a brunette, 2 if you’re a blond, and 1 if you’re a redhead. Ok, I’m just kidding, but it does factor in your weight.  The rest of it really is a crap shoot, and again, unique to each diabetic.  The doctors and specialists determine your starting basal rate and may vary it during the day to overcome times when your blood sugars spike or drop. 

I currently have three basal rates: midnight to 6 am: 0.5 units/hour; 6am to noon: 0.55 units/hours; and noon to midnight: 0.40 units/hour. 

Bolus insulin is the insulin we take when we eat something (read anything). It is an added boost that our system needs to cover the carbs we eat. If it is set right, there will not be a massive spike in our numbers.  Different bolus rates can be created for each meal which take into account the lunar cycle, and the weather. Ok, I’m joking again, they only interplay with the basal rats and the time of day.

I currently have only one bolus rate, or Carb to Insulin ratio(C:I) of 12:1.

Sensitivity is the correction insulin I mentionned earlier. We each have our blood sugar target range, typically anywhere from 80 to 120. When we test our numbers, if the reading is above or below this range, the sensitivity factor comes into play to add or subtract insulin to bring you back into range.

My sensitivity is 50 – so for every 50 points that I am out of range, I need to take 1 unit of insulin.

Now for the test, I’ll make it easy for you:  It is 6 pm. I am about to eat 84 grams of carbs and my blood sugar number is 200. How much insulin do I need to take?

If you guessed 9.0, you’d be right. That’s 84/12 = 7.0 for my bolus, and (200 – 100)/50 = 2.0 for my correction. 

I can’t even begin to imagine what it is like for teenagers with Type 1. I am 34 years old and I often have trouble figuring it all out. Before each meal I read the food labels or consult my handy www.CalorieKing.com handbook to figure out the carbs. Luckily my pump does most of the calculating, but if you see me before a meal I’m usually trying to count aloud…

“So 6 fish sticks have 18 grams, I’m having 8, so 18 divided by 6 is 3 (is it, yeah, it is), 3 times 8 is 24, plus 41 plus 19… wait, 24 plus, how many, oh, right, 41, well, that’s 65, plus 19 is 84. Ok. 84 grams of carbs.”

That’s the real deal with diabetes, one sugar cube at a time.

For Type 1 diabetics, there are a few more steps.

First. Figure out what to eat, making sure it’s a healthy choice, hopefully covering all the food groups. Second, figure out how many carbs are in what you’re about to have. Third, test your blood sugar – prick your finger, draw blood, stick the blood into the test strip and wait 5 seconds to get the reading. 

Based on the number on the screen, determine how many units of insulin are required (or not required) to offset a reading that is too high or too low (a “correction” amount of insulin).

The next step depends on how you give yourself  insulin. For those that are using needles and fast acting insulin, do the math to figure out how many units of insulin are required to offset the food that is about to be consumed.  Then, add that number to the correction insulin. Dial it in to the “insulin pen”,  then pinch the fat somewhere on the body, and inject the insulin.

Since I’m on an insulin pump all I need to do is enter the carbs into the pump and it will automatically calculate the amount of insulin I need, also taking into account any correction insulin.

Once you’ve been a diabetic for a while, all of the above steps are second nature, but, next time you’re about to eat, take a second to think about us. Know that we can never just sit down and eat.  

That’s the real deal with diabetes, one sugar cube at a time.

What it tests is the level of sugar in the blood over the last three months. For the real tech info, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycated_hemoglobin, but for my purposes, and the bottom line, if it’s not under 7.0 I get reprimanded by the doctor and I have to go back to the drawing board to figure out my insulin regiment. Or… it means I was really stressed over the last 3 months… OR I was really bad with what I ate or my carb counting was way wrong OR I had was sick a bunch of times… OR… OR… that’s right, hopefully by now you’re learning that there is alot that is out of our control (even though we are desperately trying to get under control).

I joined an online diabetic social networking site  a few months back. The site, like many others had the ability to put a signature at the bottom of your posts. But what was different about these signatures is that most of them were proudly displaying their A1C numbers:

– 04/21: 4.5 — 01/17: 6.2 – 11/15: 6.8 — 01/13: 6.3 — 04/12: 5.5 — 08/23: 6.8 — 11/12: 6.4 –

It is an accomplishment that goes unrecognized outside the diabetic world. Many do not understand how hard it  it to achieve numbers below 7. How many sacrifices we have to make to get in control. There is no magic formula, no rhyme, no reason and no equation that the doctor tells you to follow. Each type 1 diabetic is different. There are no Time Outs. The A1C never lies. 

We each have our own regiments and reactions to different foods.  As much as a doctor is there to guide us, it is up to us to notice the patterns, keep our food diaries, count our carbs, and never let our guard down.

The saying “a moment on your lips, forever on your hips” doesn’t apply to Type 1′s as much as “a moment on your lips, forever on your A1C”does. But! That doesn’t mean we should skip the test. We just have to deal with the results. And keep on trying.  

I salute all diabetics that are struggling to get their A1c’s in check. I acknowledge how hard each have to work to get those numbers down, and how sometimes, even if you’ve given it your all, tried your best, that darn quarterly number comes back at 7.2. Oh so close… but oh… soo… far…

And so, in the spirit of sharing, here are my A1Cs over the last 3 years:

April 2006: 7.4 — July 2006: 8.3 — November 2006: 6.7 — February 2007: 6.8 — June 2007: 6.8 — August 2007: 6.4 — January 2008: 7.8 — May 2008: 6.8 — August 2008: 6.5 — November 2008: 6.8 — February 2009: 6.8 — June 2009: 7.2 — August 2009: 7.0 — November 2009: 7.0

That’s the real deal with diabetes, one sugar cube at a time.

So… here’s the 411:

Blood Sugar Level: This is the level us diabetics live by. It’s what we check 4 to 8 times a day. It’s the level of “sugar” in our blood. A normal person’s bs level is usually between 90 and 110. The pancreas produces insulin and disperses it when needed to keep the levels in check. In T1 diabetics it’s up to our insulin injections and quick math skills to figure out how much insulin we need to offset the food we eat, the mood we’re in, the exercise we’ve done, or the stress we’re under.

Going Low – a.k.a. hypoglycemia – this is when your blood sugar drops below a certain threshold, usually about 70. Feels like you’re gonna pass out.

Going High – or just “high” – a.k.a. hyperglycemia – this is when your blood sugar goes above certain threshold, usually about 200. Feels like you’re really confused, foggy, and well, for those that understand, high.

A1C - a.k.a. Hemoglobin A1c – this is blood test of your ‘average’ blood sugar levels over the previous 3 months. When your A1c is under 7.0 – you’re said to be “in control” of your dibetes.