Share and Not Share

Often our health care team only sees us for about 15 minutes several times a year, and they might not have a sense of what our lives are really like. Today, let’s pretend our medical team is reading our blogs. What do you wish they could see about your and/or your loved one's daily life with diabetes? On the other hand, what do you hope they don't see?

I’d like for my healthcare team to see and appreciate that every day is different. Having the “right” basal rates or insulin/carb ratios in place is certainly a desirable thing.  But my activity levels, work times, food choices, etc. are very fluid.  In fact, there are really very few constants.

 

One of the most hated questions for me is “so what does your blood sugar normally run?”  Sounds innocuous, but it makes me want to scream…THERE IS NO NORMAL.  There may be A1C’s, other averages and standard deviations, or a % of the time spent in a certain range, but there is no normal.  If you really want to know, download my meter.  Most of the time endoc’s know better than to ask that question, but other members of my health care team (opthamologist, obgyn, etc.) seem to have the annoying habit of asking it at every single visit!  I would like for them to really see how hard that question is to answer.

What do I hope that they don’t see?  Now that is interesting to ponder.  I think it would be best for me if they saw everything.  Hmmm…sounds kind of like God’s role though.  Human to human, I guess I’d rather it not be known how lazy and just tired of the whole thing I am at times.  How I choose to eat something else sometimes even when my blood sugar is high.  Or how I go to sleep more nights than I’d like to admit not testing after dinner because I’d rather fall asleep on the couch watching Survivor or Dancing with the Stars. 

Emergency Brake

Have you ever pulled out of the driveway, and realized you had the emergency brake on? The car goes alright, and maybe even quite a distance before you notice it, but it's slow and sluggish.

Well, that's how I think I've been approaching my athletic endeavors. Yes, I've been pulling out of the driveway, and even getting onto the road pretty often, but not doing everything I can to achieve. So I decided this is the year that I take the brake off. I finished my 3rd 1/2 marathon in late February, and am moving on to a goal of one triathlon a month for the next 6 months. Instead of ignoring the orthotics with a hole, and the IT band pain that has been with me off and on for the last couple of years, I have sought out professional help for each issue (no, not that kind...at least not yet :) ). I replaced my mountain bike with a road bike that is more appropriate for triathlons. I've joined an online mentor group, and ask lots of questions. Oh, and yes, I am training consistently, and hopefully getting a little smarter about it along the way. I've dropped 8 lbs since mid December, and it's gotten easier instead of harder to eat well.

I don't know why I have not done these things before, but there is just been this underlying fear of really going all in, or that I somehow don't deserve the resources to help me along the way. I'm sure there will be bumps along this road, but it's just a different attitude of tackling them instead of hoping they will go away. So no more burning up the emergency brake!

The Value of Acknowledgement

I went to a new podiatrist this week for an opinion as to whether my orthotics and shoes were right for me. Long runs have been causing me some pain, and I'm trying to be proactive about it instead of waiting for a total breakdown that makes me scrub my goal of my 3rd half marathon. So I found one who is about my age, and training for her first ironman. Based on my experience with other non-endoc medical professionals, I wasn't expecting a whole lot with regards to diabetes understanding.

We got to that inevitable question..."So, how is your diabetes?". I proceeded to tell her "decent...A1C usually around 6.5, slipped up to 7.0 last time but working on it". The next thing she said was music to my ears. "Well, it can always be better, but that's actually pretty good for a T1. I know it's a really difficult thing to manage." It was those last words that got me. I just don't hear that much except for the DOC. It means so much for someone else to simply acknowledge that it is difficult. No advice, no second guessing, no dwelling on the issue, just acknowledgement of what is a fact.

I hope I can apply that to being a better friend to others.

Speechless

I've read lots of great posts lately about educating and advocating. I just can't figure out how to do that when I'm speechless. Today at a work luncheon, small pieces of toffee were passed around for us to sample as a potential client gift. I had one that measured maybe 1/2 an inch, and the lady across the table from me looks at me and says very loudly...."You can't eat that!". She then proceeds to tell everyone at the table "She is diabetic!" Then she turns to me again with a scowl on her face and says "You're cheating!!!" No, she wasn't joking. All I could manage to get out was "I take insulin so I can eat. Here's my pump (pointing)". I knew that anything I could say would be useless in convincing this lady of anything. One of my co-workers nodded and shot me a look of understanding and encouragement, and I frankly think the rest of them were as dumbstruck as I was. So perhaps staying silent was the best thing I could have done so that her rudeness could just echo in the conference room without interference. I have the urge to send her some educational material about diabetes, or perhaps an excerpt from a few of the wonderful "6 things" posts that you guys have written, but I doubt it would be worth the effort.

