Saturday, October 4, 2008

Me And My Big Mouth

In my last post, I made the bold statement that things were looking up. One thing "up" in a non-positive way is my blood sugar. Seems the cortisone shot cried havoc and unleashed the dogs of war on my system. It has been known to happen. It happened last time I got one, but not to this extant. Last time it raised my fasting glucose about 50 points for a couple of days. This time, over 300. I called the diabetes nurse who is handling my case, and she put me on Novolog, a fast acting insulin that is normally take by type 1 diabetics. It works by taking it before meals to cut the rapid rise in glucose levels after eating. It sure is working. Small doses throughout the day and night brought it down to 170 this morning. Still much higher than normal, but at least well below the ketosis range of 242 and up. That ketosis is no fun. You get tired and loose all energy. You just want to sleep. Exercise is not recommended until glucose levels drop below 242, so you have to rely on drugs to get it down. Tough on the kidneys, too.

I've read several reports that cortisone shots can worsen type 2 diabetes to type 1 symptoms to the point that one has to inject before meals and be ever more diligent with monitoring and treatment. Hopefully, it won't happen to me. One thing I do know is that this episode has heightened my awareness of my problem. Diabetes is relentless. No days off. Everything one does revolves around it. So many systems can be effected by uncontrolled blood sugar. And so many terrible consequences. But, if I do end up having to take several shots a day, I won't be devastated. Look at team Type 1, bike racing on the international level with several type 1 diabetics on board. They make it work, looking at diabetes as just part of life, not something to mope about.

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