Monday, September 27, 2010

Walking In Elevated High Blood Sugar Shoes As Of Late

Like many in the DOC, I've been experiencing seasonal high blood sugars as of late. Not super spastic, crazy sugars that cause me to feel like I'm perpetually walking through J-E-L-L-O while switching to decaf.
No, I'm talking sight and or higher than normal elevations that require a temporary bolus rate, an extra shot of caffeine (and or B12) and more patience than this Diazon is known to have.

I first noticed the continuous, slightly elevated bgs a few weeks ago, and thought I'd discovered a new dead spot (always a delightful a-ha moment,) but after changing my infusion set several times, I realized it was me, not my site. So in actuality, yours truly had two a-ha moments occurred that day - Oprah would be proud!

The temporary bolus rate stays for a few days I run normal. Then I give my old basal rates a try, and for a few days all is well, then the elevated blood sugars start again.

I swear it's like I'm wearing elevated blood sugar platform shoes (which bring to mind all sorts of funky visuals) as if late, even when I'm in my comfy asics gels.

This is also the time of year when my first diabetes symptoms started to appear all those years ago. I've been thinking a lot about that time of my life as of late, I always do - the reminders are all around me.

The Indian summer days, the crisp start if fall nights, watching the kids in the neighborhood trek off to the first day of school. I think about the little girl long ago who started third grade filled with excitement and extreme thirst all those years ago. The same little girl whose new clothes started to hang on her and who wanted to sleep after school more than she wanted to play with her friends.

Anyway, enough about memory lane and my diaversary - I'll be writing about both soon enough.
Back to the issue of the pain in the ass known as seasonal high blood sugars.
Are you experiencing seasonal high blood sugars and if so, how are you handling them? When were you diagnosed with diabetes? Do you think there two are connected?

6 comments:

Holly said...

YES!!! Where did they come from?! I've been trying to find a new basal rate to steady them (especially in the morning), but it seems like nothing works. And it also seems like my bolus insulin does absolutely nothing to food. It seems no matter how long/how much before I bolus for food, I still spike in the 250s without a thought. It's really, REALLY frustrating. Does this ever level out?

Rachel said...

Yes, though I'm under quite a bit of stress, so that adds to the problem...

Unknown said...

Hi, My name is Reyna (mother and pancreas to Joe 7 years old, he was diagnosed when he was 3). Anyway, we too are having a high issue in the am...when Joe is incredibly insulin resistant. Over the past few weeks, I have bumped up his ratio from a 1:14 to a 1:11, bumped up his basal, and even added a "SUPER" bolus into the mix to get the little bugger down to the low 200s after breakfast. I don't know what is in the air, but it is annoying the shit out of me...and we get the lovely added bonus of heading to Endo tomorrow - LOL.

Nice to meet you.

Lindsay said...

Eww. I almost wish. It would be better than the seasonal low blood sugars I've been experiencing. Yikes. I've been much lower than I care to be lately, and of course, all of the lows were without reason.

A strange idea, but if the "normal" basal days happen when you're being fairly active and the "high" days are less active, you may want to try a different bottle of insulin. I'm known to have a bottle or two with question marks written on them in sharpie.

Anonymous said...

Hello, like Reyna I too am a mother and pancreas to Ellie 4 years old just 9 months into her D diagnosis. We too have been watching annoying high blood sugars creeping in. I just increased her basal a teeny bit today and am looking forward to a couple of long days with little sleep to see if that does the trick. I hope we all get some positive results from our efforts this week! Love your blog by the way, it's fun!

Mike Hoskins said...

Temperature changes impact my BGs - so when it gets warm, and then when it gets colder. Usually, extremes on one end also have some impact that I try to compensate for with extra bolusing or sometimes basal changes. Just depends on what's going on at the time. Diagnosed in spring, 1984 at age 5. Only been that way since mid 20s, though, really since hayfever and allergies really started hitting me. Strange how things evolve.