2021 Diabetes Update

There really isn't much new to report on the subject of my diabetes, but there are a couple things of note: 

I'm still taking Levemir and Novolog insulin, and still breastfeeding my now almost-1.5-year-old daughter (usually about 3 times a day) - though it's hard to tell how much milk she's actually getting these days... I think she mostly wants to continue breastfeeding for the mama snuggles. :) Because I'm nursing a lot less frequently than I used to be, I end up having to increase my Levemir (long-acting) insulin by 1 or 2 units every couple months or so - my fasting blood sugars start slowly creeping up, and if they're consistently above 110 or so for a week or two, that's when I experiment with adding another unit of Levemir, usually at bedtime, though sometimes for my both my evening and morning doses. My doctors told me that would likely be the case - that as I breastfed less, or weaned completely, my insulin needs would increase. Currently, I'm taking 6 u. Levemir in the morning and 7 u. at bedtime. For meals, I usually take 2 u. Novolog with breakfast and 2 u. with dinner. Lunch tends to be a smaller meal, and often with less carbs, so I can often get away with not taking any insulin with lunch - but if it has more carbs than my typical lunch, I really should take 1-2 u. of Novolog at lunchtime too (though I don't always remember). 

I also continue to use the Dexcom G6 CGM (continuous glucose monitor), which is back to being pretty darn accurate (most of the time) now that I'm no longer pregnant or immediately postpartum. The biggest problem I've had with it lately is that Dexcom apparently changed the adhesive used to get the sensor stick to the skin - before, I would have problems with the adhesive coming off before the sensor's 10 days were up, and I had to use another overlay patch to make sure the adhesive stayed in place; now, the adhesive sticks a lot better but it also gives my skin a bit of a rash. I am not the only one experiencing this over the last year - there are a lot of forums dedicated to people discussing their skin's sudden allergic reaction to the adhesive, and various tips/hacks they've tried for how to fix it. I talked to both my PCP and my endocrinologist about it - the PCP was a little horrified at all the red patches all over my abdomen, and told me stop using the Dexcom at once, and talk to my endocrinologist about getting a different type of CGM instead; meanwhile my endocrinologist was like "how much does the rash bother you? because the G6 is the best CGM on the market right now, so if you like how it's working for you otherwise, you might just have to deal with the rash..." We've moved since then, and I've yet to see my new doctor (I have an appointment tomorrow, actually!), so we'll see if they say anything new. I've been dealing with it for the last year, and my skin seems to be having less of a problem with it over time, so unless a really easy solution comes along, I'll probably just continue with the G6. The rash is localized to where the adhesive patch is, and it might be itchy for the first day or two or wearing a new sensor. When I remove the sensor after 10 days, there's a red mark where the patch used to be. It was taking a month or so before that red mark would fade (so that I would have at least 2 or 3 red marks of previous patches on my abdomen all at once, in various stages of redness), but now they're fading faster, and by the time the next sensor's 10 days are up, the previous red mark is now more or less completely gone.

One of my biggest worries about my diabetes this past year was obviously the covid-19 pandemic. Type 1 diabetes was one of the chronic conditions in the "higher risk" category, meaning that if I contracted covid-19 I was at a higher risk of having a severe illness. Because of this designation, I spent the last year being more vigilant than many people. With a few exceptions early on in the pandemic, we had groceries delivered or picked up groceries curbside nearly every week. We didn't go out anywhere, or take our baby out anywhere, other than outdoor locations like parks where social distancing was fairly easy to maintain. It was such a relief to be able to finally get my covid-19 vaccine. I got the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine in March and the second dose in April, and didn't have any side effects with either, other than a sore arm at the injection site for about 24 hours after the shot. In early May I was considered "fully vaccinated" (two weeks after my 2nd dose), and we've spent the last month slowly starting to venture out more places - while still following CDC recommended guidelines for mask-wearing and social distancing.

The final diabetes update I want to mention is this amazing way to organize my diabetic supplies, which my husband came up with and executed soon after we moved into our new house. I wanted a way to be able to keep all my supplies that I use on a daily or near-daily basis organized and close to the kitchen table, while not taking up space on the kitchen table itself, or on the kitchen island. These supplies include my insulin pens (which are not kept in the fridge after they are opened and in use), my pen needles, my sharps container (a half-gallon size empty milk jug), my meter and test strips (for times when I need to double check what my CGM is telling me), and my little notebook where I keep track of food data and when I take my insulin. (Extra supplies, such as extra boxes of needles, lancets, and CGM sensors, I keep on a high shelf in the kitchen pantry, since I only need those every 10 days (for the CGM sensors) or every 15 days or so (for the needles). And extra insulin that haven't been started yet are stored in the refrigerator.) My husband attached this little basket to the side of the fridge for me, large enough to store my daily supplies, and also added a little shelf underneath it, on a hinge so I could fold it up when not in use, or fold it down when I needed to rest my insulin pens there while taking insulin, or my notebook there when I needed to jot down a note. I really love this system (it's been working great for me for the last 4 months we've been living here), and I really appreciate him building it for me! I just had to show it off/brag about him here. :)