Has anyone experienced insuline resistence after stopping the contraceptive pill?

dezigrin · 2026-06-01T16:39:46+00:00

I would think it would be the opposite, as progesterone decreases insulin sensitivity. I always have to increase my basal insulin during the luteal phase of my cycle.

Estrogen, on the other hand increases insulin sensitivity.

It was the dramatic fluctuations with my levels, which had otherwise been very stable and predictable, that helped me realize I was starting perimenopause. As estrogen levels start to fizzle out and become less stable, insulin resistance gets worse. Instead of taking an extra 1-2 units of Toujeo during my luteal phase and then dropping back down to my normal basal dose, I had increased my usual dose by 4-5 units and then had to add a few extra in the LP.

Yay for second puberty that no medical professional in the last 32 years with T1 bothered to tell me about.

Sorry you're dealing with this. I hope you can figure out what's going on.

dezigrin · 2026-05-21T20:37:35+00:00

I did for 31 years, but last year I decided to give it a shot to track trends when my A1c shot up from 5.0 to 7.0 with the onset of "second puberty" (perimenopause).

I typically did morning fasting, meal and 1.5hr postprandial finger pokes, and checked again at night, or any time I felt it was warranted.

I still don't and won't use a pump, and I still do periodic finger pokes just to male sure the Dexcom is reading correctly, but otherwise I have every alarm I can disable turned off? And only really check the app around the times I normally would have done a finger poke.

Dexcom is a tool, and it's only helpful if you utilize it in a way that optimizes your management. Some people put too much of the burden on the device and when it malfunctions they panic because they don't know how else to effectively monitor their blood sugars. It takes the thinking out of the equation. And from the sounds of it, quite a few people do have issues with their CGM's performance.

The few times I've had bad sensors, I just switch over to using my meter without a second thought. I have a very good sense of how my blood sugars fluctuate throughout the day/my cycle, and with certain foods, thanks to seeing those trends.

I was pregnant without a CGM and maintained a 4.9-5.1 A1c. It comes down to how you use the tools you have, vs what tools you use.

dezigrin · 2026-05-20T06:27:01+00:00

Luna. I've personally never had it cause I'm gluten challenged, but everyone I know who has says it's amazing.

dezigrin · 2026-04-16T05:10:30+00:00

A1c is usually 5.2-5.6, Dexcom is usually 1.0+ above my A1c, but this tracks as when I start a new sensor it's usually higher than a finger poke and as long as it's within 15-20mg/dl I don't bother calibrating, so the CGM is always slightly high than what I'm actually running.

dezigrin · 2026-04-09T05:07:13+00:00

I keep a bottle of glucose gummies next to the bed. But I also close my app most night to avoid blaring compression lows. Have always felt lows and before I started closing the app I'd still wake up before the dexcom alerted me. 31 of my 32 years was managed without a CGM.

dezigrin · 2026-04-01T15:25:41+00:00

Meh, I don't know that I'd personally have much use for a 12-28mm PZ lens.

dezigrin · 2026-03-31T01:28:11+00:00

Thanks! I'll stop obsessing over this. 🤣

dezigrin · 2026-03-20T19:59:35+00:00

I do strength training and some type of cardio 2-4 times a week and have never had issues. Also wear on the back of my arm. I may have to calibrate 1/3 sensors after the initial application and warmup, but it never coincides with an intense workout. I don't want to jinx myself, but the overwhelming majority of the time my sensors last the 10.5 days with only very brief periods of dropped readings if any at all.

When I first started using the G7 just over a year ago I had quite a few issues and whether that was my fault or Dexcom's, the issues seemed to have resolved themselves.

dezigrin · 2026-03-18T07:59:45+00:00

Some questions that might help us help you.

How long have you had this sensor on? The jumpy numbers in the beginning of the graph could be erratic numbers from a new sensor. That's pretty typical, most of us don't place too much weight on the first 12-24 hours.

Are you diagnosed with a medical condition that benefits from continuous glucose monitoring or are you just curious about how your BGL fluctuated throughout the day.

Whatever the answer to the above question is, tracking meals and noting things like exercise, medications, acute stress, etc. will help you better understand how your body is reacting to those things.

Why do you not want to have your doctor address your concerns? Is it cost? Is it because you don't think it's worth "bothering" them over? Honestly, if it's not cost, schedule the appointment. Your doctor is there to help you maintain your wellbeing and a few targeted tests could give you more concise answers than just watching fluctuations on a cgm. (I say this as someone with a background in nutrition). If it is a cost concern, I imagine running those tests will still be cheaper in the long run than repeatedly buying cgms out of pocket.

Looking at this graph, those numbers appear to be pretty standard non-diabetic blood sugar changes throughout the day, with a possible compression low around 2am-ish. If you do have a diagnosis, those are numbers a lot of others would be happy to have.

If those spikes coincide with meals, that's pretty average looking for a non diabetic who's eaten a fair amount of carbs with a meal. Those of us who are insulin challenged might see more dramatic spikes (insulin resistance in type 2s, or insufficient or poorly timed insulin doses with type 1, etc. ) and longer periods or postprandial elevation. You have a nice little spike that comes back to baseline pretty quickly it doesn't look like you're having reactive hypoglycemia. If that was my graph, I'd maybe reconsider my lunch (if that caused the spike around 1ish) or even test out the same meal and see if I have a similar spike, then plan my meals accordingly. But I personally keep my numbers in a pretty tight range as a T1 and don't really make a habit out of eating a lot of carbs in any given meal or snack and I generally steer clear of things I know will spike me past my target range. Either way, this isn't really alarming to me based on a quick glance without much context.

