The insuleoin Podcast - Redefining Diabetes
BITESIZE #140: Going High.
This is a bitesize episode of 'The insuleoin Podcast - Redefining Diabetes'. Each week we'll take a look back into the archive of episodes and get you to think and reflective once more about some of the things we've learned over the past few years. In this week's BITESIZE:
- The feeling of going high.
- Getting a regular coke instead of a diet coke.
- Walking off a high.
To hear the full episode check out episode #148: The Impact Stressful Events Can Have On Your Blood Sugar.
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- Broadcast on:
- 07 Oct 2024
- Audio Format:
- other
Before we get into this episode, I want to ask you a quick question that I want you to answer. And the question is, do you want to have a direct impact on the future of type 1 diabetes management and care? I'm guessing the answer to that would be yes. And if it is yes, I have a very simple and convenient way for you to do that within 10 to 15 minutes, which is actually less than your average pre bolus time, 10 to 15 minutes. And basically, it comes from the T1D exchange registry. So if you don't know what that is, the T1D exchange registry is a research study designed to capture the experiences and ultimately challenges of people like me and you who live with type 1 diabetes. It tracks condition progress over time and includes over 18,000 participants affected by and living with type 1 diabetes in the US. So the T1D exchange registry gathers information directly from these people, i.e. me, i.e. you, including data on diabetes management, CGM data and self-reported outcomes. So you might be thinking to yourself, why would you want to fill out at 10 to 15 minutes questionnaire about diabetes? And I'll tell you why. So the T1D exchange research has led to a number of advancements and improvements for people living with type 1 diabetes, including insurance coverage, including changes in the American Diabetes Association guidelines for pediatric A1C goals and targets, including FDA expansion of Dexcom CGM labeling, and also including Medicare coverage of CGM devices from much more people. If you live in the US, you can relate to the challenges that insurance can bring. So the reality of it is you and I can actually make an impact on the future of diabetes health care, treatments and technology by participating in the T1D exchange registry. It's a really simple online survey about your life with type 1 diabetes. As I said, it takes 10 to 15 minutes. This might be quite literally the easiest way that you can contribute to improving life with type 1 diabetes for people now and also for people in the future. So get involved with type 1 diabetes research in, as I said, the simplest way possible. You fill out the survey, you make a difference with type 1 diabetes research that impacts the future health care treatments and more for other people living with type 1 diabetes. So get involved with type 1 diabetes research in quite literally the simplest way possible by going to the link in the description of this episode. Click my link tree and then you will see a link to the registry 10 or 15 minutes less time than your average pre bolus and you're actually making an impact with diabetes management. And that's what it's about. That's what even this podcast is about. So you can also play your part and we can do it together. So check out the link, fill out your 10 or 15 minute questionnaire and also enjoy this episode. How's it going? It's on here and this is a bite size episode of the insulin podcast redefining diabetes. Every week we'll dip back into the episode archive and get you to think and reflect once more about some of the things we've learned from the podcast over the last few years. It could be some diabetic wisdom, advice, a great guest or even a hypo story. So enjoy this bite size episode of the insulin podcast. Yeah, so a couple of stories where I've gone high and for anybody that listens to this podcast or anybody that even knows me knows that I hate high blood sugars more than probably anything in the world. Now, I know that's a strange statement to make given the fact that I constantly go on about how, you know, you shouldn't react emotionally to your blood sugars and don't let them affect your mood and your energy, which is absolutely true. But even with that, I strongly dislike high blood sugars. Let's put it that way. You guys go high more than you go low, don't you? Yeah, 100% absolutely. But it's funny because I say the vast majority of people that live with diabetes, well, the vast majority of people that I've spoken to much prefer being high than low because look, the reality of it is the immediate impact of a low blood sugar can potentially be a lot more severe than the immediate impact of a high blood sugar. But I just, I hate how I feel on my blood sugar sign. You often say you can't describe, well, it's very hard to describe what it has been in a hypo where you can almost feel like you're drowning. Can you describe what it's like going into a hyper? Yeah, so it can depend, for me, it can kind of depend on obviously how high I am. So if I'm kind of just drifting upwards, it's completely different to if I have been up, you know, 15, 16, 17 millimoles. But the way I try to describe it is like, as if my blood is hotter than, or warmer than it already is, and it's like, I'm really irritable and I can't sit still, and I feel as if I have to, it's weird. And it's like my body is becoming tighter, and my blood is becoming hotter, and it's like this strange sort of sticky feeling around my body, and it's really hard to describe, but it's a really uncomfortable feeling. And I would even love to hear anybody who's listening, how they would describe their high blood sugars, because I think, like we've even gone through on this podcast, we all have unique emotions and feelings and even sensations