[fgummett]

Hey April,

I don't think anyone here think of you as an idiot. If the folks here didn't care... well... not only would DF cease to exist, but you certainly would not have gotten some of the forthright responses on this thread.
Have you tried talking this over with your family... I'll bet you anything that they would rather have you around them, healthy and happy for as long as possible, than see you work yourself into an early grave... guaranteed 100%... no question. I'll go further and suggest that they would be willing to help you out in ways that you can't even imagine yet

~ Frank

[mortis505]

When starting to use the CGMS, you will need to do a fair amount of calibration, i.e. finger sticks. this may help you with getting used to manual testing more often which could possibly lead to much improved control. But as was stated above, there is lag between what a finger BG will read as opposed to a sensor reading.

Good luck and let us know how it works for you.

[pooh3465]

If it was a family member or close friend of mine with diabetes who wanted to be on a pump and wasn't testing I would ABSOLUTELY say they should NOT be on the pump. If you're not testing, a pump is dangerous. End of story. What if your tubing kinked? You could go into DKA without noticing you were high before it was too late. If you're on Lantus or Levemir, or god-forbid NPH, at least you know you're getting your insulin.

Hmmm you would make an excellent doctor! I have ended up in the hospital with my pump before my bloodsugars kept going higher and higher and the more finger sticks i did the worse they seemed the more insulin I took the less it seemed to do but since I have been on my pump my sugars only got to 500 and I had to be in the hospital as to the 900 they were the last time I went before I had the pump. I understand your logic of not wanting them to be on the pump if they are not testing but I think it does not work that way for everyone, or maybe thats just my fantasy.....



I'm glad you feel better, but I don't consider that the "gold standard" so to speak.


No it is not the gold standard as most would probably see it but before the pump it was like I had a split personality I was a horrible horrible person screaming when my sugars were high laying around in bed because it was hard to move and after the pump my life is so much better and i have no doubt I would have been dead by now if I had not gotten the pump. So for me it's a little closer to gold then I was.


Yes, but how often is a "typical day?"

OK now ya got me.........honestly not often I am trying to get better about testing I have 4 machines seems I can never find any of them, but I got them all to sit right where i sit everyday, my routines are pretty much the same but who knows why I move them.

I have til october to figure out what I want to do but at least now I know that this could be more of a problem then a help. I will see if I can't get better at testing first before I get either

[Keezheekoni]

I want to chime in on your thinking that you have to take time away from your family to deal with your diabetes.

I have five children, ages 4, 6, 9, 16, and 18. I have a husband. I have two dogs and a cat. I test up to 14 times a day. Last Friday I switched from my Cozmo pump to my MM w/CGMS.

I DO NOT have to take ANY time away from my family to deal with my diabetes. If I'm low, I chomp on some glucose tablets and go on my way. If I'm high, I put in the correction on my pump and go on my way. If I need to check my bg, I do it and go one my way. My family knows that if they want me around for a long time, they will wait the two seconds it take for me to check my bg. I don't take any time away from my family to do it. In fact, my kids will often be around me while I'm checking and we go right on with the conversation we were having, with no pausing, while I pull out my kit and test.

Maybe it's just me, but I really don't know how it takes any of your time away from your family to deal with diabetes...

Oh and my 2 cents about the CGMS, yes you do have to test often. You only have to calibrate the sensor twice a day, but you still need to test before and after meals, when you're feeling wonky, before and after snacks, at bedtime, at waking... I calibrate my sensor 4 times a day. Mine seems to work well for me and is in range within 10mg/dL all day, however I would *never* bolus for a meal without doing a finger stick.

[shiftzor]

Originally Posted by pooh3465

....P.S. don't hate me because I am an idiot, just talk to me and bring me around to your way of thinking as a friend

I don't think theres anyone here who hates you at all. If anything people worry too much, we all deal with this stuff everyday in our own lives and i see so much ignorance about this disease it upsets me. Your health should come first before your family, without your health what good will you be to your family? Diabetes is a time bomb, those high bgs eventually catch up with you and then those complications will take you away from your family. Sorry if thats upsetting and i am sorry to hear about your history i can't imagine how hard it must be.

I think what might help you is taking 10minutes out of one day a week and writing all your bgs down, you could use a download the results from your meter(s) to your computer using a data cable and diabetes management software provided by your meter company if it makes it easier. Getting some accountability might make you realise what is going on. I know that fear of testing, I have snacked in the past and then not tested because i knew it would give me a spike, which would affect my averages. My meter readings were fine but my A1c didn’t match.

Why don't you make part of your wake up routine doing a bg test? Get your family to remind you, i am sure they would all support you. Once you start writing it down, trends will appear like always being high in the morning etc, you can then adjust your doses. As you say one step at a time, no sense in trying to run before you can walk.

Random fact of the day:
Something that scared me was that a little over 100 years ago the average life expectancy of a type 1 diabetic was 3 weeks from diagnosis.

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by shiftzor

Random fact of the day:
Something that scared me was that a little over 100 years ago the average life expectancy of a type 1 diabetic was 3 weeks from diagnosis.

Having been DXed by way of DKA, the mortality stats for DKA got my attention...

