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By BS I do not mean bullshit

bull with horns below text in red: BS LEVEL

 

1st week on the Freestyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring system, here are some observations so far.

 

TARGET BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS 3.9 TO 10.

 

So far I’ve had no blood sugar  levels below the target, but I have had higher levels alas.

 

FOOD

 

Above target

 

above target occurs when I eat bread and grains. I was trying to load up my carbs first thing in the morning as advised, to spread the carbs out more throughout the day.

 

1. 12.7 125 grams of steel cut oats with berries, walnuts or pecans, a little dairy, shredded coconut; coffee with a splash of dairy

2. 12.6 oats & above toppings; no coffee

3. 12.3 118 grams? of quinoa with same toppings as oats

4, 11,9 meatballs with panko, salad, roasted veg

4. 11.3 pizza: 2 slices – Pizza Pizza: whole wheat thin crust, reg. mozzarella, light tomato sauce, grilled chicken, olives, mushrooms, spinach

5. 10.4 Dinner: chicken with sweet chili sauce and salad

6. 10.1 whole grain Eggo waffle with vegan margarine and a teaspoon of syrup

 

In Range for other breakfasts such as Charles fantastic veggie filled omelets and most of the meal kits. I tried the quinoa again, but not as large a portion. I had only 59 grams (half of previous portion), with the berries and nuts as before, but I also added a slice of extra lean ham and a hard boiled egg, which brought my BS level down to 8.8.

 

SLEEP

 

Napping and sleeping seem to bring my blood sugar levels down to between 5 and 6.

 

EXERCISE

 

The medium intensity stretch and strength class I do three times a week for 75 minutes each time gets me in range: 7.2 to 7.6.

 

Low intensity walks daily for 30 minutes + 5.5 to 8.9.

 

GENERAL

 

if I’ve gone into 11 or 12 range, I have had rapid climbs and drops, so that’s an issue.

 

A1C

           March 15, 2022:         9.5

            May 10, 2022:            8.0 and 8.1

Changes to my diet and an increase in exercise seem to be doing their job.

 CONCLUSIONS

I have 8 days left on the Freestyle Libre and then I will go for 14 days on version 2. the main difference seems to be that there is less of a lag time between the blood sugar level change (only 2 minutes as opposed to FL1, which is 5).

My main takeaway from this is to reduce the grains and breads and increase proteins. To continue to exercise as I’m doing. Since sleep doesn’t seem to increase my blood sugar levels, I’m not working on napping less, but it’s happening anyway. I am starting to feel less tired after meals. For me a nap feels restorative, but in general too much sleep is considered just as bad as not enough sleep. I wonder though if my metabolism, with the lack of colon, might be doing things differently. Something to figure out/look into/talk about with medical folk.

I’m also on blood pressure meds now as well, which are lowering my blood pressure to normal range.

Charles and I attended a webinar on the FS1 and will do another for the FS2 later this week. We learned about the difference between interstitial readings (done by continuous monitors) and glucose readings (standard monitors). It’s not a big difference, just that there’s a little lag with interstitial results. People who’ve used standard glucose monitors expect the results to be the same but they won’t be. Since I’ve only ever monitored my blood sugar level using the continuous monitor, I’m not really affected by it. We’re not supposed to use individual results to make treatment decisions anyway, we’re supposed to look at the pattern.

I’m feeling good about the results. Being able to monitor my blood sugar levels easily with the continuous glucose monitor is really great. It gives me regular and instant feedback. I’m not looking forward to having to switch to a standard glucose monitor, which requires taking blood and fiddling with test strips etc. Still, just having this knowledge of my blood sugar levels and what causes them to rise is helpful.

At the end of May I have my meeting with the dietician at the Community Diabetes Education Program office,  and we’ll go over my results. She’s going to teach me how to use the regular blood glucose monitor as well. Onward!

 

 

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