ediblesdiabetic

A blog about the Type 1 diabetic experience of 40+ years. What I've learned and what I'm learning about living the best possible life with impaired metabolism.

[ediblesdiabetic]

Re-starting dia-blogging 2026

I've been wanting to return to blogging for quite a while. I think the immediacy of social media overshadowed blogging and made long form writing feel passé. I've missed it for quite a long time, but couldn't even remember where I did my blogging in the past. I think tumblr was the last place I blogged, and I stumbled across my existing accounts in the past year or two and realized: "It's still alive! " I'm not sure who's still reading, but I figure I can share links to my posts with family and I also appreciate having a record of things for myself down the road. It's fun to see where you've been.

Ok, I'm going to start by giving a status update on my diabetes, and the tools and technologies I'm currently using. I might also give a chronology of where I have been since 2012. I should also note that, since I'm turning 53 this year, I've been T1 diabetic for over 40 years. I'm grateful for diabetes which as taught me to be curious, disciplined, and flexible.

Insulin: I'm taking Fiasp as my main insulin these days. It's a newer fast acting insulin with an action time starting within 15 minutes and lasting roughly 2-3 hours. It's been a good insulin to use with a pump because it can make corrections faster. I don't have to give lead time before meals. When I first started using it, I noticed that sometimes it noticeably stung at the infusion site. Lately, I haven't had that issue. It seemed like it also used to create inflammation at the infusion site, and absorption would be impacted, but that is also no longer an issue. I don't know if the insulin has changed, or if I've changed... but in the end, it's good.

CGM: I switched to Dexcom a few years ago (probably when I stopped using the Medtronic pump), and it has been great. I waited to go from G6 to G7 till the kinks were worked out, and that was maybe 6 months ago. I'm getting good results with it. One thing I didn't like about the G7 was the requirement that it be in line-of-sight with my Omnipod 5 pump to maintain connection. The G6 maintained a connection wherever it was on my body, but... with G7, I started having to keep the pump and sensor on the same side of my body. I ended up just placing them side-by-side for optimal results. However, I'm no longer using Omnipod 5, so that's no longer a limitation.

Pump: I'm currently using Omnipod DASH (older model) tubless pump pods as my delivery device. I started using Omnipods within the past year or so. They are fully disposable, and can be purchased via pharmacy benefits. Because of this, I was able to try them without a warranty/ contract situation. My endo mentioned that it's easy to give it a try, despite still having my previous pump under warranty. When I did, I was surprised how much I loved being tubeless. I had gotten so used to threading my tubing through my pants pockets, but it was surprisingly very freeing to be tubeless after many, many years (15?) being tethered. I first started with Omnipod 5, which allowed me to manage the pod from my phone and take insulin from my phone. I switched to DASH pods so I could start using LOOP, an open source algorithm that gets data from the sensor and controls the pump.

Automated Insulin Delivery Algorithm: I'm currently using DIY Loop to control the pump. It was developed by a cadre of open-source developers that wanted to "close the loop" and make an artificial pancreas available without waiting for the slow process of FDA approval, etc. It has been available, and constantly under improvement, for several years. They have been staying way ahead of the commercial offerings and have made some the most advanced algorithms available. The catch... is that, you have to build the app yourself using the resources they make available, so you are totally responsible for the settings and education about what you are doing. I built the app on December 20th, tested it with a DASH pod off-body, and then started using it on January 1st.

One of the reasons that I felt the need to start using a non-commercial algorithm was because I noticed my Omnipod 5 not being able to control my BG after I started using a GLP-1. My insulin needs went down dramatically and the pump no longer delivered the appropriate corrections when my glucose drifted up. I found that my BG was hanging out around 150 mg/dL all the time, while I was very sensitive to insulin and using a lot less.The reason this was happening is because the Omnipod 5 uses your Total Daily Dose (TDD) to decide how sensitive you are, and it downgrades how aggressive your corrections are. With some searching online, I found a lot of people who were frustrated with this, and many of them were tricking the pump into being more aggressive or they were just using manual mode to override this issue. I found that a lot of people were getting better control with Loop, so I planned to try it if I could get the DASH pods, which are hack-able.

