An exhaustive roller coaster
There is so much to discuss. I meant to blog on Monday but the past two days have been exhausting with my blood sugars.
Last week I started my CGM and wanted to write a blog after completing the first week. Instead, you'll have to settle for a quick recap.
The sensor and I did not get along for the first 24 hours or so because during the two hour warmup period, I had a low blood sugar, which obviously I had to treat. You aren't supposed to eat during that warmup period of the sensor. Whoops. At one point while I was still treating my CGM flashed a message on my pump "I am a diabetic. Call 911 in this emergency." I about died laughing when I saw that while eating my glucose tabs checking out at Sam's Club. Because of the low, my sensor kept thinking I was low. As I attempted to sleep, it kept beeping and vibrating at me telling me I was below 50 and it was suspending my basal. I checked my blood sugar. I was hanging out in the 140s. My poor pump and CGM. I kept yelling at it to not stop my basal but eventually I was able to fall asleep and the pump won and stopped my basal for a few hours. I was pretty high in the morning which did not surprise me. Because the sensor and glucose meter numbers were so far apart my trainer helped me restart the sensor which got the two on the same page. It was easy sailing and I changed the sensor as I was supposed to on Sunday.
And then my blood sugars went on a crazy roller coaster. If they were a child, I'd yell at them to go sit in timeout.
I changed my infusion site on Monday at breakfast and had an awesome blood sugar -- 124. Two hours later I checked, as you should when you change your infusion site, and I had gone up to the mid-200s. Seriously?! I only ate a cup of Cherrios and skim milk for breakfast. I took some corrective insulin and figured things would be find. Checked an hour later to make sure. Nope. Cue my panic. My sugar was 411. I called my trainer as I was supposed to at that time to discuss the first week of the sensor and left her a message giving her the 411 (ha!) and that I'd be on the phone with the 1-800 help line.
Called the 1-800 number at Medtronic and bless their hearts, they are ridiculously wonderful and kind. I was so stressed and nearly in tears because I didn't know what was going on and just continuously apologized for bothering them. The rep walked me through the troubleshooting of my pump and we saw the pump was giving me insulin so we took some corrective insulin and I was told to call back when I was at home so we could do the final troubleshooting stage of my pump because I needed the blue clamps for that, which were at home.
An hour later at lunch, I was still hovering right below 400. Not cool. Took my insulin, attempted to eat lunch. Checked at 2, still hanging out in the high numbers. By this point I could barely contain my tears from frustration. I vented on Facebook and halleluiah. A friend from diabetic camp who has a pump commented on my post. She mentioned that this has happened to her and it is usually a kinked cannula. She explained I needed to change my infusion set to check. Well I'll be darned. My cannula was kinked. I changed my infusion set.
Called my other Medtronic rep, who is crazy awesome, to request a replacement infusion set and reservoir. Speaking with her, I learned I made the error of not rewinding the piston and so we fixed that and gave me some corrective insulin because until that point I really hadn't received any insulin.
By the time I went to bed my blood sugars were below 200. Oh happy day! They weren't bad on Tuesday but then I went low after dinner and my pump and sensor kept beeping at me and wanted to suspend my basal. Again, my thinking is, hell no. So I ended up over treating my low and woke up this morning (Wednesday) with a high blood sugar (below 300). Ate breakfast and had some corrective insulin.
My sensor is saying my sugars are staying right around the number from breakfast. At this point I just want to bang my head. I'll check on my meter shortly and correct. I know my infusion is working because of the low last night.
I realize this roller coaster was partly my fault because the cannula was kinked and I didn't notice and then I ate too much to treat a low. My head has been hurting since Monday because of this roller coaster. I can take comfort in knowing a lot of this is just trial and error of being new to the pump and these things happen. But I really wish my sugars would be complacent and just stay on a nice plateau, preferably in my target range of 100 - 120, but really, my doctor and I are happy to just keep me under 200 based on my pre-pump numbers. I'm making progress.
