In the spirit of the summer Olympics, my blood sugars have decided to participate in their own sport event called “Leaps and Bounds.” So what’s going on? The Dexcom rings low (under 55), I test and the reading is 72. The Dexcom buzzes high (over 240), I test and the reading is 180. This makes no sense causing me to test my blood glucose 8 times each day, Wednesday and Thursday. I call this, “Chasing my Blood Sugars.”

I feel like a member of the U.S. gymnastics team, swinging high on the unparallel bars or catapulting off of the balance beam. Unfortunately I do not have a sports commentator to analyze the movement of my blood sugars and why they are leaping and dropping- only I can do that. So many factors can affect blood sugars: foods, medications like antibiotics or the weather, which has been extremely hot.

My Blood Sugar Olympics can only be controlled by constant testing, eating more or less carbs and tuning into myself. Solution: at night I place a glass of orange juice on my nightstand in case my Dexcom starts buzzing and reads “Low.” If it reads “High” I bolus a couple of units. I find that my body takes care of itself and I usually see good results by morning.