Healing Type 1 Diabetes

Sensitive to Everything

Yesterday

• 5:49 pm     130 bs         .3 unit
• 6:40 pm                        2.0 units - 1.5 oz cashews
• 8:00 pm                        1.0 unit   - 1 oz cheese, 10 small olives
• 8:17 pm     135 bs       1.0 units - 3 eggs, 2 turkey bacon from Trader Joe's
• 11:06 pm   165 bs         .8 unit   

Today

• 7:24 am     220 bs     1.5 units - Disconnected pump and showered & got ready for work.
• 8:41 am     170 bs        .4 unit
• 11:40 am   171 bs        .8 unit - Ate large mexican salad with meat & took 5 more units.

I increased my basal (24 hr insulin) rate today. I did not like that 220 bs this morning. So I increased from .45 per hour to .475 which is an increase from 10 units a day to 11.4. If my blood sugar is still high tomorrow morning, I will probably increase it again.

I am trying to figure out what I am doing differently from when I was getting those great morning blood sugars of 80 to 100. I thought of one thing. I started chewing sugarless gum again. I was told once, based on kinesiology, that I react badly to sugar substitutes. So starting today I am not chewing any, for awhile at least.

You may laugh, "Gum? I doubt it!" And you may be right. But based on experience I seem to be sensitive to a lot of things and you never know. Besides, I know sugar substitutes are not good for any of us.

Genetically, I feel a little short-changed. I am the second of 4 girls and I think I got the short end of the stick. They all have thick hair and I got thin, fine hair. I developed the worst vision, by far, of all of us. I was the only one with buck teeth. I was the only one that had to wear corrective shoes all through grade school, yuk! I was the only one that would itch after I was bathed with certain soaps (my mom noticed this when I was little). My scalp breaks out with bumps if I use certain shampoos, like Suave. I'm the only one who can only wear gold or silver pierced earrings, I react to others, etc., etc.

So when I think that perhaps my blood sugars are reacting to sugarless gum, then this is why. I just seem to be sensitive to a lot of things.

But I do want to maintain an attitude of gratitude which is very healthy for everyone. So I am grateful for my sensitive body. Perhaps it is helping me to avoid things that are bad for everyone long term, but other people just don't know it. Even avoiding grains might be healthy in other ways for me than just keeping my blood sugars down.

And I am also grateful that my blood sugars are not fluctuating wildly on me like they used to do. I am not going up over 300 and then crashing all in the same day. I feel great. But I will keep working at it and try to bring them down.

 

Tempted

My blood sugar was 94 this morning and no crash! Woo-hoo!

Boy that chicken piccata with gravy and mashed potatoes sure does look & smell good in the cafeteria today. I might even have gotten the chicken but the gravy has wheat in it and I don't want to mess up my blood sugars for a minimum of 3 days.

Sweets tempt me a little bit nowadays, but not too much. I think it's because my blood sugars have been good. My whole body craves sweets when my blood sugars are high, because the sugar is not getting into my cells. I also am allowing myself something sweet, sans grains, about once a week.

But the craving for chicken, potatoes, & gravy today is in my mouth only. I can taste it and I salivate for it a little. So this is a memory craving I suppose, because I grew up on potatoes & gravy. But my BAS (big ass salad) looks yummy too and I look forward to how it tastes.

I read today in Changing for Good that one of the ways that you know you are in the termination stage, the last stage, is when you are no longer tempted - ever. It also said about 16% of ex-smokers and alcoholics reach this stage - after years of being in the maintenance stage. Some of us stay in the maintenance stage and never reach the termination stage. That's okay though, we can still maintain our change for life. We just have to be more vigilant and continue to use our maintenance coping tools.

So I was tempted today, but not too strongly. My rewards are feeling good and good blood sugars. Oh, and also seeing a few pounds drop off and clothes fitting better...

That First Morning Blood Sugar Sets the Tone for the Day

My first morning blood sugar today was 109. Woo-hoo!

For those who aren't diabetic, they wouldn't understand. But us Type 1s, and maybe many Type 2s too, understand. If you wake up to a great blood sugar, it just sets the tone for the day. You feel on top of your diabetes, for the moment, and in control. You can do anything! Of course, part of it is physical because you feel better when you have a good blood sugar too. But part of it is mental.

When you have a high blood sugar you start thinking, "I failed again. What did I do wrong this time? Why can't I do better? It's hopeless."

While others are having their tone for the day set by things like - their spouse's mood, how their neck feels, or their dog's behavior during the night - ours is set by that one little number. Whatever that stupid little meter spits out determines our mood. It might even affect how we eat during the day.

If our blood sugar is good, we are motivated to continue with out health promoting ways. But if it's bad, we might be tempted to give up and decide that whatever we do doesn't help.

In my case, I think eating primal (lots of salads and some grass-fed meat, eggs, & a little cheese) and getting a pump has helped me. My morning blood sugars have gradually gotten better and it's very motivating to keep on trucking!

Here's hoping you find what works for you too!

I'm back and Dependence on Insulin

Thank you for the comments I have gotten while I've been gone. I have been researching, reading, and relaxing. I've decided a 100% raw vegan diet is not for me. My blood sugars never stabilized. One doctor checked my vitamin levels and I was great on all the vitamins except I was low on carnosine which is provided by meat.

So I am now eating a primal diet. Lots of BAS (Big Ass Salads) and grass-fed meat. I will keep you posted.

One commenter said I shouldn't become dependent on insulin. I say we are all dependent on insulin, it's just that my body is not delivering it for me as it does for most other people. Here is the section in the insulin wiki that talks about all that insulin does http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin#Physiological_effects

When I first became diabetic at the age of 47 they assumed I was type 2 and put me on oral medications. I started wasting away and got down to 88 pounds. Before they figured out how to produce insulin, people did waste away and literally starve to death.

I am now on a pump. I chose the Medtronic mini-med. It has helped so much. The first advantage is that I no longer have to poke myself with insulin several times a day, I just have to poke myself once every 3 days to attach the pump. The second advantage is that I can suspend the delivery of insulin if I start crashing or go exercise - you can't suspend 24-hour insulin like Lantus.

I have joined a support group at work that meets once a month for lunch and has a listserv. This has been wonderful and they were the ones who first convinced me to get a pump. There is also a monthly pump group meeting in the evenings at a local hospital. I will attend the second meeting for that tonight. Support is so important!