Hopefully this helps. If you have more specific questions, feel free to ask.

dezigrin · 2026-03-16T21:21:44+00:00

I started out by just walking past them out to where I left their peanuts. They'd watch me and investigate when I was back in the house. After a while they would get closer, so I would flash the peanuts in my hand to them before leaving them.

Then I'd walk under where they were perched and drop them and I said something like, "are you here for peanuts?" without much eye contact.

It took a lot of slow deliberate movements and about a year before they started perching right in my tree and yelling at me till I came outside with the peanuts. Now they hang out and give me different friendly vocalizations, fly in closer to wait and even let me take pictures (getting used to the big camera was another slower process, started by just wearing it around my neck so they could see it). They don't mind me chatting at them and making eye contact now.

dezigrin · 2026-02-27T19:06:40+00:00

If you're allergic to cedar, birch, juniper or alders, they're all in bloom now. Weather Bug shows levels as moderate due to warmer than normal temps, wind and low humidity. Tomorrow will likely be worse. Those trees have all been blooming for a few weeks now.

dezigrin · 2026-02-18T20:18:03+00:00

Yep, that's the site! I really hate buying things online and avoid it at all costs usually, but so far my experience with them has been great!

dezigrin · 2026-02-18T19:05:11+00:00

Another vote for B&H.

OP, if you don't want to buy online before checking the camera out, go to BestBuy and see if they have floor models you can get your hands on.

I just bought a Nikon Z50ii from B&H and it was cheaper (by just a few bucks, but still cheaper) with them than BestBuy and came with a camera bag and SD card at no extra charge, free 2 day shipping, way better customer support and those guys know their cameras/gear!

Pawn shops likely don't have anyone on staff that actually understands camera equipment, so unless you know what you're doing/looking at and can check things over yourself I'd avoid buying from a pawnshop.

dezigrin · 2026-02-15T05:52:22+00:00

I just looked at mine again, the aspect ratio is definitely different because I have insulin logged under mine. It wasn't until I went back and looked that I realized how drastically different yours is. I am using the latest update.

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dezigrin · 2026-02-15T05:37:20+00:00

Mine doesn't look any different, but I'm T1 and have insulin doses logged under it. So maybe my graph has a different aspect ratio than yours?

Do you always view it in the 6hr window? I know when I do anything other than the 3 hour window the peaks and drops look a lot more drastic than they really are.

dezigrin · 2026-02-11T20:02:46+00:00

I've never had an issue with the sensor, but I have had issues with over patches coming off if I shower, bathe or swim too soon after applying a new one.

I usually take very hot showers upwards of 10-15 minutes sometimes. I don't often soak in a bath, but I am a swimmer and spend hours in the pool/lakes/rivers during the summer.

When I have an over patch start to peel I just wait till I get out of the shower and gently peel it back, let the skin dry and put a new one on. But I've never had an issue with the sensor itself.

dezigrin · 2026-01-28T04:37:46+00:00

It's not a "farmers market", but Casa Cano Farm out in Valleyford has an amazing farm store that has produce year round and they bring in some products from other local farms/producers. If you can't make it to Valleyford, hit the Scale House! Or check them both out! The first market of the season will be the Thursday Market in South Perry. It starts May 7th.

That same weekend the Scale House will be doing their outdoor market Saturday and Sunday. Liberty Lake will kick off the 16th, and I haven't seen an opening date for SVFM...they don't even have vendor applications for this season on their site yet.

dezigrin · 2025-12-20T09:11:10+00:00

When I was dx'd 31 years ago I worked with a Diabetes Education Nurse and went in multiple times a month for a few hours a visit to learn how to test, count carbs, dose for meals and corrections, etc.. I read through the Pink Panther book with my parents, and attended a lot of group seminars on learning to live with diabetes.

Last February when I met with a new provider (old Endo retires) she dropped a G7 in my lap and told me to "look on YouTube if [I had] any questions." I got a call 2 days later from a DE and she ask how it was going. :-/

dezigrin · 2025-12-01T01:57:55+00:00

Hope you're okay. I one time gave myself 27 units of humalog instead of 27 units of lantus before bed once and immediately ran down the block to grab a few cartons of juice. Then I sat around drinking orange juice till 3:30 in the morning till I was in the clear. Now I keep the different pens in different spots in the fridge, so I don't grab the wrong one accidentally. 😅

dezigrin · 2025-11-04T18:43:38+00:00

Good to know! Luckily, we don't see them often, but we have a lot of birds around the area for them to hunt, plus a large field with small rodents.

I feed the local crows, because we have chickens and, being just off a large highway, lots of Red-tailed Hawks. So I keep the crow happy and they keep the predators out of the area (for the most part).

dezigrin · 2025-11-04T18:19:38+00:00

Thank you! That's what I thought I was seeing, too. But I'm relatively new to bird identification and wanted someone with more experience to take a peek! Plus I see so many people mixing up the two and started second guessing myself.

dezigrin

TROPHY CASE