Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Tune-up or Major Overhaul?

The past month has not been very kind to my diabetes management.  I’ve chalked it up to lots and lots of travel, very little sleep, and crazy hot temperatures.  But if I’m being completely honest, another factor is also at work here.  And that factor is Half-Assed Diabetes Management.  Honestly, my food choices haven’t been stellar.  My bolusing has often been less than precise (hello SWAG) and downright lazy (why wait 20 minutes to eat when I want to eat NOW??).  And once again, exercise is barely happening.

It’s easy to tell myself that everything will magically straighten itself out.  It’s easy to look at my BG average and be pleased with the number I see.  But truth be told, just because the average number is where I want it doesn’t mean my blood sugars are where I want them to be.  After all, an average can consist of some very icky numbers that might still average into a very non-icky number.  And the fact that I’m seeing random 200s every day at inconsistent times is not okay for my personal diabetes goals.

 

TuneUp

 

So here I am, ready to end the excuses and get proactive.  My first inclination was to do a Major Overhaul.  I thought I’d get back to basics and do some basal testing.  Honestly, I’ve never basal tested before.  My endo and pump trainer / CDE worked closely to figure my basal rate when I started pumping, and they got it right on the first try.  Over the past couple of years, we’ve tweaked when needed.  And when I spot trends, I do some tweaking of my own.  So I figured maybe it’s time to check those tweaks with a good ‘ole basal test to get things straightened out.

But then I thought some more.  Maybe a better course of action would be a Diabetes Tune-Up rather than a Major Diabetes Overhaul.  I’m feeling motivated to start exercising yet again.  Testing my basal rates would mean putting off the start of my exercise routine.  Sure, I could do that.  BUT!!!!  By getting back to regular exercise and (hopefully) starting to take off some weight, it stands to reason my basal rates will need to be lowered bit by bit.  And my intuition (or rather, my rational mind) tells me it’s not really my basal rates that are causing my d-havoc anyway - it’s that list of factors in the first paragraph that are really to blame.

So for now, maybe it is wise to start with a little D Tune-Up.  Time to tighten up the saggy areas of my diabetes management (and the saggy areas of myself!!).  Time to run some Diabetes Science Experiments and, hopefully, get back on track.

Tune-Up or Major Overhaul?  What has worked for you?

10 comments:

  1. I'm definitely feeling the summer drag down my good D habits. I'm in need of a tune-up myself. Maybe some small steps can make a big difference, bigger than a complete reworking of the system.

    ReplyDelete
  2. For most people, I'd assume that baby steps would work, but not for me! If I want to start eating better and exercising more, I have to start everything all at once so I don't change my mind. The most intersting part is the last time I decided I was taking control was MONTHS ago (we're talking, like, early February), and so far, I've been sticking to it! Good luck to you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I feel like we're in a constant state of overhaul over here. That's probably not *entirely* true, but it feels that way with growth and summer and, soon, back to school. SIGH!

    I'm really proud of you for acknowledging it, and making the decision to be proactive. I know you'll make the right choices and find awesome results!

    I believe in you, my friend :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I vote for the tune-up! Normally I am one to try to encourage people to do some basal testing, but when you are changing your exercise routine, basal testing will be a waste of time – you should save that for a time that it will mean something & you aren’t asking yourself why you bothered. I am kind of going thru the same thing. I slacked off on the exercise part and am getting back into it. I am trying to add more time on the treadmill. In the process, I keep going low. I am cutting back my basals but it is like a moving target.

    ReplyDelete
  5. rock. on.

    we do more tune-ups in our house too, especially in the summer with so much activity.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I feel like we are all Scientists ALL THE TIME. I guess my experimenting will end someday though...when Joe is older...you will always be a Mad Scientist my friend. xo

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am in the same boat. I have no good excuses but a LOT of sorry ones for why my BS management has not been great. Thanks for the motivation to get back on track! I like the idea of a tune-up!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm with trying a "tune-up" first. But it does seem like each day brings a new challenge or quirk to add to our d-fun.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I would go with a tune up and maybe a mini overhaul after you get your exercise routine in place.

    Keep us posted on how your doing. How about a workout Wednesday post?

    ReplyDelete
  10. I just read this & feel like I could have written it! How come I didn't know you were feeling this way? It's like my 22 month long rut! Let's hang out & brainstorm/motivate each other! Or at least drink & chat! :)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your comment!