Living with Diabetes

Author: kathleen

  • Finally Losing Weight

    I am finally losing weight, and believing it.  My TDD is down, and while I’ve had a bobble up or two, I am seeing a steady increase.  Almost too much but I’ll take it right now, since it has been SO long since I’ve been able to lose weight.

    I get hungry again, but I think it’s usually associated with a low blood sugar, so I’m trying to keep that from happening.

    I’ve actually raised my bolus carb to insulin ratio by one, and I’ve reduced my evening basal by 10% because I keep going low during dog classes.  I even reduced my dog agility ratio by 10% – though that wasn’t firmly adjusted because it hadn’t happened enough lately to be a real basal rate.  It’s just an estimate based on my usual basal rate.

    Yes, I’m one of those people with multiple basal rates, which always surprises my endo.  I have one programmed in my pump for regular days like today.  Just to get to my room I have to do quite a bit of walking, and I’m much more active.

    I have a weekend basal rate which is about 20% higher than my weekday rate.  Again, not as much walking.

    I have a workshop basal rate that is about 50% higher than my weekday rate.  That accounts for sitting in one spot and being stressed.

    Then I have the agility basal rate that is between 30-40% of my weekday rate.  That accounts for the sitting and waiting and not being quite as stressed.  It’s also a shorter day than my workshop rate.

    I even have different bolus rates based by the time of day.  I tend to need more insulin to process my earlier meals, and less to process my evening meals.

    Anyone else see that much of a difference?

  • New decade

    I think the lapband people call it “being at a new decade”. I have seem the same two digits on the scale for over a year and today I finally see a different Set. Well the first digit didn’t change but the tens digit has.

    Several things have gotten together to make the change. First the unfill – I am getting more comfortable with food and rating everyday.

    The second is a bad tooth. It broke labor day weekend, I had a root canal and am with a temporary crown. Right now is the most uncomfortable I have been. I can’t chew well but I am dealing with that better than the tossing up food. It does not cause a binge of mushies.

    Finally changing my exercise routine. I have been at the gym almost everyday since the physical therapist convinced me to sell my treadmill and join a gym and switch to stationary bike. Okay that is really the reverse of what happened nut you get the point.

    By the way the knee has been pretty good. I had a lock up during a walk through at agility yesterday but it hasn’t kept me from running. However I still have a lot of pain and stiffness in the surrounding muscles.

  • My Fitness Pal

    As those know who follow my other blogs, some I bought with insurance money is an iPod Touch.  Liking it.  So I’ve found an interesting app (after trying several), called MyFitnessPal that not only allows you to log and keep up with a food diary, but also does exercise.  Best yet, it has the best database I’ve ever seen for logging food, and has a bunch of the Diet Gourmet foods already.

    It has a community, and I have a friend already, which is fun.  It also tells facebook and twitter stuff.  My counselor liked it when I showed her.

    Best news – since my unfill, I’ve lost 4 pounds.  That means 4 less pounds to lug around this weekend during agility.  Trying not to think about it too much though, because I’ve been known to savatouge.

  • Lapband Support Group

    I’ve started an online support group at Ning — http://lapbandsupport.ning.com – for anyone who would like non-judgmental support.

  • Status Update

    First, I was released from Physical Therapy last week, and I am just getting used to having those 4 hours back.  I’m still very stiff and have muscle pains everywhere but the right knee.

    Today is the first day I missed a workout that I didn’t have PT scheduled in the afternoon.  Just tired and had trouble waking up.  Not sure if I’ll try to make the workout up at all.  I’m just exhausted between not sleeping well before a staff development and my dog training schedule.  I have three late night classes right now, and it’s hard to wind down.  I need to schedule a nap before I go to class.

    Fit4D is a bit disappointing as it takes SO long from them to ramp up.  I finally got a strength workout from them yesterday, but haven’t had a chance to try anything.

    My biggest problem is my food issues – I’m still binging, especially when I’m tired.  The good news is that I haven’t had a food incident since Saturday night, so I might have just tried too fast. Those who read this will remember I had gotten to the point I couldn’t eat any real food and had to have an unfill from my lapband.  Still not happy with it.

  • Unfill process

    I can see that it is really going to take some time to get my head and stomach working right after the unfill.  Last night, I couldn't get last night's dinner down and it started coming up almost immediately.  That triggered a binging episode. 

    Today is going better.  I've been able to get down every meal and haven't felt the urge to eat more than I need to. 

  • Unfill

    I got an unfill on Monday.

    I have been having increasing difficulties in eating. Haven’t even wanted to try.  Was finally talked into an unfill.  Got a half-day sub.

    So here’s what happened.  She did an ultra-sound and the port was fine.  Took me to the surgical center.  Did a barium swallow.  We could see where I was not getting enough fluid down and could see a dialation above the band.  By the way, the band looked fine, according to the tech.

    I’m just coming off of mushies.  Had trouble with tilipa in rice, ended up eating half the meal, but making sure I had a bite of carrot and greens.

    Had no trouble with beef fajita salad, but did add ranch dressing.

    Will probably blog on what is working.

  • Mother

    Some of you may recall my mother was diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago, long after I was.

     

    We were talking the other night, after I’d gotten the unfill, and she was really pushing my buttons about food, etc.  Well, come to find out she hasn’t tested in three weeks!  Partly because of the test strip game I posted about in the previous entry.  She is feeling overwhelmed etc….

     

    I will admit to taking pleasure on getting on her case over her diabetes care — I told she had no right to get on my case when she wasn’t taking care of herself, and she admitted I was right.  She even knew how bad I had gotten last spring when I stopped testing, so she really knew she was wrong.

     

    Hopefully I’ve got her testing again, and now she has some extra test strips to do it with.

  • Type 2 – Test Strip Game

    ,,

    If you are a Type 2 diabetic on medication, you probably have been told to play the "test strip" game.  Even Fit4D plays this game.

     

    Here is how the game works:

    • On day 1 and day 2, you test in the morning, fasting and 2 hours after breakast and record it. 
    • On day 3 and day 4, you test before and 2 hours after the meal and record it.
    • On day 5 and day 6, you test before and 2 hours after the meal and record it.
    • On day 7 you test before an evening snack and record fasting the next day.

     

    Rinse and repeat.  This is insane!  Doesn’t even give a decent picture.

     

    Okay, name 3 people who are organized enough to do that.  Here’s how it should go:

    Test every day, morning, lunch and dinner, probably two hours after. Testing after meals you eat a lot of both before and after are good.  Now I’m a pumper and do a bit more.  I often forget the before meal check, but I always get the after meal (bolus check). 

     

     

  • To insulin or not to insulin | The Poor Diabetic

    Wimp!  You think you have needle phobia?  Trying watching a doctor stitch your face with no pain killer in the ER?  Or a second time, while doped up on valium.

    GET OVER IT and do it. Seriously, I do. I do have to "shoot up" without watching.   If I see the needle, I don’t do well, and there are some infusions sets I just can’t do because you have to watch the needle go in.

    But I can even to a intra=muscular shot — again, as long as I don’t look at the needle.

    Quoted from http://thepoordiabetic.com/insulin/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thepoordiabetic1+%28The+Poor+Diabetic%29:

    To insulin or not to insulin | The Poor Diabetic

    I have a phobia for needles.