Great Accuracy! I love my CGMS

Before I start talking about diabetes talk, I wanted to share a picture of the ice fishers up the street from my house!! Every day I drive by, they are out there. usually 10+ groups! I think I should walk right out on the ice as well, and take pictures! Hard to believe this is the ocean they are on - all hours of the day!

So I love my CGMS. It had made my life so much easier and better! I rarely wake up with a high blood sugar. No more fuzzy head feeling, that nasty headache with the untouchable thirst! This sensor system keeps me within my range, helping to avoid those wide swings!! And the accuracy, no problem at all. This morning I woke up my sensor read 6.5 mmol/L....took a calibration reading from my meter and it was 6.3 mmol/L. Can't complain about that!! I would say about 80% of my reading are this accurate....the other 20%....well my swings are not totally gone HA!

I am hoping the rumors are true, that the next phase of transmitters are SMALLER!! I hope it is true, and that I see it SOON! Anyone heard of the new smaller transmitters?? DO TELL!

Best wishes on your trip John - remember to BLOG your journeys....and if you go to a market there, the type where local people are selling their locally made products..locally and fairly made....see if you can find me a little something!! I'll cook you a dinner when you return!

Here is a picture from my front lawn the other morning when I arrived home from work!! Enjoy!!

A small review.....I'm tired tonight !!

Hello!

Did you read about the snow in the last post?

IT DID NOT LAST!

What a crazy winter this is! That snow was here for only a few days, but the cold weather stayed! Finally the ice shacks are out on the water and winter looks like it is here! (I am yet yo get you a good picture of the ice shacks, stand by!!!)

So I am on the same sensor as last time I wrote. A lovely site, treating me well and great accuracy! From this week's experiences/readings I have learner:

1. Don't trust the site's accuracy for the first few hours. Let it sit a few hours before doing a test on a meter that is linked to the pump!! CAL-ERROR...whoops!

2. Someone out there got 21 days out of a site!?!? I read that....yikes, must have been a sore site when it came out!! 12 days is my max thus far, but I think if the site lasted longer I would likely leave it in!!

3. If I let my pump go FREE in the bed while I sleep, it tends to result in weak signals.....as my pump and leg seem to travel far apart!? I tend to sleep through the alarms...

4. I sleep through many of the gentle alarms. HA!

Going to hit the ski hills next week!!

Cheers!

We Had Snow For 2 Days....

We had snow for 2 days, and temperatures averaging -20. It WAS winter. Now there is a heavy rainfall warning, and I am watching my snow melt away. Maybe next week we will have winter!?

SOOO a glucose sensor BITES the dust after 2 days. That TICKS me off, seeing that they are $40 each! Typically I use my legs, but for something different this time I selected my lower right stomach. Inserted no problem, a tiny bit of bleeding. I did this before my first day shift - inserted, went to work. The sensor started no problem, but had a LOW isig the whole time. I felt like the site was just "holding on" .... low isig values.....

YESTERDAY, my second day shift at work. The site HURT. The sort of hurt you would expect if the site were infected. That is really strange, I can wear sites on my legs for almost 10 days and not feel a thing, but on the second day this pain was NOT expected. I had two CAL ERRORS during the day yesterday, and by the time I reached home I had a bad sensor error. Must be a bad sensor SITE I felt. I knew things were not good for this site.

During the evening I attempted to start the sensor again. I changed the tape (after resetting the sensor)....checked the site. Everything appeared ok. My isig after I hooked up was a mere 3.93. BAD SIGN, and sure enough CAL ERROR.

SIGH....time to flush $40 down the drain.

So this morning, got up and started a new sensor. This time on my trusty leg - and no problem at all. I wish I was taller, so I could have more leg space to use! Dang 27 inch inseam.

Cheers!

Finally It Snows!