I'll disagree slightly with the others about diabetic not requiring time away. Any time I drop below the mid-50s, I need to sit down and wait for things to stabilize... which usually takes about 15-20 minutes while the sugars kick in. Fortunately, this isn't too often.

Yet, when I run high (150+), I'm not really all "here". One could argue that lax management takes away more time than tighter control.

I like how I feel, and who I am, much better when my sugar is where it should be. I do what I must to keep everything in check. If someone can't accept that, it's their problem -- not mine.

[Jan B]

Pooh,

I admire your honesty about how bad you are about testing and taking care of yourself. I see a lot of truth in every single thing that has been said. First, you must care about, and love yourself. A very sad truth, to me, and obviously it's happening to you . . . . is when you are deeply hurt, you/we tend to hurt ourselves even more. This behavior may be more common among those who have been abused. I know that when you have been pounded on, it's crazy, but common, to jump in and join the abusers by abusing yourself. STOP!!

The simplest way to get better control of your diabetes is to test more often. Test first thing in the morning. If you are high and take a correction, make sure to test again in 3, 4, or for sure 5 hours to make sure that your bs went down enough. Always test before meals, and bolus the correct amoount of carbs, even for the little snacks you might throw in.

Treat yourself with love and put yourself/your health above the wants/desires of anyone else. The time involved in better care, testing more and making wiser food choices is minimal. Taking a cigarette break for example, would take more time than checking and correcting your blood sugar.

Once again, I admire your honesty. Plunge right in and LOOK through your meter numbers to see what you are doing to yourself. Then, promise yourself you will begin testing more. Testing more really is a huge part of getting it together.

[pooh3465]

I really appreciate everyone for there replies and yes I really do have to get ahold of my diabetes and sometimes I try sometimes I don't but at least from asking this question and getting these replies right now I am pretty sure the cgm is not going to be for me. First I am going to have to make myself take them and as Shiftzor suggests learn to write them down. At least I have been more educated about the two meters and what it takes to have them. I will let ya know if I made the grade and was able to collect a weeks worth of blood sugars next week Thanks Everyone!!!!!!!!!

[Alice]

Pooh, I love your honesty. And if you are like most of us on DF, reading about others successes/failures helps us all. The good and the bad.

While I think it's wonderful you are already on the pump, I don't think moving to an OmniPod will answer all your problems. Nor will the CGMS, but it may help track your eating and med pattern.

I feel you really need to get down to the basics of carb counting and insulin dosing. With numbers continually averaging high, something is very wrong.

I'm on MDI and must do the exact same thing that pumpers do...test often and administer a bolus for every carb I eat. If I'm not accurate, then my numbers are off. Same with a pump.

A pump is only a tool to administer insulin. It's not the end of the process.

If you don't mind me asking...who is coaching you on insulin ratios? We all make decisions daily to change our dose...are you making any changes or sticking with an amount that was prescribed early on?

Good luck and keep us posted!

[HollyB]

Hi there,

I know you are dealing with some really big issues here, and glad to hear that you have a counsellor to help you with that. It takes courage to wrestle with the kind of past you've had, and raise kids, and keep yourself together too. And it takes courage to come to a place like this for help, knowing that there are major changes you need to make.

But I wondered if a few really practical little suggestions might help too? As mom to a 16-year-old, I know how remembering to test/bolus when you get busy can be a problem! But sometimes little adjustments in your routine can help get a new habit started. Like:

• you say you have trouble finding your meter when you need it. Aaron's meter is almost always right in his pocket. Could you dig up a small purse with a shoulder strap, sling it over your head and across your body so you can be hands-free, and wear your meter for a few weeks so it's always with you and you're aware of it?

• you can program most meters, and all pumps, to give reminder alarms at set times. You can set your meter to alarm at mealtimes, for example, or 3 hours after you eat to remind you to check that you took enough insulin. Or if you tend to forget to bolus, you can have your pump alarm if a certain number of hours pass without a bolus. Get into your manuals and see what they can do!

• I like the idea of enlisting your family. You look after them a lot; maybe they'd rise to the chance to do a little something for you. For example, get your sister to call you every evening for a week to ask how many times you tested and encourage you to keep it up (if you think that would help -- having someone to report to often does help). Or ask your kids to remind you to test when you sit down to eat together. Fight that mindset that you are taking AWAY from them to look after yourself. Families look after each other, and it's good for kids to learn to think about someone besides themselves. And besides, you're a better mom when you're healthy.

Good luck, we're all rooting for you. Let us know how things are going OK?

[Alice]

I use two meters...they are always in the same spot. One in my top bathroom drawer...the other one in a zipper case (with insulin) in my purse. I probably use both equally...about 10times a day...sometimes less. I can't imagine not being able to find my meter...that's a "constant" that will not change. Also, I use an Ultra Mini in my purse...very small and easy to use. I now have the new pink and green models!

Since my purse is normally in the kitchen...it's readily available if I don't feel like heading back to my bathroom.

[medsavailable]

I love to have that one, I need to check my glucose content because I am aware about my health. I have a diabetes history in my family and Im afraid to have one.