Author: sandramcc59
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A lesson in soundproofing
I’ve been told all my life that I make noises when I sleep. My mom said that as a newborn, I was kept in the hospital longer because I made a sound when sleeping. She said it was like a deep sigh. Who knows, maybe I was born already weary of the world. Later, I…
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With a Change of Place Comes Calm
I moved house on Sunday — not completely, as my old place is on the market and I still have a few things yet to move. But my bed, a few kitchen items, my writing desk (a rolltop antique from 1900, something once purchased by my maternal grandfather), and associated new-fangled electronics are in place.…
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You can’t take it with you
I lived next to a nice woman for a while. She had a lovely sense of humor and, most days, we visited for a chat. I knew enough about her life to appreciate her resiliency. She was a single mother who became an operating room nurse before shifting gears and going into law. She was…
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Insulin resistance unleashed
Just over a week ago, I was returning from a dog walk when I encountered a neighbour. Our dogs barked at each other. Her medium-sized dog, on a flexible leash, circled me a few times, and my legs became completely restrained by the cord. I fell, which put my face at the same level as…
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Sorry for the delay — been busy writing books
Something specific happened last year that lit a fuse under my creativity. I wrote a bunch of books. I’ll tell you about the specific event after I explain that I’ve always wanted to be a published novelist. Always. Ever since I crafted “Journey to Marshmallow Planet” in Grade 4. I wrote sappy romances that I…
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Lessons learned, pain acknowledged
My glucose numbers have been higher than normal this summer, aligning with an ongoing stress of a new non-relationship. But overnight, I came to the realization that this non-/never-relationship demonstrates just how much emotional work I’ve done. I now recognize emotionally unavailable men for what they are, and after a bit of to and fro,…
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Why do we have to “rage bolus” in the first place?
There’s talk online of a term used to treat stubborn glucose highs. Glucose levels go too high for too long and make us worry. We have to get the glucose down. Moderate amounts of insulin get shrugged off. We get frustrated, crank up the insulin and jam it in our bodies. Rage Bolusing. Then, in…
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I’m a Super Star
My tech stared at a computer screen and muttered something about “overachiever” during our Zoom consult a few days ago. She had me make a slight change to my settings but then sent me over to the endocrinologist, saying my glucose has been, over the last two weeks, within healthy limits 81 per cent of…
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Technology, take the wheel!
This week I was introduced to looping, the ability through technology to have my insulin pump take direction from my glucose sensor. And last night, I witnessed to how my new tech handles an old body phenomenon — an unfelt glucose spike. The looping app (on my phone) was provided by my endocrinologist. Progress has…
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Conquering the glucose beast, for now
I recently told you about glucose spikes that seemed immune to my attempts to rein them in. Well, guess what? I finally did it…all it took was more insulin than I’ve ever injected before. Much more…. Last time, I injected 3o units over several hours. This time, I injected 42 units over 75 minutes. That’s…
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Buckle your seatbelts, major new developments
There’s been a lot going on so I hope you hang in with me on what could be a long post. The good news, it ends well. I used to lay awake at night, unable to sleep, trying to think my way through problems. As you know, this can really eat up time when sleep…
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My body calls the shots, and I’m listening
One sleepless night I had a thought that changed everything. I often awake in the night with high blood glucose. I haven’t been able to prevent these spikes, and they disappear by dawn, leaving me with a glucose level that’s too low, and setting off my Dexcom alarm. So I lay there in the…
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Buried stress rears its ugly head
I’ve long been troubled by uncontrollable glucose spikes, sudden increases in glucose that seem immune to insulin. The cause has been a mystery. And I’m stymied as to how to deal with them. Multiple injections of insulin seem to have no effect. It’s as though the insulin has lost its potency. I could find no…
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What I learned from Artificial and Human Intelligence
Last week I got a newsletter from Dr. Jason Fung, whose book The Obesity Code introduced me to the benefits of fasting. It answered some lingering questions I’ve had. But there are others. I’ve been frustrated with not finding information on low heart-rate variability and constant (buried) stress. I also want to know why my…
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An Apple watch and a health app…oh my!
