Sleeping In.
The other night, I ended up swept into something work-related and didn't smash my face into the pillow until almost 2:30 in the morning. (If I had been forced to be at work for the breakfast shift at 6 am, it would have been a perfect college throwback.) So when morning rolled around I started hearing the "Dada, dada, dadaaaaa" coming from the baby monitor as BSparl shuffled her fleece-covered feet in her crib, I was beyond exhausted.
"Mama," I said to the video monitor, trying to will her to say it from our bedroom. "Say Mama, little bird." I rolled over and grabbed my meter off the nightstand, fumbling with the lancing device as my hands woke up.
Okay, 68 mg/dl. The Dexcom confirmed with a flatlined 70 mg/dl, so I at least knew I wasn't tumbling.
The lump in the bed shaped like Chris turned towards me. "Want me to get up with her?"
No hesitation. "Yes. Yes, I do." I flopped back down into bed and closed my eyes. On the monitor, I heard Chris rescuing BSparl from her crib, and I tried to get back to sleep.
Oh wait. That low blood sugar. Damn it.
I foraged underneath the blankets for my pump and clicked through the screens until I hit the "temp basal" option. I wound the basal down to 0% and set it for one hour, knowing that an hour without my morning basal bump would be just enough to bring me from upper 60's to the upper 90's. And then I wouldn't have to get up out of bed to get juice. I could just sleep. Ahhhh, blessed sleep. I set the pump to run at 0% basal for an hour, and then snuggled back underneath the comforter.
Fur Elise rang out from underneath the blankets, the pump vibrating as well.
"What???" I fumbled for it, and the screen cheerily told me that the pump wasn't delivering insulin. Smile!
"I know. It's on purpose. Shut up," I mumbled to it, clipping it back on to my pajamas and trying to sleep again.
BEEEEEEEEP! the meter case sang from the bed stand.
"What, now you?" I looked at the screen and it, too, reminded me that the pump wasn't delivering any insulin.
"Argh, stop!" I smashed against the buttons with my fingers and the meter stopped nagging. Then the Dexcom starting wailing, because it finally realized my blood sugar was under 70 mg/dl.
"It's okay, stop making noise. I'm fine. Everything is fine would you people please just shut up and let me sleep I am exhausted run on sentence." I babbled, mushing my face into the pillow as the pump started vibrating again, just in case I didn't know that I was running a 0% basal.
Thirty minutes later, after muting the meter, the Dexcom, the pump, and my temper several times over, I finally gave up and shuffled downstairs.
"We're okay, baby. You can go back to bed," Chris said from the kitchen, where he was making breakfast and BSparl was happily chomping on some puffs.
"Nope. I had put the pump on a temp basal to head off a low. It worked - I'm 98 now, but sleep was thwarted by all the reminders from my diabetes crap saying 'OMG you are on a zero percent temp basal!'" My grumpiness was tangible. I was rambling borderline incoherently to Chris about diabetes math problems. The baby was making faces at me from her highchair. "Baa baa!"
"Hang on, Little Birdy. Momma needs to make some coffee."
BSparl raised her tiny fists in the air and tossed a few puffs in my general direction.
At least she had the decency not to BEEEEEEEP!
Comments
OMG my son has told me the exactly same things - "MOM you put me on a temp basal but now it's keeping me awake..and my CGM is beeping because now it thinks I"m too low!" gotta love technology.. but..I love love love doing a temp basal vs a juice..especially right after he goes to bed and I'm still awake. such a double edge sword!
(and there is nothing better than baby feet in jammies)
Posted by: Michelle | February 4, 2011 09:30 AM
So just a guess, but the cutting down on coffee thing didn't work that day, right? :)
Posted by: Traci | February 4, 2011 09:34 AM
BSparl: "No, mama! Play with me FIRST! No coffee, ME!"
Good thing her fists can't yet throw those puffs as far as a wooden toy catapult (mini-marshmallow range about 20 feet).
Posted by: tmana | February 4, 2011 09:38 AM
That's one little thing that annoys me about the Ping. The minute you suspend it, it begins beeping. And it continues beeping over and over. And of course the meter then has to chime in too! Maybe next time set the temp basal down to 10%? Would that be low enough to ward off the low bg but high enough to keep the Ping quiet?
Posted by: Stacey D. | February 4, 2011 09:44 AM
I have definitely had those mornings (minus the cute baby)! Run on sentence! Bes!
Posted by: Sara | February 4, 2011 09:44 AM
Uggh! I hate that! The perfect storm for not sleeping in. I'm surprised the cats weren't meowing at you for something, too.
For me, it's usually dogs want out, one cat crying because he's out of water, the other cat is asleep on my stomach, and Constance is beeping at me that I'm low. The best I can do is just get up and try to take a nap later.
Hope you get some rest, Kerri!
Posted by: Holly | February 4, 2011 09:52 AM
UGH! Too bad no more sleep for you Kerri. Love the puff throwing BSparl!
Posted by: Reyna Maher | February 4, 2011 09:54 AM
I hate when that happens! I know exactly how you feel!!!
