I am pretty new to this community at Health Central but, if you know me from outside of this site you know that I have been struggling with my diabetes management for quite some time. If you don't know, now you know!
For pretty much the past year I have been on a quest for a lower a1c. It has not been an easy one, I can tell you that much. I joined a gym last September and even hired a personal trainer. (Well that was because I was getting married, but that is besides the point, and it helped me along my quest too.) I changed my diet about a gazillion times, First buying the book the LOW GI Diet Revolution in December which gave me food choices that I haven't had before which were much better for my blood sugars. It seemed to be working well for me, my blood sugars were more in range during the day but I was still very high at night and into the morning.
Another factor were the lows and rebounding highs after gym work outs. Frustrating was not even the word. I changed my diet once again. This time I would eat the same thing every day at the same time. But, 6 times a day. I started seeing a difference in my blood sugars right away. Gym workouts were still a challenge. The lows were draining me. I started having dinner right before the gym, and also setting up three temporary basals with my insulin pump a 50% basal 1 hour before, 0% during and 50% right after I finished working out as per my CDE (always consult with your diabetes team before making adjustments.) She said that it would help. So, I did it. The first couple of days I had to actually remember to do the temporary basal an hour before because you have to do it manually. And I would forget...A LOT! But, I had to get myself straightened out. So, I tried my best to remember. On the days I remembered it worked perfectly. Don't get me wrong I still get lows that I can't figure out. Even with the temp basals. I just deal with them now and make sure that I am prepared at the gym. Bringing all my fast acting glucose and the whole sha-bang in my gym bag.
I got my A1c done in March right before my wedding.
8.3
I thought it would be lower. Although the one before this was 9.1 There was a drop but, still not good enough. I am striving for 6.5
I really wanted to pull out my hair when I got my A1c done in March it was only 8.3, I was working so hard. I guess I would leave my hair in a little while longer, and work harder.
In June, I saw my endo and kept up with the CDE over the phone and email. I sent my blood sugar logs to the diabetes center every Friday (they have my phone number basically on speed dial now). We just kept fine tuning, and tuning and tuning. My numbers on paper weren't looking too shabby this whole summer. I wanted to hold off my A1c till September though.
They asked me if I wanted to put on a Continuous Glucose Monitor for a week to see trends. So, I said sure. I got hooked up on a Monday and went back that same Friday to see the results. WOW, the data was amazing. We made some adjustments, and I was on my merry way.
Like what you're reading? Get email notifications when Gina Capone posts, or get updates on Facebook, iGoogle, your personal blog and more!
