How Low Can You Go?

What frustrates William about math, he said, is that all the "rules" were made by men that are now dead and he can't argue with them when he disagrees with a concept. Instead, he argues with me. We are using the Art of Problem Solving Pre-Algebra and it does take time to explain formulas rather than expect rote memorization. I'm not sure, however, I'll survive another year.

Yesterday was not a particularly good school day. We fought lows all day, chasing them with shots of orange juice and other treats to bring his BG up. We lowered or turned off his basal rate. There was no great activity level.

The fire engine alarm on his Dexcom always jolts me to an upright position in the middle of the night. Dexcom thought he was in the 60s and then 50s (compression low), though he was in the 70s. We no longer considered 70s "low" in the daytime, but is too dangerous for sleep.  A shot of orange juice and continued reductions in basal brought him up.

We are only seeing higher numbers at dinner and evening. Two nights ago, a mistake in the dinner bolus sent him to 300s. A shower and some weight lifting took care of it more quickly than I expected. Yesterday evening, as I've seen a few evenings, a very rapid rise (one arrow up) of BG which we stopped with a temporary basal. He didn't go over 180. This rapid rise is new.

Today, I've set a temporary basal until dinner of 25% reduction to see if we can avoid the lows. He's coasting at 99 right now. My goal is to get him leveled out above the 80s or 90s. Lately, he doesn't feel bad in the 70s or even 60s, so I need to make sure he's "programmed" to keep him higher.

It's hard to not hope that the LDN (low dose naltrexone) is helping. I want it to. I really do. What if there was a drug that helped those with T1D get smoother, lower numbers? But, the conclusion cannot be reached. I am not making this a scientific study, detailing what he does when, what he eats. I'll leave that to (much higher paid) researchers and doctors. Perhaps it is just William's body right now. He doesn't yet have facial hair, a clue that his body may yet grow to match his size 11 shoes. And, he's only 14 years old. Many changes yet to come, all of which can affect BG.

Disclaimer; Nothing you read on my blog is intended as medical advice. If you have questions about your medical care, please consult a doctor, I am not a medical professional and do not offer this as advice but only my own thoughts for our own situation.