Thursday, August 03, 2006

A good site is useless without a properly loaded reservoir

So today I had what I have the urge to deem a "poopy" diabetes day. Very mature I know. Yet is just feels right. I had been very happy with the site I put in on Monday. It just felt great, well didn't feel at all, painless going in and painless from then on. Usually I change my site every two days or so, meaning that even last (Wed) night would have been a reasonable time to change sites. I also have my pump alarm when I get below 40 units on board, that is a little less than a days worth of insulin, and I had reached that point Wed night. But being so happy with my perfectly placed infusion set I decided to go until this afternoon without changing. Well, with a fasting bloodsugar of 106 and a small breakfast I was down to 22 units by 11am. I stopped at Starbucks to take advantage of the wireless internet and realized that my pump was alerting me to the fact that apparently, the reservoir had been removed from the pump. I was sure this was wrong since it looked fine so I just sort of humored the pump by reloading the current reservoir (even though it was time to change anyways) and thought, hmmm everything's great now, no worries. Uh, no Nicole, big worries! Now it's 2pm and I just left an appointment and I am feeling shitty but I am assuming it's the horrible heat here in Boston. So off I go to my next task all the while feeling worse and worse. "Well Nicole, perhaps you should test, you are a person with diabetes and as such, you may be experiencing high or low blood sugar." But no, I was sure all was well and I would wait until I reached my next destination to worry about such issues. Well, now it is nearly 3 and I feel AWFUL!!!!! I mean barf city. (Yeah excuse the apparent body function fixation, I sometimes get stuck in preschool mode). So, hell, I decide I might as well test. HI. Yes, HI, like over 600. Yuck. Pump was not so fine after all. So I am rockin a high BS in the city which has had a heat index of over 100 degrees for over two days now. Blah... So I test once more just to make sure. Yup HI now I've got two of those messing up my frickin meter average. Take insulin by injection and change the pump. Waiting, waiting, thanking God that my brother has a prescription for powerful anti-nausea medicine. Going down, down, down, now I am low. GRRRRRR........

What better prescription for a migraine than heat, high blood sugar, followed up by precipitous low blood sugar. So after a slow rise to a healthy in range blood sugar, I am on the very comfortable couch of a family that I babysit for enjoying their great fresh fruit that I can't enjoy in the dorms while the parents are on a date and the kids are quietly sleeping. So rough day, but decent end. Tomorrow begins a whirlwind of fun and relaxation and work. I don't anticipate much blogging, but I have come to enjoy it and value the time it gives me to reflect and share, so we shall see.

Oh, and wish me luck on my driving test: August 15th the day before I leave to work in Wyoming for a few days and the day before my 24th birthday!!! Gotta remember to check my mirrors and use my turn signals. ;)

1 comment:

Minnesota Nice said...

Isn't it obnoxious that the first thing you thought of when you got the second "HI" was you meter average being messed up - those gosh darn numbers, waiting to taunt us like trolls under the bridge.
Glad you came through in one piece. Enjoy next week and good luck on the test.