Non-insulin Meds: I started taking Metformin a few years ago in an attempt to push back on insulin-resistance. At one time I was taking the max dose, and when I would take less or stop taking it, I would notice a difference. In the online communities for T1 diabetics I had heard that Type 1s were using Metformin and it was helping to stabilize blood sugars by slowing down the glucose being released by the liver. It also has been shown to provide some longevity benefits in cardio and kidney health overall. Sidenote: my T1 dad (60+ years T1) started to notice some brain fog that he associated with metformin, and discontinued it. I haven't noticed anything like that for myself, so far.

This past August I saw my endo and I told her that I'd been a bit frustrated because I'd been noticing insulin resistance that I couldn't seem to counter with eating differently or exercising more. I had spent a summer walking a ton and eating low-carb, and I found my blood sugars hovering high for periods of 6 hours or more. As soon as I ate again, I'd be chasing a 200 for a while. At night my BG wasn't coming down with the help of auto-mode on the pump. It didn't make sense, and in the past I had good results from my interventions. I also noticed that I was using more insulin and slowly gaining weight despite increased physical activity. I had decided to start taking Metformin again to see if it would help with insulin sensitivity.

My endo offered the idea of using a GLP-1. She said that it is like metformin on steroids. I didn't really know what GLP-1s were, but after looking into it I recalled a lot of coverage of a class of weight-loss drugs (Wegovy, Ozempic, etc) that had been adapted from Type 2 diabeles to clinical weight-loss for obesity. I was nervous about taking something that seemed quite powerful and unkown. As I looked into other Type 1 diabetics that had been using GLP-1s, I realized that it addressed some issues that are often unaddressed in T1 care (constant hunger, rapid stomach emptying, liver glucose release, insulin resistance). *I had previously used injected Symilin at mealtimes for similar purported benefits, but the hassles outweighed the benefits. I was seeing many T1s talk about their insulin use going down, and blood sugars stabilizing. Many T1s were only using the lowest doses for these benefits. I decided to give it a try.

My endo said that insurance might not approve it since I wasn't obese, but said there were different channels for getting it (compounded, self-pay). Since I have a sleep apnea diagnosis it was approved on 2nd try, otherwise I might not have pursued it. It's an expensive drug.

In early-September, I started Zepbound. Normally, you up your dose every month as long as you can tolerate the side-effects. Your body has to adapt to it. I noticed lots of benefits on the first dose, with blood sugar stabilizing and my insulin use going down to about 50-60% of my previous dose. At the time, I was using the Omnipod 5 in auto-mode and it beautifully adapted to my changing insulin needs. I didn't have lows and just observed that my daily insulin use was going down, along with very flat blood sugar graphs. When month 2 came, my insurance balked at keeping me at the introductory dose, I guess no one is supposed to stay there... but, many T1s do, with good results. I acquiesced and went up to 5mg, which is still considered a introductory dose. I have stayed on that amount for 4 months and plan to stay there till further notice. I'll write up another post with more granular detail about how it works and the nuances of using it.

This post has already gotten long. I will close it out now. I will make a separate post with the results I'm getting with my current interventions. I would say that, at this moment, I have possibly the best blood sugar control I've ever had. Maybe that's why I've been inspired to start writing about it again.

[ediblesdiabetic]

Non-diabetic glucose levels... also a wild ride?

We were driving home from church today and Carol said she was feeling hungry, and like her blood sugar just dropped. A bad feeling. I offered to check her blood sugar in the car, and she was game. She was 142 mg/dl, and I was kind of alarmed. I tested it again, and made sure there was nothing on her finger (142 also). I know that non-diabetics aren't really supposed to hang out in the 140s. And, it wasn't just after a large, carby meal. She had nibbled a couple pretzels at church and was holding out for real food at home. We had some fun joking with the kids about the implications of having two diabetic parents. I hope you guys enjoyed that pizza last night, because it's over!

