In Which I Use a LOT of CAPS

About a week ago, my sugars started going wack - a - doo. And by "wack - a - doo", I mean "high for no discernible reason." Middle of the night- 230? Wha? I thought maybe I was getting sick, but so far, no symptoms of sickness have manifest themselves.

So today at the endo I asked him if I should change insulin usage, and he said no, because I would go too low. He didn't run an a1c because I had one in January. Dude, I really think I need just a titch more, but apparently pre-meals in the 120's (and, um, 160s!!) don't bother him too much. I do like him a lot, but he is SO hypo-phobic, and I'm a little hyper-phobic. (post meals are too high!) He's seen too much, I think, and so he is very reluctant to up insulin levels. I think it might be the honeymoon ending, but that just makes me sad.

And then - let the experimenting begin! - he put me on a type 2 drug "onglyza" to see if that helps stimulate a c-peptide response. We shall see what we shall see.

He was FASCINATED by the fact that I went hypo on antibiotics. He had never heard of that before, although he said some RA patients respond to antibiotics for no reason that the medical community can think of - they just do, but he hadn't heard of any diabetics responding that way. He is pondering it, I guess.

In other news, my insurance company "forced" me to switch monitors, and I left my Freestyle (which I had grown to really like since they switched new test strips) to One Touch. I tried to test my blood when I got home. No dice. Error, error, error, error, ERROR!!!! The error message translated - the test strip didn't have enough blood. I thought it was possibly due to the fact that I couldn't feel the lancet poking me at all. So I called them, and they "walked me through testing my blood" because apparently I am a moron who doesn't know how to use a monitor, but in the end, they are sending me a new lancing device. The worst part is - they want me to CHANGE LANCETS EVERY TIME!!!!

Them: It cuts down on infection to use a sterile one every time.

Me (in my head) : It makes you more money for us to use one every time.

Me: (out loud): It's a pain in the butt, especially when you have to test 6-8 times a day. It's REALLY annoying.

Them: Well, you do what you want, but this is what we recommend.

Me (in my head): Well, duh, I will do what I want, but if they don't POKE ME, it doesn't really matter how many I go through, now does it?

Me (out loud): Are these cheaper or something, because these are not the same lancets that were sent to me when I got a free One Touch monitor a while back.

Them: We changed them so there is less discomfort.

Ah, less discomfort. What a noble goal. But seriously, poking yourself should hurt a little, I mean, we're trying to get BLOOD OUT, not get ERROR MESSAGES DUE TO LACK OF BLOOD. Of course, multiple error messages just means I have to use more test strips and lancets, which probably isn't their goal at all. I must have gone through 6 just trying to get one reading. That lew lancing device better be a LOT better. And since I haven't hit my deductible yet, that little blood sugar reading probably cost me roughly 10 dollars.

Seriously, my old monitor, I just changed the lancet when I felt it getting dull, every couple of days. I seriously filled the scrip twice or something absurdly small, because I got 100/box. *whine* I just want to keep using my old monitor - stupid insurance.

I think I have issues with change. POSSIBLY.

I also am forced to do mail order prescription if I want to stay on Novolog. Which isn't a big deal, but is a pain in the tuckus for everyone involved, except UHC, I guess.

Also, this week, I saw the gyn (Mon) and had a mammogram on Tuesday. It's been a medically intense week. Maybe I'll hit the chiro tomorrow just to round it out.

Doctor's Visits

Yesterday I saw my endo. He LOVES me. He raved about my sugar print out, congratulated me on my tight control and discipline. (Much of it IS me, I'm obsessive about control, but I am definitely still honeymooning after 13 months, so let's all give a nod to my pancreas and the test drug.)

And then he waxed philosophical about whether or not he would be able to do it, (be disciplined with diabetes) and then we talked endlessly about the test drug, and then he took some labs, so he could say he did something. He also told me to gain weight by eating more carbs. Huh, Thanks. SUPER good insight there. (But seriously, what did I expect, he'd have some magic weight gain wand that he could wave?) (That would be sooooo cool.)

He likes to talk about the trial. It makes him so happy that I'm doing it. He recommended it to a pediatric endo for one of her patients as well. I hope it works out.

As far as the labs went, he tested for Celiac (which I have no symptoms for, but hey, the risk is there), he did a metabolic panel, and checked my vitamin D levels.

He called me tonight around 6:00 - and I always get nervous when doctors call me - to talk about my labs. He hasn't got the celiac antibodies back yet, but my vitamin D levels were low - around 6, when 30 is about normal. So he told me to get some OTC vitamin D. (2000) I don't know how much a supplement is going to help, I thought the OTC levels weren't sufficient, but hey, I'll do it, see what happens. Also, the sun is coming out a lot more, and I couldn't be happier about the excuse to spend more time outside.

Today I went to the OB/GYN for the first time since we moved to AZ for a standard yearly. And if I don't blog about it, then it didn't happen. So I went. And it did. And that's all I have to say about that.