15 Weeks 4&5 Days

Friday I went in to the chiro to do my second back treatment. I lay on a machine with big straps around my waist/hips and another around my belly. The straps are then connected to the bottom of the machine and the top. The machine works by slowly pulling my back apart (sounds bad) and lets pressure off of the discs to allow them to suck back into place. 3 of my lower discs are bulging, not ruptured so it's like squishing a balloon between your hands. The edges of the balloon are past the edge of your hand but it's not popped. So by letting some pressure off your hands (the vertebra) it allows the balloon (disc) to go back into place. The procedure is about 25 minutes and then I lay with electrical muscle stimulation on my lower back and a heating pack for another 20 minutes. I'll do this for a few weeks and see if I have any relief from it. So far, it hasn't been painful which the doctor said is a good sign. By the time I got home from my appointment, my feet and legs had begun to swell. I'm wearing compression stockings which should be helping but I need more compression on the top of my feet too, not just my legs. My BG levels are still a little off. My current range is between 100 and 180. It should be 100-120 so I'll get there before too long. As long as I'm not going low or too high it's okay. My foot was hurting earlier today so I sat with it on ice for a little while and that helped. Now I'm sitting with the ice on my back, per doctor's orders =) After Joseph went to work I started feeling nauseated. I called my parents to see if Mom could come stay with me and they were only 3 minutes away at the time! Dad dropped her off and she stayed until dad picked her up at 11pm, when Joseph got home from work. Earlier in the evening, I had a phone chat with the nurse in charge of taking in my BG's in the OB clinic. We had been going back and forth with emailing but since it was getting close to 5pm, she decided to call; we had a 30 minute conversation. Mom and I chatted after her call about what we talked about. I didn't take any of the dr's suggestions because, as I stated on the phone and email, that she didn't have enough info to make changes so I had made my own.

Saturday morning I woke at 5:45am with foot pain. This is the 3rd morning in a row so instead of taking a double dose of Methadone at 8am, I'll take the double at midnight and see how that goes. Today I'm back to a single pill during the day and I hope that pain isn't too much. I don't want to have to up the dose again unless I really have to.  At 5:45 when I woke up, I checked my bg level and I had risen 45 points since midnight. I went ahead and raised my 4am basal. This was the second morning that I'd raised like this. I woke up (with a correction at 5:45) 90bg. That's a great number! I'm getting a headache and will start to ice it now before pain gets to building too much. I plan to go to Fairfield today to lay out and let Blake play.
1pm and that's as long as I lasted before needing to take the 2nd dose of Methadone... I'll have to email my doctor to see if I can add another 5mg dose at midnight. I'm sitting in mom's rocking chair with ice on my back and hot rice pack under my neck...
Later on, I had gone low and Mom drove to my house to get my anti nausea pills and I was unable to eat very much. As the day continued my headache got worse and worse. Rhonda came over and gave me a neck and shoulder massage which helped a lot. I was still nauseated for quite a while from the pain of the headache. My foot started hurting later in the evening too so took another Tylenol which only took the edge but that was good enough I guess. I'm leaving Blake in Fairfield with my parents and will get him tomorrow. I've been here from 1pm - 11pm. I'm headed home to sleep away the rest of this headache.

15 Weeks 3 Days

These last couple days have been pretty good. My levels have been a bit on the higher side from me being too careful with my insulin. Things are being funky in the morning and I can't figure out what's up. I won't bother to ask my dr about it because she will be of no help right now. I haven't been taking my blood pressures lately because I've been doing much better since the doc upped my bp meds. But, in the last few days I've been starting to swell and it's getting worse day by day. Today it was really bad in my foot/toes, legs, and hands. My hands are aching because of the swelling and last night I slept with holding an ice pack between them. The swelling in my feet is putting pressure on my already tender right ankle and causing some more pain. I'll start to wear my dad's compression stockings some to help prevent from getting too stretched. I can't believe the swelling is so bad already. Last time I started swelling between 25 & 30 weeks and then got Pre Eclampsia. I'm thinking that once I get to 20 weeks I'll be borderline Pre E and will be sending Blake off to live with Papa and Grandma for a while... =( I've been having some headaches along with the swelling so I'll be consistently checking my BPs. Not much helps the headaches and that's hard to deal with.

My nausea has died some but I have been taking anti-nausea pills almost every day. According to my mom's scale, I've lost some lbs this week and according to measuring around my belly, I've lost 1"... I think it was because I've been fasting so much this past week, trying to get my basal rates correct, that I've been unable to eat. That, and due to the amount of nausea I've had. Nausea is fine as long as I don't puke and have a blood sugar crash... I don't need more hospital visits: this is week 15 and I've been in the hospital 7 times. I'll be doing more basal checks this week because of things changing. 

Dr emailed me back today about the changes I need to make to my insulin. She really only had one and a half days of blood sugar numbers and with those days, she had very minimal information, like only 5 or 6 numbers out of the 12 she had asked for... There is no way she can make changes without having information. Me and mom came to the conclusion that the dr is only looking at my basal rate numbers and thinking they're too low based on other patients... because she is NOT even looking at the numbers I gave her. I emailed her back asking for an explanation of why she chose those changes. 

It's getting to be very annoying being on crutches. I've been on them nearly 2 full weeks and am so ready to get off them! I keep having to tell myself that it's better now than when I have have 2 kids and it's better that it's my foot rather than my arm being out of service... If it was my arm I would have an extremely difficult time making food, keeping things picked up, caring for Blake and changing diapers, playing with him, or getting myself ready and presentable.

... {the foot is better than my arm} repeat 2x  ... 

I'm getting very frustrated with all that's going on lately. 

I keep telling Joseph that I need a vacation from life for a while. 

I'm only 15 weeks in and still have a long road of frustration and pain to endure.

