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| Our strawberry patch really kicked out some fruit this year. |
I think according to my sensor data this past month was one of my best for glucose control. I think getting confident with using Symilin and using regular exercise to become more insulin sensitive has helped a lot.
Numbers
My 30 Day Average BG is 120 with a standard deviation of 39. This means I'm staying mostly between 100 and 140 mg/dl. I would say this is accurate, based on my (somewhat obsessive) CGMS watching.
The at-home-A1C showed 6.3 which comes out to an average glucose value of 134 mg/dl.
I expected a lower A1C value, but I'm coming to the conclusion that I might be at that point where running the numbers any lower would have me in hypo territory much more often. As it is, I'm using a glucose tablets about every other day to keep myself in range.
Insulin
I have adjusted my basal so that my total daily dose is at it's lowest at 23-26 units a day, and sometimes it still seems to be a bit too high. I have lost a few pounds since starting Symilin, so I think insulin sensitivity and less body weight play into that equation.
Exercise
I've found that taking 1-2 brisk walks a day has given me the best return on investment with exercise. I usually take one in the beginning of my work day and then another after dinner. When this has been regular, I see the most consistent BG levels and lowest need for insulin.
Also, in the past, the arrival of warm weather has also tended to lower my insulin demands, so that's probably going on too.
The End of the Yerba Mate Experiment
I was excited about the possibilities that Yerba Mate might offer for metabolism, etc. After drinking it throughout the day for about 6-8 weeks, I decided to stop using it. Why? Well, it started with vanity. It was staining my teeth. But, one of the things that improved when I stopped using it was that my episodes with rapid heart rate reduced in frequency, by a lot. I guess it doesn't take a genius to hypothesize that consuming a stimulant might impact heart rate/rhythm, but I've never claimed to be a genius. So, I went to the dentist and had my teeth buffed back to their normal hue and I'm rarely noticing my pulse being out of whack. It's a win-win. My morning coffee and moderate exercise don't seem to have any impact on my heart rhythms.
Thyroid Questions
Last month I was a bit peeved that my doctor wasn't more aggressive about finding out why my TSH levels were high. I began taking a supplement (Thyroid Energy) and during that time I was also having more noticeable rapid heart rate. I decided to take way less, way less often. So, now if I have a day where I'm feeling really sluggish, despondent, or low energy, I take the supplement the next AM. It seems to help. I've only taken a low dose of it about 3 times in the last month. My energy has been good and I've been feeling good overall. I think it's right that we didn't mess with anything major, and I feel it's wise to use the supplement at the lowest possible dose.
I'm finding it really useful to have these monthly notes so that I can go back and review where I have been. I have already looked back at the previous 4 months a few times when I want to verify my progress. I recommend keeping health summary notes for yourself if you haven't done it.
The 39 SD doesn't mean that they're mostly between 100 and 140, it means that if they were in a capital N Normal distribution (not that yours or much of anybody's are), then about three fourths of the time they'd be between 81 and 169.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's even more complicated than I thought. Thanks for keeping the stats real!
ReplyDeleteGreat example of keeping notes-not just blood sugars but health issues in general. I wish more health care providers encouraged journaling that extended beyond blood sugars because all you've written down provides a much more complete picture of things and often they correlate and it's just so much more valuable. I just referred someone to this post who emailed me saying they don't know what to journal.
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