It's Not Always the D

I just returned from a run that dropped my blood sugar. Only down to 72, but in the middle of a run, that's not the best place for it to be. So I choked down 4 glucose tabs, swigged some water, and continued on. Not the best run, but it's summer in TX, and the heat and humidity really saps me. When I got home, I took off all my gear (fuel belt, Ipod, etc.) as usual. Then I noticed that I could not hear well out of my right ear. Sort of felt like it was under water.

So I start thinking, wow, this must be a new symptom of a low. As I got my meter out, I was expecting a 46 or something similar. But my blood sugar tested at 116, so all was well there. Then I start wondering if maybe I have some water in my ear from swimming on Sunday, or maybe I turned my Ipod up too loud, or maybe this is a residual symptom of an earlier drop in blood sugar, or.....???? Finally, I reached up to feel my ear and realized that the spongy earbud cover from my ipod had come off and stayed stuck in there. Had to just laugh at that point. Talk about overlooking the obvious! I hate it when other people or doctors jump to the conclusion that everything going on with us is somehow D related, and there I went and did it myself!

Late to the Party

I really wanted to participate in D blog week. You know, be a better citizien of the online diabetes community. But my "want to" got swallowed up in other aspects of life, and I didn't ever get around to it. Actually, that's not true. I wrote a post the first day, then promptly lost it. Anyway, I have really enjoyed reading everyone's posts, so I thought I'd try to catch up with an abbreviated version of the week's topics.

What is a Typical Day? - Although my A1C is decent (usually around 6.5), there is no typical day, and my standard deviation is not very standard. Diabetes tends to be randomly unpredictable, and also morphs over time. The trouble is, it's hard to separate what is day to day unpredictability and what are truly trends. That is especially true since I also have trouble making myself sit down to analyze the data. But either way, diabetes is always playing a tune, either in the background, or blaring into the foreground.

How to deal with lows? - Sometimes I'm very measured and disciplined with eating glucose tabs or a cliff shot block and waiting. Other times, I wind up raiding the pantry for things like cake frosting or molasses, and chase it with orange juice. If that doesn't make me feel better, but I know I've already overtreated, peanut butter is the ticket. I can't remember what my lowest low has been (upper 20's I think), but I have never passed out in 17 years with D, so perhaps I inherited the "no pass out" gene along with the T1 gene. My glucagon is long expired, so hope I don't need it.

Best Supporter? - That's easy. My husband is the absolute best at balancing loving concern with letting me handle it. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for him. I really struggle with letting non-D folks in on what it is really like living with D, and tend to put on a brave face with most. I also do that with family members who have overreacted in the past. But my husband sees my not-so-brave face, and still manages to stay balanced. Amazing!

Carbs? - Absolutely, in moderation. Nothing is off limits, but some things are not for the best. Keeping it to 45 grams per meal or less is what works for me, and I do that for most of the day. But I'm afraid my pump has given me a little too much license in the snacking department. My after dinner snack-bolus-snack-bolus fests are the bane of my control, but I have yet to chase that monster back into the closet. So total carbs have been averaging 165 per day of late. Still fairly moderate I suppose.

Exercise? - This is weird, I know, but I love it! Running, walking, and more recently swimming and biking. It's all good. It is an escape, a chance for my mind to wander, for me to pray, and to just feel alive. I love experiencing changes in the weather, and have been known to purposely run in the rain. I often take my most active dog along, and love to watch her senses come alive as we stalk squirrels, or she drops to the ground to roll in the cool grass. I've done lots of 5K's, a couple of 10K's, a couple of (very slow) 1/2 marathons and 1 triathlon so far. It's not easy trying to balance the insulin/carbs/exercise/all other X factors equation. Sometimes I fail miserably and wind up in tears as I cut a run short to treat a low. But part of the appeal of exercise is that feeling of transcending diabetes in order to do it.

Thanks for indulging my tardiness, and I look forward to reading more of everyone's posts.

Why this but not that?

