Third Time's a Charm

I'm pretty lucky.  I have diabetes but, so far, none of the complications that go with it. 

This is how many appointments a healthy,complications-free person with diabetes has to go to every year:

Endocrinologist - 3 times per year
Nurse + Dietician appointment at the Diabetes Centre - 3 times per year
Opthamologist - once per year
Dentist (yep, diabetes can cause dental issues too!) - four times per year
Family Doctor - once per year minimum (normally 2-3 times)

Visits to the Endo and the Diabetes Centre also means visits to the local LifeLab for blood work.  Blood work means fasting...for 12 hours. 

Not an easy feat for folks of the diabetic persuasion.

Lows after running, lows at 3am, lows for no apparent reason - lows are a fact of life.  And the only solution is to eat something.  Not eating for 12 hours takes some careful planning, and a few trial runs. 

I tried for Tuesday morning.  I did not run on Monday night so that was one less variable to contend with.  But I did go to my parents' for dinner. We had a feast - red wine, tourtiere, grilled pineapple salad, potatoes, ginger cake with ice cream for dessert.  I arrived home with my sugar in a happy range. Yay! I went to bed...and woke up around midnight with a low.  I sighed, ate two fig newtons and knew that Tuesday morning's trip to the lab was cancelled.

Tuesday night I ran - far.  I was super cautious with my insulin so that I would not have a low but wouldn't go too high either.  I went to bed and slept through the night.  No lows!  At 6:30am I checked my sugar.

3.9

Seriously? Damn. Too low - I'd have to eat something.  No trips to the lab that morning. 

Wednesday night - no running.  No crazy dinners.  Well controlled sugar.  Ate a banana before bed just to be safe. Slept right through to the alarm.  Blood sugar?  7.4

Hallelujah!  

Jumped out of bed, showered, packed a breakfast and a lunch.  Left without my morning coffee (sadness) and headed to the lab. 

The lab opens at 7:30am. I've arrived at 7:15 to be 20th in line.  The Lords of Kobol were on my side today because I showed up at 7:20am and was number 4.  They took my blood, I peed in a bottle and was sitting at my desk by 8am, Timmies in hand, with barely a headache to show for it. 

Another bloodwork mission accomplished.