Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Stubborn

My sugar isn't budging. My numbers are stubborn today, mostly because I'm being stubborn as well.

I had one sick day that raised my numbers, and now they won't go down. So I'm being stingy with my carbs to see if I can get them low. It seems that whenever I start out high, I just stay there unless I can jolt myself low.

This morning when I woke up, my number was 114 (I usually wake up around 90). I ate nothing. I got on the treadmill and did 37 minutes of brisk walking. I got off the treadmill and tested again: 104. I ate one container of yogurt, some turkey and some cheese. The yogurt was 11 carbs (that's less than one whole carb unit, for those of us who are counting) and that's all the carbohydrates I ingested. That was at 7:30 this morning.

I just tested again, now, at 11:17. My number: 112.

Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn. I realize 112 isn't a bad number, nor is 114 or 104. But seriously, am I doomed to eat just one carb at a time, with a half-hour of exercise between? This better be just some wonky phase I'm going through. I'm going to get awfully cranky surviving on just cheese, no matter how much I like it.

And here's the "let's throw in another diabetes weirdo for Lora to figure out": I feel like I'm low. I think my body is in a routine that automatically starts the low blood sugar symptoms at a certain time during the day and is continuing that routine, regardless of what the actual sugar level is. And trust me, I've tested finger after finger every time I feel this way, and always come up with a number well above a hundred. And I test 15 minutes or half an hour later to make sure, and 8 times out of 10, I'm even higher. I know it's not low blood sugar, but it feels like it.

So what's a girl to do? I normally treat the symptom if I feel low, and I'm usually right on target. But I know (from the past couple days experience) that if I treat the low feeling and not the number, I'll wind up 158 one carb unit later. I don't like 158. Again, not a high number for some, but high for me, bringing with it that rotten headache of a high number.

I'm upping my nightly insulin shot one unit at a time until I can get my numbers back on track and still eat. I'm even shooting in my thigh (which I haven't done in years) in the hopes that a "change of venue" will help.

I wish this sloggy low feeling would go away.

As always, more to come...


1 comment:

k2 said...

Lora -
Do you work with a CDE?
Your numbers are not terrible at all.
If your feeling low while in the low 100's, maybe the mid 90's would make u feel worse.
Whatever your goal is,working with a Certified Diabetes Educator really helps.
One more thing, your pump isn't on the fritz right? Sometimes the batteries get low and cause some funky numbers!
Feel better and please keep us posted.
k2