I work as a CPA, but do not prepare federal income tax returns as part of my work. Never have; I just don't want to specialize in that. Around this time of year, as April 15th approaches, lots of well meaning friends express concern about "how busy you must be this time of year". This is in spite of me having told many of them previously that I don't do taxes. I do not find this to be upsetting at all, and have plenty of patience and grace to extend to those friends, as I'm sure they extend to me on other things.

Contrast that with how I feel when those same well meaning friends make comments about my diabetes. You know what I'm talking about....things like "oh, I forgot, you can't eat that, can you?", or "you need to eat your lunch right on time, don't you?" That in spite of me having told them previously that Type 1 diabetes is not so much about what I cannot eat or when I eat (thanks to my pump), but about matching insulin with what I do eat and my activity level. Why do those questions still cause a flood of emotions, and leave me often reliving the comment long after it is made? I do my best to extend grace to those friends, and in my head realize it's unrealistic to expect them to remember much about my diabetes. But it's a battle to fight through those initial emotions to get there sometimes.

Both are sterotypes of sorts, but one leaves me feeling judged, and the other does not. How about you, have you found a dichotomy in how you respond to D related comments vs. comments about other aspects of your life?

Not a Flat Line

This week I had my annual eye exam with the retina specialist. I thankfully don't need a retina specialist at this point, but figured it would be good to get to know a good one before I do. And it fulfills my annual oath as a person with diabetes to have the all important dilated eye exam. OK, so there is no oath, and I apparently turned it into a biennial kind of thing since they don't send out reminder cards and neither did my brain. But I digress....

The real reason for this post is the conundrum posed by the ineveitable questions posed by most health professionals to those of us who are pancreatically challenged. The first of those is "so, what do your blood sugars usually run?". This time I dodged that bullet by giving them my A1C of 6.5, which drew a "not too bad" response (is that like a 7 from the russian judge?). Then, the tech or assistant or whatever her title moved in for the kill..."so, are they pretty steady?", she queried. At this point, I couldn't help it, and just laughed. After I got that out of my system, I told her that "Type 1 diabetes simply isn't like that. Different days bring different challenges, and blood glucose is not always a flat line, so that is a very difficult question to answer. Today happens to be a good one, but a couple of days before that...not so much." Then a really good and unexpected thing happened, and she told me she has a friend with type 1 who says the same thing. Well, yippee, at least we are singing the same song.

Anyway, I'm not sure why those questions are so annoying to me, but they are. The tech was very nice, and our exchange was amicable, but I always feel icky after answering, like I'm taking a test with no correct answer. Basically, anyone who asks me things like that, other than my endoc or another person living with T1, just draws an automatic assumption on my part that they won't possibly understand a real answer. I have this desire to whip out a few weeks worth of CGM data and ask them to tell me "Can you define steady? Is this steady enough?". Maybe I'll do that next time :). Life is not a flat line, and neither is my CGM graph.

First Triathlon

Monster Triathlon Race Report (300 meter swim, 12 mile bike, 3.1 mile run)

A good friend and I finished our first triathlon this morning, and had a great time doing it. I still don't know our time, but I'm sure it wasn't particularly fast. Had lots of time to get nervous before the swim, with 750 of us lining up (sort of). Nice big pool with 50 meter X 8 foot lanes, and after waiting about 45 minutes for our turn, my friend and I were able to start one right after the other. We actually passed a few people! Considering that both of us were freaked out about just putting our faces in the water only a few months ago, we did pretty well. We did get held up behind a couple that missed the memo about staying right unless you are passing. They insisted on staying side by side, taking up the whole lane. While she attempted to breast stroke and side stroke, he swam along shouting encouragement whilst not letting anyone pass. Tried the left, no good, tried the middle, and they closed ranks, but finally got by! Other than that, our swimming fears have been laid to rest, and the swim was my favorite part of the whole thing, even though it was the part I dreaded. Go figure!

T1 was fine, and thanks to the volunteers, I didn't miss the timing mat on the way in like I tried to. I didn't test, and my CGM had not "found iteslf" by the time I started. The bike leg was good, but pretty hilly and quite windy today, so a bit tougher than we anticipated. Two loops, so we knew what we were in for the 2nd time around. We were both riding our mountain bikes, but managed to actually pass a few folks on spiffier bikes. Heard a high blood sugar alert from from my continuous monitor early in the bike ride, so knew I didn't need any carbs.

