Syml-out

You may be wondering - why has Nicole not posted anything about Symlin lately?

The answer. I am no longer taking Symlin.

About two weeks ago now, I had five extremely frustrating days of bloodsugars. I did nothing but bounce. I tested 67 times in those five days - with only 6, yes 6 - in-range bloodsugars. I'd start the day at 240 or 190 or 360- give some Symlin, Insulin, have breakfast, an hour later I'd be 26 or 38 or (just once) 109. An hour after that, I'd be on the climb again - 181, 204. I was skipping lunch because I felt so crappy. I'd run in the two or three hundreds ALL afternoon and then swoop down before dinner - I'd have to get my bloodsugar up before giving meds and eating - and then I'd deal with more bouncing after dinner. My life was a series of low blood sugars and huge rebounds. The days surrounding those five frustrating days weren't much better - the highs and lows were much more frequent than I'm used to and the in-range sugars were next to non-existent.

I called the doctor. Many times. I actually cried on two of those phone calls. Stupid, persistent, angry, frustrated tears. I couldn't understand how adding one thing to the mix could throw me off so damned much. I told the doctor I didn't really think it was working for me. Sure, I was losing weight - a total of 16 pounds, to be exact - but I was a mess. I was tired and cranky and I felt gross all the time.

We decided that, given all the issues the Symlin unearthed - for example, sometimes completely inappropriate basal rates - maybe it would be better if we got the rest of the variables in order and then reexamine the Symlin sometime down the line.

So - my bloodsugars are pretty much getting back to normal. I've kept the weight off too, which is good.

In the past two days, the sugars have looked like this:

Tuesday:
8am - 117
10am - 168
11am - 121
12noon - 78
2pm - 309 (drastic lunch miscalculation)
4pm - 161
6pm - 114
8pm - 139
11pm - 75

Wednesday:
8am - 159
10am - 123
12noon - 98
1 pm - 63
1:15pm - 89
2pm - 220
4pm - 139
6pm - 118
8pm - 141
12midnight - 93

This AM I was 172 - but I retested and got a 161...

A few more adjustments and we just might be ready to Syml-in again... I'll keep you posted.

All of this got me thinking, though, about what an incredibly inexact science controlling this disease really is. Sometimes, there are perfectly reasonable explanations for out of range bloodsugars - miscalculations, overeating, too much exercise... But other times - and it feels like too often - the disease has a mind of its own and I am a passenger aboard a boat that's caught in the riptide - I am utterly helpless to the throws of the waves. How can it be that I have two identical days - insulin, food, stress-wise and still end up with bloodsugars on opposite sides of the spectrum? How can it be that I read labels and count my carbs to the morsel - and still I sometimes end up with wonky after-meal sugars? I mean, if these things happened with consistency, I could figure it all out - but it's so random and nonsensical - it's like I'm trying to read Chinese characters.

I guess, like the rest of us, I'll keep doing the best I can. And hope it's good enough.