15 Weeks 0&1 Days

My pain level has been on the lower side. I think my higher Methadone dose is building up and making that difference. I've been battling headaches some and it's not fun because it's been bringing on some nausea. Sunday we stayed home from church because of not feeling well. Monday I was nauseated and had thrown up and went a little low but was able to correct with glucose tabs. I was a little worried but it didn't last long. Ashley came over in the evening and went with me to visit the chiropractor to chat about my back and possible treatment. I'll start the back treatment on Wednesday and hopefully it will alleviate my pain =) Dr. explained my back in more detail than other doctors and it was nice to get a bigger picture and understand my situation better.

After we were at the chiropractor we went to Joanns to buy a new hoop for handquilting. Mine is on it's last loop =) We got home about 8:15pm and Blake was overly tired of course and Ashley got him ready and for bed and put him down. When we were at Joanns, my foot pain and back pain started kicking in big time. I think the time standing at the chiro and at Joanns was too much. When I got home, I had Ashley get all 3 icepacks for me;:2 for my foot and 1 for my back. I was in a ton of pain, the most in the last few days. I stayed on the ice for a while but it took a long time to start working. Ashley was too tired to stay long so she headed home and I was extremely tired also and tried to sleep in my blue chair. Within 1 minute after Ashley left, Blake came and stood by my chair wanting to lay with me. In the next 15 minutes, I dozed in and out while Blake laid with me. When Blake was done laying with me and went to lay on the couch, but reached for the xbox controller first... He wanted to watch Mr. Rogers =)  I then woke at 11:30pm to Blake snoring on the couch and I was still on ice. Joseph worked overtime and didn't come home til 3am.

Today started out very well. No issues. I ate breakfast and was sitting at the table when I was overcome with dizzyness and nausea! I called for Joseph to get me a pot. Right after handing it to me, I lost my breakfast. While I continually filled the pot, Joseph stood behind me and pulled my hair back, out of the way. Right after, I felt just fine! I was worried about a low but because I hadn't bolused yet, I wasn't too worried and didn't go low! We then drove to fairfield to pick up Blake's diapers and it was such a nice day, I decided to stay all day since Joseph was headed to work. I was in the backyard with Ivory, doing HW and tanning when I got the pot urge. She went to get me pot, which I promptly filled upon receiving it. I didn't go low at this time either and BG was at 140 so I didn't have to worry at all! The day went well and I actually went high from a treatment to prevent any dropping from 140.  I took a double dose of anti-nausea and it helped the rest of the day! Right before dinner I accidently ripped out my shot =( So I had to rush home to get some dinner insulin in me!
The throwing up wasn't bad (except for peeing my pants both times from the extreme emptying of my stomach lol) and totally okay to deal with, with no low bgs!!

14 Weeks 5&6 Days

Today I woke up late when Blake came into my room at 10:30 and laid down with me. Even though I had enough sleep (not too much) I have been very tired today and took an afternoon nap between BG checks. I did a basal check starting at noon and plan to go til 8. Along with being tired, I've had a headache which is continually getting worse. Tylenol doesn't help so I don't bother taking it. This headache has caused me to become nauseated too, maybe due to the pain? . . .  I took an anti-nausea which has helped but I'm not sure I will be able to eat any time soon. My levels are rising slightly then dropping back down and I'm having a slightly difficult time trying to figure out which insulin rate to adjust. I'm not going high or low though so that is good! I'm trying to narrow my range at this point.
Ted and Elaine stopped by for a visit and my headache kicked in super bad. For a good chunk of the time I sat with ice behind my neck and then on top of my forehead and eyes, I fell asleep shortly after they left (7pm?), just after I switched to heat. I woke at 1:30am to foot pain. I had slept through my Methadone @ 12am phone alarm. Joseph and I headed to bed then, my headache still on pretty strong. My foot had bothered me quite a bit during the night and morning hours. Joseph had to get me ice in the early morning.  After dealing with the pain, I then slept pretty solid and woke to my 8am alarms. I was exhausted when Joseph got out of bed so I stayed there and didn't get out of bed til about 12:30pm. I wasn't fully sleeping the whole time because I was aware when Joseph was trying to keep Blake on the quiet side. My headache is still present but it's more of the, "I'm here; don't be loud or move too much or I'll slam you again" feeling. I was going to do another basal check within range but then nausea kicked in. So I ate as much as I could with an anti-nausea pill and the basal check will fine til later.

I have been reading in my FB Pregnancy/Diabetes group that many women are finding out their baby's gender as early as week 15 ! I'm hoping I can find out at my next appointment instead of waiting another few weeks to do the 20 week ultrasound.

14 Weeks 3&4 Days

Mom has been in town the last few days to help me out. It's been a little difficult taking care of house and life while going massively low and being on crutches. She is staying with me til tomorrow so we can watch out for lows together =) She has been so helpful with taking care of Blake and making food/cleaning the kitchen. It's been much better to ask her for help rather than hop around/crawl around and struggling to get things done. I'm so glad to have her here for these days!

My BP has been high so my docs have me on BP meds that I started 2 weeks ago. Just this week my legs and feet have started to swell. My pants have gotten pretty tight and that's super frustrating! I've been propping them up at night which is a huge help! =)

I had an OB appointment yesterday and a medication change appt. today.

Yesterday's appointment was a special appointment made by Tuesday's L&D staff for my doctor to address the low blood sugars. At the appointment she ignored the papers I provided, which showed all my lows, and proceeded to try and increase my afternoon basal. I was adamant that I would not change that basal because for the last two weeks I had major lows resulting from that basal rate already being too high. She refused to pay attention. I did make one basal change but wasn't comfortable with it. Mom and I left the appointment annoyed and discussed the appointment with Joseph when we got home. I then emailed my doctor saying we were unhappy with the care in my diabetes and that I should not be having all these lows, my husband shouldn't have to skip work, and family shouldn't have to babysit me 24/7. I stated in the email that my new range will be 85-120 at all times and I will do my own basal changes at this point. I made my adjustments yesterday after the appointment and finally, the first time in 2 weeks, I stayed level all afternoon!!! It was wonderful! For quite a few hours Joseph and I researched new doctors to leave to just in case my doc wouldn't agree with our decision. She emailed back later saying that "We're working together and that sounds like a good plan." She comes across well, but in person, is very intimidating, demanding, and unsympathetic to the situation because of not paying attention to the facts.