And now I'm counting down until lunch so I can take a nap.
Last week I started my CGM and wanted to write a blog after completing the first week. Instead, you'll have to settle for a quick recap.
The sensor and I did not get along for the first 24 hours or so because during the two hour warmup period, I had a low blood sugar, which obviously I had to treat. You aren't supposed to eat during that warmup period of the sensor. Whoops. At one point while I was still treating my CGM flashed a message on my pump "I am a diabetic. Call 911 in this emergency." I about died laughing when I saw that while eating my glucose tabs checking out at Sam's Club. Because of the low, my sensor kept thinking I was low. As I attempted to sleep, it kept beeping and vibrating at me telling me I was below 50 and it was suspending my basal. I checked my blood sugar. I was hanging out in the 140s. My poor pump and CGM. I kept yelling at it to not stop my basal but eventually I was able to fall asleep and the pump won and stopped my basal for a few hours. I was pretty high in the morning which did not surprise me. Because the sensor and glucose meter numbers were so far apart my trainer helped me restart the sensor which got the two on the same page. It was easy sailing and I changed the sensor as I was supposed to on Sunday.
And then my blood sugars went on a crazy roller coaster. If they were a child, I'd yell at them to go sit in timeout.
I changed my infusion site on Monday at breakfast and had an awesome blood sugar -- 124. Two hours later I checked, as you should when you change your infusion site, and I had gone up to the mid-200s. Seriously?! I only ate a cup of Cherrios and skim milk for breakfast. I took some corrective insulin and figured things would be find. Checked an hour later to make sure. Nope. Cue my panic. My sugar was 411. I called my trainer as I was supposed to at that time to discuss the first week of the sensor and left her a message giving her the 411 (ha!) and that I'd be on the phone with the 1-800 help line.
Called the 1-800 number at Medtronic and bless their hearts, they are ridiculously wonderful and kind. I was so stressed and nearly in tears because I didn't know what was going on and just continuously apologized for bothering them. The rep walked me through the troubleshooting of my pump and we saw the pump was giving me insulin so we took some corrective insulin and I was told to call back when I was at home so we could do the final troubleshooting stage of my pump because I needed the blue clamps for that, which were at home.
An hour later at lunch, I was still hovering right below 400. Not cool. Took my insulin, attempted to eat lunch. Checked at 2, still hanging out in the high numbers. By this point I could barely contain my tears from frustration. I vented on Facebook and halleluiah. A friend from diabetic camp who has a pump commented on my post. She mentioned that this has happened to her and it is usually a kinked cannula. She explained I needed to change my infusion set to check. Well I'll be darned. My cannula was kinked. I changed my infusion set.
Called my other Medtronic rep, who is crazy awesome, to request a replacement infusion set and reservoir. Speaking with her, I learned I made the error of not rewinding the piston and so we fixed that and gave me some corrective insulin because until that point I really hadn't received any insulin.
By the time I went to bed my blood sugars were below 200. Oh happy day! They weren't bad on Tuesday but then I went low after dinner and my pump and sensor kept beeping at me and wanted to suspend my basal. Again, my thinking is, hell no. So I ended up over treating my low and woke up this morning (Wednesday) with a high blood sugar (below 300). Ate breakfast and had some corrective insulin.
My sensor is saying my sugars are staying right around the number from breakfast. At this point I just want to bang my head. I'll check on my meter shortly and correct. I know my infusion is working because of the low last night.
I realize this roller coaster was partly my fault because the cannula was kinked and I didn't notice and then I ate too much to treat a low. My head has been hurting since Monday because of this roller coaster. I can take comfort in knowing a lot of this is just trial and error of being new to the pump and these things happen. But I really wish my sugars would be complacent and just stay on a nice plateau, preferably in my target range of 100 - 120, but really, my doctor and I are happy to just keep me under 200 based on my pre-pump numbers. I'm making progress.
And now I'm counting down until lunch so I can take a nap.
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