Sometimes it takes me a bit to see the dotted lines connecting my blood sugar to the one specific thing that has caused it
this time. With so many variables, there's a mental checklist I go through when I see a graph like this (after I indulge myself with a couple seconds of feeling deflated):
- When was the last time I ate?
- Did I forget to bolus?
- Did I eat more than I planned for when I took that bolus? (Related: am I horrible at carb guessing?)
- Did my infusion site clog/kink/come loose?
- Was the insulin skunky/old/ineffective?
- Has the site been in too long? Wait, when did I put this site in?
- Is it Tuesday? (read: diabetes is on its own schedule and doesn't always need a good reason to mess with me)
I decided to give my day-old infusion site a looksie, and as it turns out, it had been collecting something.
 |
| Ewww. |
Not one to enable a hoarder, I ripped the site off and slapped a new one on. I did a quick check to make sure that CGM graph was right, and it was in the ballpark: 317, according to the Verio. I puffed my cheeks in frustration, trying to do that very specific kind of not-really-math where you go, "Okay, I bolused X half an hour ago, but Y probably leaked out when I pulled the site, so I guess I'll do a correction bolus of Z and hope that's somewhere near close enough".
One more gross picture of that infusion site? Okay, here you go.
Note: if you're wondering what sort of infusion set this is, it's made by Spring Diabetes. They were kind enough to send me some free samples, which I'm trying out for a couple of weeks before I form a solid opinion on them. Don't let the blood and guts deter you - any infusion site has the ability to hit a blood vessel, yaknow? User error!
Bummer! We had to do an extra dexcom sensor change this afternoon because I hit a 'bleeder'...and that was after doing one last night at 10:30 that had to be removed for an MRI this morning! Poor Bean!!
ReplyDeletei'm curious to hear what you think about the infusion sets. i tried a couple last year, and then they sent me some again a couple weeks ago. i am still up in the air. i find insertion difficult. that may be because i do not normally use an inserter, i just jab myself!! anyway, i am glad i haven't had that ^^ happen to me yet.
ReplyDeleteI usually remove my infusion sets as a last resort, which isn't smart, but I'm kind of cheap ... and lazy! And it's usually the tortilla chips anyway ... what pump do you use with the Spring set?
ReplyDeletemy daughter getting cgm next week.... i know nothing. following you via Kerri Sparling...........looks hard. yikes.
ReplyDeleteJenWo - I use an Animas Ping. It seems that the Spring sets will work with any pump that uses a luer lock.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - congratulations on the impending CGM ownership! I hope my post hasn't scared you off - the technology really is helpful to have. :)