Today's appointment went well and we made a slight increase to the Methadone for day time. My pain level has been pretty good but my foot hurts quite a bit during the day still. But, a level 7 pain max is better than a level 10 pain max! There has been improvement!

I'm still doing basal checks to make sure the new (much lower) rates are accurate. I was doing pretty good but then started dropping. So my rates are still too high! I'll be doing another basal rate check tomorrow!

Baby's heartbeat is strong and yesterday B was quite active on the ultrasound =)
Only a few weeks til I can feel that movement!

I've been sitting here chatting with my mom. My foot started to hurt and within 10 minutes my pain went from "eh not bad" to nearly unbearable, literally rolling on the floor trying to find the right position to lay in, rub my leg or whatever... I crawled to my room to get a Tylenol from my headboard and went to sit in my chair again. I then asked mom to get my two ice packs from the freezer and a towel. I placed my foot between the two packs and within 10 minutes, my pain has dropped in half... No bueno, but I'm very glad it has been a fairly short pain period (30 min total) than a long one!! =D Improvements, improvements!

14 Weeks 2 Days

From previous post:: When I got in the car, it was just about 1am. We got home just before 2am and Joseph fell right asleep as he attempted to rub my leg. I read a book and went to sleep about 45 minutes later. I went to sleep with a BG of 167. I woke 2 times during the morning to check and it was slightly lower each time and by the time I actually woke up fully at 1pm, my bg was 117. Joseph left for work just after 2pm and I had a bowl of cereal. I did NOT bolus and plan to see what my levels decide to do while I'm sitting at 200's rather than low 100's. I drastically cut back my basal rates to hopefully run a little high than sooo low. Mom is coming back with Blake today and  she will stay with me for a few days to help out. 

I got a call saying I have an appt with my OB tomorrow morning and the doc last night wants me to give my OB ALL 15-20 bg's from every day that I have. Today I will transfer my messy papers to neat ones for my OB to see. Busy Busy Busy. 

I'm so thankful for my motherinlaw who was able to come on such a short notice and for my parents who were willing to drop all they were doing to come assist. I've been so blessed with being close in distance to everyone and to have such a relationship that allows them to help me as needed.

14 Weeks 1 Day

I had a bit of pain at bedtime and woke to pain in the morning. I needed to take Tylenol both times for that pain. My back has been doing better these last couple days even though my foot has hurt. Today I went to DMV and got a handicap placard. It's so much better going to DMV on crutches because you sit in a chair at the counter and they come to you! =D I'm battling a headache today and plan to go to the chiro this afternoon sometime.

Good levels today and last night. I lowered my basal and will do basal checks today to see how my afternoon goes! 

Last week at my doc appointment, drs wanted me to make changes and  I said no, not until I am convinced by my levels that they're high enough to make a change. It's been GreAt since friday, but with lows each afternoon.. I keep lowering the rates they want raised! I just emailed in my levels from thurs-today. It will be interesting to see which rates they have in store for me later today!