Before the swim, my BG was 181 and supposedly dropping. But by the time T2 came, it was at 340. Adrenaline + going anaerobic on the hills + being disconnceted from my insulin pump waiting to swim + plus the beginning of a cold = not a good combo for that. So I need a new plan for next time to at least replace the basal insulin I missed during the swim line up and swim.

Between that and the harder bike ride, the run pretty much sucked for me. Back tightened up like never before, and I had to stop to stretch it and walk a fair amount. My friend stuck with me, but I kind of wish she had gone on so I wouldn't feel bad for sucking AND holding her back. I think it was something like 34 minutes for the run/walk we wound up doing. It was her turn to come in ahead (long story), so I encouraged her to go ahead for the last 1/10th. I managed to run in the last 1/2 mile or so looking reasonably strong, and raised my arms in victory crossing the finish line.

Cool finishers medal, and nice long sleeve orange and black tech shirt to complete the halloween theme. Awesome support from our husbands, who carted our extra "stuff" around, took pictures, and put up with our pre-race nerves. My mom even came to cheer us on . Would I do it again?....yep....but not right now!

The Hay is in the Barn

This Sunday I'll be attempting my first triathlon. It's a relatively short one, with a 300 meter swim, a 12 mile bike ride, and a 3.1 mile run. This will be a fairly light workout week leading up to it, since the training I have already done is what matters physically. It's been a bumpy ride during the 12 week training program, with a 2 week cold/flu thing in weeks 4 and 5, being a few lbs heavier than I'd like to be, and now a tear in my right arch. As of today, I think I'm reasonably ready to complete it, though perhaps not as well as I would have hoped initially.

The training has consisted mainly of doing either a swim, bike, or run 5 or 6 days a week. On some days, I've put together biking and swimming, and on a few others, biking and running. But Sunday will be my first time putting all 3 together. Although that's fairly normal in preparing for a first triathlon, it leaves me with some lingering questions as far as BG management. I'm hoping my CGM will be in synch come Sunday so I don't have to test in the middle of the bike ride, but it may come down to that. I've had a couple of episodes lately where the CGM trend totally misled me. The swim is so short that testing after that in T1 won't do much good, and after the bike ride in T2 will be too late for any carbs I take in to do much good. I'll just have to play the CGM game by ear and hope for the best.

So I'm reminding myself this week that: "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." (Prov 19:21). I've trained with a good friend who will be racing that day too, and our friendship is stronger and deeper as a result. My awesome husband will be getting up a 0-dark-thirty with me so he can support me and hand my pump back to me after the swim. God willing, all will go the way I would like it to, but if not, it will still be alright, and there is purpose in that too.

CGM Jury Still Out

Thanks so much for the comments on my last post. In spite of a power outage that caused some bad hair this morning, I went to my Endoc appt today. I received the results of my first A1C after starting on a CGM two months ago. He does the quickie in office A1C test, and has even moved the machine that hums and whirs to produce that magic number into the exam room, which leaves me with sort of a Magic 8 ball type of feeling about the whole thing.

A1C six mos ago was 6.5, and today it was 6.6. I've bounced between 6.3 and 6.7 for the last few years. So is the CGM helping? I think the jury is still out. I know I like being able to see what's going on, and that I'm less hesitant to make changes, but I think a little less talk and a little more action (thanks Elvis) are in order. Got a couple of suggestions from my endoc that will hopefully help get my overnight #'s in better shape, and he offered to help me troubleshoot between appts if not.

I also have to realize that over time, my body changes, and sometimes just staying the same is a victory. I'm in my 40's, have put on a few unwanted pounds in the last few months, and have seen, but not wanted to acknowledge, that I'm not quite as insulin sensitive as a result. Denial is a many splendored thing. So I'm crankin' up the juice a little more and we'll see what happens.

The A1C after the CGM

Tomorrow is my first post CGMing appointment with my endoc. I almost cancelled it, but somehow managed to "select 1 to confirm the appointment" when I got the reminder call yesterday.

So what's the problem?? I'm afraid I haven't done the CGM justice by reducing my A1C.

I have made some positive changes that may actually lower it, like increasing overnight basals, not purposely running so high prior to exercise, bolusing more aggressively when appropriate, and correcting more often. It's also been less than 2 months that I've been hooked up and seeing those nice graphs, so why can't I cut myself a little "learning curve" slack?

But I have this feeling in the pit of my stomach like if the A1C is not better, I might have to give my CGM back. Ridiculous thought (I mean...who would I give it back to?), and intellectually I know it's not true, but it is how it FEELS. But I'm going tomorrow, though I may look odd clutching my CGM site and hissing at anyone who approaches me.

