Just a little high...

Summer's here and I love it! Granted, we're running our a/c when it's really humid out, but I still prefer this weather to the cold. We spent a lot of last weekend at the pool and it's a lot of fun to see our baby (9 mos) discover the water and to see my three-year-old son get stronger at kicking and paddling.

One drag about the summer is that because of the heat, this is the season when I usually get more low blood sugars than at any other time of the year. Does that happen to anyone else? The heat and humidity--I guess really the sweating that goes with them--can cause my sugars to drop quickly. Even when I'm testing more, I'm not always able to adjust my insulin correctly for really hot, outdoor days.

So my tendency is to want to run a little bit on the higher side, so that I won't get low. Not high-high, just "a little high." Let's say I'd rather test at 160 than at 80. At 160, I know I have somewhere to fall. At 80, a low could come on quickly and take me really low.

But I realize that this kind of thinking--clinging to the higher side--has its consequences. When I was pregnant, I got over my fear of lows, for the baby's sake. I knew what was expected, and I made my best effort to get my numbers there. I did get low sometimes, and fortunately I always kept juice or glucose tabs with me, and I was testing so much that I always caught the low before it got really low.

So now...I need to keep reminding myself that I have done it, I can overcome my fear of lows. I should not spend this summer clinging to the high side. It's simply not the healthiest way to live.

Easier said than done. Summer is here, more humid days are ahead. I am going to try and keep my fear in the open, acknowledge it so it won't get the best of me. My tendency when I test on the low side of normal is to lower my basal rates or eat a few crackers--do something to push the number up. Just a little.

But now I'm pledging not to do that...so that when I look back on the summer from the vantage point of the fall, I can say it was a great summer. In terms of my blood sugar control and maybe more importantly, in terms of facing my fear. That could have benefits for creating wonderful summer memories, for years ahead.

Wishing you peace,
Gabrielle