Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Some background details...

I am starting this blog about my diabetic experience because I think it's important to share information with other diabetics. I blog on other topics, but don't feel comfortable getting into deep medical details on general purpose blogs. It is not an interest that everyone shares.

A few things about me: I've been diabetic since I was 12 and am now 38. My dad and sister are also Type 1 diabetics. I have six siblings, so genetically, it only passed on to two of the seven children in my family. All three of us Type 1s in my family continue to maintain good overall health, despite the disease. We enjoy comparing notes on our control when we get together.

I am an art teacher. I have been teaching high school art for 16 years. I have three children, all of whom we will be watching for Type 1 diabetes as they grow older. So far, none of them have shown any signs of immune system malfunctions. 

I have moderately good control. I have followed some form of low-carb lifestyle since 2003, and it has been my best tool for good control, depending on how disciplined I am. I am currently achieving success by focusing on fat as one of my main energy sources. I began following a low carb eating regimen from information that I got from Dr. Bernstein's book Diabetes Solution. I don't necessarily agree with every single thing that he prescribes (he doesn't like insulin pumps), but for the most part, he's a genius.

I use a Minimed Revel insulin pump with a glucose sensor. I don't like using external devices much, but tolerate them because my control is so much better with them. This year, I have become much more disciplined (again), and having a glucose monitor has made it much easier to keep track of my progress.

My A1C levels have been coming down. In years past I have gotten as low as 6.2, but in recent years it has been in the 7-8 range. It is usually directly proportional to how often I test and how much fast acting carbs I allow into my diet. My most recent A1C test have been 7.9 (in July '11) and 7.3 (in Sept. '11).

That's it for now. I'm looking forward to writing about my experiences. 

1 comment:

  1. A reply to your comments:
    Dex sensors are FDA approved for 7 days. I used to wear the minimed sensors for two weeks at a time too (you can find my posts about the Guardian- which is the Minimed CGMS without the pump- in posts from June to December 2008). The sensors tend to last longest when worn in the arms.

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