Insulin in our lives

During her second hospitalization it was discovered that Jett’s blood glucose level had drifted dangerously high – 244 when 150 is the upper limit for normal. I was there when this was detected and I didn’t believe it. I made the nurse do the test again. 242. So insulin was added to her long list of medications.

Apparently messing up blood sugar is yet another side effect of the heavy doses of steroids that the doctor ordered after she was re-admitted.

The side effect for me is that I had to learn how to do the glucose test and administer the insulin since I would be her primary caretaker on the trip north. So after she was released on Monday, the hospital arranged for an RN to come to the RV for follow-up care with Jett and instruction for me on the use of insulin.

The hospital provided prescriptions for the insulin, needles and a glucometer (glucose test machine). I couldn’t get the insulin until Wednesday and, though I acquired the glucometer and the other testing supplies on Tuesday, my training session on Wednesday didn’t go well. It turns out that you need to match the test strip to the meter. Because the test strips were more expensive than the meter, I ran back to CVS to get a different meter. By Wednesday night I had everything I needed and ran an actual test of blood glucose – first on myself and then on Jett. Ironically, my blood sugar was high (161) while hers was fine (143).

The rest of the week and even this morning her glucose levels were acceptable, so I have yet to give an actual insulin injection. But I had to demonstrate my competence to the nurse on Friday by actually drawing the right amount of insulin into the hypodermic needle and showing her how I would pinch the skin to do the injection.

The bag of medicines and medical supplies that we have to take north – already large – has just about doubled in size with the addition of all the insulin-related stuff.

I fear that this blog, which was intended as a travelogue, is becoming a medical journal. But medicine is dominating my life right now. And is keeping Jett alive.

Because I know you will be curious, I will tell you that my blood sugar levels have been fine ever since that first anomalous reading.