Since getting my cgm sensors, I have once again realized just how "off" my basal rates are. So, I decided to go with a straight, one dosage level basal for a few days to see if I could tell a pattern. And, sure enough, there is one. I need 3, instead of 4. I need less in the am and pm than I do from 8am-6pm. Now, I'll be working on those. Also, my insulin to carb ratio is off, so that will be the next thing to tackle.

Well, the one thing I don't know how to do is handle my bg spikes when stress comes. I thought I had it figured out, but apparently not. All day today, I did very well staying within my range set on my cgm... That is until this afternoon.

See, today wasn't a good day for me. I have an infected cyst on the inside of my leg my doctor has been working with me for a week to clear up and put me on antibiotics to try to heal it, but they weren't working. Apparently, the cyst formed a wall around itself before I had a chance to get antibiotics in me, making the antibiotics not able to treat it. So, today, he had to go in and open it up surgically, drain it, and pack it. He said that the inside of it was about the size of a pecan. It didn't look that big from the outside, but apparently it went deeper into my tissue than I knew. No wonder it hurt!!

But, back to my main point, I did okay through the procedure bg wise, and figured I'd be okay. But after getting home and the pain finally fully hitting me, my bg didn't want to play nice. It spiked above 200 and kept climbing. I'll admit, I didn't like this one bit. Not just because i was high, but because I just had minor surgery, if you will, to help clear an infection, and I did not need my bg to act up now. Not to slow the healing any more than it already would be.

I don't handle stress very well. I panic and stress out, which I think adds to the rise in my bgs. Same thing happened 2 weeks ago when our clothes washer quit and we had to buy a new one. Again when I had the scare with Dexcom about my sensor reorder / insurance coverage mixup. And again this weekend when I found out we need a new roof on the house. They always say that when it rains, it pours. I believe this to be true. The only difference is, I'd rather it be the real rain since it is somewhat relaxing. Life's rain sucks. Whether the stress be physical or emotional, it always seems to do a number on my bg levels.

The point of this post is that I feel like I'm at a loss. I should know what to do, but I feel like I am having to re-learn everything about how to manage my diabetes. Nothing is how I thought it was for all these years, and it has taken getting a cgm to find this out.

So, my question to you, my friends, is what do you for bg spikes due to stress? How do you handle it?