So…. I posted about ‘having a mare’ two days ago – unfortunately things didn’t get any better yesterday! I started the day with a site change which seemed to go pretty smoothly. However when I clocked a 17.7 an hour after breakfast which rose to 19.1 just 15mins later, it all turned quite quickly to mush. When I inspected the insertion I’d put in that morning I found it totally bent and twisted with no hope of delivering basal or bolus insulin. Took me another three hours to get it down to a suitable level in order to have lunch, and then for some strange, inexplicable reason I got to a 15.9 after lunch!!
By the time I’d worked a typical ten hour advertising day and jumped in my car to drive home, I started feeling a bit low… tested at the traffic lights and this time I’d started on a low streak – 2.9 coming up on the meter! I dropped my lancet somewhere near the handbrake but focussed on pulling into the nearest place I could to eat some glucose tablets and recover for a bit before finishing the drive home. Recovered, drove home then started the search for the lancet I’d dropped…. Not an easy task when six months pregnant with a big puku preventing you from bending over too gymnastically! My husband must have heard me swearing and slamming doors out in the carport and came to my aid – sending me inside to eat some dinner while he had a look. About fifteen mins later he came back in, defeated…. He couldn’t see the lancet anywhere. We gave up and I figured I’d have another look in the light the next day.
Overnight was just as much of a disaster as the day before it…. Woke up at 1:30am at 2.9, treated it with glucose then climbed back into bed. Woke up again at 2:30am and was now 2.8. Got up, had plenty of glucose and went back to bed. Then proceeded to wake up every half hour and toss and turn the rest of the night. Tested again when I went to the bathroom at 4:30 and of course I’d over-shot the mark and was now 14.4 – arrrrrrgh!!
Anyway. By the time my alarm went off this morning I was at a reasonable 7.3 and hopefully today will continue smoothly. Got in my car and headed to work, and as I was heading up the first hill, a blue movement caught my eye – it was my lancet! It had fallen into a hole underneath the permanent panel which holds the handbrake in. The hole itself is slightly wider than, but also shorter than the lancet…. So I spent the rest of the journey in trying to manoeuvre the lancet into a position where I could leverage it out of the hole (yes, it probably wasn’t the best driving I’ve ever been capable of). But – with about ten mins of my journey to go I pulled over, pulled the handbrake up and huffed and puffed and held my tongue in exactly the right way and extracted the lancet from its hiding place. Let’s hope they have as much luck locking down Minty the Monkey in Christchurch!!
Posted in Hypos & Hypers, Slice of Life
Tagged as driving
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Doug Poole wrote
OMG your not having a lot of luck are you! I’d buy a lotto ticket, you rluck is bound to change lol!
I tend to over glucose when low too, it’s like you can’t win sometimes *smile*
Had my appt at Waitakere this morning, with the amazing and angelic Diabetic Nurse Jenny. I am going to be put onto to “Lantis”, which I am looking forward to.
“Lantis” just come up as subsidised Aug 31st for type 1’s and 2’s with documented Hypo’s (basically keep your diabetes nurse informed and request if they can put your forward for it).
“Lantis” will take over from the protophane and keep my background insulin where it should be (with some experimentation of how much and when) But basically I will take once a day with my Novo reduced at meal times. Will let you all know how I get on with it.
When I was first diagnosed it was Protophane and AccRapid OMG the lows were unreal!
So I am looking forward to keeping on target (if not a little high) with less Hypo’s – Fingers Crossed!! Take Care Nic and look forward to meeting you all sometime.
Malo Lava!
Doug Poole
Nic wrote
Good one Doug – and yes I’ve been meaning to do a post about Lantus being subsidised for everyone now…. I hope it works for you – there are a few of us on the blog who didn’t find it the magic bullet we were hoping for but just as many who’ve made it work for them.
If you fancy meeting up with some of the others, we are having a dinner on Monday 24th August…. email me at nic@beingdiabetic.co.nz if you’re keen and I’ll give you the details.
Right – I’m off to buy a Lotto ticket!
Nic
Stephen wrote
Something random I remembered when reading Doug’s post…..
I have a friend who’s cat (yep a cat) that has lantus twice a day. What I found amusing is that they use the human type as it is apparently more effective.
I wonder what cats (or any animal) are like when they are low? hmmmmm
Nic wrote
Interesting you should have those thoughts, Stephen because it’s something which has intrigued me in past – I talked about it in a blog last year: http://www.beingdiabetic.co.nz/2008/10/01/happy-birthday-frankie-and-gus/
Aaron wrote
I can see it now! Knowing you as I do Nic I have absolutely no trouble picturing this taking place. Well done, well done.
Sarah wrote
I think that kind of situation was what prompted me not to replace my pump when it did its annual breakdown, a week after its 4 year warranty expired. The thought that I had just wasted $25 on a misfired catheter totally rankled and caused me to compose another letter to the ministry of health in my head – pity i never actually got round to writing it! It’s stressful when wild swings happen – I always feel a bit like a newton’s pendulum, taking a good long time to come back to resting levels.
Nic wrote
I hear you on that one Sarah – it was especially scary when I was using the Dexcom for a month and the insertions were $125 each – I was petrified of messing one up! How have you found the return to injections after four years of pumping?
Sarah wrote
OK, my HbA1C is the same, but I think I’m going to ask for one of those Lily Memoir pens if I can get my hands on them – since I’ve had diabetes for 27 years, on some stressful days I can’t remember for the life of me whether I’ve given my injection or not – I loved the pump for remembering on my behalf! I would definitely go back to the pump if it was fully-funded, but as it stands now, it’s too expensive a habit for a mother-of-three with a Mt Albert mortgage.
Nic wrote
Good one on the HbA1c…. that’s great work, especially with three kids keeping you busy – it’s no wonder you sometimes can’t remember what dosage you’ve given yourself. Def get a Memoir, they look great!