true/false

[techgirl12]

hey guys
i'm just wondering a few things that i've heard or been told and i was wondering if they are true or false.

should you really wait a year after diagnosis to start on a pump?

does the adrenaline rush from roller coasters make blood sugars rise? [thinking of going to six flags soon... but a little worried]

should you always check your BS during sleep?

and finally

do you really have to eat all three meals (with breakfast by 10am) to keep stable blood sugars?

thanks everyone! I appreciate the help!

[Olidus]

Melissa,

I think the general deal about waiting a year is to make sure that you do not run into a honeymoon phase - as things can get different if this is the case. It is also recomended this way to get a better understanding where your insulin resistance truly is at.
Be it if you have diabetes or not - eating 3 meals a day is just general good for everyone.
Pre- Diabetes for myself I never ate breakfast - then when I started to take insulin - I needed to - I also found that overall I did that much better with everythign else. If you miss a meal here or there its not like your BGs are goign to drop necessarily, your body will store glucose to release if needed at times if what I read is true.

My 2 cents.

[UpNorth]

Well, i don't know how other doctors recommend... But I first started pumping just about 3-4 months after diagnose. I was even ASKED by my doctor if i wanted to try pump because i had one arm in plastercast (scaphoid fracture) which complicated the injections. I guess it depends on how much you know about your own diabetes and how much resposibility you can take. Having a pump does require a fair bit of testing because there's no backup insulin in your body if something goes wrong with a set or the pump itself :s: You can go HI very fast... Btw... My honeymoon had already ended when i started with the pump...

Rollercoasters... Ooo I really have to go on one soon again! Some people go low, others high from riding roller coasters. I don't get affected much by it really...

The meals are very individual... Some people have to eat regularly, others can skip a meal and still do well. For me it depends on what i'm doing that day. If i'm working i have to eat breakfast first when i arrive work, and then again at the first break, and then lunch. But when i'm just bumming at home, i can go without food until hungry :T

[Evermont]

Go ahead and enjoy the roller coaster. Test before and after and let us know your results. Try not to worry though - that can raise you're BS a bit, and you might do it a lot more often than you ride roller coasters.

How do you test BS while sleeping?!?! Sleep is important - get a good nights sleep, then test when you wake up.

[tanyatype1]

Hi there Melissa ~ I started on a pump about 6 months after diagnosis and it's been great. I've heard some say that type 1's should get used to taking needles of insulin first before jumping onto a pump. :dontknow:

I've also recently read that stress hormones (from a roller coaster?) cause your liver to dump glucose into the bloodstream for a quick boost of energy. Whether or not this happens to you.......well you won't know until you try, so just test yourself after the ride and be aware of the "feelings" of being low so that if you're bg's drop 20 minutes after the ride, you'll be ready for it.

I used to get up in the night very frequently to test, until I was quite sure that my basals were set nicely. Now I only get up in the night if I've eaten something quite late, that I know I'll have to give a little adjustment for, like buttery popcorn for example.

As for the breakfast thing.....I rarely do breakfast! I definately believe that eating breakfast is the healthier way to go, (not necessarily diabetes related) but since I'm on a pump, and my basals are pretty steady, I don't HAVE to eat to keep from going low. I just eat when I'm hungry.:)

[Nifr]

My .02 on roller coasters is that I tend to go low when I visit parks with roller coasters. The extra activity of the day seems to be a factor for me.

[KCP]

Well, i often skip meals and am fine :D
Roller coasters: LOVE EM!
Not sure about the pump, ive been diabetic too long :P

[techgirl12]

thanks everyone for your two cents!

[xMenace]

Keep in mind that when you skip a meal, your body may start to shut down. If you want to lose weight, you should eat regularly. It can leave you energyless too. I run into problems with liver dumps when I finally get around to eating after skipping a meal. I say experiment.

Roller-coasters - don't assume anything. Assume you won't behave consisantly. Test.

You do not need to check BGs during sleep al the time. But you should invest some time up front doing it. Learn your overnight behaviors so you can be confident in them.

Readiness to start a pump is rather subjective. If you understand the baics of insulin, liver, and food action on BGs, then I have no issues with it.

[RobiJo]

should you really wait a year after diagnosis to start on a pump?
True. Well sort of. I think it's important to know how and why to do stuff without technology. That said, if you are comfortable with it all, then go for it a bit sooner. You can certainly have more fine tuned control.

does the adrenaline rush from roller coasters make blood sugars rise?
True. Sure can. I do a diabetes camp every summer (next week actually). The kids come off rides at Cedar Point and off from climbing the rock walls thinking that they are low, 9 of 10 are usually a bit higher. They feel shaky and excited, but that adrenaline kicked it a

should you always check your BS during sleep?
False. Occasionally (maybe once a week) is a good idea. More so if you are noticing a problem in bed and am numbers.

do you really have to eat all three meals (with breakfast by 10am) to keep stable blood sugars?
Sorta False. As a Type 1 You need to account for what you eat with the insulin you take. However skipping meals or eating a ton at one meal isn't a good idea for anyone's metabolism. Limiting carbs and timing your insulin is also important to keep the bg spike from food as minimal as possible.