This Week My Diabetes Has Been Batshit Crazy.

My diabetes this week.
Image courtesy of Design By Humans.

This Week My Diabetes Has Been Batshit Crazy - and I'm owning it. 

Cut to Monday morning (which was my scheduled site change day,) when I woke up at 5:17 AM, with a fuzzy mouth and blood sugar of 336. I believe the words “FUCK ME,” were uttered multiple times. 

Omnipod site had gone bad in the middle of the night and I slept through Dexcom’s high blood sugar alarm. 

I’d had 24 units left in my pod before I went to bed on Sunday night, with15 hours left before it was empty. Shit happens and I know that. Yet I'm mad at myself for the site crapping out and not changing it out the night before. But all signs pointed to me not having to. Shit happens. Accept and move on. 

Speaking of.. I felt like shit. Downed a huge glass of water, calculated and administered a correction injection, and changed out my site.

5:20 AM 

New pod’s occlusion alarm goes off and I have to change it out. 

Once again I utter “FUCK ME,” followed by “WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!” 

Now I’m BOTH pissed and annoyed.

5:26 AM 

Second new pod site of the day goes in. I set my alarm an go back to sleep

7:30 AM

I wake up and my bg is 289. I think to myself that it should be lower, give myself a correction bolus and sent a 3 hour increased temp basal rate of 45%.

9:20 AM  

Bg is 240. I AM NOT AMUSED. A correction bolus of 1.05 units is given. 

10:45 AM

Bg is 266 and going in the wrong direction. I make the decision to deactivate the pod. 

3rd new pod put in.

Temp basal rate of 60% for 3 hours set. Bg slowly starts going down. 

Small ketones, massive amounts of water consumed. 

I'd scheduled take Monday afternoon off last week, so I answered emails plowed through, and hoped things would kilter out by 1:30 pm. 

1:30 PM 

Meet a friend for lunch. Bg is 210 and I’m like: Hey OK, things are getting back to normal. Except they weren’t. 

I have mahi-mahi fish tacos or lunch. They are delicious and I bolus generously.

3:13 PM  

Blood sugar is 260 and my head hurts. Correction bolus 0.80 given. 

Temp Basal increased by 45% and for three hours, and I down more water. 

My friend asks if I want to get a pedicure. I do, I really do.  

But I decline. I don’t feel good. 

5:09 PM  

Bg is 323. Temp basal rate is increased and set to 60%. 

Correction bolus of 2.25 given.

I drink 20 ounces of water, set the alarm on my phone and take a nap because I am exhausted

6:51 PM 

Bg is 281, with a correction bolus of 0.45 units. No way I’m eating dinner. 

Trace amount of ketones detected, more water consumed. 

8:22 PM  

Blood sugar of 215, with a 0.30 correction bolus. I still feel crappy and watch Brokenwood Mysteries on Acorn TV. Started watching over the weekend and it’s pretty good with a great musical soundtrack. If you haven't already, tune in.

I also check PeriodTracker and confirm that I am ovulating - which normally causes elevated numbers for a few days - but not even close to this current batshit craziness. 

9:13 PM 

Bg 198, 0.85 correction unit given. Drink club soda with a splash of juice and a few crackers because I have 3.3 units of insulin on board and the arrow on my Dex is pointing in a south east direction. 

Speaking of arrows, my graph looks like… well I don’t know what the hell it looks like, but doesn’t look good. 

12 AM Tuesday morning: Blood sugars have evened out and now in the 120s. 

The insulin tally for Tuesday - 71 units of insulin. I normally average somewhere between 39 and 47 units per 24 hour period. 

I turn off the temp basal rate, eat a few more crackers and officially have zero fucks left to give, and head to bed. 

7 AM Tuesday morning: Wake up with a glucose of 240. 

Whatever the hell is going on with my body -  be it hormones, fighting off a cold or allergies, or just because it’s freaking Tuesday - my body requires a higher temp basal rate and more insulin.

Numbers hover between 180 and 215 all day and my 24-hour old site (my leg,) starts to hurt after dinner. 

