To anyone that reads or happens upon this blog… Hello!
It was not until recently when my endocrinologist and I decided that I may as well start using an insulin pump sooner than later that I discovered how large the online diabetic community is. There are so many type 1 diabetics (T1D’s), type 2 diabetics (T2D’s), pumpers, etc. out there sharing their stories and lives. When no one in your life is a T1D it makes you feel less alone.
A quick bit about my story. I am a type 1 diabetic, I use Lantus and Humalog insulin, I wear a Dexcom G4 Platinum constant glucose monitor (CGM) and this month am converting to a Tandem t:slim insulin pump and Novolog insulin. I have no been a diabetic my whole life thus I feel this has added to my troubles kicking bad habits. I first found out I was a diabetic in 2010, 25 years into my life. At first my doctors treated me like as a type 2 with oral medications. It eventually became clear that I was a type 1 (or type 1.5 LADA) and would require insulin.
I had been managing my diabetes by taking the medications prescribed to me but maybe checking my sugar 1 time a day if that. My endocrinologist was not happy with me at all to say the least. So I started to monitor better and between monitoring and my A1C barely coming down the decision was made to convert me to Lantus. At first I was using Lantus one time a day taking 5 units in the evening. As time passed on in 2011 we added Humalog insulin into my routine. 1-2 before meals. I continued to have issues managing my sugar and my high numbers caused me all kinds of stress. In 2012 I finally faced the fact that I was a true type 1 diabetic that would have to manage my blood sugars with insulin. After seeing my endocrinologist we finally came up with a real game plan. 10 units of Lantus twice daily and a sliding scale with a 1-10 ratio of Humalog for meals.
Anyone who has diabetes will tell you that multiple daily injections (MDI’s) is not the thing. You have to find spots to give yourself the injections, sometimes they hurt, sometimes they cause bruises and occasionally they’ll bleed.
To move things along I’m going to summarize where I am now. I was invited to be part of a diabetes study if I passed some requirements. Things were moving along well until they came back with A1C and it was 8.7. This was odd because I had blood work drawn 2 days after that draw and it came back as 8.4. Unfortunately they had already called and said I could not participate because I was over 8.4 prior to me receiving my own labs results. The experience was good though because this is when I was first exposed to the word CGM or constant glucose monitor. “Wait wait,” I said “There is a device that will constantly tell me roughly what my sugar is every 5 minutes?” I made a mental note to myself to bring this up to my endocrinologist at my next visit (starting w/ Jan this year he had me coming in monthly).
At my next appointment, only a month later, I asked my A1C be checked again. It was 8.0… Ok some progress but not enough. My doctor agreed that a CGM would be of benefit to me and when I asked about if I would eventually be on a pump he shook his head up and down and said yes. I said ok well how about the t:slim to go with the fancy colored screen on my soon to be owned Dexcom. I told myself I wasn’t going to let diabetes beat me anymore and I want to have an A1C of 7.0 or better.
Well it was a little over a month later and a couple weeks with the Dexcom that I was in his office again because my pump had arrived. His nurse brought in the test to check my A1C. As she poked my finger I thought to myself “This better come in somewhere under 8,” as I had taken drastic measured in changing my diet and micromanaging my sugars with my Dexcom and Aviva glucometer. The doctor came in and we started chatting. About 10 minutes into the appointment he was taking notes when I looked over and saw at the top of the paper “A1C 7.1.” I said “Is that my A1C? 7.1?” he said “Oh yes we started taking and I forgot to tell you the news.” I immediately started crying and we aren’t talking about just a few tears. I did it. I am .1 away from the “Golden Number 7,” as I call it.
So that about sums up how I learned and to date have been managing my diabetes. Hopefully with my new tools, my new attitude towards diabetes and the tremendous amount of other diabetics sharing their stories I will reach that .7 and until there is a cure maybe even get close to what I call “Platinum Number 6.”
Feel free to follow me and my story.
Please note. I am not a medical professional and do not pretend to be one. Do not take or use anything I say to manage your own diabetes. Do not attempt to manage your diabetes based off posts or stories written on this blog. You should only manage your diabetes with your medical professional. The post and stories written on this blog are my own and the care of my diabetes is done by my medical professional.