Category Archives: Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM)
Premature congratulation
On Friday evening, my father-in-law stopped over for a surprise visit – with the question “What’s for dinner?”
Actually, the part about the visit being a surprise was a lie, but the question was true. Not being in the mood to hear criticisms of a homemade meal, we elected to head out to a local Bar-and-Grill type place to eat.
I ordered a corned-beef reuben sandwich with a side of fries. And since the Happy Hour special, a 16 ounce (light) beer for $1.50, was too good to pass up, I got one of those too.
French fries will be the death of me. I don’t think I ever ate a fry that I didn’t later regret — at least not since I started keeping a close eye on my blood sugars. (But the sandwich, prepared on rye bread, should be better than a different type of sandwich on a bun, right?).
But this time, I thought I finally got it right:
From Medtronic Carelink Personal. Image carefully manipulated in MS Paint since I don’t have access to the superior presentation of Carelink Pro.
My blood sugar came up, peaked a bit, then started to come back down. Just like it should — but rarely does — after a meal like this.
Finally!! I got it right!! I was really, really proud of myself that night. I was in disbelief, but quietly congratulating myself for getting the bolus right.
I went to bed with a big smile on my face, just delighted over how well my D-management was.
But six hours later, I learned that – while I was sleeping like a baby – the shit had hit the fan…
Sigh.
Apparently I noticed a small climb in BG and had given a slight correction for them (I also, apparently, slept through a few alarms), but I wasn’t prepared to wake up at 3:32 am with a blood sugar of 297 mg/dl.
Next time, I’ll wait a full 24 hours before assessing my diabetes-related decisions…
Hope, anxiety, and the search for Enlite-nment
I admit it. I’m one of the people that has put a big emotional investment on hope. I think everyone hopes for something, but the extent to which we rely on that hope, and and to which it makes us happy or sad, anxious or angry, motivated or despondent, varies.
In this particular case, my hope has led me to inclinations of the latter of each of the three pairings (sadness, anger, despondency).
Why? Because I’m not hoping for something that hasn’t been discovered yet (well, I am, but that’s not what upsets me). I’m hoping for something that is available to the most of the free world (you can even order it in Canada, apparently), but not in the United States.
I’m talking about the Medtronic Enlite Continuous Glucose Monitoring Sensor.
Why is it that those of us in the States are stuck using a primitive sensor with a needle that is terrifyingly large and readings that are (sometimes) terrifyingly inaccurate? (sometimes, this happens)
Even though I somehow forgot to bolus for Saturday’s breakfast, this should never have happened:
Dot-dot-dot
Fox promotional image
Grandpa: Now, remember the plan, boy. If you run out of air, tug on the rope…
Bart: 64 times, no more, no less. Got it.
Grandpa: No no! 63 times if you’re out of air; 64 is if you found the treasure!
{later}
Grandpa: 61… 62… 63… Oh no! 63! He’s out of air! I’ve sent my only grandson to a watery gra… 64! He’s found the treasure! I’m rich!-from The Simpsons 1996 episode “The Curse of the Flying Hellfish”
Remember that one? (I wish I could find a video to embed. Some help, please?)
A very good day
I’m still recovering from the shock.
Breakfast (first tick-mark on left side of graph): 2 Eggo waffles with sugar-free syrup, provolone cheese, coffee
Lunch (mid-graph tick mark): A burrito, Taco Supreme, and 32-ounce Diet Pepsi (plus refill) from Taco Bell … along with a one hour dual-wave bolus: half now, half later.
I keep pinching myself to make sure I’m awake. This sort of thing doesn’t happen often; especially with meals like those. But considering some of the other days I’ve had, I’ll gladly take this one.