I don’t want to change it out - but in my heart I know it’s crossed over and become a zombie infusion site. 

10:42 PM Tuesday Night: Change out site and numbers immediately start to depart zombie land. I stay up late to make sure every thing is stable re: my numbers and watch the final episode of Brokenwood, season 5. Bummed it was the final episode and looking forward to season six. 

As of today (Thursday,) I’m still running a temp basal rate that’s increased by 15%. 

Not sweating it, though. My numbers are on the decent side of normal and I know for whatever reasons, my body needs the increased basal rates right now.

I know this to shall pass and I have too much adulting to do to pinpoint the why(s).  

Diabetes And Periods - In This Case - My Period.

Yeah..... NO. 

Yeah, I’m getting personal - I do that on this blog - so if you don’t want to hear about me talking about all that is the glory of having my period and diabetes - OH WELL. 

I’m on the last 24ish hours of my period and I am fucking tired.

Diabetes and periods - at least for me, can mean either relatively mild symptoms and elevated blood sugars for a few days prior to Aunt Flow actually getting her “flow on,” and blood sugars that are perfect, low, or elevated - or a wicked and sometimes manic trifecta of all three, during said period. 

And sometimes not relatively mild at all.  As in not much of an appetite; boobs being tender (yes, as in it can actually hurt to shower, unless the shower-head is set to the "Gentle Rain setting", stomach issues, salt cravings, bloating, emotions, as in #POGDogs making me cry like a baby, and bitch cramps to boot. 
It depends on the cycle. 

And because of strokes, t1 diabetes, and heart issues, run in my ginormous family tree (as does tenacity, talent, good looks, and humor,) - I am not a candidate for the pill.

PSA - THIS IS IMPORTANT: If you have diabetes and are considering birth control methods:

1. Be honest about your diabetes diagnoses and your family history with your Gynecologist, Planned Parenthood professional, or GP - because the pill can be dangerous depending on your family history of strokes, heart attacks, and diabetes

2. Make sure all your doctors are on the same page 

3. Pill, IUD, or Diaphragm, you still need to use condoms to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. 

 AND NOW BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAM~

Also: I was anemic as kid, and my iron has been on the low side of normal for years - so there’s that. Luckily I have a friend (NO, not that friend, but I could see how you'd go there,) who could totally relate and recommended that I try Blood Builder supplements since last summer and for me, it's helped even out my iron levels (which are now on the normal side of normal,)  and my energy…most of the time.

We know that hormones and diabetes are never a smooth ride - don’t even get me started on cortisone!

But as women with diabetes know, hormones and periods, being premenstrual or para-menopausal, or post-menopausal the hormonal douche-baggery (yes, I absolutely meant to use that phrase,) can be brutal.

Like I said, for me, some periods are worse than others - sometimes killer cramps, sometimes not so much, plus everything else I've already mentioned.- 

This time around, it was on the worse side - at least for the first couple of days. 

So even though my blood sugars were pretty damn good over the weekend - I spent a lot of time on the couch, chilling out, wrapped in a blanket and drinking hot tea, while snuggling with my friend’s cat  (OK, not snuggling because she’s not a snuggler, but she did let me pet her while she leaned against my leg,) and watching season 4 of Shetland (because Netflix is dropping the ball, BIG TIME,) and #POGdogs on Britbox. 

Sidebar: It rained all weekend so I wasn’t compelled to be outdoors. 

Also: It pays to house/pet sit for friends with Amazon Prime! Which I’ve stubbornly avoided getting, but am now strongly considering - and it’s all The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s fault!

God, so much great writing, acting, set design, costumes and coat porn! 

In the "70s' and "80s,"
periods were all about riding horses, bikes, and windsurfing.

But back to diabetes; hormones and periods, being premenstrual/para-menopausal, or post-menopausal, and if you feel like sharing - great. 

If you don’t - I get it and no pressure.

And if you are a guy - I hope you’ve learned something - Also: MENSES. 

You know I was going to sneak that word in there !