Nothing brings things into perspective like watching your pump plot its CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) graph throughout the day. I used to think getting more than a pre-meal blood glucose meter reading was bad for my ego: my 2 to 3 hour post-meal readings left much to be desired (especially by my doctor). Now that I get a sensor (interstitial fluid reading, calibrated to be a close as possible to blood) reading every 5 minutes it offers a bigger picture that doesn't always reflect how I feel I'm doing. In fact, it often hyper-accentuates the extremes when, overall I feel like I'm doing well! It gives room for the doctor to tell me I lack control whereas all they used to have was my A1c reading and 3 to 6 meter readings throughout the day. Trust me, nothing is worse than being basically told "you suck" by a doctor. Even if I'm not getting into car accidents or fainting or going into a coma, the doctors still consider highs and lows a "failure."
July 10-July 16, 2013
Despite all of this, I am pretty pleased with my CGM graphs from this week (see below). I have been working very hard at staying below 8.0 mmol/L (144 mg/dL) and lowering my glucose so that I am not high for more than 1 hour. There were bad times here and there, such as the dinner out that turned into 1/2 a hotdog and a basket of fries, but I believe I'm going in the right direction toward achieving my goals!
Sept 17 - Sept 23, 2013
Look at all the time I spend in the green (goal area) versus on the graph above! It makes me giddy! Hopefully my doctor will be happy too!
Most recently: HbA1c: 7.9%, 144 lbs; left foot mild plantar fasciitis, blisters!