I recently bought a new Apple watch. I had the first generation at one point but it quickly became outdated — you know how technology is. I wanted a new one because finally I can read my Dexcom glucose numbers from my watch face. This has been available for some time in the U.S. but…
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Two months and surprising changes
Out of desperation, on July 2, I returned to fasting. My glucose was super high and caught in slow swings up and down. At its peak this spring, I was injecting 80 units a day of long-acting insulin, despite following a low-carb diet. My glucose response seemed to be following its own thing independent of…
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Integrity outranks money, right? Right?
I had an experience recently that involved a mistake, a decision to be accountable, a lesson for myself and acceptance that, while painful, I did the right thing. I’m sure we’ve all been in a similar situation — in a rush to get going, facing the dynamic situation of a busy parking lot and, oh…
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How life plays a role in insulin resistance
I am at a crucial point in health management and, for lack of other options, I’m going to — again — change my diet plan. Let me back up for newcomers. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 20 years ago. My first A1C test was 9%, which indicates I’d had high glucose for many…
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Face the doctor, and try to remain cool
In a short while I’ll be flying across the strait to Vancouver for an appointment with an endocrinologist. It’s my first in-person meeting since coming under his care a couple years ago. I’m trying to be chill, but my experience shows that doctors like to tell patients what to do and not have patients talk…
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When there are no other choices
Sorry for not being in touch but I’ve been busy with out-of-control diabetes, weight gain, exasperation and a frantic search for a way forward. On the latter, I think I found one. My use of insulin used to be predictable. I used a similar amount of long-term insulin morning and night. The routine was reassuring,…
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A second monster under the bed
How hard can it be for a doctor to realize that a patient’s symptoms are different than the rest, and that maybe her illness is different than the rest? I’ve become increasingly frustrated with my endocrinologist’s response to my fluctuating blood sugar. Where many patients inject the same amount of long-acting insulin day after day,…
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I’ve been up and down a mountain and I’m exhausted
It’s been awhile, I know. What brought me back to the blog is the behaviour of my blood glucose that I find quite bizarre. I’m wondering if any of your T1s have experienced anything similar. Last week I wrote an email to my endocrinologist detailing a strange spike in glucose. I split my 24-hour insulin…
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Navigating illness, tempering expectations
My recent bout of bronchitis has me wondering how I can be okay with lousy glucose numbers that accompany infections. I don’t know of any illness other than diabetes where the onus is on the patient to keep their illness within certain parameters. We gauge our success by glucose levels in our blood: We feel…
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The pressure eases
I told you in the last post about Mary and Janet, and I want to update you on things here. In short, things are looking much better for Mary and much worse for Janet. It’s been two months since I knocked on the door of the townhouse where Mary lives. I wanted to check on…
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Fraud of the elderly hits home
I mentioned Mary in a recent post. I want to share a bit of her ongoing drama in hopes I can raise awareness of how vulnerable lonely old people can be. Mary (not her real name) met Janet (again, not her real name) years ago, maybe as many as 30 years ago. They worked together…
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Another birthday, another amazing revelation
On Sept. 4, Labour Day, I turned 64. I booked the week off as vacation and looked for last-minute cancellations at campgrounds. I prefer to camp once families have taken their kids home to prepare for school — not that I have anything against kids playing, but the noise doesn’t help me relax. I need…
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A mysterious downturn in glucose has me puzzled
For no reason I can grasp, my blood sugar took a dive for a few days this week. Instead of being in a normal range 40% of the time, this week I’m at 60% over 7 days. On Aug. 22, I reached an astounding 84% of time within a healthy…
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Tracking reveals truth
Further to my last post about my endo asking for a week’s logging of carb intake — I get more unsettling clarity. I’ve condensed this to just show fast-acting insulin shots for carbs and corrections. My usual diet is no breakfast, a homemade egg mcmuffin (English muffin, 1 egg, mayo, bacon), a big green salad…
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Great one day, lousy the next — What gives?
About a month ago, my endocrinologist asked me to keep notes each day on my carb consumption so he or associates can get a better track on my glucose numbers. At the time, they were looking at my glucose history through Clarity, the online history of Dexcom — the continuous glucose monitor I use. At…
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The link between trauma and autoimmune disease — a personal tale
Do you know anyone who experienced childhood emotional neglect/trauma and then, later, got sick from cancer or some other autoimmune disease? Or are you aware of people who suffered medical trauma or an accident and then, after a while, got seriously sick? Is it just bad luck or is there a link between trauma and…