Breaking the Rules

Disclaimer: I'm not a medical professional, just another diabetic, so don't take what I do as correct...it's just what I do.

We had a series of thunderstorms this week, and my 90 year old father-in-law lost his power. So he came to spend the night with us. We got up early the next morning, and he was stressed out about getting home...insisting he needed to take one of his medications right at 6:45 am. We took him home right away. This may have been right for that medication, and perhaps a few minutes on either side would really matter.

Since then I've been feeling resentment about the many "rules" that I was told early on applied to my diabetes care. I know the folks who taught me these rules were erring on the side of caution, and telling me what they were legally bound to say. But diabetes puts enough demands on life that I don't need any "extra" ones. Early in my diagnosis, I didn't know how to sort out what was really critical, so tried to follow everything to the letter. Here are the ones I can think of that I have kicked to the curb over the years:

1. Change your lancet after every use -- umm once in a blue moon
2. Swab your finger with alcohol before you do a finger stick -- never
3. Swab your injection site, pump site, CGM site with alcohol prior to injecting (or inserting) -- never, just make sure area is clean
4. Always refrigerate your insulin -- I used to stress over whether there would be a fridge at hotels, now current bottle stays at room temp and additional supply is in fridge at home
5. Change your pump site every 2 days -- umm 4 or 5 days usually
6. Change your CGM site every 3 days -- I lie to my pump -- telling it I have a new sensor when I really don't -- so I can use for each sensor for 6 days. The poor thing has yet to wise up!
7. Take Lantus at same time every day -- early on I was dogmatic about this, but soon found out that for me the darned stuff didn't last 24 hours anyway
8. Swab top of insulin bottle with alcohol -- never

How about you? Are you a diabetes renegade?

CGM Truth or Dare??

Last week the curtains were pulled back to reveal a 24X7 movie of my BG control. There was no red carpet rollout for the premier, but it was a big event for me nonetheless. I started on a new Minimed pump and CGM last Thursday.

First, I was giddy with being able to see so much more about what is happening, and just kept looking at the trends in a distant sort of way, as if they were not really connected to me. This week, reality is starting to sink in, and I'm faced with some things that I need to change if I want to improve my control. Like cutting out the late night snacking, and upping my basal rate after I workout. Both of those things are scary to me in their own ways. Even though I may have suspected them before, now the data is smacking me in the face and hard to ignore. No more namby pamby..."I'm not really sure what's happening so I'll just keep doing what I want to." I know this is a good thing, but as with facing any challenge, there is emotion and resistance to overcome.

So I guess it's really more of a game of truth AND dare now, isn't it?

To reschecule or not to reschedule....

....that is the question.

I had to cancel my endoc appt. 2 wks ago due to a stomach bug, and have yet to reschedule it. I guess there are two components to my reluctance. First, I have the feeling my A1C will not be stellar. I'm always thinking that though, and am usually pleasantly surprised with the results. So the bigger factor is that I still feel like I don't get much help from my endoc other than ensuring a signature on those prescriptions.

When I mentioned to a friend at church who is a nurse that I had to cancel my endoc appt and mammogram last week, she got this worried look on her face and said something like "Oh, wow, that's not good, will you be OK until you can get in to see your endoc?". A nice well-meaning question, but pretty far off target. I replied, "I've been at this a long time, and really the endoc doesn't tell me much I don't already know." Probably sounded arrogant, but it's true.

Last time, I asked him for help in avoiding lows while running. He said I could fax him some numbers and handed me a worksheet with blanks for only before and after meals, no space for a pump basal rate, etc. I asked if I could send him a spreadsheet instead that included room for more testing, carb intake, etc. surrounding exercise, and he said they preferred all patients to use their (totally inadequate) form. This really should not upset me that much since I have a history of not doing a very good job of logging anyway. But it was just a sign of being alone in managing my diabetes, and has rattled around in my brain since then. Were it not for this wonderful online community, I would feel very alone with it indeed.

On the plus side, he did suggest I look into CGM's, and would likely be willing to help me get one. He was also very helpful when I had a pump malfunction that required me going back to shots for a little while. I'm probably looking for too much in a doctor, and this one isn't bad. So I guess I just need to book that appointment. Maybe I'll call...tomorrow.

I'm also curious...how many of you feel that you genuinely get help with your specific issues from your endoc/diabetes team? Am I expecting too much?

