Why not test?

I am a person with diabetes. I am learning to use this new PC language. I find it unnecessary and awkward. But hey, what's a person with diabetes to do? I am also a person with diabetes who owns a computer with problems and a modem without connection. Thus, the blog that is post-challenged. I must go down to the store and present myself as a person with service plan to the employees with geekness.

I've been thinking about testing.

As you know, it is wise for people with diabetes (type 2) to test regularly. Those of us with diabetes - type 2 - often do not, much to the chagrin of our people-with-diabetes-type-1 friends, who MUST test every few hours to keep themselves and their insulin dosages on track.

Why, my friends with diabetes (type 1) ask, don't people with diabetes type 2 test themselves regularly? Why do they stop testing?

Well, I reply, I think it's because we can. We can stop testing without risking death in the next few hours or days. I think that's the main reason. But I've got a second and third possibility, too.

The second reason, in my opinion, is because the testing doesn't always give us meaningful data.

In other words, If I'm testing daily, and I'm a person with diabetes and my diabetes is under good control, I can test regularly for weeks, months or years at a time and get nice polite readings for my morning fasting number that range between 80 and 120. This number requires no change of behavior on my part. I don't even have to respond to it. So why waste my $1 test strips and test daily? Couldn't I just test once a week and, if I get a nice polite number, test again a week later?

It's like a job performance review that reads "meets requirements" all the way across. No new info. Nothing to work on.

The third reason, in my opinion, is because the testing give us meaningful data that we don't want to know. The numbers are high, but the person with diabetes is unwilling to make any changes that could alter the numbers.

This is a common phenomenon among people with diabetes, especially type 2, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with. Imagine the frustration of a physician, trying to assist his patient with diabetes, when the patient brings no data. How can such a person think it's OK to enjoy a sugary slurpee on these hot summer days, without testing to see what such a treat does to the BG numbers?

It's just a number. And you DON'T have to respond to it. It's just one piece of data. You could respond to it. But you don't have to.

You can look at the reading and say, hmm, 284, how about that, and still eat the chocolate cake for breakfast. Who's going to stop you?

But it's kind of like driving your car around without looking at the dashboard gauges. Or the traffic signals. Or the street signs.

These marvelous meters are such a great tool. My grandparents didn't have them for most of their years with diabetes. Let's use them. Let's test.

Learning from history

Since diabetes is an ancient illness, it occurs to me that perhaps, it would be wise for the modern PWD to learn from the good practices of the many diabetics who have gone before her.

Thusly, I have prepared a small sample of what Scott optimistically calls my meal plan, or perhaps lack-of-planning would be more accurate in this particular illustration.

Sunday night dinner (Easter, as you recall, a traditional feast day):
French Toast, prepared a la waffler. Yum, yum. With peanut butter and margarine, and (real sugar) berry syrup and (non-sugared) maple-style syrup. Oh. And one fried egg. I ate five pieces.

Lunch, in case you were wondering, was with our friends over at Russell Street BBQ. God bless Sharon and Diane. And, let me state, that we do consider beef and pork barbeque to be an excellent celebratory meal. We did decline dessert. I must confess, though, to an intimate familiarity with the dessert menu offerings. My favorite? The fried pies, filled with chocolate ganache.

Monday morning reading: 192

Monday activity: Sincere repentence.

Monday night dinner: Homemade salsa & corn chips and minestrone soup. Corn chips, under most circumstances, send my readings sky high. I do my best to resist the evil ones (fried) and choose only the half-evil ones (baked). Couldn't find them on Monday.

Tuesday morning reading: 117

Perhaps I should visit Scott's nutritionist.

I'm back to OHSU tomorrow, for a visit to the pain psychologist and to the MRI lab. This should be interesting.

I'm not trying to fall off the wagon. I currently weigh 185 lbs, when I started the year at 170 or so. I'm very out-of-control with my eating, very worried and anxious. Time to reign in, reassess. Or, as Scarlett says, "Tomorra is another day."