Whoa... I have not posted in HOW long? Wowsa. Well, life keeps you busy, is all I will use as an excuse.
Dexom, how we love thee. There have been less sleepless nights thanks to you. Less finger pricking. Less having that low settle in for a good long spell. Less highs that last and last and last, cause we can ward it off with you, Dex.
One thing is, which I really hate to say is, Grace relies on it a little too much I think. Yes, I know it's a pain in the you-know-what to test when Dex is screaming 70 with a down arrow. I am completely aware of the others who may look at someone who is about to prick their finger and draw blood, though I am not the one they are staring at. I fully realize the complications that arise when peer after peer asks you 'What is that?' 'What are you doing?' 'OMG, you are really bleeding!' It sucks.
Seeing Dexcom read an 82 with a slightly southeast arrow, fearing you are heading towards a low, is call for a granola bar, no?! In her mind it is. And it results in a 234 BG merely two hours later. Cause I don't think she really was 82, I think she had just eaten, and Dexom was a little off. I think she was in the low 100s. Then add in an un-dosed-for 17g granola bar, and BAM, you got yourself a 234 BG.
Problem is, this isn't the first time she has done this. It's been about 3 times now in the last few months, the fear that Dex rings in at 80, the worry about a low, the treatment and then, the rebound high. I get it, the worry about the low. I get it, the trust in Dex and not the testing. And still I converse with her about a different way of approaching it. Might you test, honey? What do you think about testing, sweetie?
I absorb my daughter's eye roll as I suggest that she might think about testing next time this situation arises - the Dexcom ringing in with a 'supposed low' but no other earthly reason for a low, and the need to confirm or deny it's existence with a finger prick.
The eye roll says the treatment of the granola bar was just fine Mom. I saw where I was headed and I stopped it. So what I got a 234. I adjusted.
And I have to remember that my gal is learning, she is doing it herself and it's hers, not mine.
And that she did just fine.
7 comments:
I am guilty of over-reacting to my Dexcom too... Half of the time if I would just let things run their course, I'd be fine. Highs and lows.
I do the same thing, even though I know better.
Ask me about the chocolate covered peanuts tonight...
I do the same thing, even though I know better.
Ask me about the chocolate covered peanuts tonight...
Guilty here, too - I am seduced by the convenience of treating on the go, without the hassle of stopping everything to test. Some lovely day, the cgm will stand in for strips! At least she's taking care of herself, even if not according to rules. Pretty big for a teen. :)
This is a pain. This may be a little random, but it makes me think of when I was in college and decided to invest in a stereo system - tape deck, cd player, receiver, huge speakers - the works. One of the things I considered was how complicated each item was, because the more features it had, the better the sound might be, but the more that could go wrong with it. Now all you need is an iPod and a bluetooth bose speaker. Easy peasy. But I think of D too here - the more gadgets you have, the better your control (presumably) but more maintenance and thus more hassle comes with that.
I think Caleb has gotten into a good routine to know when to act and when not to. Our trouble was the opposite - he would just ignore the alerts and then go low. We created a system - if you buzz and you feel low you MUST check. If you feel okay, it can wait. That was our compromise. Now I see him making better judgements, like, "I'm rising, but I just ate, so I'll let it ride." Or "I'm buzzing low but it was off 20 points an hour ago and I feel ok, so let's see what happens." It's more complicated. But we got into a groove. We still have days that have an irritating amount of extra fingersticks. But there are more days when things just ride.
I think I tend to over-depend on the Dex as well. Hard not to when often then meter and the Dex are spot-on. But...yes..when there is a "low" according to Dex I do try to think when has she eaten and if the insulin has maybe just beaten the carbs to the punch and she'll catch up in a few minutes. And that's another thing..have noticed the Dex is a bit slow to catch up when there is a downward or upward arrow so, yeah...gotta see for sure where you are before you treat. Lows are so quick to treat, and highs take forever to come back down...at least for my sweet one:) Thanks for the post. Sad, but comforting to know others are making it, too!
I've noticed that my seven+ overcompensates in the low region - for me it consistently reads higher when im in the mid-100s (i.e. Dexcom: 160, bgmeter: 135), but if I'm really heading towards 100 or south of that, esp. rapidly, Dexcom will suddenly drop ~20-25 points (i.e Dexcom: 85, bgmeter: 100)... It DOES make life easier though, usually I can tell if its being inaccurate, but of course testing is better..
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