Hi all,
I’m new to the site but excited to find it. I am 49 and was diagnosed with T1D 6 years ago. At first I was misdiagnosed as T2D until I saw an Endo. Anyway, 6 years into this I am still so frustrated because my BG seems to constantly jump around. I moved states 2 and 1/2 years ago now and since then I can’t get my A1C much below 7. I also can’t seem to get my new Endo very motivated to help with this. I am not sure what I am asking exactly but are there any T1Ds out there that got late life diagnoses and how has this been for you? I should say that I take Novolog and Lantus, test 6X daily and do multiple injections. Thanks.
Hi Brad,
I’ve been Type 1 now for 46+ years now, and I still have my ups and downs. A 7 is not terrible, it means you are averaging about 154 readings. You might benefit from a pump and a CGM if you’re insurance will go for it. What is you endo telling you to do to bring it down? What kind of diet do you follow? Counting carbs? Exercise? If you test high, do you have a sliding scale to bring it back down? If your endo doesn’t seen interested, find another one, preferably associated with a major teaching hospital.
Walt Crocker, Author: Diabetes! A Lifetime of Being Too Sweet."
i don’t have as much experience as Walt, but I am not a newbie either, dx in the late 1970’s.
for the last 30 something years, my blood sugar “jumps around”. the only thing i can do is if there are patterns (always high in the morning for example) then I can do something about a pattern.
lantus it tough, because it delivers flat line (constant) basal. your body’s basal requirements are most probably not flat line, mine isn’t anyway so I tossed my lantus for a pump 10 years ago.
if you like to read - I also recommend you get “Think Like a Pancreas” by Gary Scheiner, it’s a good read.
your endo is a slacker, mine rides my #%^# for an a1c of 6.2! I almost fired her after our last argument! She knows how to keep me angry and motivated so I guess it’s a love/hate relationship.
frustration is probably the best definition of T1d, in my opinion, you are doing great.
Good points Joe. Even though the literature says that the action of Lantus is flat line, in reality it isn’t. Studies have shown there is a small variance. According o the “John Hopkins’s 2014 Guide to Diabetes” you are going to have highs and lows. Remember that a severe low is much worse (especially for the brain) than a temporary high. It’s the prolonged high that does the damage.
Thanks Walt. I need to exercise more regularly and I do count carbs. What I find frustrating is eating the same thing on two different days, dosing the same amount and getting different readings. Often when bringing down my BG I over correct. I keep hearing from everyone that it is a on-going learning curve.
Thanks Joe for the encouragement. I think I would like to have the opportunity to get mad at my endo. I have only seen this new one a few times and each time I try to ask for more help. It feels like they are used to working with folks with really out of control levels and so being fairly consistent is like no big deal to them. Anyway, I’ll either get him to respond or fire him as you suggest!
The difference between a prolonged high and a low is very helpful. Thanks for that.
Hi Brad,
I know exactly what you mean about eating the same and taking the same insulin, but having two completely different readings. I have a kidney transplant and even though it’s doing well, there are good days and bad days. When the kidney is working good it is more effective at removing insulin so then I need to take more, but that same amount might plunge me low the next day. It’s just that there are so many different factors that affect it like injection site, exercise, stress, digestion. Every day is different. But there are some promising new treatments right around the corner, so hang in there.