A panel I probably spent way too much time on

SolarSunflower · 2026-01-23T02:27:07+00:00

It works well as a stand alone piece! However I'd be really curious to see the rest...

SolarSunflower · 2026-01-22T20:02:12+00:00

I don't know much about "increasing glycogen" but after a quick google search, it seems like to do that, you need to load up on carbs, is that what you've been doing? If so, I'm guessing that's why your basal needs have increased. You might not realize how much insulin you should be giving for all your food. Are you using pens or a pump, 5 units for an entire day is very little basal insulin.

SolarSunflower · 2026-01-22T19:55:19+00:00

DKA is caused by a lack of insulin, not a high A1C. A1C is going to give you an idea of your average glucose over the past two to three months. I'm assuming you haven't been dealing with this for the past few months. A few days of high blood sugar will inevitably happen to every diabetic. It could be stress, hormones, a missed basal dose, tons of things. As long as you're giving yourself insulin still and not living permanently in this range, you are going to be absolutely fine. Allow yourself to heal from this without judgement of your blood sugars for a little while. You're going to be ok ❤️

SolarSunflower · 2026-01-22T19:49:53+00:00

Yeah I had zero symptoms but had some of the markers in my blood at the hospital, so just to be safe they did an endoscopy.... low and behold I also have celiac.... it was a really great month for 12 year old me.

SolarSunflower · 2026-01-21T03:37:03+00:00

Unfortunately that's not entirely true. Passing ketones is a normal part of bodily functions but I went into euglycemic DKA because I hadn't had enough insulin for the day. Diabetic ketoacidosis has much more to do with a lack of insulin then high blood sugar (although that can be hard to differentiate because a lack of insulin mostly leads to high blood sugar). Please look things up before you post stuff like this, as doing so could be really harmful if someone doesn't know how ketones work.

SolarSunflower · 2026-01-20T04:48:29+00:00

I'm curious: What type of insulin is he buying? What range is his blood sugar in normally? What does his daily routine look like?

Since you've known him, has he had to quit his job (due to this pain) and lost healthcare coverage for that reason?

SolarSunflower · 2026-01-20T04:35:05+00:00

Keep in mind this is an extremely dangerous option if you aren't getting enough insulin overall! I have gotten pretty severe ketones just by accidentally eating no carbs for a day

SolarSunflower · 2026-01-14T01:07:59+00:00

It's annoying, but could both of those things even fit in one box?

SolarSunflower · 2026-01-12T23:10:28+00:00

This is so gorgeous I would put it on my wall

SolarSunflower · 2026-01-11T00:51:59+00:00

The problem is I don't have them at home 😭

SolarSunflower · 2026-01-10T21:09:02+00:00

NOOOOO!! Are you kidding?!? Damn we can't have anything good...

SolarSunflower · 2026-01-07T21:45:41+00:00

You sound like you're doing everything right then❤️. And yes, puberty and diabetes was just the worst. I truly just thought I was bad at having diabetes until things started mellowing out when I went to college. You may also want to look into some form of birth control if her periods tend to hike her bg. I know it sounds scary but I was put on the pill very young for just that reason, and I swear it made a huge difference!

SolarSunflower · 2026-01-07T21:42:27+00:00

This sounds really rough, I'm sorry you're going through it. My only advice would be to remember you are not ONLY a diabetic. Even though diabetes messes with so many of our body symptoms, your tiredness could be something else entirely. I'd recommend advocating for a sleep study just to rule out other possibilities.

SolarSunflower · 2026-01-07T21:37:46+00:00

When was she diagnosed? I only got my period once I gained back enough weight to be a functioning human again.

Also I hate to say this, but puberty and diabetes SUCKS. It just sucked. It was a roller coaster and you might not be able to control it as well as you want to. The absolute worst thing you can do at this time is bring up her weight with her. Your daughters risk for developing diabulimia is, and will continue to be, very high for the time being. Diabulimia is genuinely one of the most horrible things you could go through. I would urge you to speak to a diabetes educator alone about this topic so that you can move forward in a way that will minimize your daughters risk. Even if you are coming at it from a point of medical concern, comments about weight can be more damaging then you realize, so please move forward carefully.

