Getting Back to Diabetes Basics

This past week has been characterized by yo-yo blood sugars: one moment I’m sky high, the next I’m crashing to a terrible low. It’s been exhausting to look at my CGM and see a perfect zigzag on the monitor for a 24-hour period. So I’m happy to say that today marked a turn-around period for me, much to my relief.

What did the trick? A combination of going back to diabetes basics and some light exercise. Every now and then, I have to remind myself that controlling my mealtimes and careful calculations is crucial to achieving ideal blood sugars, so today I did some experimenting with that.

At breakfast this morning, I bolused for a bowl of cereal and experienced a bit of a spike soon afterward. I kept an eye on my CGM and watched my number slowly coast back to a normal level as I sat in class. I ran a few errands this afternoon and when I returned to my apartment, I was 92. I was thrilled with result and decided it was time to have a snack. I ate a granola bar that had 30 grams of carbohydrate in it. I knew it would be smart to compensate for part, but not all of it – I wanted to go to yoga class in a few hours, and I thought if I took a full 5 units for the bar it might send me plummeting in the middle of class. So I took 2 units, and watched as my CGM did not change at all over the next hour. I was staying consistent at about 80.

Again, under normal circumstances I wouldn’t have done anything to change this blood sugar. But I decided I should have another snack – a banana – to ensure my blood sugar was at a decent level for yoga.

I made my way to the recreation center and while I waited to enter the class, I saw that my blood sugar was rising slowly. It stopped at about 200, and I started drinking quite a bit of water, hoping that combined with exercise would bring me back down. Over the course of the next hour, I was able to relax and temporarily push thoughts of my blood sugar to the back of my brain as I focused on vinyasa breathing and stretching out my body.

By the time class was over, my CGM reported I was at a consistent 100. I was over the moon! I was able to enjoy my dinner when I got back to my apartment and congratulated myself on ending the night on a strong note. Finally, I reached my target blood sugar by doing what I was supposed to do as an educated person with diabetes.

I think it’s fair to say that this was the boost I needed to get back on track with my diabetes. As long as I remember to follow the fundamentals, I bet that I’ll be reporting good blood sugars as well as a more positive attitude regarding my diabetes.