WELLLL...... I ended up having a VERY interesting afternoon, to say the least!
Around 1pm, I started to get nauseated. My headache increased dramatically and I put ice on my neck. Before taking my planned nap, Joseph checked my level and said, "HOLY CRAP!" and took off running toward the kitchen. I sat up and was like, "Hey! What's my level!?" He said I was at 59. Because I was already nauseated, I told him to use the Glucagon Emergency Shot instead of trying to eat or drink anything. He gave it to me and the nausea continued to build with the addition of the Glucagon making it worse. He called both our parents and whichever ones he could get a hold of, he asked them to come take care of me because he had to go to work. He called work to say he'd be 30 minutes late. I had taken a Tylenol for my foot pain which was increasing and an Anti-Nausea. Within just a few minutes of taking those, I had Joseph hand me my pot (because I'm on the crutches, there was no way I was going to try and go anywhere) where I threw up within seconds, all of my breakfast from 3 hours previous. After 2 minutes or so of that pleasantness, I drank some tea and took another anti-nausea and another Tylenol and also an early Methadone dose. I kept checking my levels and topped out at 115. I typically raise up to 400 points within a very short time of taking the Glucagon Injection. This has not been the case though with being pregnant. Joseph's mom arrived and my parents were headed my way still having an hour to drive though. After taking the additional pills, 10 minutes later, I was throwing up again into my pot. Because I wasn't sure how quickly the Methadone would soak into my system on an empty stomach, I wasn't sure if I needed to take a second dose, as I had been doing with the Tylenol capsules. Joseph and I updated his mom on the situation and he left for work as I called and left a message for my OB. I quickly received a call back from an advise nurse who said that because I hadn't eaten all day except for the one meal in the morning, and because I couldn't currently keep anything down, I needed to come into UCD L&D. I called Joseph but he didn't answer his phone or texts so I woke Blake up from his nap, loaded my pot into the car and Elaine drove me to Sac. Before getting onto the freeway here in town, I had Elaine give me a 2nd Glucagon injection because I'd dropped from 130 down to 80. I didn't want to mess with anymore lows because of being so nauseated. I was extremely nauseated the whole time while driving and the driving/shadowsun mix coming thru the window didn't help my situation. I sat in the front seat with my head in my hands leaning close to the AC to try and help things for the entire drive to Sac. I had Elaine pull up to the front doors and I crutched my way into the hospital while she went to park the car. Once I got through the main doors, I was huffing and puffing! Some employee stopped me and put me in a wheelchair and wheeled me up to where I needed to go. I was SOOOOO thankful for her help! God put her right where I needed her to be! I checked in and a 2nd nurse leaned over to the window where I was signing papers and said, "Hey, weren't you JUSt in here a few days ago!?" I chuckled and said, "Yup. And I'm sure you'll be seeing quite a bit more of me as time goes on!" I then sat in the hallway for about 7 minutes until Elaine and Blake came up to meet me. Just a few minutes after that, I was taken back to my room. The nurse immediately checked my BP and said, "Oh it's high. You need to change out of your (extremely thin long sleeve) and into the gown. I so badly wanted to be sarcastic and say something like "You don't think the high BP is actually caused from me crutching my way down a 50ft hallway after a nurse who was walking on the faster side?..." Of course, I kept my mouth shut and put on the gown like she said. A few minutes after sitting quitely, she came back in and was happy to report a better BP. Yup. I wasn't huffing and puffing anymore!! lol She said she was going to head out and put some stuff into the computer. She came back 10 minutes later with an arm band and then left. Elaine took Blake for a long walk after that because he was being a bad boy. Baby didn't get more than a 10 min nap all day!! That nurse didn't ever come back in. Over an hour later, it was shift change and I had a new nurse who brought me buckets of water! I'd been there just over 2 hours before I got any water or a nurse to come back in! In the meantime, I rested with the light off and moaned against my nausea. After 7:30 doctors started arriving to talk about my afternoon. I had ketones in my urine and they drew blood to see if it was in that as well. My sugars spiked at 200 and around 8 I decided to turn my pump back on. I'd turned it off at 1pm. Once turning it back on, my levels started dropping 20 points ever 20-30 minutes. Mom and Dad came and he took Blake to walk around the building outside and out for some dinner. Poor kid was probably VERY hungry! Mom went to the Cafeteria to get me dinner just before they closed at 8. My nausea was doing better but still present. At this time, I was thinking that the nausea was caused from such an empty stomach rather than the nausea that started this whole episode. I ate half my sandwich just fine and once I ate a few bites into my other half, nausea hit me so I leaned back, made sure there was a clear path to the sink and waited for it to pass. 5-10 minutes later it was totally gone. We were waiting for blood work to come back to see if there were ketones in my blood. I was drinking as much water as I could. Mom and Dad left with Blake and I started reading some homework I had with me because of my assignment due before midnight. Mom and Dad brought my laptop so I was able to do the things I needed to. The labs came back and I had ketones in my blood slightly. I started drinking more nasty water but then asked if I could have an IV instead of battle this continuing the slight nausea. The nurse asked my doc and after talking with them, they went ahead and started an IV of liquid. I was surprised how fast the drip was turned on and was even more surprised when Elaine noticed it was almost empty! They started another bag and waited for more blood work. Once the ketones in my blood were gone, then I could go home. Joseph arrived at 11:30pm and Elaine then left to head home. When the bloodwork came back after midnight, it was clear of ketones. We were finally able to head back home. Joseph and I walked down to the main entrance where I sat down in a chair and waited for him to get the car. My left calf was nearly cramping from the long walk I'd made. I can't believe the muscle that is already bulking up in the one leg! haha Good thing I bought a floor length dress for Natalie's wedding! If it was short, I'd have extremely funky looking, mismatched legs! Anyway. When I got in the car, it was just about 1am. We got home just before 2am and Joseph fell right asleep as he attempted to rub my leg. I read a book and went to sleep about 45 minutes later. I went to sleep with a BG of 167. I woke 2 times during the morning to check and it was slightly lower each time and by the time I actually woke up fully at 1pm, my bg was 117.

14 Weeks

I had a little bit of pain before bed but definitely not bad at all.
I took a Tylenol anyway and slept perfectly til late morning!
Pain today has been minimal and I did need the Tylenol once again.
I'd gone low once but it wasn't major. I will continue to lower my basal rates.
I've been snacking all day, most likely because of boredom from sitting alone lol,
and my levels stayed between 90 & 120.
I bolus only half the time so I definitely know rates are off there.
Looking forward to a nice long night of sleep.
Blake and I are headed to bed early since Joseph is working.
Tomorrow I'll be getting my handicapped placard! =D

13 Weeks 6 Days

Can you believe I made it through yesterday with nearly zero pain (a maximum of a level 2 pain) in my foot and I slept solid all night with no pain til morning?!?!!!! You can bet I'll be staying completely off this foot for a while with no lack of motivation to do so!!! I was even an hour late taking my Methadone yesterday afternoon and had no problems because of the late dose!

I am SOOOOOOOOOO glad that God has allowed me to finally know what my issue is and how to help myself heal! These years of praying have come to fruition! haha!

I had a little revelation today:

When people ask me, "How are you?" My typical response is, "I'm great!" And sometimes, people take a little back step and ask, "What about..." my issues? Are they improving?

I realized that even when I'm dealing with so much pain and frustration and even though my conditions are not (usually) improving, my joy and happiness in life is not dependent upon my circumstances. My joy comes from my salvation and having a relationship with God and placing my life {my present and my future} in His capable hands. I know that even when I'm having a tough day with pain or frustration, HE will take care of me and my issues. 

Because of living in the constant care of God, I can still say, "I'm Great!"

Today we went to church and standing on my good foot is a bit of a challenge. Over time, I know my feet muscles will strengthen, but until then, I can't over walk/stand myself. I was close to getting foot cramps from standing during worship!! I am taking it easy all the way around! It was very odd while sitting in church. All of a sudden, my entire foot went numb and I couldn't feel a thing. After a few minutes of that, it turned tingly numb for about 10 minutes. I tried to sit up straighter, straighten my leg, bend and straighten my foot, but nothing helped. It was very strange. It is the second time that has happened. First time was in the dr office on Thursday....

Blood sugars during the night were stable (I'm guessing since I didn't actually wake up from a low) around 100. I went to bed at 90 and woke up at 104.

My BP was slightly elevated this morning and my hands have been swollen. My wedding rings are nearly stuck on my finger so I'm leaving them off for now.

My back has been aching in a different area than usual. This ache is more of my 

pelvic joint being out of whack (like previous pregnancy) so the chiro will help with that on Tuesday!

Joseph is headed to work. Blake is napping. I'm headed for hours of sewing, reading, googling, more reading, and sewing. And then I get to play with Blake when he wakes up!

