I am a Type I Diabetic, I have been for as long as a I can remember. I was diagnosed at fourteen months old and I am sure I had it at eight. My parents used to check my blood sugar by poking my toes. They would dilute the insulin to quarter strength so I had a chance of control. I was eating 1800 calories when I wasn't old enough to walk. I was on a regimen of R and N for many years. I switched the N to U (ultra-lente) when U came out, and despite my Diabetes I stayed on my growth chart and lead a fairly normal life when I was growing up.
College and more specifically engineering had new challenges in store. Gone were the days of structured schedules and regular meals. I was eating dinner at 10 pm and the fourth meal. Breakfast was a luxury. The dining hall offered pizza, pasta and other breads, despite having a dietitian formulate the meals. Not at all a good choice for a Diabetic diet. As a result I lost weight, lots of it, and my sugars where out of control. I had an A1C, the test that measures diabetic control, of... well let's just say "bad."
Endocrinologist: "You should go on an insulin-pump."But it was.
Me: "I'm an athlete."
Endocrinologist: "You can still do most things."
Me: "Not good enough, Diabetes will not control my life."
I switched to a regimen of Lantus via syringe at night and Novolog via pen needle at meals. This worked okay, but I soon figured out Lantus does not, as advertised, last twenty-four hours. My sugar sky rocketed at dinner time and the Novolog dose was twice that of breakfast (when possible) and lunch doses. I struggled with this a long time (four years). Because I thought It was insanely hectic schedule I reduced the Lantus dose in favor of more Novolog believing it would provide more incremental control. One Saturday night I ran out Lantus, I had forgotten to refill my prescription. The pharmacy was closed on Sunday I was going to have to last until Monday morning at 10 AM. I had always told myself I would just cover with Novolog if something like this had ever happened, THIS DOES NOT WORK. No matter how much Novolog I gave my sugar would not go down. I am convinced the stuff is practically water. I suddenly realized I had not given Lantus the proper respect. I had discounted it's effectiveness because it did not work as advertised. This illustrates an important point about advertising at it's relation to pomodern life. Just because marketing is filled with hyperbolic (yes, curved) assholes does not mean the scientists think like this. They are doing real work and getting real results. Lantus was the most important piece of the puzzle but I refused to see it. That morning I immediately gave enough to cover me until the night. At my normal shot time I upped the dose. My numbers immediately improved; however, the Lantus still ran out early. I hobbled along for a little longer. I swore to myself I would change my habits; eat better, exercise, cut the carbs, no fast food. Only the exercise really helped my blood sugar and I was going low at night, which meant a lack of good sleep at night. I had to cut back on the Lantus again and eat like a maniac right before bed. If I got up at anytime during the night I would go and drink Orange Juice just in case. It was a horrible habit and it lead to wildly erratic results. I was spiraling out of control again. My A1C was the same; "bad".
Then one day I realized all I had to do was give Lantus in the morning. The insulin would fade away at 3 AM when I am neither active nor eating anything. It wouldn't matter. Since switching to this my numbers barely ever reach 200 and rarely drop below 70. It's like I am not even Diabetic. It's beautiful. For the first time in my life I am like everyone else.
P.S. I am not really like anyone else, but it was a nice ending.
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