For me the simple answer is no. For example a high from not having enough insulin, so under bolusing, is completely different to having no insulin at all and going high. I sit here this morning after having a BSL rise gradually the night before due to a poor insertion site. It was one of the ones that when you take the cannula out it bleeds for at least 5 minutes but I was lucky that it didn't squirt all over the poor like the last one of these. Basically this is just putting a stop to the insulin observing into the body through the normal tissue. As it was a gradual rise I was still getting some but not all that I needed. After a manual injection and changing the line and site I steadily watched the BSL lower to an acceptable range and so off to bed I went.
What I didn't know was that the new line I inserted had an even worse fault. Where the line connects to the cannula site, where you disconnect for showering or swimming, was loose. Usually it locks into place softly so that the connection for the insulin to flow through is secure. What must have happened is that when I first inserted everything was in alignment but then while in bed and as I moved the alignment was moved hence the starvation of insulin. Waking up and having no insulin for 4 hours is hell for me. My heart is racing, I have laboured breathing as it actually hurts my lungs, every muscle in my body is cramping and my blood feels like mud. This is what I call waking up on the wrong side of the bed.
Luckily I caught it and my BSL is only 14.6 and my eye sight isn't effected. A 14.6 for over eating I would have the thick blood but I wouldn't have the heart racing, laboured breathing and the muscle cramps. Don't get me wrong both feel like crap and I never want them but being with out insulin for me now is an impossibility. Someone asked me the other day how long I think I would last if I didn't have insulin and sitting here right now feeling the way I do I would think after 12 hours at a maximum I would be in a serious state in hospital. It is scary to think that a small amount of a hormone that the majority of the world takes for granted keeps us alive and we have a dependence that causes us to be in serious trouble in only hours of not having it.
I find it the same for lows. There are lows for excercise and there are lows for too much insulin. Whether it is a basal rate that is too high or you have over shot on a Bolus shot then they have too different feelings attached to them. Excercise lows I can deal with because I suppose you are not overdosing on insulin your just using your stores of glucose and energy which need to be replenished. A low from over dose sees there being too much insulin on board and it looking for what ever it can to do its job.
So to answer my first question for me not all highs and lows are the same. Different scenarios will have different reactions and when it comes down to it different emotional responses. Just because we need more to take into the day.
Monday 26 May 2014
Thursday 15 May 2014
Being 7,182 miles away from safety!!!
To many going on holiday is the most joyous time where all the hard life decisions, day to day burdens and just normal life can be almost forgotten and you can live how you would like with out a care in the world. In most part this is still correct except for one large part.for my daughter and I. It is currently 9.55pm in the Anaheim area USA, some 7,182 miles away from the comfort of home. After a day in Disneyland I sit here reflecting on the number of challenges we were faced with just because we did something a little different.
The day started with pulling together the supplies for the day including testers, strips, pumps, hypo food, back up needles just in case the pump failed, and of course the extreme hypo measure of the glucagon shot. Now this isn't necessarily any different to any other day other than the face that we are out of the comfort zone and our team and general process for supplies and doctors are not at an easy reach.
Yes we are in a large modern country and the majority of what we use to keep us alive probably originates from companies here but what we also know is that every country has its own medical system and when you do not know the ins and outs the fear of "if something goes wrong" is daunting. What happens if the pump fails. How long will it take to replace. What happens if we get sick who do we call or where is the hospital. Things can change rapidly and knowing that is just the start of the worry.
I have spent multiple days adjusting settings on both my and my daughters pumps to try and counteract hypos or highs that were becoming present over numberouse consistent days. Tweaking to make sure that health is maintained so that we can enjoy our trip. Today for instance I had dropped back my daughters basal rates as she was constantly going low. I did this slightly and now I drop it again just a little as it still was not quite enough. If it had been a one off I would use the temp basal rate so that when things went back to normal, or less exciting it would fix itself however as these hypos were appearing over multiple days and during periods away from food intake and over various settings (such as Disneyland one day and driving the next) I am adjusting the basal on the current pattern she is on. It could very well be the end of a growth spurt that started a week before going away which saw an increase of basal by an average of 170% across a 24 hour period however I need a few more days to drop it right back.
My levels on the other hand have needed increasing in some areas and decreasing in others. I think the out of the normal routine, and it really does become evident of the routine you get yourself into when you get out, has had this effect. Eating different foods, having different strains on my body and just being in a different environment causes variousness changes in the body that will have an effect.
In no way am I ever going to stop traveling but I suppose what I want to share is no matter how much we may want to step out side of T1 and go on a holiday the same pleasures, problems, calculations and considerations will follow and yes I am tired but it needs to be taken into account even on the other side of the world because if something goes wrong here then I have to rely on strangers to ensure everything can be put on track.
The day started with pulling together the supplies for the day including testers, strips, pumps, hypo food, back up needles just in case the pump failed, and of course the extreme hypo measure of the glucagon shot. Now this isn't necessarily any different to any other day other than the face that we are out of the comfort zone and our team and general process for supplies and doctors are not at an easy reach.
Yes we are in a large modern country and the majority of what we use to keep us alive probably originates from companies here but what we also know is that every country has its own medical system and when you do not know the ins and outs the fear of "if something goes wrong" is daunting. What happens if the pump fails. How long will it take to replace. What happens if we get sick who do we call or where is the hospital. Things can change rapidly and knowing that is just the start of the worry.
I have spent multiple days adjusting settings on both my and my daughters pumps to try and counteract hypos or highs that were becoming present over numberouse consistent days. Tweaking to make sure that health is maintained so that we can enjoy our trip. Today for instance I had dropped back my daughters basal rates as she was constantly going low. I did this slightly and now I drop it again just a little as it still was not quite enough. If it had been a one off I would use the temp basal rate so that when things went back to normal, or less exciting it would fix itself however as these hypos were appearing over multiple days and during periods away from food intake and over various settings (such as Disneyland one day and driving the next) I am adjusting the basal on the current pattern she is on. It could very well be the end of a growth spurt that started a week before going away which saw an increase of basal by an average of 170% across a 24 hour period however I need a few more days to drop it right back.
My levels on the other hand have needed increasing in some areas and decreasing in others. I think the out of the normal routine, and it really does become evident of the routine you get yourself into when you get out, has had this effect. Eating different foods, having different strains on my body and just being in a different environment causes variousness changes in the body that will have an effect.
In no way am I ever going to stop traveling but I suppose what I want to share is no matter how much we may want to step out side of T1 and go on a holiday the same pleasures, problems, calculations and considerations will follow and yes I am tired but it needs to be taken into account even on the other side of the world because if something goes wrong here then I have to rely on strangers to ensure everything can be put on track.
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