Ooo, I forgot to ask ..... why don't you try long acting insulins?
I was on NPH for 9 years, and I became resistant to the long acting insulin. I was literally taking 60 units of NPH in the morning, which is really excessive.
Why do you weigh your foods?
I dose based on that since mass is how calories, carbohydrates, etc are calculated in a Nutrition Facts label. However, I am good at counting carbs by eyeballing food portions. But, I keep my blood sugar in range by minimizing error. I enter the weight of the food in to CalorieKing in grams, which tells me the exact carbohydrate count of the particular food or foods. This prevents unnecessary low and high blood sugars when I eat.
Why do you restrict your carbs?
One gram of carbohydrate raises my blood sugar by 6 points (in [mg/dL]). I try to minimize the amount of bolus (mealtime) insulin that I take because
1. My insulin is being introduced in to my body subcutaneously (versus immediately in to the blood stream in a normal human) and therefore is delayed. This causes my blood sugar to raise higher than a normal person's blood sugar after meals and there is nothing I can do about this.
2. Blood glucose variability (ex. standard deviation) is as much as a factor in developing diabetes complications as high blood sugars. I want to limit my "raised blood sugar excursions" from meals in order to minimize variability. Therefore I cut out carbs.
3. It is hard to dose accurately when you consume more carbohydrates. The more carbohydrates you eat, the more insulin you need. Dosing insulin using a linear insulin to carbohydrate ratio does not work that well.
Why do you use a continuous blood glucose monitor?
To micromanage my diabetes. I use it to prevent crises. I probably adjust my insulin with my pump dosages around 10-15 times a day (including eating). My continuous monitor gives me better control and enables me to avoid problems in the future by taking action. It gives me foresight.
4.8
And, are you at all apprehensive about having diabetes and becoming a doctor?
I am afraid of having severe low blood sugars in front of patients, other med students, or professors. It is embarrassing, among other things.
What area of medicine do you want to get into?
Anesthesiology or Endocrinology
Do you know any other diabetics who are pre-med?
I know 2 pre-meds who are diabetic, from the diabetes camp I went to every summer as a child.
