Diabetes Game Plan: 2016 Edition
New year, new me.
Kidding! Don’t even get me started on those Facebook statuses…
Ever since I’ve had diabetes, my New Year’s resolution has obviously centred around (wait for it) diabetes. Eat well, get my blood sugar levels down, maintain a good hba1c result without too many hypos and exercise. Scrap that last one, who the hell am I kidding here!
If I’m being honest here, I feel that for the better part of the last five years, my diabetes management has sort of stayed the same. I’ve chalked up good hba1c results, but they’re extremely difficult to sustain inbetween endo visits. Making a dedicated effort that delivers those sustained results is also hard, especially when there are a million other things going on in life.
But I want to do better than okay with my diabetes. I’ve already been at it for five, going on six years. That fraction of my life with diabetes is slowly, but surely growing. I want to look after myself. I want to minimise my risk of future complications. I want to remain hypo aware. I want to remain independent, and in control of my diabetes. I want to live a long, and healthy life.
So instead of that overall improvement this year, I’m going to strive for stable overnight glucose levels.
Night times over the past few months have never been such hard work. I can’t remember the last night where I didn’t have to wake up at 1am, test and give a correction shot. My last full night’s sleep seems like a lifetime ago. And mornings where I have woken up in range without minimal effort overnight have been rare occurrences.
I also know that it’s been a long time since I’ve had a full, uninterrupted night’s sleep. It’s been a long time since I’ve woken up feeling refreshed. It’s been a long time since I’ve woken up feeling pleased with my morning number, and have that sentiment echo positively throughout my day.
So, perhaps this is an argument in favour of switching to the pump. However, until that decision is made next month, I still need to manage with Multiple Daily Injections.
So, in 2016, I’m making a resolution to focus on the back end of the day. Say, from 4pm to 10pm – the 6 hour window before I go to sleep for the night. In these 6 hours, I will focus on doing as much as I can to not spoil my overnight glucose levels. Staying away from high fat foods. Satisfying my desire to graze on junk food with something healthy. Being patient when testing and correcting after dinner.
I hope that I will eventually return to a point where I have some confidence that my overnight glucose levels will remain stable.
I hope that I will be able to return to a point of getting a full, uninterrupted night’s sleep more often.
I hope that if I can get those overnight levels within range, I will have one third of a stellar a1c result up my sleeve and a lot more enthusiasm in my mornings.