5 Weeks til we get to find out what B will be named!!!

I went low once but it wasn't a bad one. I adjusted my insulin rates again and will see how tomorrow goes. My foot has throbbed some this evening so I needed to take a Tylenol. Over all, it's been pretty good though!

13 Weeks 5 Days

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!THE WORLD IS ENDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blake and I might be getting colds!

Looks like we will be taking it even more easy with some warm drinks, cuddles, veggie tales, and long naps! Oh wait.. That's just a regular day! 

So I woke at 1am, 3am, 5am, and 7am to check my sugar level. At 3am, I couldn't remember if I woke at midnight to take the Methadone. I stared at my medication bottle trying to remember if I had... I simply could not remember! My dilemma then was... If I taken the pill then I'd be fine, but if I hadn't taken it I'd soon be in massive pain. So do I go without a pill or take a half pill just in case?! I pondered that for a few minutes and then decided if I got in massive pain and clearly hadn't taken the Methadone, then I would take a full pill. Otherwise, I'd just go back to sleep. Pain kicked in around 7, but a Tylenol took mostly care of that, along with Joseph rubbing my foot. I'm assuming I had taken my pill at midnight! I slept very well despite some odd dreams. Thankfully they weren't bad dreams! There has been improvement on that side of things! 

I got up to hit the loo when I woke up at 8:30 and that made my foot start aching, right after Joseph/Tylenol made it feel better! I decided that today I will start the crutches and see how it goes for the next few weeks...! I'm definitely rusty with them. It's been 8 years since I was on them last! Today I will make some comfy fabric covers for the hand and arm cushions. 

Nausea halfway through breakfast this morning. I went to sit in my chair and had Joseph bring me a large pot. There is no way I could get to the toilet fast enough with my new legs ;) After about 20 minutes it subsided and I could continue eating. I can do this! No throwing up lows and I'm great!

My tendon on the outside of my foot is bothering me today and my good foot is stiff so I'll be doing stretching exercises while I'm off my feet/foot. I have another headache, same as last night. I slept with ice on my neck and back of my head for quite a while last night. I'll be doing that more today. 

BG 94 all night. BP currently 129/84 pulse 91

Joseph is working a new shift and is now spending EVERY morning with me and Blake!! It is so nice and since I'm doing crutches now, his presence is definitely a huge help! This morning he made breakfast and I washed dishes =) The only challenge with him being home in the mornings is that we will want to stay in bed together til noon! I'm considering changing Blake's schedule to accomodate our desires! haha We will see though.

13 Weeks 4 Days

Yesterday I had 2 doctor appointments. Mom babysat Blake and Dad went with me. First was my OB appointment. It took the docs at least, if not more than, 20 minutes to figure out which insulin changes needed to be made. We made one change but it was very minimal. First, the doc wanted me to change my 4pm basal up. 0.05. I said, "No way. That is the one you guys changed last week which landed me taking the Glucagon 3 times! That stays right where it is." Over all, the doc said I'm doing well and don't have to come back for 3 weeks!! Normally, being a diabetic, I would be seen every other week at a minimium! 

That morning, earlier, my foot wasn't hurting bad at all, maybe a 2 or 3. Once I got to walking on my foot, once we got to the offices, then my pain jumped to a 6. When I was called back, my pain was a 7. When the docs came into the room they asked how I was doing and I stated that I was at a level 8 and rising. While they were debating over my insulin rates in the hallway, my level peaked to a 10 and I was barely able to fight the tears. I hobbled to the otherside of the room where my purse was and took a Tylenol. I was trying to Not take the Tylenol because I had my foot appointment an hour later. Everytime I have a foot appointment, it's either a good day (pain-wise) or I'd had to take meds because of being unable to stand the pain before appointment time. Within 15 minutes, the Tylenol kicked in enough to be fairly comfy and I finished my appointment.

When I got to the foot appointment, I told the doc when he came into the room that my foot was "currently like a level 3 because I had taken meds. 30 minutes ago I was in tears though because the pain. I tried to not take the Tylenol because I hate coming to this appointment and feeling fine." As he was feeling around on my foot at that time, he had said, "Oh pain or not, I can feel a difference between your feet and I can feel the inflammation here." He then went on to tell me that I have a "Bruised Bone" which means the outside of my foot/ankle bone is intact but it is broken or fractured in the bone marrow inside. On the MRI he can see where it is bleeding to try and heal itself. He said that walking with this pain is equivalent to the pain walking on a broken bone. "The MRI verifies your pain and I will forward the report to your OB's so they know that you are dealing with a LOT of pain."...{ ... I kinda took that as maybe he didn't really believe my pain until he saw the MRI and maybe my OB's don't either? ...} ...  He told me that treatment is taking it easy for about 3 months and that should help. I stated that "I have been taking it easy for 10 years. What if I went completely off of my foot for a few months?" The only reason he said that wasn't a good idea is because being pregnant, I'll need my balance for walking and caring for a newborn, and because I'm currently chasing a 2 year old... We all know how easy Blake is so that will not be a problem. And a newborn? They stay where you lay them! haha. I will continue appointments with this doc during my pregnancy and if things don't improve, once I have the baby, "even that very week" I want to start on the steroid treatments or whatever else he has to get me out of pain. He agreed that was a good idea and I have a follow up appointment in 2 months. 

We all know how easy Blake is so I don't think being on crutches will be that much of a problem in taking care of him. It will be easier than crawling all over my house! And a newborn? That should be fairly ease because they stay where you lay them! haha. I am asking some people to help me out with things like grocery shopping. I'll be making some calls tomorrow for that =)

So for pain, I have 3 bulging/herniated discs in my lower back, 2 slightly bulging in my upper back, Sciatic pain down my leg, a bruised ankle bone, and tendonitis on each side of my right ankle. (The tendons that stablilize your foot to keep it straight from rolling in or out when you walk.) and headaches off and on due to high BP's that were doing great until I missed a dose of my pill =(

On the way home, Dad and I went to get me a set of crutches from the Savers store. I will be on crutches for most of the time for the next 6-8 weeks to see how I do... It will be very challenging to stay on the crutches because I know that I am fully able to walk on my foot and that I just should not.