When we got home I ran an at home A1C test on Carol she read 5.2 (an average BG of 104). Since I'm not used to thinking about non-diabetic numbers, I wasn't sure if it was totally normal or not. I just knew it was a number I'd love for my own... as it turns out, it's pretty normal. Could be lower, but not considered pre-diabetic or anything.

Next, the kids all wanted to be checked.

Ellie (13), was 111 mg/dl. She had just finished eating some ice cream.

Simon (11) was 85 mg/dl.  Pre-lunch for him. He eats low-carb like me. From what I understand, this is the ultimate "normal" reading.

Penny (7) was 141 mg/dl. Fruit snacks at church. They say that young kids have a higher normal range. She's still young (her first test read 217, but after washing her hands it was more reasonable).

Carol tested again, and it was back down to 93 mg/dl. She had eaten a sandwich and felt better.

Tonight we did another test at about 9pm and she was 94 mg/dl. 

I thought it was funny that Carol's sensation that she had "low" blood sugar had prompted this test fest. It was a bit of a role reversal. I think I was the only one that didn't get tested that hour. I have to say, it was kind of fun to share my pastime with the family.

One more note, while my brother, Dave, was visiting last summer he said that after a large meal and a beer he totally crashes, and he said he thought it was because his blood sugar was going high. I was curious, so we tested after a feast + brew. Surprisingly, his glucose was only 110 mg/dl. It just goes to show that non-diabetics have darn good control, but feel all the icky fluctuations of the sugar and insulin roller coaster. You could say it just never really goes off the rails, just feels like it...

[ediblesdiabetic]

Insulin Action Acceleration

The larger a dose of insulin is, the faster it does it's work. Since I take fairly small doses of insulin, boluses are usually around 2-3 units or less, I hardly ever see my sensor with arrows showing that I'm trending down or up. In general, it's good to have changes in glucose happen more gradually, but when you are really out of range, you want faster change.

The one thing that has allowed me to experience rapid changes in blood glucose lately is exercise. I know I've already talked about it, but having a sensor to look at during every experiment has taught me a lot. If I get on the elliptical for even 10 minutes I will soon see an arrow showing a rapid change in my blood sugar. Often, it will be a double arrow, indicating that I'm dropping faster than 5 mg/dl per 5 min. I know that exercise makes you more sensitive to insulin (needing less), but this is clearly also an accelerated absorption rate. If I have a 2 units of insulin in my system and the rate of change is so slow that my sensor graph is barely showing it... 10 minutes of low-level activity will turn the insulin receptors on and have me in a fast correction. I'm finding that it allows me to spend less time out of range, when I make a mistake.

Here's an example from yesterday:

I was going into lunch feeling hypo and my sensor was reading 80. I decided to eat the baked potato that came with my ribs, as a precaution. Since I'm very sensitive to fast-acting carbs (plus, I generally underestimate them), I ended up at 275 mg/dl later in the day. I took a correction bolus, but didn't see much change. About an hour before dinner I got on the elliptical for 15 minutes. My blood sugar began dropping (double-down arrows) and dropped all the way through dinner. By 7pm I was using glucose tabs to keep myself in range. Overall, I didn't take that much insulin, but with exercise, I could have probably taken half as much for correction (and with dinner), and still gotten it fixed in 2 hours.

 In the future, I'll have to be more conservative with correction doses if I am going to use exercise alongside. And, because of the immediacy... I definitely will.

When I first started really focusing on my glucose control in 2003, I spent most of my energy on managing my food intake and insulin. I felt that exercise was just a monkey wrench that would make things more unpredictable. Now that I am tinkering with this, I feel like I just discovered the other 30% of my toolbox. Ironically, I'm spending less time exercising than ever, a little bit seems to be more effective than an hour, so it's much easier to find time for it.

[ediblesdiabetic]

Just a number... yes, I share.

