Yesterday I went to see Amy, by diabetes counselor, for a regular appointment. I gave her a printed copy of the blog entry describing my last hypoglycemic episode. After many questions and much discussion she confessed she has no explanation for the occurrence. She asked if I would be interested in wearing a CGMS (continuous glucose monitoring system) for the weekend. Yes, I would. I wouldn't be able to see its readings, but Amy would be able to download the information and see trends and offer, perhaps, a better insulin regimen, though what I'm doing now is mostly working. She also made a strong point that during an episode I should be given an injection of glucagon, a hormone which effectively de-activates insulin, allowing blood sugar levels to rise. That, opposed to stuffing a lot of sugar into my belly and calling 911. It was the paramedics who stated on at least three visits that we call them rather than using the glucagon. She suggested that the next time I got a reading below 60 that I try a glucagon injection just to see what its effects on me would be.
After lunch I worked on some small house maintenance and yard projects. I also strung Christmas lights on one of the back yard trees. I was feeling like my blood sugars were down. I tested and got a reading of 56. That's a level where I start getting confused, stupid actually. With Fran at my side I got the glucagon kit out and spent twenty minutes trying to understand the instructions I'd read and memorized six months earlier (like I said, stupid). With Fran reading the instructions and pointing to the diagrams I ultimately did get it right and gave myself the injection. Fran said the effect was almost immediate -- my eyes cleared and I was speaking normally in under a minute. I tested again a couple minutes later and got a 96, then 10 minutes later a 98.
Amy called just minutes ago to tell me I have an appointment this Friday to get the GCMS attached. I can question the company rep about costs and insurance coverage at that time. It looks like the CGMS is now paired with a pump, the CGMS feeding the external pump control its information. Six months ago the pump control and the CGMS reader were separate units. I'm very interested in this unit, but am afraid the costs will be overwhelming, even with insurance covering some of the cost. Amy was also pleased with the glucagon experiment yesterday; I'm sure its timing came as a surprise. I'm off now to get a couple kits.
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You remember Russell and manger at Tribex, well his girl friend has been using an insulin pump for many years. She has had problems with it over time and has had to change units out because of malfuctions. The intergration of a pump and CGMS sounds like a great idea. If you deciede to go that route then I hope that your insurance picks up a good portion of the tab.
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