Diagnosed 2 weeks ago (type 1)

[harshasp]

Another good book is Sugar Surfing by Stephen Ponder. He's an endocrinologist who also happens to be T1, so he's seen both sides of it.

Will add that to my list.

You're a student just now, but when you start going to job interviews, try to throw in some references to that in relation to problem solving - it shows a huge amount of initiative, which is what most employers are looking for.

Great idea. Will definitely keep that in mind. I expect to have interviews with professors more than HR people from companies. I plan stay in academia and do academic research. I currently focus on Space technology and published a couple of papers as of now. I was in the final stages of a project and another research paper when DKA hit. Stalled everything for a while. Anyway, Great advice. Thank you!

You're an engineer, so you want to measure things. That's quite correct, and you're obviously taking time to read up on the condition, but remember that, while you can measure and balance insulin/food/exercise, there's a lot of things going on in the background which can upset that balance and simply can't be measured or controlled with existing technology. That sounds a bit negative, but all I mean to say is that when you think you've done the sums right but it still goes wrong, it's not really your fault - there's too many random factors, so, as long as we're right most of the time, that's good enough.

I did realize that already. One day I have really good BG levels, and another day with the same regime... Everything goes haywire for no apparent reason. It is quite annoying but I guess I should get used to it.

 

[Chas C]

I too am an engineer, it drove me mad for years because it often does not follow any rules. There is so much that can affect your well being, illness, bad insulin dose, poor injection, too close or in a vein, exercise, food content management, food absorption rates (sometimes caused by the food, sometimes cause by your body), weather changes...........

Sometimes you just need to write it off if there is no reasonable explanation.

 

[stanfordsteve]

Will add that to my list.


Great idea. Will definitely keep that in mind. I expect to have interviews with professors more than HR people from companies. I plan stay in academia and do academic research. I currently focus on Space technology and published a couple of papers as of now. I was in the final stages of a project and another research paper when DKA hit. Stalled everything for a while. Anyway, Great advice. Thank you!


I did realize that already. One day I have really good BG levels, and another day with the same regime... Everything goes haywire for no apparent reason. It is quite annoying but I guess I should get used to it.

You seem to be doing pretty well. I've been T1 for 55 years and gone through a good few changes to the way I control it. I don't have a CGM, just a finger prick test up to 7 times per day. I would be frustrated if my doctors deliberately withheld information from me about my diabetes and would insist on having all the information they do.

As an engineering student, you will probably be well aware of the need to test/measure and adjust in the right way to avoid the phenonemon of 'hunting', where testing is too infrequent to pick up changes happening more rapidly than the tests can pick up and/or adjustments are too large or small, thus leading to instability in the very thing you are trying to control.

I was wondering whether you have done basal testing to ensure your Lantus dose is the best for you. After doing so, I found my Lantus needed splitting into 2 doses, half AM and half PM, and I was able to reduce the total dose as a result. An optimised basal dose may, just may, help smooth out those day to day glitches you are getting. But optimising the basal may have an impact on the amount of Humalog bolus you need as well if you are inadvertently compensating for too much or too little Lantus.