Endo Appointment Today... bit of a rant

[Erin]

begin rant

Bah! A1c 7.5 (up from 6.8) Ordinarily i consider anything in the low to mid 7's just fine... but it is rather frustrating to have it jump that much in 4 months. What is further frustrating is that I know my numbers have been a bit higher. They've been a bit higher because I've been sitting on my bum writing my thesis, instead of running around after my students. (not to mention all the stress I'm under right now, big deadline Monday)

Here is the kicker. My thesis is on how diabetes effects kids in school!!! I'll be sitting around reading studies about how hyperglycemia negatively effects learning, with a BG of 300. Or reading about how hypoglycemia effects cognition and realize I have no idea what I just read, because my BG is 35. My life is a lesson in irony.

But the good news, partly as a result of advice from people on here I'm getting off of those infuriating disposable humalog pens, and switching to Novolog with a NovoPen. Doc thinks the Novolog profile might better match my metabolism as well... so that'll be another plus.

rant over. Thanks for listening.

-Erin

[seacomp]

begin rant ... rant over.
Rants accepted, espcially when they are well controlled!:smile:
Sorry that you A1C wasn't better, perhaps the novolog will help.:nurse:

[Erin]

thanks seacomp.

i'm just mad at the world today. :flute:

[valc3]

Erin, ranting can be a good thing, especially if it relieves tension. I hope the Novalog works for you and you can beat the A1C down.

[duck]

Meh. So you're NOT perfect.

Actually, all things considered, sounds like you are doing very well. Lack of exercise and the stress of a major event in your life can do you in reeeeal fast. You should probably give yourself a pat on the back.

[Erin]

Thanks guys. You're a bit of a reality check.

I honestly don't think 7.5 is bad... It's just... well... it's the thesis.

I'm spending 12 hours a day thinking about OTHER people's diabetes, and IGNORING MY OWN.

[Erin]

And Duck,

I never said I was perfect. Well... maybe I implied it once or twice... :flute:

:)

[Cinnabon]

Erin....

Big hug for you!!!

Rant all u want to.. I know what this feels like...
You know u can jump back on that wagon fast.

[Tokyo Cate]

I know it isn't crushing news, Erin, but am a wee bit crushed for you. We all look for a good number as validation, and even if I don't deserve a good number, I still hope for one.

Let's hope you get your thesis finished soon and start chasing those kids around soon. Or maybe you should hook up to your Ipod a few times a day and head out for a walk to clear your mind, refresh and give yourself a thirty minute or one hour break from your thesis to help you get your numbers back where you would like them.

All the best.

[am1977]

Erin...

I agree... 7.5 isn't so bad at all. Plus, if you become a little more active and watch your blood sugars a little more closely :captain:, I'm sure you will get the next one down in no time...I'm sure there will be an improvement.

Question, were you expecting that as your A1c or did you expect better? I think if you were expecting something different, it might be a little disappointing. I know that's how it is for me. If I go in expecting a great result and it's not what I expect, it can really upset me. However, if I can anticipate things.... I'm not as disappointed.

Whatever the case, I think it's good that you know, b/c now you can work at improving things...

Don't give up :top:

[Shotokan]

I know what you're going through. I was working full time and fitting my dissertation in as time allowed. Then the dean called me into his office and said, "I'm giving you 6 more months to finish your dissertation and that's it." Well, priorities changed in a hurry. I cut back to working half-time and started working on my dissertation 10 hours a day 7 days a week. My BS went whacky many, many times working late into the night. Not fun at all. Remember to take a break now and then and think happy thoughts. (Jeez, I sound like Jimminy Cricket).

[vrocco1]

I understand where you are coming from. I am in the middle of a very high pressure project. Some days, my BGL is at 300 before mid-morning. That is with the same breakfast and insulin dose as usual. Recently, I've been doubling my morning Humalog (15 units), and still not ending up in my normal range. Stress, pressure, and distractions can have disastrous results!

When will you finish your thesis?

[Erin]

Not fun at all. Remember to take a break now and then and think happy thoughts. (Jeez, I sound like Jimminy Cricket).

I thought it was tinker bell who had the happy thoughts... Jimminy Cricket was let your conscience be your guide? Either way it's good advice. :)

First major deadline for the thesis is monday... then the stress will be off for a week or so, with the whole shebang being due in Mid-May. I'm celebrating by buying a pair of roller-blades. And I'll be working at a summer camp this summer, so... I'll probably be fighting hypo battles then :)

Thanks everybody for your words of encouragement, especially those of you going through similar things... why do we put this sort of pressure on ourselves? And why do I need to write a thesis to be a stinking elementary school teacher anyway?

[seacomp]

And why do I need to write a thesis to be a stinking elementary school teacher anyway? Indeed! That's a requirement?:questionm When you mentioned thesis, I thought Masters degree for extra pay.
I'm not surprised there an extra requirements in order to be "stinking".:evil::stupido2:

[vrocco1]

And why do I need to write a thesis to be a stinking elementary school teacher anyway?

Well, first of all, it explains your ability to express your thoughts so well :biggrin:

[sydneya]

Hey, Erin!! You are going to make a fantastic elementary teacher. The way you express yourself will feel great to the chillens. Just stop, take deep breaths, go for a walk, drink lots of water and whatever else relaxes you.

BE SURE TO POST YOUR THESIS HERE, SO WE CAN ALL LEARN A LITTLE OF WHAT YOU DID!!