I'm so thankful to finally have a diagnosis of this pain. And I'm very glad the docs will understand the type of pain I'm in on a daily basis.

Today I've had to take two Tylenol in the early and morning. This afternoon has surprisingly been very good. I did have a headache from an afternoon low so I iced it and took a nap after dinner. Maybe with staying off my foot completely I won't have to increase the Methadone!

I will hopefully be starting a back treatment with my chiropractor next week as well.
I'm praying for major -feeling better- by the end of next week!

Pray with me!

13 Weeks 2 Days

I had a long night with pain. I iced my foot and it didn't help any. I iced my back for a long time but only had minimal help. I did wake up with what felt like heartburn in the night though. It was really strange! I didn't think heartburn started this early. I took a Tylenol at 6 when the ice wasn't helping. It helped enough until I took the Methadone at 8. We woke up late. My foot was hurting and I decided that Blake and I needed to go to the pet store before my pain kicked in to much. While at the pet store, I was able to bend down just fine but when I went to walk to my truck, or push in the clutch/gas pedals, I almost got major cramps down the front of my upper legs! Looks like I'll need to do some leg strengthening to help me out come delivery day! Nausea is still in today. Eating is minimal. Otherwise I'm doing great!!!

13 Weeks 1 Day

My night pain kicked in strong around 1am, just one hour after my Methadone dose. Usually the Methadone kicks in by then and combats whatever pain is coming my way. This night was different. Joseph got me an ice pack and I decided to ice my back rather than my foot. The foot pain was different a little bit so that led me to believe it wasn't just my foot, but more of my back sending pain. I laid on the ice for about 30 minutes and it super helped. I pushed the pack off the bed to the floor and fell asleep. By 5am I had to take another tylenol because the pain was coming back. At 8, I took my Methadone and now early afternoon, I'm needing to take a tylenol along with icing my (very) aching back. Later today I'll need to go to the chiropractor as well. 

This morning I dealt with some nausea so I didn't eat hardly anything. My blood sugar was at 155 so that was a great starting point with the nausea being present! I didn't have to worry about going low =) My nausea is finally subsiding some and I'm experimenting with some food =) My BP upon waking this morning was almost into a normal person's range!

So instead of going to the chiropractor, I decided to take a nap after Blake took a 4 hour nap. I slept a solid 4 hours just like he did!! My levels were on the higher side today without any reason =( I'll need to do a new injection tonight.

13 Weeks

I had crazy and very life like dreams last night. I've been asking Joseph all day things like, "Did you make me waffles last night?" or "Did you want sugar cookies yesterday evening?" Each time he has responded with, "Nope, that was your dream!" haha. 

I was in a little bit of pain early this morning and I used my ice packs for a little while. The rest of today has been very good though! No nausea, no lows, no highs, and completely tolerable pain!! 

I got my MRI report from the imaging center and when I read through it, I didn't understand really what it said. I googled the phrases but all I found was that I have inflammation in my ankle! I already knew that... haha Just a few more days til I see my doc. 

Even though I had a good day physically, emotionally I was off all day. It started with Blake spilling my coffee on blankets, carpet and my recliner... =( Tomorrow will be a better day, I'm sure!

12 Weeks 6 Days

Dear Morning Sickness,
You are no bueno for making me deal with all these dangerous lows! You can go away now, I have enough seriousness to deal with and don't need your complications! =) 

Foot pain in the early AM. Joseph got the ice packs again but they weren't very cold. I took a Tylenol and Joseph rubbed my foot til it kicked in. Thankfully now, the pain is gone and I emailed my doc about why the meds aren't super effective after 3 days of them being fairly good... Dad suggested I do an internet search to see if it's common but I don't have the patience to sit online searching through forum after forum after article to find the info. Emailing my doc is much quicker!

I planned on French Toast for breakfast but as soon as I pulled out those eggs... I knew cereal was going to be my friend. It took me a half hour to eat cuz I ate so slowly making sure the nausea wasn't sticking around =) I bolused after eating, just in case =)

Afternoon I took a long nap. At least an hour an a half. I woke to Joseph telling me that he needed to head to work for an hour to do some studying. He left and I checked my level. I was at 80 and feeling dizzy so I knew I was dropping. I had a headache and lots of nausea. I called Chad to come babysit me and I took an anti-nausea...... I feel a glucagon shot coming on...

Yup. I checked my level just a few minutes after this post: 51. I called Chad to check his ETA and he was 'at the light.' He double parked, ran in, and gave me a whole glucagon shot, rather than just a half like previous times. Because of my nausea and being unable to eat without throwing up and making my situation waay worse, I had him call the paramedics so that if I did drop in the next few minutes then they could give me the dex-drip. When they got here just a few minutes later my sugar was at 87. I felt comfortable enough for them to leave and will continue to check my levels often.

Blake enjoyed seeing the guys and the trucks!

15 minutes after they all left, I got up to 130 bg and that isn't high enough. Especially since I can't take in ANY food or drink of any kind. I emailed my doc letting her know that I've used 3 or 4 glucagon shots in the last week and I wanna have a higher range. I asked her in the email but fully plan on running on the 'higher' side for a little while. Chad is with me now until Joseph comes home from his study time at work. I'm sure he will be surprised when he comes home to hear what adventure we had!

My pump was suspended for almost 3 hours and I had zero intake of food. My blood sugar topped out at 195. Joseph came home with food and at the time, almost an hour ago, I was still unable to eat but could take some swallows of the coffee he brought me. I'll try food again in another hour or so and still keep a good eye on sugars! 

I couldn't imagine a life not filled with such events. This is what keep life exciting and keeps me knowing that God is in control. It keeps me aware of how precious life is and how HE has blessed me so!

