That feeling of mild fuzz on my teeth when my blood sugars are really high? I loathe that. Diabetes is the leading cause of my excessive dental hygiene obsession; I keep a tooth brush in my purse and I floss daily, and even though visits to the dentist are uncomfortable because of sensitive teeth, I go every damn time because…
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508 mg/dL. What? No way. 488 mg/dL. 501 mg/dL. Dexcom was just saying HIGH to me. I made some really dumb decisions. I should have pulled that site out and replaced it last night at 9 pm when it became obvious that my blood sugar was not responding to the insulin from my boluses. Instead, the thick and sticky pudding…
On any average day, my glucose meter results are just mine. … mostly. I worry about lows while I’m driving my daughter or traveling alone, but while a low might be witnessed by someone else, it’s my body that goes through the experience. (Not to minimize the experience of watching diabetes from a distance; that’s a whole other post.) The…
Woke up to this little gremlin number on my meter: Gross, gross start to the day. #DOCtober #diabetes A photo posted by Kerri Sparling (@sixuntilme) on Oct 20, 2015 at 6:11am PDT I pulled my site and immediately blood streamed out, leaving a trail down the side of my hip and actually running onto the bathroom floor (which is DISGUSTING…
Ninety percent of the time, my high blood sugar has an identifiable reason, and there’s a cluster of common causes. Did I under-estimate the carbs in a snack and therefore under-bolus? Did I over-treat a low blood sugar? Did I eat without bolusing at all (it happens)? Is there a lot of stress floating around that I’m responding to? Most…
Not A Single Decent Number.
Blood Sugars, Dexcom, Psychosocial Support, Real Life Diabetes, Robot Life, Traveling“Huh. 223 mg/dL. Still.” This was the mumbled mantra of our vacation to Maine. Aside from the long drive to Bar Harbor (six hours, plus coffee stops and bathroom stops and “Hey, look at that lobster!” stops), the time we spend in Maine is usually very active. As a family, we did the hike around Jordan Pond (about 3.5 miles),…
The Art of the Pre-Bolus.
Blood Sugars, Diet and Food, Insulin, Pumping Insulin, Real Life Diabetes, Robot Life“So it’s a Wednesday night … what’s the chance we might not be seated right away?” “Are you talking to me?” Chris asked, pulling the car into a parking spot near the entrance of the restaurant. “Yeah. Sort of. I’m trying to decide if I should bolus now, because I’m 200 and I don’t want to be high all night. …
Since it’s December now, I hope it’s okay to revisit a video that includes a festive ol’ tree in the background. This video is about how awesome coffee is … and why it matters that the order is RIGHT. (See also: Now I put my own fake sugar in the cup, instead of playing coffee roulette.) You might…
What A High Blood Sugar Feels Like.
Blood Sugars, Diabetes Advocacy, Psychosocial Support, Real Life DiabetesThe American Diabetes Association cites the following symptoms as indicative of high blood sugar: High blood glucose [Editor’s note: Duh] High levels of sugar in the urine Frequent urination Increased thirst And if high blood sugar goes untreated? “Hyperglycemia can be a serious problem if you don’t treat it, so it’s important to treat as soon as you detect it….
Blood sugar excursions are one thing (little trips to the grocery store, short flights to Canada … those sorts of excursions are fine) but the long-haul ones are not okay (BOS -> MEL). I can deal with a sticky high of 180 or 200 mg/dL without getting fired up, and lows are less frequent these days, so I’m not as…
“Huh. Still in the 200’s. That sucks.” But I’ve been stressed out and was on a train at the time, so I laced in a quick correction bolus and barely noticed that the site felt a little sore as I was sitting on the Acela. Later that day, still in the 200’s. But again, stress? So I went to dinner…
The Sparling household has reached a frenzied pitch of stress this week, with a big project for me reaching the finish line simultaneously as a big project for my husband begins. Overall, we manage our family circus (… could Billy ever get anywhere without leaving a trail of dashes in his wake? Gross.) without stepping into the ‘unhealthy’ zone, but…