26 years

I cannot remember a life not being diabetic. There might be some sadness in that statement for some people, but not to me. I would rather not remember the freedom of not being diabetic and be able to compare it to life as it is today. But when you get acknowledgement, no matter how small, it always feels good. Joslin Diabetes Center formally recognized me for having diabetes for 25 years or more. It has not been easy and a certificate is not a million dollars, but I will take it. And I will go forward waiting for my next award in another 25 years.

How Many?

This picture reminds me of that game where they ask you to guess how many jellybeans are in a container to win some prize. I never did well at that game! I have been saving my test strips in this container for months now. It was supposed to help so they did not end up all over the floor, but yet that still seems to happen quite frequently. It is crazy though to see all of these strips and think that my fingers have been pricked that many times in a short amount of time! Yet alone how many times they have been pricked in twenty six years time of being diabetic!

Stress

It is interesting how stress comes into your life when you dont see it coming. It is also interesting how you have to make an extra effort when you are diabetic to not let it ruin your diabetes control. In recent days there has been some stuff going on that makes it harder to stay on top of my diabetes management. Just things that need to be figured out and decisions that have to made. All the while I have to remember to keep doing what I have to do everyday and check my blood sugar as often as I always do. I have never been one to notice stress making a huge difference in my blood sugars, but some people say that this happens to them. I guess I am lucky in that regard, but trying to exercise, eat right and check blood sugars seems to tedious when all you want to do lay on the couch and watch Teen Mom 2 on MTV. Yay!

“The most awesome thing I have done in spite of diabetes is . . . . “

That is the theme of the website DSMA (http://diabetessocmed.com/2011/introducing-the-dsma-blog-carnival/) this month and they have asked people to answer that question on their own blogs.

I think the most awesome thing I have done in spite of diabetes is run. I have ran 2 mile races, 5K races, 8K's, 6 miles, 10 miles, and the most important 3 half marathons or 13.1 miles. The best of these races was the Richmond Half Marathon in November of 2010. I ran it the quickest I have ever ran before (2:13) and I felt good doing it. My blood sugar was stable all during this race as well. And the end of the race I got engaged. None of these events were affected by diabetes and it was not even a thought that day. I cannot believe I can run these races and I am looking forward to doing it again soon!

5.1 and counting

I spoke to my doctor's office today and the nurse told me that my A1C was a 5.1. Um what? How did it go from 6.1 in November to 5.1 in 3 short months? She said not to worry and to enjoy the fact that it was so good! I asked her if that was too low and she said it was not and that it was a great thing. She had to tell me a few times. Of course it is a great thing, it is amazing and wonderful and the lowest number I can ever recall seeing in all my 25 years as a diabetic. But it does make me wonder how it got to a 5.1. I see a lot of blood sugars that are well within the normal range they should. Though I do also see a lot that are in the 200's or even very low in the 40's and 50's. It is just so amazing that even though that does happen now and again that your A1C can still shine through at a good number and occasionally hitting a high or a low does not ruin your overall goal of good control. I think after some initial shock I am going to enjoy this number and embrace it!

Superbowl XLV

At the beginning of this season it seemed that Big Ben going to another Superbowl would never happen. I had thought about it before and decided that it was not even worth thinking about. Yet somehow they still made it there amidst all the controversy. They had a shot, but they just did not play well enough. You cant turn the ball over as many times as they did and win a Superbowl. People on Facebook who are not Steelers fans are going crazy with their comments and hatred on the Steelers. It is interesting to me, because even if they did not win and even if they did not play the greatest, at least they were there. That is more than we can say for some of the other teams out there, such as the god awful Cleveland Browns!

Maybe CGM?

I met with my new doctor, Dr Briggs, in Columbia this week. She was great and I really liked her. She gave me some helpful tips, but she also brought up the discussion of a Continuous Glucose Monitor. I had thought about it before, but did not really see the point. My A1C's have always been in the 5's and 6's and if I could do it that well alone, what help could the CGM really have for me. She explained that I do seem to have a lot of lows, which is true, and she feels that having a CGM would alert me to these lows, especially if they go too low during the night. She talked about if I ever got pregnant and how sometimes there is nothing you can do to predict extreme lows until it is too late because of all the hormones involved. Basically she convinced me that I should at least try it. So I am going to set up an appointment to do a seven day trial with the Dexcom CGM. I picked that one mostly because I have heard the best reviews about it and it is the smallest. Plus when I look at my fingers, though could use a break from checking my blood sugar 15 plus times a day and maybe only checking it ten times!