12 Weeks 5 Days

So I had a pretty good day. I needed an early nap and I slightly snoozed off and on while Blake played in his room. He was noisy so I listened to him while I rested. I didn't actually fall asleep because he kept coming in to talk to me =) He's so cute! My foot ached during the night and I took a Tylenol and used the ice for a few hours. This morning I needed the ice for a short time to get rid of the pain. The day went on with no headaches, good bp's, good bg's, no lows, and I worked on my homework and my quilt. My sisterinlaws came to visit for a while and I very much enjoyed that! After they left, I went to put Blake down for his nap. I was somewhat annoyed because he was being ornery and made a huge mess with his food on the table. I put his step stool up to the sink and he washed his hands. Then I went to wash my hands and push the stool back to the corner with my bad foot... I had no pain and I didn't realize what I was about to do. I'm not really even sure what happened. I didn't use hardly any pressure on my foot but it was like I stiffened my foot in order to push the stool, or maybe I had turned my foot to the side or something. All I know is it was... I can't even describe the pain... Let's just leave it with, I shouted a VERY bad word, CLEAR as day without a thought in my head... and I've NEVER said this word before.  I dried my hands, yelled at Blake to stay in his room, and I crawled as fast as I could to the freezer. I got in my chair and put a thin piece of fabric between the ice and my foot and waited for the cold to kick in before I was screaming in pain. It was horrible. And, the weird thing was, as soon as I had the pain in my foot, I had shooting pain all the way (literally) up my leg and into my back. I wasn't sure if I should have iced my foot or my back and took a chance that my foot would work best. I iced for a long time and my foot was still very tender. Later on, I iced my back just in case. My back ached for a little while so I laid back in my chair rather than being in a sitting position. I had considered taking an early dose of the Methadone but decided against it because I really should ask my doc first. I know my limits with Oxycodone but not with the Methadone and I won't be stupid to take chances like that. 

I had to make a pill chart with all the times on it for my medication I'm taking. I can remember the meds, but I have 5 specific times a day that I'm supposed to take specific pills!

1x/day - Elavil, Aspirin, Folic Acid, and Vitamins.

2x/day - Colace and BP meds.

3x/day - Methadone.

Metamucil almost daily (stuff's nasty as all get out!)

Laxative a few nights a week just in case =)

I'm hoping to be pain free tonight so I can sleep alllllllll night. This is Joseph's "friday" night =) We get to sleep in tomorrow! 

12 Weeks 4 Days

Today is Friday, February 6th.
I slept through my alarm last night and took my Methadone 2 hours late. By 5am I was in quite a bit of pain. Joseph rubbed my leg for a little while but it didn't seem to help. He got the icepacks and those helped a lot. I woke to more foot pain and lots of back aching around 8. The icepacks were not super cold anymore and didn't work on my foot so I knew it would work on my back. I laid on the ice and when the cold Finally seeped through the towel between me and the ice, Blake woke up. I didn't lay on the ice for too long and my back was still aching a lot. Today will be a resting day. Guess me and Joseph shouldn't have had a pillow fight last night!

I think I got my overnight insulin levels right. I didn't go low last night or need to do a temp basal!! That took me quite a few weeks to figure out!

I woke up yesterday and the day before thinking it was Saturday. I woke up this morning thinking it was Saturday too but then heard the yard guys and realized that it was actually Tuesday ... yup

I just took an hour nap hoping my headache would dissipate but it hasn't. I've been dealing with nausea off and on today too. Yesterday evening, my in-laws came to make dinner. Ted made a yummy and pretty spicy pizza! It was so neat that he planned to make pizza cuz I had told Joseph earlier that day that I wanted pizza for dinner! Anyway, some of the italian seasonings were spilled on the stove area and everytime I get close to the kitchen, nausea slams me! I'm going to have to ask Joseph to clean the stove thoroughly for me! haha My headache is worse than it was the other day but thankfully, even though my pressures are elevated, they're not as high as it has been! 

So yeah. I'm sitting in my recliner and I get a whiff of that italian seasoning.... I practically ran to the bathroom 30 seconds after taking an anti-nausea tab and I threw up 4 times in the toilet. I barely made it! I checked my bg and it read 53. How wonderful! I started inhaling the glucose tabs with bg readings of 51 and then 44. Joseph was speeding his way home and I decided I needed to use my glucagon shot... I definitely didn't wanna do it myself. So I was gonna make someone else stick me with a giant scary looking needle! I opened the door to look down the street to hopefully see Joseph. Instead, there was a dude who just parked who started walking up the sidewalk to my neighbors house. He was perfect for the task at hand! I asked him for help saying, "I'm a diabetic and am having an extreme low. If you would help me, (i help up a big syrenge) I need you to give me this injection." He was like, "Uh...mmm." I then said , "I'm seriously need your help. I'm almost to the point of passing out and having a seizure." He came over and wondered what to do so I said "just stick it straight in my arm and push the juice in." He hesitated and and I got kinda stern and said, "Just stab it in and go!" So he did and I thanked him and said that I had someone coming to check on me in a few minutes. I was secretly dying of laughter inside because this is kinda normal for me and I'm sure that was a very strange experience for him! Just one more day in the life of a diabetic! It's moments like these that make diabetes light and fun even in serious situations!

Jonathan came over to drop off some things for me and he got here a 2 minutes before Joseph did. I asked him to stay til Joseph came home and then he, Sarah, and Gracie stayed for a while to visit! Definitely a good visit with them. It took me an hour to get to 175.
It's been 3 hours and I'm still having nausea so I'm gonna try to eat and hopefully (with Joseph going to play ball) I'll be able to keep it down.
He cleaned my stove and counter so there shouldn't be that nasty smell!

So even though today has been eventful, it has been a good day =) Aside from the low, I can do days like this =D Just no lows!!

12 Weeks 3 Days

Today I had great levels and only one low. I had minimal pain which required no Tylenol and no ice! I did get tired in the evening and took a 2 hour nap but that was about the extent of my day! I was able to vacuum my whole house, do laundry, clean my whole kitchen, and work on my quilt for a few hours! If this is the beginning of the new me on 3 doses of Methadone, I will be a very happy woman! BP's were a little elevated even with my BP meds but I will continue to take them and monitor my levels!

