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Perfect control

Ladywillpower

Ladywillpower

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Is any of us perfectly controlled? The harder I try to get my levels at 5 it would appear the hardet it seems to be. Am I the only one? I am type 1 and have been for what seems like forever. Are you harder to control the longer you have it? Thanks in advance x
 
Ladywillpower said:
Is any of us perfectly controlled? The harder I try to get my levels at 5 it would appear the hardet it seems to be. Am I the only one? I am type 1 and have been for what seems like forever. Are you harder to control the longer you have it? Thanks in advance x
Click to expand...
Are you on basal and bolus ?
If so getting basal right is a necessary first step, and your basal needs may have changed, so consider a basal test.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/basal-rate-testing.48088/#post-433587
Is your carb intake high, moderate, or low ? The higher the carbs, the greater the margin for error in calculating bolus needs.
I've only been on insulin 20 months so can't comment on how long-timers get on.
Low-carb is how I eat. All my HbA1cs have been in the upper 30s, and I've never had a hypo from which I've needed to 'recover' - only dips into the high 3s and a few jelly babies then biscuits to correct it. I still consider my condition to be a crocodile, waiting for me to be off guard.
I look forward to others' replies.
Geoff
 
Ladywillpower said:
Is any of us perfectly controlled? The harder I try to get my levels at 5 it would appear the hardet it seems to be. Am I the only one? I am type 1 and have been for what seems like forever. Are you harder to control the longer you have it? Thanks in advance x
Click to expand...

No ones blood sugar, diabetic or not, sits at 5 all the time. The only person who's blood sugar doesnt occasionally peak is a dead person.

What exactly are your targets? Because aiming simply to be 5 seems unhelpfully unrealistic.
 
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Thank you for replying. I am on a bolus regime and I carb count. My intake is moderate as I'm trying to slim but exercise days the carb is higher. I never seem to be perfectly controlled for long. I can function normally at 2 plus but 5 seems to be a bit low for me. I had my insulin car ratio worked out a month or so ago.
 
I am another low carbier, actually ultra low. When I was eating carbs I was all over the place no matter what I did. LC allows me to take small doses and like @librarising i haven’t had a serious low. I follow closely to bernsteins laws of small numbers equals smaller insulin doses equals smaller margin of error.

I could never figure out how to marry the timing of my food to match insulin. I’ve been T1 3.5 years. A1C 5.1 last 4 6 month checks. I rarely go above 105 or below 80 ( us)
 
I think the standards are higher for insulin users to avoid hypos. As long as I stay vlc I stay steady on small insulin doses. I hate hypos!!
 
@Ladywillpower
there is no such thing as the perfect 5 --- unfortunately life gets in the way of this.

many of us that contribute to the forum and are type 1 like yourself , do work hard to achieve the best we can be, juggling our carb intake , insulin needs , exercise , stress , illness and just living our lives.
Perhaps your care team are not understanding what you go through every day just to be you.

i think I am speaking for loads of us here -- just keep doing your best -- live each day as it comes -- be happy.

I have done better recently since starting on a pump ( 26 months ago )
The Libre flash glucose monitoring system helps too ( intermittently as can't afford it full time )
 
If you could get your blood to 5 all the time it would be a great but life seems to get in the way. Everyday is different for us we could eat the same things as the day before and do the same things as before but our results would not be the same. I was told to get my BS between 6-7 which is not easy as some things pop up, even now after a pancreas and kidney transplant my BS run between 4-6. So asking you to get your BS to 5 is a bit hard on you, at what level do you feel like your sugar is low mine was under 4. All any of us can do is try to keep our BS at a steady rate and not have massive swings. The thing with being a diabetic is we are all different and what is good for you may not be good for me. That is why we are still trying to find a cure,
 
Kristin251 said:
I am another low carbier, actually ultra low. When I was eating carbs I was all over the place no matter what I did. LC allows me to take small doses and like @librarising i haven’t had a serious low. I follow closely to bernsteins laws of small numbers equals smaller insulin doses equals smaller margin of error.

I could never figure out how to marry the timing of my food to match insulin. I’ve been T1 3.5 years. A1C 5.1 last 4 6 month checks. I rarely go above 105 or below 80 ( us)
Click to expand...
What is a carbier? Is it a hybrid barista?
 
himtoo said:
@Ladywillpower
there is no such thing as the perfect 5 --- unfortunately life gets in the way of this.

many of us that contribute to the forum and are type 1 like yourself , do work hard to achieve the best we can be, juggling our carb intake , insulin needs , exercise , stress , illness and just living our lives.
Perhaps your care team are not understanding what you go through every day just to be you.

i think I am speaking for loads of us here -- just keep doing your best -- live each day as it comes -- be happy.

I have done better recently since starting on a pump ( 26 months ago )
The Libre flash glucose monitoring system helps too ( intermittently as can't afford it full time )
Click to expand...
Thank you. I did try the libre system but didn't get on with it, I don't mind finger pricks. I am highly stressed at the moment and adjust accordingly but then go hypo when I relax so it's been a bit fraught lol
 
Ah I would love to have my BG at a steady 5! And if I don't eat, don't exercise, basically sit on the sofa feeling sad, as I basal test then it is just about possible! But as soon as I insist on going about my life then the line wobbles. So many things can cause blood sugar to go up and down that until we get to the artificial pancreas I think it is impossible for anyone to be perfect all the time (even then I bet we will be able to throw it off with surprise cake, or stress from people jumping out at you yelling SURPRISE with the aforementioned cake). It is easy to get the impression that everyone else is perfect, from the blood glucose meter adverts that never show a value in double figures, to people online who apparently live on kale and moonbeams and float along at a steady 4.0 (to be clear I am not talking about anyone here but I am sure we have all read a blog or two like that). All we can do is our best and if it didn't work out today, try again tomorrow.
 
If perfect control was easy then i would not have needed a double transplant but it is not we can try but we are humans. If getting our BS was easy we would not see the hidden dangers that diabetes have in store for us. I may be unlucky to have had the problems i have had but in 1979 they did not have the information that they have now. The only thing you can do is try your best and even sometimes that is not enough, you have to live for each day as you will have good days and bad. The thing is we all have targets that we would like to reach but it is not possible all the time so enjoy when you get near what the doctors want but remember it is you who is living with diabetes not them
 
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