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Being a Type 1 diabetic has its ups and downs, quite literally.
For nearly thirty years now, ever since being diagnosed when I was twenty-five, I’ve had to deal with various types and delivery systems for insulin - from actual syringes and glass bottles, to the easier to use (and less breakable) insulin pens with smaller, screw-on needle tips.
Recently, I made another change: from using a blood glucose monitor which required a lancet and test strips for finger stick testing multiple times a day, to using a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM). The CGM has a small sensor, slightly larger than a quarter, that attaches to the back of my upper arm and lasts ten to fourteen days.
Instead of finger sticks, I now use an app on my cell phone. All I do is hold the top of the phone near the sensor, and the reading automatically appears onscreen. Even better, the application shows me one of four arrow icons, letting me know if my blood sugar is currently going up or down slowly (angled arrow) or quickly (straight up or down arrow).
I do feel a little self-conscious when I have to scan my wobbly underarms, but I’m getting used to it.
On the one hand, I really enjoy not having to constantly poke my fingers. On the other, the CGM app is sort of like a stereotypical Jewish grandmother, aka Bubbe.
Blood sugar too low (55 or less)?
BEEP BEEP!
An alert flashes across my phone’s Lock Screen: Critical! LOW GLUCOSE ALARM! Dismiss alarm and check glucose.
“Bubeleh,” I can hear her saying to me with a vaguely Brooklyn-esque accent, “I don’t mean to kvetch, but maybe you should eat something already?”
Blood sugar too high (270 or more)?
BEEP BEEP!
Same thing, except of course the alert will say HIGH GLUCOSE ALARM.
“Oy gevalt,” she says in my head, “what is this mishegas (craziness)? You’d better take some insulin, bubeleh.”
I sigh, and eat or drink something if my glucose is low, or administer insulin if it’s too high. I’ve taken to keeping a banana on my bedside table, since low blood sugar most often happens in the pre-dawn hours.
Why a banana? They are easy to eat, healthier than chocolate or jelly beans, and unlike cookies, I don’t have to worry about getting crumbs in the bed.
Diabetes is a balancing act, but I’ve gotten used to doing the best I can with what I’ve got.
Me and Bubbe, we’ve got this.
For nearly thirty years now, ever since being diagnosed when I was twenty-five, I’ve had to deal with various types and delivery systems for insulin - from actual syringes and glass bottles, to the easier to use (and less breakable) insulin pens with smaller, screw-on needle tips.
Recently, I made another change: from using a blood glucose monitor which required a lancet and test strips for finger stick testing multiple times a day, to using a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM). The CGM has a small sensor, slightly larger than a quarter, that attaches to the back of my upper arm and lasts ten to fourteen days.
Instead of finger sticks, I now use an app on my cell phone. All I do is hold the top of the phone near the sensor, and the reading automatically appears onscreen. Even better, the application shows me one of four arrow icons, letting me know if my blood sugar is currently going up or down slowly (angled arrow) or quickly (straight up or down arrow).
I do feel a little self-conscious when I have to scan my wobbly underarms, but I’m getting used to it.
On the one hand, I really enjoy not having to constantly poke my fingers. On the other, the CGM app is sort of like a stereotypical Jewish grandmother, aka Bubbe.
Blood sugar too low (55 or less)?
BEEP BEEP!
An alert flashes across my phone’s Lock Screen: Critical! LOW GLUCOSE ALARM! Dismiss alarm and check glucose.
“Bubeleh,” I can hear her saying to me with a vaguely Brooklyn-esque accent, “I don’t mean to kvetch, but maybe you should eat something already?”
Blood sugar too high (270 or more)?
BEEP BEEP!
Same thing, except of course the alert will say HIGH GLUCOSE ALARM.
“Oy gevalt,” she says in my head, “what is this mishegas (craziness)? You’d better take some insulin, bubeleh.”
I sigh, and eat or drink something if my glucose is low, or administer insulin if it’s too high. I’ve taken to keeping a banana on my bedside table, since low blood sugar most often happens in the pre-dawn hours.
Why a banana? They are easy to eat, healthier than chocolate or jelly beans, and unlike cookies, I don’t have to worry about getting crumbs in the bed.
Diabetes is a balancing act, but I’ve gotten used to doing the best I can with what I’ve got.
Me and Bubbe, we’ve got this.