[Erin]

BE SURE TO POST YOUR THESIS HERE, SO WE CAN ALL LEARN A LITTLE OF WHAT YOU DID!!

You all want to die of boredom? :rofl:

Right now it's a lot of doctors and psychologists using big technical words to talk about what we do and talk about every day... It's funny when they completely miss the meaning in something a a kid reports in an interview... oh well, just goes to show, people with alphabet soup after their names really *aren't* that much smarter than the rest of us.

[Mariel's Mom]

Erin,

Would you be willing to share some information from your literature review - articles and studies you have found. Even better the results from your thesis. I have been looking for information about how diabetes affects learning to share with my daughter's kindergarten teacher - (ever since she sent home a note about how my daughter seemed to be slow in completing her work - heck it was only 2 weeks after her diagnosis- still had very high sugars and I had just had a training with the teacher about highs and lows and what to look for - I was incensed that a teacher could be so a) obtuse- and could not connect obvious dots or b)insensitive but realized that it was probably c - she had no clue - (with a little bit of b. thrown in.)

I have been on the internet searching for anything related to this topic and usually pull up stuff related to legal rights. It would be very helpful in educating her teachers at the beginning of the school year. Obviously, I want Mariel to meet her potential and do what she is responsible for to do well in school - but the reality is that she has a disease that causes large (and long in duration vs normal) fluctuations of bg - usually highs after breakfast and lunch which last a good part of her day and would like to better understand how that affects her learning mind - memory, concentration other than to say that yes it does affect it and leave it at that.

The ignorance of this disease at the school level is very surprising - I would like to change that. Good luck with your thesis and your teaching career - see title line.

Thanks

[Shotokan]

I thought it was tinker bell who had the happy thoughts... Jimminy Cricket was let your conscience be your guide?

Give me a break. I'm a guy. You think I'm gonna say I sound like tinker bell?! I'd have to turn in my man card. :cool:

[Erin]

Would you be willing to share some information from your literature review - articles and studies you have found. Even better the results from your thesis. I have been looking for information about how diabetes affects learning to share with my daughter's kindergarten teacher - (ever since she sent home a note about how my daughter seemed to be slow in completing her work - heck it was only 2 weeks after her diagnosis- still had very high sugars and I had just had a training with the teacher about highs and lows and what to look for - I was incensed that a teacher could be so a) obtuse- and could not connect obvious dots or b)insensitive but realized that it was probably c - she had no clue - (with a little bit of b. thrown in.)

Obviously, I want Mariel to meet her potential and do what she is responsible for to do well in school - but the reality is that she has a disease that causes large (and long in duration vs normal) fluctuations of bg - usually highs after breakfast and lunch which last a good part of her day and would like to better understand how that affects her learning mind - memory, concentration other than to say that yes it does affect it and leave it at that.
Thanks

Thanks for the vote of confidence. so far this http://www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/pubs/Youth_SchoolGuide.pdf is the best info I've found for sharing with teachers. It's not per-say how diabetes effects learning, but SHOULD get it through to the teacher that high and low =not good, and high and low = school is harder. But to be clear, the research I've found is really inconclusive. The only things that really emerges is that kids in good control seem to be smarter than kids in poor control. But some authors argue that it is BECAUSE they are smarter that they are able to maintain better control, rather than the other way around. Another pretty consistent finding is that kids who have severe or extended periods of HypOglycemia have some cognitive difficulties, especially hypos with seizures. Howard Taras, and William Potts-Datema wrote a review on all of the current research on chronic illness and school achievement. It's in the Journal of School Health 2005 Vol 75 No. 7 pp 255-266 the article is called Chronic Health Conditions and Student Performance at School.

And in your child's teacher's defense, she did the right thing in letting you know your daughter's performance in school was being effected by her diabetes. Would you prefer she write it off as part of the disease and lower her expectations? She may not have connected the dots that it was high blood sugar causing the change, but what if you didn't KNOW Mariel's numbers were high? The teacher could have provided you with a bit of insight. Teachers have a hard job, and the fact that she took the time to write a note home indicates her concern for Mariel and her health and academic success... If she was really insensitive, she could have saved herself the bother and just given your daughter failing grades. Or worse, just passed her through without the skills necessary to succeed in 1st grade. Keep those lines of communication open! And in order to live a successful life Mariel is either going to have to get those highs in check, or learn how to be productive through them. I know that sounds harsh, but it's the fact of living well with this disease. It is actually easier for children to power through the highs than adults (at least in my personal experience... when I was a kid I used to just feel a little sleepy, now it's like the worst hangover I've ever had, without the fun part)

I hope everything works out for Mariel... Diabetes doesn't mean you can't be successful in school... Lotsa us on here are braniacs... *toots own horn*
*National Honor Society in HS
*Magna cum laude in College
and if I play my cards right
*Suma cum laude in graduate school.

Don't let diabetes be an excuse... cause it's not. Maybe it's a *reason* but not an excuse.

[seacomp]

Just a question from igorance. Can one distinguish between the medical effects of the disease on cognition, attention span, etc., etc. and the psychological affects from having the disease, or more specically from knowing you have the disease and that others do also?
Example, it's one thing to hypo into a coma during a test, and another to be consumed by anxiety that you will hypo during a test

[Erin]

in a carefully controlled study yes. The effects diabetes has on cognition are not drawn from looking at school grades / teacher reports... it's all carefully constructed lab design. That said, the fear of hypoglycemia is widely reported, and is one of the most problematic aspects of managing diabetes in school for many children.