Our trip to the Doctor

Well...we went to see Dr. Mary yesterday. Here is a recap:

Natasha -> A1C is 8%, down from 8.2%. I would like to see it lower but she already has so many lows..especially at night. So, we'll work on getting the highs more under control. Dr. Mary was quick to say that many physicians would be very happy with an A1C of 8 in a 3 year old. We made a couple of pump adjustments, that's it. She goes back in 3 months and we'll continue to download her pump weekly and discuss over the phone.

Me-> A1C is 7.2%, down from 7.5%. Still uncontrolled. We had a lot of discussion about my stress eating, bottomless appetite. We made the decision to start me on Symlin. I have been doing some research on this drug and it's use in Diabetes. I will post more when I finish. Basically, Symlin is an injection I will take with meals "when the food is on my plate" that has 3 major effects:
1. Slows gastric emptying (how quickly food leaves the stomach). If food is absorbed slower, it gives my insulin dose time to get on top of the blood sugar spike.

2. Augments my insulin dose. So I take 1/3 to 1/2 my normal insulin dose at meals.

3. Creates a feeling of satiety (feeling full) so I will eat less, feel full sooner, etc.

Dr. Mary states she lost 25 pounds when she started using Symlin. That is a huge incentive.

Like every medication, Symlin also has it's side effects. These include profound hypoglycemia that is difficult to treat (due to the slowed gastric emptying) and pretty severe nausea/vomiting until acclimated to the dose.

I'm a small dose of 30 mcg but anticipate moving to 60 mcg early in the week when i call with my numbers.

Please keep in mind that this is just a quick overview. I've read enough to know there are more intracacies to this drug. More later..........