Tales of the Endo: February

Last Tuesday, we thought that we (my sister and I) had an endocrinologist appointment, and we didn't. My mom checked me out at 12:15, no one forgot their charts, and we go to the endocrinologist 10 minutes early. (!) Unfortunately, it was too good to be true. When one of the secretaries called us back, she told us we didn't have an appointment for that day, our appointment was next week. Needless to say, were angry, so we went to the endocrinologist today. We forgot the charts, my mom checked me out late, and we got there 10 minutes late, but we were there in time. (The paperwork and waiting takes forever anyways...)

I told you that I took notes!

We talked about stuff, and I even took notes! We are bringing my basal up during the day, so I don't spike after lunch, we brought my I:C ratio from 1:8 to 1:10 at dinner, so I don't drop after exercising. (Drinking two juice boxes while running kind of defeats the purpose of the run.)
My A1C went up from 7.1 to 7.9; that's okay because last time's A1C was low because of lots of low blood sugars.

My sister and I are also coming up with a plan to get her an OmniPod by May. She needs to test and chart more, so if you guys have any tips for motivating here, I would appreciate some comments!

It's Not an iPod!

The other day, I left my CGM in Scientific Research. (I didn't realize this at the time...) My AP Human Geography teacher got a call from the nurse because she had my CGM. I walked down to the nurse, she showed me my CGM, then I asked how she got it.

Apparently, the following happened:

1. I left my CGM in Scientific Research.
2. Someone took it to Gym.
3. Someone went to the nurse for unrelated reasons.
4. The nurse saw my CGM and asked the person about it.
5. The person told the nurse that it was their, "friends," iPod.

Yes, I made a label for it.

Luckily, the nurse isn't as stupid as the world thinks she is.

Moral of the Story: My CGM is not an iPod. There is no Apple logo; when you turn it on, a graph shows up; and it says "Rx only" on the back.

I Tried

Tons of people in the DOC have been wearing their Dexcoms for more than the FDA-approved week, so I decided to try it out.

I mentally prepared by thinking, "Now here's what you do Sarah, just press the stop sensor button, then press the start sensor button. That won't be hard, will it?" Then I did just that. I had an ominous feeling about the whole thing, but I ignored it. I figured that if a bazillion other people did it, so can I. Well, I was wrong.

I waited the two long hours to calibrate the sensor, I tested my blood sugar twice, then went to bed. I woke up at 6:00 like I was supposed to, but I accidentally fell back asleep. (I thought I was just taking a 2 minute nap, I guess not...) I woke back up at 6:44, extremely angry because I had meant to actually get out of bed at 6:05; I had ruined my morning schedule. I got up, picked up my CGM then saw four hours of no readings. "Great, just great," I thought. I got dressed, grabbed a new sensor, and quickly changed it. I was about to leave my room, then I picked up my CGM. It said. "Sensor Failure." (REALLY, I NEVER WOULD HAVE GUESSED THAT ONE.)

I also had to grab an extra pump site because I needed to change and I thought I would change it between that 6:05- 6:44 range. Obviously that didn't happen. I changed my site in the car on the way to school, so I could only put it on my stomach about an inch away from where it was before. My CGM was also on the other side of my stomach, so my site and sensor kept bumping into the sides of tables. (I'm short, okay...)

Briefly, my sensor thought I was 324, so I went inside to check my blood sugar, and it was 199. I quickly put my blood sugar in and the sensor has been working ever since.

Moral of the Story: I should really stick to the FDA's guidelines.

Awkward...

I love my Dexcom, it rocks; I really don't know what I would do without it. (At the end of my trial, I cried and panicked over the fact that I wouldn't have something to monitor my blood sugars at night. [Yes, I had separation anxiety of a piece of medical equipment. Deal with it.]) It sometimes messes up blood sugars, or I accidentally press the wrong button, but the one thing that it never fails to do is produce awkward situations.

Exhibit A:
Two days ago at robotics, my Dexcom had said HIGH for a couple hours and I just realized it. So, I walked into the other room as I was yelling at it and got some awkward looks. Then I had to explain what I was angry about. Then I was laughed at. (Note: It was a friendly kind of teasing.)

I should probably test my blood after this.

Exhibit B:
Yesterday during biology, we had finished our lab and were talking. Suddenly, Gerome decided it was a fantastic time to buzz and say, "System Check Passed," or something along those lines. Then Gerome went out of range. I freaked out and ran up to my teacher and asked if I could use the computer to look up what the heck this meant. Then I realized that I could use my phone and said, "I'll use my phone, never mind." Then Gerome showed a blood sugar reading and I breathed a sigh mixed with relief and anger. (I looked in the manual last night and it means that there was an error, but the Dexcom fixed itself.)

Moral of the Story: Gerome just loves to be the center of attention, even if it is at my expense.