Ghost low bg symptoms and Shame on you, Hoda Kotb.

It was back to work on Tuesday, after a 3-day holiday weekend. Low blood sugar readings caused me to start my weekend plans (a 2-hr drive away) on Saturday instead of Friday, as I had originally planned. Stubborn blood sugar stayed in the 50s for 1/2 a day, into the evening, on Friday. After eating every carb in the house, I was able to bring my blood sugar near 100, but never over, and it wouldn't stay put, either.

I didn't get too upset about this, as this is part of having type 1 diabetes. You always have to expect the unexpected, and go with the flow. I could have certainly gotten mad about it, but it wouldn't have changed anything, so why put yourself through the added stress?

Returning to work is always tough after a long weekend. You'd think you'd feel more refreshed after having an extra day off, but in my experience, I find I try to cram as much into a long weekend as possible and end up more exhausted than after any regular 2-day weekend. Tuesday and today were also a little tough at work because the office hasn't quite figured out what to do with the thermometer. This Minnesota weather has been a little bipolar, with one day in the 50s and the next in the 90s, so the office doesn't know whether to turn on the heat or the air conditioning. And since it's a 3 story building, there is always a good 1 day lag time in changing the temp in the building. Well, since it was colder recently, the heat was still on, even though it was humid and hot today. So I was sitting in my cube sweating to death all day, drinking water like crazy. And if you have t1, you know what heat does to blood sugar. Luckily, I haven't taken my pump off yet (haven't yet made the switch to MDI), so I was able to suspend my basal insulin on and off throughout the day to help manage the lows. I will use up one more pod (infusion set), just to finish off my current bottle of Novolog, then I start my Levemir and Novolog Jr. injections. The closer it gets to making the switch, the less I am looking forward to it. Mind you, it is a choice, so I know in the back of my head I can change my mind. But I know I need to learn MDI as a backup. I've never actually given myself an insulin shot.

I think what I'm most worried about is losing the control that I have right now over my t1. It's not perfect, but it's been manageable and I have this fear that with MDI I won't be able to manage it as well. This is solely based on fear and not experience, since I've never tried MDI. And I have a little fear of not being able to snack as much between meals, since I can only dose insulin in 0.5 increments, instead of the 0.05 increments I can do with the pump. So this isn't just a change in insulin management, but a change in behavior and lifestyle (eating) habits. At my CDE's recommendation, I put my CGM back on after a long hiatus. I'm using up my last Dexcom Seven sensor (even though it is expired now, it's been accurate). Then I'll put my G4 back on. I wonder how long the sensors are good for after the expiration? The Dexcom Seven sensor I'm wearing had an expiration of Sept 2012 (!!!) and still works. Hmm.

Today was a day of feeling fake lows- you know, those ones where you have low bg symptoms, but not actual low bg? I'm still having them right now, and I'm sitting at 100 with a stable arrow on the CGM. In fact, it's been stable all day; hovering in the 90s and low 100s since last night. So I don't get the low bg symptoms. I keep feeling the urge to treat it.

On a GF note, I have become obsessed with GoPicnic's gluten free ready-to-eat meals. I cannot express my love for these enough. What a PERFECT idea for road trips, vacations, and grab-n-go food for us celia-folks. They do not contain GMOs or high fructose corn syrups. And of the 3 I've tried- they are all so delicious. You can order them online at www.goppicnic.com or go to your SuperTarget ($3.99 at Target so a little cheaper than online). Just ask a sales associate what aisle they keep them in. I've seen them in different places in different Target stores. This is one of my favorites:



Shelf stable with long expiration dates, you can bet I'll be carrying one of these in my carry-all bag for those just in case food emergency situations.

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably saw my tweets on Monday and Tuesday about Hoda Kotb's despicable comments on the Today Show on Monday. A long-time fan of their show, I just can't stomach watching it anymore. Even though I don't fault Kathie Lee, who did not agree with Hoda's comments. If you missed the episode, Hoda said she would never date a man if on a date, he asked the waiter "does this have gluten in it?" and repeatedly implied that a man is not a real man if he doesn't eat gluten. Despite Kathie Lee's comment that some people MUST eat gluten free for medical reasons, Hoda implied that any man that has any food restrictions, ("gluten, dairy" were her words) is NOT a real man. I had to rewind the DVR and rewatch the segment, because I couldn't believe I heard her right. Talk about offensive and rude. Thanks for throwing it out on NATIONAL TELEVISION that you think eating gluten free is a load of sh*t, Hoda. Wonder how many restaurant managers were watching and now think the same. I can feel my blood pressure go up writing about it right now, reliving it. I better stop now before I write bad things.