I am doing at home A1C tests every month to see if it jibes with my sensor average. This month it came in at 6.1, which indicates an average glucose of 128 mg/dl for the past 3 months. It's heavily weighted on the last month, but also shows a longer reaching trend. It's my best (likely valid) result that I've had in my diabetic life. I'm happy about it. During the past year I have tested between 7.8 and 6.7 (which translates to averages of 177-146 mg/dl). My goal this year is to get into the 5s.

[ediblesdiabetic]

February- quantified, compared, explained, tweaked...

What are the chances of this kind of sensor-meter harmony? 30 Day Sensor average 132 14 Day Sensor average 122 My sensor data says that I'm staying in range 92% of the time, 5% above, 3% below. I'll have to check what those limits are, because, while it seems like what I want, I don't think it indicates that I'm staying in the tight range that I consider my "target range" (70-110) so much of the time. Working on it, though. I feel like things have gotten better since January. For the last 2 months I have shown roughly a 10 mg/dl point drop in the average each month. I have been getting especially consistent results over the last 2 weeks, in particular. I think the improvement relates to more sleep, better hydration and regular exercise. I hate to admit that simple things like that were always available and ignored, but it's what I've come up with. Either way, I'm watching my sensor info like a hawk and am happy that lately it's barely been budging from the 90-100 spot. I've done some studying of my data and tweaked my basal a bit. For a while there, I was manually switching between my basal patterns all day long. I have 3 different basal delivery levels that kicked out 30, 22, and 19 units. Depending on what I saw going on I was switching to a different basal to address a trend. It worked, but it required TOO MUCH tweaking, and I was losing track of what was working when. Eventually, I found that I was getting lows even when I was using my lowest basal, so I decided that I needed to sort it out better. I looked for the spots where I was regularly seeing a rise or a drop and I adjusted the basal about 2 hours ahead of it. It worked. Today was smooth, and I didn't mess with the basal options all day. Just boluses. Last month I said my goal was to reach an average of 126 mg/dl. I am not there yet, but it definitely seems within reach. Then I'll shoot for 100 mg/dl.

[ediblesdiabetic]

I like info-graphics, this one is "great".

I have to say, I'm only barely interested in Cavemen, but, determining what whole foods seem to be the most beneficial and functional for diabetics is pretty important for me. Whatever you want to call this idea, it works for me. More Health and Fitness News & Tips at Greatist.

[ediblesdiabetic]

research, and whatnot...

Well, yes... I have been away from diabetes blogging for a bit... I'm going to say I've been busy with some research. And, it's true.

Since 2003 I've been working in waves to achieve better results with glucose control. After tackling nutrition, it seemed like exercise was a variable that was hard to master. I had heard that it could make your glucose go both down AND up. Different times of day gave different results... I exercised and hoped for a safe outcome, or I skipped it...

Anyway, around the time I reported my January numbers I was starting a fitness routine (which consists of sprinting, lifting heavy things, play, and rambling walks) and ran into some interesting stuff.

Lifting Heavy Things: I thought that since my experiments with the elliptical trainer were giving me greater insulin sensitivity (because of extra muscle activity), doing some weight training would create the same effect to a greater degree. Well, I was wrong. I did my first workout session I had a crazy fast rise in my glucose. It was after a meal, but the rise was even faster than a meal. I found myself at 300 mg/dl. I was sort of annoyed. I emailed Ginger Vieira, because she lifts heavy things, is a Type 1 diabetic, and she's a health coach. I figured she might know something about it. She told me that it's pretty normal for this to happen. She referenced chapter 9 in her book. I bought her book and read it, quickly.

Yep, anabolic exercise requires insulin, and then later, glucose... Hmmm. There's more to it than that, but it answered my question.

Rambling walks...: I have experimented with taking some walks and it definitely does the same thing as the elliptical, and it's more interesting. My insulin sensitivity goes up and sometimes I even have to lower my basal rate, eat a glucose tablet, or I get away with eating more carbs in the following meal than usual.

