Average Obsession

Before I was on the pump, I was not all that concerned with my average blood sugar levels. 'After all,' I reasoned, 'life is an art, not a science!' But now that I've been pumpin' for a few months, I have become militant with every reading and how it affects my averages (7/14/30 day - all easily viewable on the One Touch Ultra-Link meter); hence I've come to terms with the fact that I've developed an....

Average Obsession!

Sure, it sounds like an oxymoron. You've got your overachievers and underachievers; your winners and losers; your leaders and followers - all of which have their place and their people - but who on earth obsesses over being "average?"




Apparently, me. :)





While it is funny, and not all together a bad thing, I've come to realize that there's more to feeling great than a 108 mg/dl 30-day blood sugar average (although, admittedly; that helps!)

The technology side of the pump and all of its related accessories is amazing. To think you can get your 1 - 30 day averages of not only blood sugars, but carb intake, carb ratios, insulin doses, etc. all on the pump is staggering. Then when you add the ability to remotely download all your pump info wirelessly to your computer, allowing you to see it all in a variety of spreadsheets and graphs - it's a tech-savvy, chart-lovers utopia.

As an aside, does anyone see the irony of being able to send all the information from the pump to the computer wirelessly (without any cables or cords), yet medtronic still hasn't mastered the wireless insulin distribution yet?!!

Back to the point...the charts and graphs are an incredible tool, an invaluable resource - one which has served me indispensably well. But I find myself thinking that a 120 average isn't low enough. I wonder if any diabetic has ever had an a1c (a blood test that averages your last 3 months of blood sugar levels) of 4.9% (equaling an average pf 95 mg/dl). Note: The American Diabetes Association recommends an a1c level of 7% or less to avoid complications).

Whereas I was in the lead for worst control of the decade (x2), suddenly I want to be first! I'm willing to concede I'm highly competitive, but even I can see how this approach is not 'healthy' for the long-term.

So I'm setting realistic goals - any a1c under 7% will be my FIRST EVER, and that is reason enough to celebrate with a Dairy Queen Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard (76 grams of carbohydrate!!!).

The simple fact is, life is not art, and life is not science; it's a complex mixture of both that changes moment by moment, day by day, and season by season. Sometimes we do all we can, and the numbers just don't add up, and sometimes we do very little and they add up just right.

As a diabetic, my journey has been a rocky road, but one I wouldn't trade, even if I could. The pump has literally changed everything for me, and I am committed to telling as many people as I can to tell every diabetic they know to get on it - now!

I feel the pressure of the average obsession fading now....it's down to an addiction....headed toward a fixation....one day to be a mere preoccupation!

Until next time, I'll be pumpin'