Thanks for the input on lows, Jenna. Honestly, the doctors I've talked to seem unconcerned with lows, so I've been pushing myself...just got the results of my 5.7 A1c. Which feels good, but I know I need to be cautious - lows aren't great either!
Hi Annie!
I understand your concern because I was also told that my insulin requirements would not increase until much later in the pregnancy. I planned my pregnancy and gave myself a year, with my team, to get my A1c to 6.0 before trying to conceive. When we download my pump, typically 78-82% of my checks are in range and I check constantly. I have been worried this week though (estimated to be in seventh week of pregnancy but first ultrasound is Aug. 30) because I have also been waking up high, spiking as high as 225 after a meal, and my corrections are not serving to bring me down. This is my third day with abnormal blood sugars. Yesterday, I set a temp basal of 20% all day which kept me hovering at 140 all day, no matter the correction or exercise involved. When I woke up today, I saw the pattern repeating so I again increased all my basals by 20% but today, I need even more insulin. It is so strange because even my daily workout did not help drop me much, despite the fact that I refrained from reducing my basal by 50% today, which I normally would do during a workout. What happened with your blood sugars after this post? What have you learned in the past two months that could help me?
Thanks so much,
Casey
Hi Casey,
I still have post meal highs in the upper 100's to low 200's occasionally. Especially breakfast! I know some women have found certain food to work better for them. For me, starting out at a number of 70-80 worked wonders, and then eating a meal of an egg and small piece of whole wheat toast kept my numbers lower. If you haven't yet, I recommend seeing a dietician who may be able to recommend certain foods for you.
I'm at 15 weeks now, and I seem to deal less with the highs than I did earlier. If I do have highs that are unexplainable by food, I change my pump set and move to a different site. I think my issue at times was absorption-related.
I also just can't eat certain foods still. Anything really high in fat can affect me hours later, even if I use a square or dual wave bolus.
I'll be honest - I don't always eat the super easy to predict foods, I'm not the type of person who could eat the same lunch or dinner every day, and I still have some highs and lows, but overall, my A1c's have been 5.5-5.7 during pregnancy and I'm doing the best I can. I keep reminding myself to give myself grace, not to stress over individual numbers that aren't great and move on.
If I'm seeing patterns, that's when I get in touch with my nurse who manages my blood sugars. Do you have a good care team?
Anyway, hope your doing well! Let me know if I can answer any other questions!
Stephanie, how are you doing these days?