Wow... Almost 10 years...

 I'm really glad I have this blog because it gives me metrics to compare as I track my health. I am really interested in seeing how things change over time, and to read back through the 137 posts that I wrote over the course of 3 years, it makes me realize how much attention I was paying to my physical health and my diabetes management. I hadn't realized that I have been using CGMs for over 10 years... I didn't realize that I've been using a pump even longer. I'm not even sure how I found the time to write that much... but, I did. 

I'm going to compare some data from then and now and use it to create some goals for myself. 

October of 2012                                     October 2020

Total cholesterol: 250                            220
HDL: 72                                                53
Triglycerides: 56                                    108
LDL: 167                                                145
CHOL/HDLC ratio: 3.5                           4.1
NON-HDL Cholesterol: 178

A1C: 6.4                                                 7.4

We  can see that my lipids are pretty similar, but the triglycerides are higher. I want to get those lower to support my desire to stay off statins. I think getting better glucose control and eating lower carb will help lower inflammation and also get the triglycerides down. It seems that my total cholesterol and HDL/LDL are about the same, but more exercise might help me raise the HDL for a healthier ratio. 

My current A1C is higher than I'd like, but it's been this way for a while. I noticed that when I started using the 670g pump in auto-mode, my average glucose levels have been higher and my TDD (total daily dose) for insulin also went up. My weight has stuck at 170-180 lbs, and I haven't been able to make much impact on it no matter what I do with diet and exercise.

The 670g pump shoots for a glucose level of 120 mg/dl, and it rarely gets you below that. That being said, my average blood sugars range from 120-180 on a daily basis. This jibes well with my current A1C which is 7.4, or an average BG of 164. I'm wondering if I used manual mode during the day and was more aggressive about correcting to 90 mg/dl if I could get my average down. I would have to get my basal really dialed in to make that work. I think another factor for this current A1C is that I have a transmitter that is on it's way out... and for a few months prior to my AC1 check it was throwing errors and requiring a BG randomly. This would bump me out of auto-mode overnight, etc. I wasn't able to stay in AM for long stretches of time. 

Here are some numbers from the last 14 days: 

82% time in auto-mode, 65% time in target range, 0% below range, 18% above range, TDD 53.8 units, Basal 36.7, Bolus 17, 91 grams of carb bolused for daily,  Sensor Average 149 mg/dL, standard deviation 18.6

The new pump that I'm hoping to get in 2021 is supposed to allow for a target BG of 100 mg/dl. If that works, I think I could improve my glucose control, especially since it also gives auto-boluses to correct when you get really far out of range.