How much time do you spend managing your diabetes every day?
This question was floated on the insulinpumpers.org mail list a while back. The answers ranged from the exhuberant 24/7 to the equally surprising 0. Surprising because it came from guys under great control. I find myself somwhere in the middle. Off course I spend some time on giving boluses, counting carbs, taking BG measurements and changing sites, but this is not really taking that much time (I guesstimate about 30 minutes per day).What takes more "resources" is that I always monitor myself for signs of highs or lows. So, in a way, it is 24/7. This monitoring is not always concious. Nevertheless, it is there. Sometimes it interupts me. In the middle of a good movie, for example. When I take my BG it shows me I need a correction bolus. Sometimes it gives false warnings. Often it warns me correctly. It always manifests itself when I change from doing one activity to another. Before I start writing a blog, for example. It probes the question: how do I feel?
Tired (often low)? Hungry (sometimes low)? Energetic (often meaning I have a "solid" BG (180 220))? Cold (dropping bloodsugar)? Thirsty (high)? Like Peeing (high)? Dizzy (low)? frustrated (low)? Sad (low or high)?
These feelings are all completely natural. Most of the time the diabetes is not the only reason, nor the main reason. For example, I can be thirsty and frustrated at the same time (what do you feel after waiting more than 5 minutes for a beer at the local bar?)
It is like a subroutine in my brain. Sometimes it wakes me up during sleep. At times it has saved my life. It never goes on vacation. And untill I have a Continous Glucose Monitoring System hooked to my hip, I will not let it.