Am I Borg?

Had a weird dream last night. I was on an elevator with a bunch of strangers when I realized that my infusion set was in my cheek. No, not THAT cheek, the one on my face! It was the same feeling as the "realizing you are naked at school" dream. So what does this mean? Do I secretly want to be a member of the borg collective? Or could it be that I still feel self conscious about my pump? Or is it that I think it might be better if others had to truly come face to face with at least one reality of diabetes? It really is a hidden disease in so many ways, even for those of us who are pretty open about having it. How about you? What weird D related dreams have you had?

Multitasking

Multitasking is a way of life. I ususally blame that on e-mail, voicemail, blogging, cell phone, blackberry, and other technological "advances". But I realized this morning that it has invaded my site change routine. While changing my set and cartridge, I also brushed my teeth, applied base makeup, and worked some conditioning cream through my hair. You know, there are those pauses while the pump realizes you've pulled out the old cartridge, and while the new cartridge is loading. Perfect time to trim your nails.

So is this odd? Do you multitask as you are changing out your set/cartridge? What things do you accomplish amongst the whirring and beeping of a cartridge loading?

REQUEST FOR CGMS: DENIED BY INSURANCE

I didn't ask to have to worry about whether I will go low when I go for a run or even a walk, go to sleep, or God forbid, while I drive. I keep my blood sugars higher than recommended sometimes because there are so many unknown variables and the lows are debilitating. In case you are wondering, it's not a simple case of counting carbs and taking the right insulin doses. There are hormones, activity levels, and stress to try to "quantify", which is of course impossible. That is where a CGM could really help. Since we cannot account for everything, the best we can do sometimes is react to it. A CGM will help us to react faster, and to avoid the short term disaster of a severe low behind the wheel, as well as some of the long term damage that our bodies are racking up due to BG's that are too high as we try to avoid those lows based on as many test strips as we can afford. It would also help me to not lose heart in my battle to remain as healthy as I can.

My doctor suggested I look into getting a CGM, but so far I have found that I cannot afford it. Aside from the initial outlay for the device, the ongoing costs are roughly $400 per month. Trust me, I have no desire to wired up like a cyborg with my insulin pump and yet another device. But it is difficult to know that I cannot afford to come one step closer to a normal life. I don't know whether to address this to the insurance companies, the CGM manufacturers or our government, but I sincerely hope that all of them will hear our plea.

I Just Might Make It

It seems like a long time ago that I signed up for the Diabetic Runner Challenge (see emblem on the lower right side of my BLOG). The challenge was to run 500 miles this year. I know the emblem says 1000 miles, but I picked the wrong emblem :(.

The last 6 months has not been a stellar time for me in terms of logging a lot of miles, but I did enjoy a few 5K's in the spring with progressive personal records, and have been doing a few shorter runs per week. Now it's mid-year, so figured I'd check my mileage total. Total miles logged on my Garmin....284. Woooohoooo, I just might make it!

Keep on Keepin' On

Is it just me, or have others of you searched the news from the ADA conference looking for something to get excited about and come up lacking anything of substance?

Don't get me wrong, I'm so grateful for the tools that I have to manage my diabetes and realize how far things have come. I'm also grateful for the researchers who take a long term view and are patient enough to conduct their studies. But taking a shorter term view, say of the last 5 years, I just don't see anything that changes the way I LIVE with this disease. None of the studies and none of the devices. There still is not a closed loop pump/monitor. Continuous glucose monitors are not finding favor with insurance companies. There is continuing debate about the costs/benefits of tight vs. supertight control of blood glucose. I'm still not sure if the variability of my BG or the average is more important in preventing long term complications, and I don't know if it's more important to avoid the lows (other than to make myself not feel horrible in the moment and avoid passing out). I exercise because I like the way it makes me feel, but still don't know if the surrounding BG excursions do more harm than good. I haven't even seen meter sizes shrinking to smaller than my current Flash, or a pump that makes it worth ditching my Cozmo.

I guess I'll just keep on keepin' on! I'll admit I haven't read everything that has come out of the conference, so maybe I'm missing something big. How about you, anything coming out of the conference going to change the way you LIVE? Maybe I'll ask my endoc the same thing tomorrow.

p.s. I almost forgot, I did like the study that suggested it might be a good thing that I have gained a little weight since diagnosis. Still don't find it to be particularly useful though.