Thursday, April 19, 2012

I AM NOT GOING TO DO A GLUCOSE TEST TODAY

I posted recently that I am now using an entirely different type of insulin to try and control my bad morning blood glucose readings.  The new injector is fabulous and causes no discomfort which is terrific but...........I began on 16 units before breakfast and 12 units before dinner at night.  I was told if the morning readings were still not good to gradually increase the night injection by 2 each time.  I only saw the professor two weeks ago and have already increased the evening injection from 12 to 16 and it has made little difference.  The morning readings have become quite erratic, good one morning and lousy the next and so on.

Today I got up and said to myself "Damn it, I am not doing a glucose test this morning nor for the rest of the day and perhaps not for a day or two."  I have done 42 tests over 14 days and my fingertips are nothing if not slightly tender.  I am too right handed to attempt to prick the fingers on my right hand using my left one so perhaps will have to ask MOH to do it for me.  Last night after dinner I tested and it hurt so much and I have a bruise on my finger.  I think I may have hit the bone and that is why it was so painful.  I've never done that before thank goodness.  Silly mistake.

I may be wrong in not testing for a couple of days but comes a time when you just feel enough is enough.  My readings have not been high enough to be dangerous in the short term so the poor old fingertips are having the rest I feel they well deserve as do I.....just for a couple of days.  We need the break.

MOH is off to UWA (University of WA) again today to join with other diabetics in talking to medical and dental students about diabetes and what it is like to be diabetic.  We both began doing this some years ago but I had to stop going because of the distances that need to be walked around campus at UWA.  MOH goes twice a year and thoroughly enjoys doing so and he feels, as I did when I could attend, that he is helping doctors etc., find some understanding of what it is like for diabetics.  It would seem diabetes is becoming quite an epidemic and it is good that the medical profession learns about it early in their career.  It  is only about 15-20 years ago that blood glucose was never included as part of a patient's annual check up but these days everyone is much more aware of the presence of this insidious disease.

I miss MOH when he is away for a full day but am so glad that, at 82, he is still so willing to take part in these regular annual events at UWA.

4 comments:

  1. Ouch! You and your poor fingertips. Hope you can have a break for a few days xoxo

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  2. Thanks for your ouch!! I shouldn't complain as have only been doing the fingertip pricks for 16 years and not always daily. My sympathy goes to those with type 1 diabetes who have to test glucose every day and sometimes up to 6 times a day. A chap we know who is in his 50s says the tips of his fingers are calloused. I was just going through a bad patch so had to have a winge.

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  3. Know just what you mean about sometime enough is enough. Have a couple of days off and rest those fingertips. Start again on Monday. xxx

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  4. Had a couple of days off and began again Saturday and reading in a.m. still not good so have increased nightime insulin by another 2 units. Will have to find out how high I can go but doing it gradually should be OK. Was good to give the old fingertips a rest.

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