I would love to say that I am doing fantastic things at home during the coronavirus crisis.
But I am not.
I haven’t cleaned closets. I haven’t planted a vegetable garden or dug out the dead shrubs in the backyard. I periodically delete emails but still have 25,000+ and have been accused of being an “email hoarder.” I have finished a couple of digital books through my library’s Libby app, but have abandoned many more halfway through. I am doing better with romance blood and gore audiobooks which inspire me to walk and listen. Five to six miles a day.
Mostly my attention span is worthless. I am watching very little TV and would argue that most of it is not worth watching. One of my hiking friends recommended Belgravia on Epix and I have never made it past the second episode. I have watched the first episode 3 times hoping to get engaged. But no.
What am I doing?
1500 piece jigsaw puzzles on the kitchen table. My husband is more addicted than I am but we both spend time every day constructing wild animals.
And then cows, cows, and more cows.
And then there are James Bond movies. Fortunately we have a cable TV package that gets us access to almost every channel in the universe. We are currently watching films from the ‘60’s and they are quite horrible. Except that they are James Bond.
JAMES BOND….
Looking at Diabetes: After abandoning Tandem Control IQ for several weeks, I have changed my pump settings again. Again…like the tenth time. I am doing better with Control IQ but know that I won’t be happy with it until I can target BG 95-105 instead of 110-120. Overnight I spend a lot of time at 140-150 and don’t think that Control IQ is working hard enough. But if I make the pump settings more aggressive, my basal suspends for hours and I do worse. I have a telehealth endocrinologist appointment in two weeks and wonder if she’ll be able to see patterns and suggest improvements in my pump settings. Overall I know that my doctor will be happier with my higher BG averages and I know that I appreciate having fewer lows.
Sleep or lack thereof: I lose interest in books and TV by 9:00pm. I try to stay awake until 10:00 but don’t always succeed. I often wake up at 2:00am and toss and turn for a couple of hours. My dreams are crazy and vivid. I know that it is dysfunctional senior/diabetes sleep. At the same time I am never tired during the day and know that I am getting sufficient sleep. But exploring Minneapolis with Anthony Fauci night after night is a weird experience….
I am slowly but surely getting organized for diabetes if I unfortunately get Covid-19. I have started a medical resume as outlined by Joanne Milo, The Savvy Diabetic. I have filled a plastic bin with pump and CGM supplies. But I am not really organized and prepared enough. I need to focus more because my organization could be the difference between life and death.
I am mostly comfortable in how I am living these days. My close-by grocery store has senior hours and I feel safe in my mask and paying with Apple Pay. I spend time with the local grandchildren outdoors and 6-feet away. No hugs but I use my chalk and my 3-year old granddaughter uses her chalk and we draw flowers, squares, and stars on the driveway. I play Yahtzee with the older girls and they manage to beat me every time with lots of Bonus Yahtzees. My 12-year old grandson tries to convince me every day that he needs a new phone for his birthday. The other grandchildren live far away and we touch base weekly through FaceTime.
My days are not what I would have yearned for as I have moved into old age. But I am fine. I am a younger-oldster and not totally doomed. I do my best to celebrate the good things in my life and refuse to live in gloom and doom.
I pray that we will all stay safe.
Test Guess and Go 
Lol, Laddie. You might be my sister from another mother. I walk 5-6 miles/ day – often with our pup Baxter in tow. I watch almost no TV – the exception is streaming The Voice a day or 2 after it airs. I love puzzles especially Ravensburgers.
I’ve tweaked my CIQ settings applying many of the suggestions I read in your blog. What is helping me a LOT was my last tweak to cut my basal significantly Because of those extended periods with suspended nasals.
Most nights CIQ holds me rock steady altho I see that it is “busy” increasing and decreasing basal quite often. Somehow that surprised me as I imagined it would find the magic number and hold it til Dawn effect.
I’ve decided that the benefit of a reduced variance overnight is worth the cost of waking up in the 110s rather than 90s.
In closing, I’m curious if/how you or your readers cover for missed insulin when u disconnect. Since I lowered my basal rate. I seem to trend upward when I disconnect for a long shower (15-20 min). Didn’t used to. Sometimes I bolus for 1/2 the basal I will miss. Other times I do correction bolus when I recommend.
Be well.
Prior to Control IQ, I never suspended my insulin while I showered. I do now so that the pump will take that missed insulin into account as it continues to adjust basal. If you’re having issues with missed insulin, I’d probably do what you’re suggesting and take a bolus for part of the missed basal.
And my TV concentration is so bad that I didn’t even watch much of the latest Voice episodes!
I’m glad you are doing relatively well! My life isn’t much different than you described yours, and I comfort myself by knowing that things could be so much worse. I’ve never heard of dysfunctional diabetes/senior sleep, but that perfectly describes mine, as does your description of your nights. I haven’t cleaned a closet or drawer yet, nor caught up on anything meaningful, as my attention span is zero. I do spend some facetime daily with my out of state cousins, which tends to be a highlight. Thanks for the pictures of the Ravensburger puzzles, as they are our favorite, and I’ll look for those. Also, my A1c has suffered a bit, which I’ve decided is all about being suddenly sedentary, even with my walks. So overall okay here, and hoping we all stay well, and well away from Covid. Thanks so much for your articles!
I don’t think that dysfunctional diabetes/senior sleep is an official diagnosis but it does have a nice ring to it. Sorry your nights resemble mine….
Our lower level is a treasure trove of puzzles and they are all 25+ years old. I have normally maxed out at 500 pieces so these larger puzzles are a challenge. We have one 2500 piece puzzle on the shelf but I don’t know that we are that bored yet. Plus we’d have to add a leaf to the table.
I will have an A1c this week. For sure it will go up but the question is how much.
Heck Sheryl has me locked up in the closet most days and she even allows me 1/2 cup of water each day at bed. My only issue is I get my dry toast int he morning and no water until bed time. I have asked if I can switch them every 4th day but she says she does not have a calendar so I guess not.
Like you it is not the senior life I planned, but when you marry an older woman because she stole you from your mommy I guess that is what you get.
Oh here she comes,, gotta go !!
OK, She has left,,
I am actually doing well. I am now two months after spinal surgery and I am gaining strength and I am able to walk some. Albeit with a clamshell brace that wraps around my torso and keeps everything in place. I am hopeful I can ride my bicycle later this summer I will likely start PT in mid June, For now now I am able to be out of bed for about 6 hours each day.
I hope you are well Laddie it was great to read the update.
Rick
Rick, Glad you are healing and getting stronger after such a tough surgery.
And Sheryl is a saint….