Sprinting: Part of my weekly routine includes some sprinting. I'm not a runner, but it's kind of fun to get out and run as fast as I can for short distances. I'm doing it with Simon (age 11), and we are having a good time on Saturdays. We go out for about 15 minutes, warm-up and then give it our all for about 50 yards, rest. Do it again. Maybe 8 times.

Effect: some soreness the next day, higher insulin sensitivity for the next 4 hours

It's shocking that 15 minutes of intense work can have a dramatic metabolic effect. At that short interval, it's nothing but fun, with a good pay off. We are only doing it once a week, according to our routine, but it's pretty fun. I'm thinking of making my cycling more about slow, leisurely pedaling or sprinting in the future. It seems like that's where the greatest benefits are for insulin sensitivity. That hour long cardio stuff wasn't as fun, took a long time, and didn't seem to help as much.

I mentioned Ginger Vieira's book earlier. It's called Your Diabetes Science Experiment. A good portion of it is about exercise. I think it's good and I really enjoyed it. She has really done her homework and gives us the tools to figure out all the odd things we experience as diabetics.

Overall, it's been fun to try to figure stuff out. Of course, there's often more mysteries than breakthroughs, but it's all progress to me.

[ediblesdiabetic]

January numbers and health summary

I had said that I'd report my numbers here at the beginning of each month. I love having the CGMS and am in a habit of keeping it going all the time because of the great data I can get from it.

At the end of 2011 I noted that I had had a rough couple of months with illness, and my average BG had risen to 150 mg/dl.

This month my sensor average is showing 141 mg/dl, with:

12% above my high limits

87% within my normal limits

1% readings under my low limits

My goal is 126 mg/dl for an average, so this is a bit closer.

Translated to A1C, I would be at about 6.6 right now. (and then there's the other 2 months before... I did an at home A1C test and it said 6.8, okay with me, but no change...)

More importantly, I'm feeling pretty healthy lately. I'm trying to work on the quality and quantity of my sleep. I think I succeeded in getting rid of the sinus or dental infection that was giving me chronic headaches and unpredictable glucose control. I'm using small doses of exercise to increase my insulin sensitivity. I am enjoying less caffeine, and fewer pints of cider. Lately, I've had a couple "perfect" days when my glucose level stayed solidly in range and it felt like I had a handle on it. :)

Things that I need to keep an eye on: during a period of less sleep in late-January I started to have more heart arrhythmia episodes. I'm hoping that it's just a flare up and not a new reality.

[ediblesdiabetic]

What do you call "low"?

I've been listening to Robb Wolf's podcasts about eating Paleo diet and solving health problems. One reader asked about non-diabetic people testing their blood sugars and what he considered "normal". He said that with the non-diabetic athletes he works with it is very common for them to maintain blood glucose values of 60-70 mg/dl, all the time. These are insulin-sensitive, low-carb, ketogenic atheletes. I was fairly incredulous (almost mad?) because I have always considered those numbers to be uncomfortable low blood sugar numbers. Also, I have found Dr. Bernstein's standard of 85 mg/dl to be difficult to achieve, but this  60-70 mg/dl business just sounds uncomfortable! I guess, if I had no chance of actually going hypo because of all the checks and balances (glucagon, etc) of a normal body working perfectly, I wouldn't be too freaked out to just walk around in the 70s all day. However, I do feel some minor hypo symptoms at that level and always correct to get my level back to 90-110 mg/dl. So, that has me questioning my bias towards high-ish "normal" numbers, and also had me wondering if Robb was fudging numbers downward to make a point. When it comes to blood glucose numbers, we Type 1s are very aware of what is normal and what's not, so we don't go for exaggeration in the place where we live. Then I saw this guy's graphs and read about him sleeping and waking up regularly with his glucose in the 60-70s. I just wondered, why would you do that? He says he felt better that way. Is that possible? So many questions... (just corrected my fasting 108 mg/dl down a smidge.)

[ediblesdiabetic]

the slide into athleticism is inevitable...