Last week my sensor site was the "SITE FROM HE*L". Really, it was. It bled like crazy when I inserted the site - and was tender the whole time. When I removed the sensor, it took several days to get my leg back in order!! Irritations from the tape, a bump under the sensor site...a mess. This week, my sensor is a JOY! I don't even know it is there - I am so used to them now. The insertion of this site was a piece of cake, and the sensor is hanging in wonderfully!! No luck with my insurance company yet. I am still working on coverage....was heading to the Dr today to get a supporting letter, but it was actually SNOWING to hard to go! Finally winter starts, and then disrupts my plans!

I am heading outside now, I am quite happy to run outside and shovel the snow that the plow has left as a present at the end of my driveway. It is not much....but with the freezing rain, it will be messy when I get up early for work tomorrow!

John Walsh's New Insulin Pumping Book is out! GET IT!

I was on amazon.ca the other day, and happened across John Walsh's newest edition of "Pumping Insulin", referred to as the PUMPERS BIBLE. Now I have read A LOT of books, especially on diabetes. Everything from Natural treatments to scientific journal articles. I try to read everything I can get my hands on. Go ahead, call it an obsession, I'm ok with it. I have a lot of down time on my night shifts at work...so I stay awake by reading!!

I am part way through this book, and am restarting 2007 with rounds of basal testing, carb ratio testing, correction ratio testing - every and all values will be tested. I have been pumping for almost 6 years now, and I try to retest these values at least once a year to make sure I am getting the most out of my pump!!

I tested my carb ratio - it is easy to do while I am at work. 12 hours that I am able to "control" my activity level -they make me sit/stand for 12 hours so I wil make the best of it! That was my quest of my last rotation at work. It went well, I did tweek my level and decrease increase my carb ration slightly. All good in that department, and I think that change will help!

Next week.....check the correction bolus again. I wish the Minimed pump would allow for .5 hour settings on the duration of insulin. I have been looking into that lately, and from the numbers and graphs, it seems I need 3.5 hours. My pump allows 3 and 4 and it is a HUGE tease, as my friend uses a Cozmore pump and can set hers to 3.5! So until Minimed realizes this is needed, I have mine set at 4 hours for insulin duration, and I try to keep that in mind when calculating....

Still warmish here, warmer then western canada. It is +3 out right now, still not a drop of snow on the ground. Hard to believe - I don't believe that global warming would work this quick, so I think it is just an usually warm winter in the East. Strange...that is ok, leaves me more time to get reading on this newest book in my collection....although a nice winter storm would keep me off the roads and home in front of the fire place, great place to read John Walsh's new edition of pumper insulin!!

Welcome 2007!

Well it was a graceful transition into 2007! Hard to believe it is January tho - think this is global warming, or just a warm winter? Here it is January 4th, and the weatherman is calling for +10 to +12 this weekend. Not good to turn our ponds into ice for skating!

I was out for a walk yesterday.....I am loving my new camera, and am taking a lot of pictures! Still have not had my snowfall....but I am sure it will happen soon. No fear!

So lets talk RT system. It is going well - I would not trade it for the world, but I am looking forward to a smaller sensor/transmitter system!! I hear there is one in the works....I would love to see it soon! I have not had success with Bluecross for coverage, but I am always trying. I am going to put in a coverage request soon with recent HA1C results, and a few journal articles and recent result publications. It all comes down to Minimed tho, they have not released clinical usage guidelines to the insurance companies. Until these are released, the insurance company will not consider their coverage.........interesting.......product released but no usage guidelines!? I understand they are new on the market, so I am hoping this all gets sorted out soon. Such a great device!!!

My advice for the day - even though you can leave the sensor in for many days with good results, I suggest you do not go over 6 - 7 days. I have found it hard on my skin to host the sensor for that long. Some irritation at the insertion point, and the tape is hard on the skin as well. I have been leaving the sensors in for 10+ days.....due to the lack of coverage $$$$....but it is not worth the skin hassels!! From now on, 7 days is TOPS for a sensor on my skin. Maybe that's a good new years resolution! Happy 2007 to all!