The Switch-A-Roo: Novolog Day 2,297 / Apidra Day 1

Have I mentioned recently how utterly impossible blood sugars have been over here?

Seriously.

If this is a growth spurt, it is the MUTHA of all growth spurts.  The past 2 weeks have been a blur of high blood sugars.

Correct - Spike - Correct - Spike.

Lather.  Rinse.  Repeat.

I think something happens to my brain when we're in a rut like this.  It's hard to concentrate, and I find myself lost in a sea of numbers, trying to differentiate between times and basals and ratios and carbs and on and on and on.

Don't get me wrong.  I HATE LOWS.  But I can fix a low lickety split.  Highs like this?  I feel like I'm being pelted with snowballs from every angle, and all I can do is run for cover behind a tree, trying my best to shield both of us - and every organ in her body - from a fate of doom.

For awhile now, I've been following some DOC Peeps who have been using Apidra.  I scored a bottle to trial, but was waiting until the winter break from school so I could hover.

Until Thanksgiving night.

Something happened.  She was 350 around 9 pm, and I fell off my rocker.  That was it.  I couldn't stand it any longer.  Sure, it was Thanksgiving, but she hadn't really eaten out of the ordinary ... if anything, she had eaten LESS than usual.  Her numbers shouldn't have been so stinkin' wonky.  Period.

We yanked her old site, filled the pump with Apidra, perused Facebook for a little feedback about Duration of Insulin Action times, inserted a new Dexcom sensor, and hit the ground running.

Ready or not...here we come.

Disclaimer:  Switching up your/your child's lifeline right before going to sleep by using an insulin she's never been exposed to when you know that Dead In Bed Syndrome is a very real threat, and recent stats suggest that 1 in 20 people with Type 1 Diabetes die from hypoglycemia is not something I would ever recommend doing.  It's a dumb idea, so don't do it.  You should ALWAYS consult your/your child's diabetes healthcare provider before making any changes to your/your child's insulin regiment.  Period.

That being said, while the rest of the world was making plans for Black Friday, I was monitoring blood sugars closely through the night.

I'm cautiously optimistic, but it does appear that she spent more time between 80-150 when comparing these 2 consecutive 24 hour periods.

A few observations:

• That LOW stretch at the beginning of the Apidra screen really never dropped below 78 by fingerprick.  (As I mentioned, this was a new Dex sensor, and our experience has been that it takes Dex about 6 hours to settle in, before being consistently accurate.)

• Apparently she had quite the breakfast spike on on Apidra, Day 1!!!!  This has actually been a normal occurrence over the past couple of weeks.  On the Novolog screen, the breakfast spike wasn't nearly as bad, but that has been the exception lately.  I'm giving Apidra a few more days, and then will start re-instituting the Superbolus next weekend, if I can't get a handle on it soon.

• I've heard rumors about Apidra losing it's effectiveness around the 48 hour mark when used in an insulin pump.  We haven't reached that time yet, but I'm holding my breath and praying for the best.

• My kid is amazing.  She's been a real trooper, and I'm incredibly proud of how cooperative she's been with the extra finger pokes, site changes, and Dex insertions since this madness started.  She was upset when the decision was made to insert a new sensor the other night, but Mr. Rose sat her down and explained why we felt it was necessary.  None of this is easy for her, but she smiles anyway.

FYI -- This morning's breakfast spike only made it to 300.  

Maybe we're getting somewhere?

More on our APIDRA experience...
The day we started.
The experience.
The trial end.
The 6 week review!
The verdict.