Wednesday, November 10, 2010

DAM -n- NoBloPoMo Day 10 - Clocks

Time Changes. Bugger.

Yeah, I know the time change was four days ago, but I’ve been dealing with it each day since then.

I hate these twice-a-year time changes that are supposed to increase productivity. Even in the autumn when we’re supposed to “fall back” and get an “extra hour of sleep.” It just ain’t worth it to me. Why? Because T-Bear’s biological clock does not reset itself just because I run around resetting all of the clocks in the house. T-Bear’s biological clock does not recognize the difference between Eastern Standard Time and Daylight Savings Time, so twice a year I have to bruise my brain figuring out how to adjust his Lantus dose.

You see, his Lantus is supposed to be given within the same 15 minute window of time each evening. If you give it too early, you get an overlap and might get an unexpected low in the middle of the night. If you give it too late, you get a gap and might get an unexpected high in the middle of the night.

So, I have TWO alarms set to go off to remind me to draw his Lantus dose and have him take it at 7:00 pm. At PRECISELY 7:00 pm every night. But, suddenly, on Sunday last, my alarms were telling me it was 7:00 pm, but T-Bear’s body was telling him it was 6:00 pm. Inconvenient.

Sunday it’s 7:00 pm Clock Time, and 6:00 pm T-Bear Time. I can’t vary his Lantus dose time by more than 15 minutes, so I give it at 6:15. On Monday, I give it at 6:30 pm. On Tuesday, I give it at 6:45 pm. On Wednesday (TODAY!), we’re back to giving Lantus at 7:00 pm.

At least for the next six months. You can imagine what a nightmare this was when we were jumping a time zone every day or so on our trip this summer.

Curse you, Benjamin Franklin, for even suggesting this nepharious scheme! (Not really, because I totally adore Ben).

I take my hats off to all those D-folks on pumps and CGM’s who have to try to tell their equipment about this little “adjustment”, and accordingly fix all of the settings and segments and ratios accordingly. Tech-supported D-management is way more complicated than MDI management. It must take weeks to make the adjustment. May the force be with you all.

2 comments:

  1. I think this is the first year that the time change hasn't effected Joe's numbers as much...I think with age, his pump settings evening out etc we are holding steady over here.

    Hopefully in the next couple of days things will "sugar out"...:)

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  2. I'm learning to hate the time change...*sigh*

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