Susan Marie Fisher

Diabetes still sucks?

Actually, I am feeling much better. I lost 10 lbs over the weekend, oops! My blood sugars have stablized - went to bed at 79 (drank OJ), woke up at 170. Sheesh. Finally!

I have a new pump, new insulin, and new supplies: I've eliminated every remaining variable. My stomach is very upset still, but hopefully that too shall pass.

I got a lot of traffic on my post yesterday... but no comments ;) I guess I left everyone speechless from my medical babble!

Diabetes sucks (updated)

Every once of a while, you have a series of events that it just seems too insane to have happened all incidentally.

Step One: We go to a party, a BBQ, on Saturday. Shortly after the munching began, I gave a large bolus and got a no delivery alarm. Turns out my brand new (new insertion that day as well as a new type of set) set was kinked. In attempting to remove the reservoir to see if I could syphon any off (I had a needle, but no bottle, such is life when you need it). Well the tabs on the new reservoir (all new type of reservoir) broke clean off.

However, in some comic mishap, there were not one but two other diabetic pumpers at this small get together. Arun's wife siphoned some insulin off her reservoir and all was well (couple of shots over the afternoon), then we headed home.

Step Two: At home I gave another large bolus to make up for what I had missed and then some - unfortunately, I overestimated, landing low a couple of hours later. I ate a portion of tiramisu I had brought home with us that I couldn't have eaten there.

Step Three: By bedtime, I was close to 300... I had overcorrected the low. Sob. But, at this point, I had a new infusion set, reservoir and tube, and was trusting my pump. Bad choice.

Step Four: Wake up after a somewhat restless night at 7:30 am, absolutely parched... not good. After vomitting (on an empty stomach) like ten times, I ripped the whole pump off and went with needles. (Whenever high, you use a needle to correct b/c you can absolutely trust it). I had large ketones. Thankfully after an hour of insulin, I was able to stomach fluids to rehydrate.

Step Five: Lie on my butt all day letting my body fight out the insulin vs. ketone saga. Eventually make it down to 121 mg/dl blood glucose and only trace amounts of ketones. I ate during the day, giving injections each time (if your body is starving it'll just produce ketones on its own, making it worse).

Step Six: I do minimal house work (never exercise or do anything strenuous when this high). I get thirsty again. It's like 5:30 pm by now. Guess what? I am 300 again with high ketones....

And I start all over, giving injections, upping basal rates, staying hydrated. It is already dropping but MAN if I can't sustain a decent number by bedtime we're going to have to head to the ER.

And that my layman friends, is the sheer utter joy of diabetes. Growl.

Update Monday 5:30 pm:
"Here we go again..." (sung to the tune of on the road again)

Well last night I successfully got my sugars back under control with zero ketones by bedtime. I woke up at 3 am for a blood sugar check and was close to 300. Gave 3 units (about 3X what I'd usually give), and boosted my basals to 200%.

Woke up at 482, large ketones, and went to the ER.

Got fluids, verified I don't have an infection somewhere.

Post fluids and eating got down to 166; zero ketones even on release from ER. Am off pump completely. Gave Lantus at about 135% of my normal basal rate per endo's recommendation. And alas, here I am again over 300.

Sigh. More injections. I think I've poked my finger about every 1.5 hrs for 48 hours now and want to scream a little bit. At least I ***feel*** better, and the lantus should help avoid more ketones... in theory.

My poor sweetheart is overwhelmed with me :(

Wish me (or pray for me if that is your inclination) for stability in blood sugars.

Even the 'best' diabetics I guess can't always avoid the obvious. There are three possible explanations:

a) bad insulin; fridge supply completely thrown out, new scripts filled
b) bad pump
c) bad infusion sets and or reservoirs

I should add that over the course of this saga, I changed my infusion sets/reservoirs/tubing over six times "just in case" and noticed ***nothing*** wrong with the sets.

Last but not least, once you get high, it is notoriously hard to get yourself back down due to your body's counterregulatory hormones. So maybe one bad high or one bad set, set off this series of events where it's just hard to get your body to the previous status quo.

In 23 years of diabetes, I have never been in DKA. No one is immune, even if you think you are!

Wish me luck.

Tillie May has a home!

Can't help but feel sad.... but it's for the best :) If anyone is looking for a dog, I can't say enough about Smiley Dog, who I have been fostering for.