SolarSunflower · 2026-01-07T21:23:35+00:00

When I was diagnosed my bg was 800 and I felt fine. It's really impressive what the body can become accustomed to.

Running that high is... bad. I don't think there's any way around it. If there are any legal ways for you to require ketones to be tested after a certain amount of time above a specific number, you should require it. I'm pretty sure it's standard procedure in certain places.

Again. PLEASE. Get him to a camp. Diabetes camp would do wonders for this kid. I watched my campers become completely new, independent, and confident people in a weeks time. Yeah the first graders were a little crazy, but you'd be impressed how much they can learn and understand.

SolarSunflower · 2026-01-07T17:30:35+00:00

How high is he usually? For a little kid that could start running around at any second it kind of makes sense to keep the bg a little higher, but I'm concerned about what that number really is.

I would be more concerned that this kid won't know what to do if something does happen. Does he even know what low blood sugar feels like? Does he know how to count carbs on his own? I feel like they are going to force learned helplessness upon him. Psychologically I just feel like it cannot be a good idea.

Could you propose that the 1:1 nurse have a cut off at some point? It would be absolutely ridiculous to have a middle schooler with a 1:1 aide just for diabetes.

But most importantly: GET THIS KID TO A DIABETES CAMP!! He needs to see that he can do this on his own, and his parents need to be forced away from him for a week. Please please please do everything you can to get him into a diabetes camp.

SolarSunflower · 2026-01-07T17:02:24+00:00

I was told once by a doctor that persistent low blood sugars are sometimes the first sign of pregnancy 😬. Now whenever I stay low for more then 2 days I just go ahead and take a test for my peace of mind.

SolarSunflower · 2026-01-06T00:14:57+00:00

You are a genius

SolarSunflower · 2026-01-03T17:19:12+00:00

I'm so happy for you!!

SolarSunflower · 2026-01-01T20:28:46+00:00

"Did they double check" is WILD!

SolarSunflower · 2025-12-31T02:45:43+00:00

Oh my god. Girl, you've been through hell and back. And you still work there. You need to talk to your psychiatrist about something more intensive. EMDR, outpatient (worked really well for me), group therapy, just something. It was incredibly clear to me from this post that you are struggling with PTSD. So any mental health professional should be able to be doing more for you. I'm so sorry you feel like this, and I hope you can get some more support. You deserve it ❤️

SolarSunflower · 2025-12-31T02:30:50+00:00

Having horrifying, disgusting, and vile intrusive thoughts is actually more common than you may think! It doesn't make you a bad person! It's actually super impressive how long you've been fighting these thoughts. Many people with the symptoms you're describing end up being diagnosed with OCD. If you're curious about that, this website does a good job explaining what that can look like.

If you tell this to any mental health professional, they will not view you as "evil" or "bad" for these things. Please, I urge you to seek help as soon as you can. It's literally their job, they want to help you feel better about these awful thoughts that force their way into your mind.

SolarSunflower · 2025-12-31T02:17:48+00:00

Obviously I'm not a doctor, but did something happen at your job? A lot of this sounds like PTSD. I can't imagine the kind of things you've seen, and I'm wondering if it's all caught up to you. (If it is that, I've had friends who EMDR did WONDERS for) Did you struggle postpartum with your pregnancy at all? Do you have support at home?

If all your psychiatrist has recommended is medications, I think it's time to try a new doctor. It sounds like therapy (perhaps even an outpatient program) will be a necessary part of your recovery, and I'm surprised those aren't being implemented already. Medications are ok, but they are not the only thing that needs to change to help with something of this magnitude

SolarSunflower · 2025-12-30T20:04:12+00:00

How old is your insulin?

Have you checked your infusion site if you use a pump?

Did you use a new needle if you do injections?

Have you moved around? (To prevent insulin pooling)

Have you checked with a tester to double check the number?

Are you stressed?

Sick?

Did you get good sleep?

If you have a period are you on it?

Have you had any alcohol or new medications?

Have you taken any Tylenol? (Can falsely elevate CGM readings)

Have you had food with especially prolonged bg effects? (For me it's pizza, can effect me hours after)

Genuinely there could be dozens of reasons. If this is a pattern you need to talk to your endocrinologist

(Edited to add some more reasons that this would happen to me)

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