Posted by: Kassie Tyvela | February 4, 2011 09:58 AM
Inconsiderate pancreas.
I hope you're able to catch a nap!
Posted by: Wendy | February 4, 2011 10:27 AM
It's a good thing that she's not beeping. :) However I totally understand the annoying lack of sleep from beeping. Ug. I hope you can find time to nap.
Posted by: Cara | February 4, 2011 11:06 AM
I know how the multi-alarm situation feels. I ususally set my temp. Basal at -90% so that I am getting some insulin, but not getting the alarms.
Now Dex...he likes to wake me, and the wife up, vibrating on the nightstand. You would think he was drilling for oil all the commotion he makes.
Oh well one alarm I can deal with.
Posted by: Monty | February 4, 2011 11:13 AM
Booo, not sleeping! I'm perplexed, though....I have the Ping as well, and there have been several times when I use a 0% temp basal rate, without any alarms or annoyances. Maybe there's a setting you can change...?
PS. "Fur Elise" is totally the death of me now. Neener neener neener ba bum NOOOOOOOOO!
Posted by: Caroline | February 4, 2011 11:24 AM
I know exactly how that feels. You just want to throw everything across the room. So Annoying!
Posted by: Lindsay | February 4, 2011 11:32 AM
Been there done that. I was so desperate for sleep, I unhooked the pump w/o suspending it. Half hour later the smell of insulin woke me up. Sometimes D wins!
Posted by: Dave | February 4, 2011 01:31 PM
I put the temp at 10% to avoid the beeping. So nice to be able to rise from a mild low without having to eat more or get out of bed.
Posted by: Rose | February 4, 2011 02:27 PM
Ulgh I hate it when the D wakes me up. I talk to my pump/CGM too..."SHUT UP I KNOW CHILLAX I'm not DYING!"
In the words of Chris Farley, "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD LET ME SLEEP!"
Posted by: Rachel | February 4, 2011 03:04 PM
I SO know what you mean with this one Kerri!!
...except my cell phone is usually vibrating/beeping/ringing at me too since I sleep with it as well.
The 'Joys' of living with D...especially as a bedmate!! :)
Posted by: Rebekah Vaughan | February 4, 2011 05:45 PM
I swear, it's like having another child... that diabetes!!
Posted by: Windy | February 4, 2011 06:30 PM
Yup. While the technology is great, sometimes all of the safeguards can drive me crazy!! Some mornings I feel like I haven't slept because my pump beeped and buzzed all night long! Here's hoping you can catch up on your sleep soon!!
Posted by: Karen | February 4, 2011 09:00 PM
Oh man do I feel you on this one. The devices can annoy another way, too. Nothing like running a temp basal of 150% or whatever to deal with a crazy placenta-hormone high and trying to get some sleep, damn you pregnancy insomnia, and then having to listen to the pump beep repeatedly to remind me of the basal rate juuuuust as I start to nod off. SHADDUP, YOU.
Posted by: Kendra | February 4, 2011 09:12 PM
You're much braver than me, Kerri! Maybe it's because you have a husband. I live alone, and if my MM CGM were alerting me to a low (or predicted low) and my meter confirmed it, I would never just suspend the pump. If that strategy didn't work, suspending the pump might turn out to be the last thing I ever did on this earth!
Posted by: June S. | February 4, 2011 09:26 PM
Then there's the buzzing-vibrating because you forgot to change your infusion set before you called it a night. Nothing for it but to drag your sorry hide into the bathroom for the works. THEN just try getting back to sleep . . . .
(@Dave: Insulin has a smell??)
Posted by: Suki | February 6, 2011 08:47 AM
GAH! I have been there..although it is my son's pump being inconsiderate not my own!
The first time he had a low battery warning, it was in the middle of the night. I felt all smart changing the battery and going back to sleep. Just as I drifted off it was making a racket AGAIN..I didn't realize I needed to prime it too! Needless to say..I had a hard time after the second warning getting back to sleep!
Posted by: Jen | February 7, 2011 10:43 AM
This is Exactly why I can't wear my sensor without taking long breaks in-between. I really wish there was a mute button on the medtronic sensors... or wouldn't it be great to be-able to choose the hours of the day that your sensor works?
Posted by: Rebel | February 7, 2011 11:55 AM
Temp Basal to fix a low?! How have I never thought of this before?!
Because, seriously, there are only so many bags of fruit snacks one can eat.
Posted by: StaceyT | February 7, 2011 09:48 PM
this is so me.....cracked me up!!
Posted by: Audrey | February 9, 2011 06:09 AM
Fuck you, pancreas. I never did anything to you.
Posted by: Anooooonamooooouuuussss | February 16, 2011 11:22 PM
I wish I had a Dex to wake me up...I hate staying up after a high or a low to make sure I don't rebound low again.
I've muted my phone for the 3 AM wakeups because I was too tired to test and make sure I wasn't low. Im my head, the argument of "I feel fine" sounds reasonable, until the next morning when I wake up and remember that I NEVER feel lows...oh, stupidity of sleep, how you save me from more holes in my fingers. :-)
Posted by: Alyssa | May 20, 2011 04:08 PM