I've been finding very positive results with surges of exercise "turning on" my insulin.

 For instance, today... after a rough night with a heart arrhythmia episode, a hypo and over-treating it with ice cream... I woke up with my glucose in the 200s. After a week of fairly great control, it was pretty bleak. Plus, I was headed into a high-adrenaline day, the first day of a new semester, with very little sleep. Sounds like a bad blood sugar day, right? Yep, all day I just hung out at 200 or so, and boluses did nothing. I was too busy to really care.  I came home with tons of work to do, but felt lousy from poor sleep and being high all day. I took a nap, more insulin, everything stayed the same. As I was sitting down to put in my evening of work I decided that it would be a worthwhile experiment to put in 15 min. on the elliptical and see if it would budge my stuck glucose level. Immediate change. In 30 minutes I went from 208 to 78. I have never seen anything like it. It's like my insulin is just sitting there in my tissues waiting for me to give it the green light.  Then I read this article about a Type 1 ironman who greatly improved his control by exercise and eating Paleo. I'm already eating that way, now I just need to figure out how little I can exercise and get the full benefit. I'd like to keep it to 30 min. a day, and be in the comfort of my warm home.

[ediblesdiabetic]

ethically sourced cure?

 http://www.diabetesmine.com/2012/01/whats-up-with-diabetes-stem-cell-research-firm-viacyte.html This article is a very interesting read. I like the idea of an credit card in my back that produces insulin and all the other regulatory hormones... and no immune system suppression needed. Embryonic stem cells are controversial for a good reason. These are "ethically sourced", but I'm not sure what that means. Either way... while it's the type of research I'm most interested in hearing about, I'd love it more if there were no sticky questions about the ethics of the process. I guess if the device were made available as an effective cure for diabetes I'd have to do some research and evaluate my biases... Regardless, it seems like they are tracking down some interesting solutions, especially since cadaver beta cells seem like a dead end for a broad scale treatment.

[ediblesdiabetic]

exercise experiment

Based on my recent breakthrough with physical activity upping my insulin sensitivity so much... I tried something after dinner tonight. After I eating, I was watching my sensor and saw that my glucose was already to 140 mg/dl, 30 minutes post meal. Considering that I took my meal bolus about 20 minutes before dinner and  I don't eat fast acting carbohydrate, it seemed like I was headed in the wrong direction. I decided that I'd get on the elliptical after dinner and go for 20 minutes, to see if I could correct the rise. It worked. I went from 140 to 89 within 40 minutes, with a meal in the works.

Now I just need to see if I can get an elliptical in the office at work. Not really, my trickiest readings all day are after dinner and into the night. Digesting dinner just seems to be a wild card.

This is good information. If my insulin worked faster I'd be fine, but it seems like it's always really slow. I'm almost never afraid it will work too quickly. This exercise deal is speeding it up for me. I'm all about it.

[diabetic-problems]

[ediblesdiabetic]

diabetic-problems:

I'm a teacher, and for me it's the reverse... my students think I'm addicted to looking at my "beeper" which makes me seem really old and really immature at the same time.

[ediblesdiabetic]

exercise makes insulin work better, faster, stronger

I have mentioned that my dad is a Type 1 diabetic. Although he lives far away, in another part of the world, we are able to get together every year or so. The past couple times he's been visiting he has been known to take off on walks for 30-60 minutes to solve a blood sugar problem. He has discovered that when his insulin isn't working, exercise makes it happen. I thought it was an interesting move, but I didn't try it. I've always felt that exercise was a "monkey wrench" that would make things more complicated (when things are already off).

We acquired an elliptical trainer this past summer, which allows for Carol and the kids to get in their physical activity while pursuing their homeschooling. I didn't consider it as much of an option for me, because I haven typically gotten my activity outside, on a bicycle. I guess you always have something to learn. 

Recently, I've noticed that under certain circumstances my glucose levels will wind up high and then just stay there, regardless of boluses and temporary basal increases. With some patience (3-6 hours) I'll see it right itself, but it's much slower than you would expect from analog insulin. 

