The Perfect Day

I thought it would never happen.

I had hoped for it, dreamed about it, and even prayed for it. But I didn't really believe it could be. 22 years is an awful long time of bouncing blood sugars. Waking up in the middle of the night at 35, then sky rocketing to 490 because I over-treated with too much sugar. Then taking a massive dose of insulin to get that high reading down only to plummet too far, too fast and end up in the 50's again - all by 10 AM.

That's just a microcosm of an atypical day (what diabetic day is really typical? Especially when your numbers are all over the board). So you can see why I had all but dismissed the possibility of reaching my goal; a milestone; a modest request with great implications for me....."The Perfect Day!!"

You may be wondering what exactly does that mean? 'Sleeping in until 10 AM, playing Wii, writing songs, eating Dorito's, and consuming unusually large quantities of Diet Pepsi?' Although appealing, that's not it! How about one day of children getting along with one another all the while being obedient and pleasant to their parents? Ohh, the bliss of such a notion - but again, not my perfect day!

The Perfect Day means blood sugars that are perfect - ALL DAY LONG! No matter when I test (or how often) - bingo every time! A small disclaimer here..I have in fact tried to manufacture the perfect day by getting a perfect reading in the morning and then not testing all that much (as much as I should have). Yes, sheesh, I know - I'm not proud of it...plus it didn't even work!!

So the other day started pretty well: 84. What's worth mentioning here is that a few months ago 84 would have meant going low quick, so no time to enjoy it, get some juice...fast! (Thankfully those days are gone).

Noon: 72. Hey, perfect. (The 'normal' range used to be 80-120, but now it's 70-140, as the b/s level rises 2 hours post-meal)

3:30 PM: 91.

5:30 PM: 86.

8:45 PM: 64 (no problem - a little pineapple juice...)

So that's it:

84 ("B")

72 ("i")

91 ("n")

86 ("g")

64 ("o")

So how did I feel? Funny you should ask, because the truth is: TIRED! :)

I have no idea why, because in my la-la land dreamworld I figured readings this good would most likely enable me to leap small buildings in a single bound, or at the very least allow me to enjoy limitless energy. Not so, at least not that day. Just....tired!

Ahhh, but that is not the point of the story. There will be (and have now, since been) other 'perfect days.' It's not that the readings unlock some magical utopian experience only enjoyed by those whose pancreas's actually produce insulin. No, it's that after all this time, and nearly giving up hope - it was possible, and despite not having a all that much energy, it STILL feels GREAT!

If you are someone who struggles with diabetes control, please don't give up. Maybe a loved one battles high blood sugars, or is on that elusive up/down roller-coaster of blood sugar chaos - please don't lose hope. This pump has changed everything - including what I thought was possible. What was once a pipe-dream is now a daily reality, and there is no price too high to pay for knowing you are in good health.

I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to leave your comments, or drop me an e-mail anytime.

If you're serious about taking care of yourself, don't wait so long like I did. Get a pump and then together we'll be...

pumpin.