I hate vacations, not that this has ever stopped me from
taking one. Maybe I should say that it's my diabetes that hates them. Truly,
I'm not sure I can tell the difference between me and my diabetes. It’s the
excess that usually does me in. Excessive lack of exercise and excessive eating
push the bg bar line on my cgm up to Himalayan levels. I feel rotten about my
poor self-control.
For the past week I’ve been on a staycation. This time
was going to be different. In the end It was, too. Just not exactly what I
wanted it to be. I told myself I was going to be very, very, good. O.k., I knew
I’d be pretty good and, really, I have been. I’ve exercised and eaten right
almost everyday. I relaxed. I watched the final two seasons of Borgen. I read
magazines that had been piling up on my sofa. I finished a book I’m preparing
for the book club I lead. I even lost a
few pounds. Heaven.
I still hate vacations. Most days started well. I managed
to wake up with a bg around 100 and feel 100% proud of myself. I had the kind
of super healthy breakfast certain internet sites say will prevent colds: a
single portion of steel-cut oatmeal with half a banana and walnuts, soymilk and
an egg on the side. When I’m working, I count that at 25 carbs—yes, I know that
it’s actually more than that, but that’s what I bolus for if I don’t want to
sink into the 70s two hours later—and, yes, I know there's a better of way to
do that.
So there you have it. I’d wake up with a great, no, not
just great, a perfect blood sugar. I’d eat a beautiful, healthy breakfast. I’d
drink too much coffee, but I’m pretty sure that’s a good thing. Over the next 2
hours my blood sugar would rise a bit, just as it should. I'd get on the
exercycle and peddle through half-an-hour of a Borgen episode. Post-exercise my
bg is back to it’s near-hundred level. I’m in the groove. I’m throwing a
no-hitter. I’m going to Harvard on these test scores.
Then it all goes wrong. For the rest of the morning my bg
would rise until by lunch I’m around 140. This happened all week. I know 140mg
isn’t that bad. But a lunch time bolus for 65 carbs—way more than I’m really
eating—didn’t change anything. I'm
eating the kind of super healthy super foods that certain internet sites
say cure colds, and in good portions, too. Still, my blood sugar was the same
or worse at dinner, and even then, bolusing for way more carbs than I ate
worked just as well as it did at lunch. I’d finish the day with a correction
bolus.
Which is why I really hate vacations. As much as I need
them, my diabetes needs special coaxing to behave itself when I change my
schedule. I’m guessing that it missed the small, steady amounts of activity I
get at work. I tried upping my basal. But that didn’t help, either. Probably I
should have upped it more than I did, but for once I thought I’d better be
cautious. I decided I didn’t want to bump it again because I’d be back at work
in a few days, anyway. I have a suspicion that makes no sense, and I should
have known better. At least I'll go to work tomorrow. Hope no one has left any
cookies in the staff lounge.
P.S. Borgen is a great TV show.
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