Last night was a perfect example of how I was able to utilize the elliptical trainer to work out a correction rather quickly. I went out to a nice dinner downtown and we ate for about 3 hours and had all sorts of things. The carb counting was totally guessing. I went off my low-carb list here and there, and had my sugar levels climbing despite plenty of insulin in play. By the time I got home my blood sugar was 300 something and I had perhaps 4 units of insulin "on board". It seemed like it was still going up. 

I decided to do 30 minutes on the elliptical to see if it would increase my insulin sensitivity and get me back where I was supposed to be. Based on my glucose sensor, at 9:05 I was at 318, and by 10:45 I was at 94. The drop shown on my CGMS was so precipitous that I stayed awake for a while to make sure it wouldn't go even further. It didn't. When I hit the 90s my numbers started to flatten out and cruise along at that level for the rest of the night.

I was also testing with my meter and it showed the correction to all happen pretty much during the 30 minutes I was active. I know they say you shouldn't exercise when you are over 250, but in this case it seemed like the perfect solution. I wasn't above 250 long enough to have any symptoms of DKA.

It seems like just getting my muscles moving gave all the circulating insulin a place to set up shop and do the glucose metabolism. I know muscle tissues are much more efficient with using insulin and glucose than other tissues, so this must work for that reason. I'm happy that we have an "in-house" option for fixing blood sugar problems in short order. 30 minutes for me is enjoyable, and it's amazingly gratifying to see quick results. I've had high-ish blood sugars after dinner lately, I am wondering if I can solve the problem just by doing a session on the machine after dinner each night. 

[diabetic-problems]

submitted by nicolediane143

[ediblesdiabetic]

Not afraid. We live in a physical world fraught with imperfections. How we navigate them says the most about us.

Difficulty can foster growth. I hope my children would rise to the occasion and grow, as I have had to do. I want that, more than an easy life for them.

Idealistic jerk? Maybe.

[ediblesdiabetic]

Glucagon emergency kit?

Stats... and yes, I'm pretty much out of insulin. In my sugary life, I almost always have erred on the side of not enough insulin, and my excursions "out of range" are 95-100% on the high side rather than low. As I re-read Dr. Bernstein's book, Diabetes Solution, this year, I came across his list of all the things that every diabetic should have. The Glucagon Kit was high on the list. I was realizing that my wife has probably already forgotten that they exist and we haven't even talked about it as a necessary measure in 10+ years. I have owned about 3 Glucagon kits in my life, and they seem to expire too quickly to stay in my readiness kit. It's hard for me to keep buying them since I've never actually used one... but, I guess that's like saying why wear a seat-belt if you've never had an accident. Personally, I think explaining it's use to my colleagues would freak them out a bit. And, I would hope that in the era of CGMS, crazy-stealth-severe-hypos might be less likely. What could make me have to use one? Maybe making a major mistake on an insulin dose. Maybe accidentally bolusing 10 units instead of 1 unit, stuff like that? It's never happened to me, but I suppose it could... When I was doing multiple daily injections I once took a Lantus dose with Novolog (oops!) and had to stay up all night watching for the inevitable hypo... I am wondering how many Type 1 diabetics keep a Glucagon kit ready for emergencies. Have you ever used one? Do you carry it with you? Do you have one at work and home? Have you ever needed it? Do you think it's irresponsible to not have one ready?

[ediblesdiabetic]

Talking with Sysy about food

I have enjoyed reading The Girls Guide to Diabetes and have had a lively email exchange with one of the authors, Sysy Morales. Despite being outside the target audience (I'm not a girl), I find it to be a great blog. I like how the information is constructive and inclusive. Readers can learn and expand their knowledge about their own diabetes from the info on the site. Hopefully, some day The Girls Guide to Diabetes will be a published book. I was interviewed by Sysy and talked about the way of eating that has worked best for me and my glucose control.  I'm not getting totally normal numbers yet, but things are getting better with study and practice.