when it comes to our diabetes and highs and low blood sugars. But for me it's like, that kind of sticky, restless, irritable, heart-blowed sensation, which is unusual, but yeah, really uncomfortable so I don't like it. And then, obviously, for me, and I've spoken about this before on the podcast as well, it's like, it's also not just the immediate sensation of how it feels right now in this moment, but it's also with, like, consistently high blood sugars. Sometimes in your own head you can go, well, it's affecting me more because of what I associate with these high blood sugars. And it's like, well, because I'm high, you know, am I going to have complications, you know, because I'm high, I can't manage my diabetes, because I'm high, I'm not going to be able to manage this in 10 years time, you know, and all these sort of feelings and parts that can go on in your head. So it's like the immediate feeling and emotion and sensation in combination with sometimes if you are, I suppose it's rational and irrationally thinking of what you're associating with this high blood sugar. If that makes sense. So yeah, I went off on a bit of a tangent, so basically the stories are. So over the over the holiday period, the first one was there's a local bar that me and my family go to around Christmas time, primarily really low key quiet. There's no TVs, just really nice kind of traditional Irish sort of style bar. But one of the days I was just drinking Diet Coke, right, and I was like, look, usually I'll have a whiskey or a Guinness around Christmas time, but I'm just going to have a Diet Coke today, right, making the mature decision. So I specifically asked for a Diet Coke, because I know that it wouldn't spike my blood sugar, and I know that obviously a regular Coke would spike my blood sugar. So I said, please can be a Diet Coke has to be a Diet Coke, right, but it came. And I'm not very good at telling the difference between a regular Coke and a Diet Coke, because I don't drink it that much. Fair enough actually. And it's funny, the reaction isn't overly surprising, because I put that up on Instagram and I was like, who was ever ordered a regular Coke and got a Diet Coke or whatever. And loads of people commented and messaged me saying, I can tell the difference like that. The difference between us for me is like drinking Coke compared to drinking water. You know, as I don't drink Diet Coke or regular Coke that much, I can't really tell the difference just yet. You know, so basically the quote unquote Diet Coke arrived and got stuck into it, started drinking it or whatever. And then maybe like 15 minutes later, I was like, hmm, why do I feel sticky? Why do I feel as if my blood is boiling or getting hotter right now, why do I feel irritable? And why do I feel as if I want to just punch somebody in the bar because I'm feeling so frustrated. Which are all telltale signs that my blood sugar is misbehaving, so I check my blood sugar as I boom double arrows straight up. I was like, oh, it's definitely not a Diet Coke. So usually I would have my finger prick monitor and what you can do with finger prick monitors is actually put the like finger stick part into a drink and that will actually check the blood or the sugar content of it. Much like your check and your blood sugar. But I didn't have it with me. I only had my sensor on. So I couldn't check, but obviously given the fact that I was so irritable, my blood sugar is my sensor had spiked double arrows. I was like, it's definitely definitely a regular Coke. So it instantly pissed me off and I didn't order another one to say to me. And I went basically and tried to walk it off because I think I had, we had had dinner relatively recently or like maybe half an hour or so earlier or an hour maybe. So I didn't want to take more insulin. So I've spiked up. I don't want to react too quickly insulin wise because I might end up crashing down the other end. So I said, look, I'm just kind of trying to walk it off. So basically I just walked home to try and bring the back down. I put the walk isn't that long. So it didn't have much of an impact. So I got home. I was grumpy and I was pissed off. And just watch TV and my bloods went into like 15 or something. All for a glass of Coke. Yeah, not mad. And then like, I know I'm kind of contradicting what I say myself in this podcast of like, don't let it affect you emotionally. But I was kind of just, I was just kind of in that headspace at the time. But I was sitting there and I was thinking about it. And I was like, obviously the fact that my bloods had spiked up to whatever number pissed me off and frustrated me and had an impact on the evening. And then I was thinking about it, obviously in my diabetic conceptual mind. And I was like, just goes to show you the impact that something so small can have on your day if you live with type 1 diabetes. You know, it's like something as simple as an easy mistake to make between a regular Coke and a Diet Coke can potentially have such a frustrating impact. On your mood, your energy, even what you're doing that night. Thanks for listening to this bite size episode of the Insilon podcast. And if you want to listen to the full episode, you can check it out in the description. Chat to you soon. Also, another quick one before you go. Don't forget to fill out your 10 or 15 minute questionnaire for the T1D exchange registry. As I said, you and I can actually make an impact on the future of diabetes health care treatments and technology by participating in this exchange. It's a 10 or 15 minute questionnaire and you actually make a difference. You actually have an impact on the future care of diabetics worldwide. So get involved, follow the link in the description of this episode, which is a link to my link tree. That's what the link is called. Click the link and then you will see the next link to the registry. 10 or 15 minutes. Get it done.