12 Weeks 2 Days

Well, I went to take a Tylenol last night at bedtime, 2 hours before my next Methadone dose. Upon opening the cabinet I remembered that I had already taken my last pill! I went to bed hoping to sleep through the pain since it wasn't bad and then let the Methadone kick in when I took it...

I took that pill on time and my pain kept rising and Joseph got me the icepacks. I iced my foot for a while. When my foot felt like it was cold enough, but not to a damaging point, I pulled it off the ice. It helped lower my pain enough to sleep fairly well, but I did keep waking up to it bothering me. Thankfully it wasn't bad enough to have Joseph wake up =)

One side effect of pregnancy this time has been bad dreams almost nightmares. I dream that I or someone is in one bad situation and they go right into another and into another all night long! Blake got in bed with me at 7am and we went back to sleep and I kept having these dreams. We slept in til about 10:30 because I hadn't gotten my rest. Because I've needed so much sleep lately, I've been putting Blake to bed VERY late so that he will sleep in with me. Last night he went down at 11:15pm.

I felt very low at 8am and was only at 84. I had a juice anyway and then at 10:15 I felt even lower than before, I expected my level to be around 50 but when I checked, I was at 135! I'm not sure why I'm feeling so low but it must have been a result of my bad dreams and the stress I was feeling from them. 

In the last few days, I've been starting to have nausea after eating. I've had some times where I don't feel well after eating but now, I'm actually nauseated after eating! I'm having some food aversions too! I'm so surprised it has taken this long to kick in. I can't eat eggs, cranberry grape juice, and possibly white bread... =)

So I had my MRI and sad news... I can't read the MRI like I could for my back =( I have no clue what I'm looking at and have to wait 8 days for my doc to tell me what's what!
My BP upon waking was 143/103 with a headache. All day I had the headache and at 5pm I had a reading of 159/100. I then called an advice nurse who sent me to L&D. I took my first dose of lebatalol and headed to Sac with Joseph. By the time they got me into triage and checked me, of course my BP was 121/73. It happens everytime! I'm super high with symptoms at home and by the time I check in at L&D I have normal readings! Now I wish I wouldn't have taken the BP med to see what my pressures would have done. And, my bg is 281 for NO reason! I think I might start the Dexcom tonight to see if it might work now. I know in the beginning of this pregnancy, the sensor wouldn't give accurate readings. Maybe driving for 45 minutes just calms me down =)
 In 12 weeks, this is my 5th hospital visits. It will be interesting to see if I continue on this trend!
10pm: Blood pressures are stable and since my bg is under 180 I am just about to head home! I'm hoping to convince Joseph that IHOP is a great idea =)

12 Weeks 1 Day

ALLLLLRIGHTY THEN!

I'm keeping my smile!

My appointment today was with the doctor who is managing my Methadone. She went over my pain/medication history. I suggested that since my pain seems to peak between 8 and 10 hours after my dose, maybe I should take a pill every 8 hours rather than every 12 hours. She agreed that is a good way to go. That way I'm increasing my dose entirely by 5mg and not by 10mg (an additional 5mg twice a day). So yeah. I'm on 5mg, 3x per day. This appointment went over time and so I was 20 minutes later for my 12 week Ultrasound appointment. 

The ultrasound is to screen for Down's Syndrome. If B has DS, it would not affect our love for him/her, it would just make us aware so we could study it up, and so that the hospital would be fully prepared for the birth of this baby! During the ultrasound the tech was pushing really hard with her thingamabob that showed the baby on the screen. I told her it was painful and she said it was because my uterus is facing forward which means that most of the uterus is in the front and baby is sitting closer to my back and she had to push harder to be able to see deeper or something. I kept telling her that it was painful on that place and she seemed to have no compassion whatsoever. I was not happy with how she did the ultrasound. I have been unable to lay on my yoga ball very comfily =) and she said it would be because it's like the 'ball of the uterus' is in the way. And, that is what it feels like: like I'm laying on a little ball thats squishing everything to a painful point. She said it will probably go away when B get's bigger. This would explain why my belly has grown way quicker than my last pregnancy where I didn't have this 'issue' =) 

Next, I went to have some blood drawn and the sample will be sent to another place to screen for D.S. It should take us about 10 days to get results. I'm so not worried about this at all! So then we started for home and my foot pain started to build. We stopped at CVS to drop off my prescriptions and then we went home. At home my pain quickly rose. I started on an ice pack and it didn't make a dint in my pain! I took a Tylenol and laid on my ball to ice my back while Joseph rubbed my leg; that didn't work either! SO. I then iced just my foot and it helped my pain dramatically! 

In the last few days, only ice on my back has been helpful. If I iced my foot, my foot would be frozen but the pain still present. Today, it's different with ice on my back not helping but ice on my foot being the one that works. This is telling me that today, my foot problem is acting up, not my back problem. UGH So many problems to analyze!
Thankfully I only had this one major episode of pain today! And I only had to take 1 Tylenol!!
It's 11pm now and I'm 'bout to head to bed and pain is starting to build. I take my next dose of Methadone at 1am and I will take a preventative Tylenol right now to help with the next 2-3 hours =)

12 Weeks

I slept through the night with no lows and no pain! I did go to bed at two though so I am tired haha Being tired is so much better than all the rest! Joseph is home today so I'll be able to nap whenever I want, rather than waiting for Blake to go down or make him take a quiet hour. I got a call this morning letting me know that I got in to the Pain Management Clinic in March! Hopefully they'll have some helpful ideas for me to try! My 12 week ultrasound and pain doctor appointments are tomorrow and on Wednesday I have my MRI !!!

Afternoon: pain has been building all day and I've been sitting on ice most of the day and my foot pain is getting much worse. Like I'm getting to where I can't even sit still....
I can't wait to talk to my doc manana to get an increase in my meds. This pain is unacceptable right now! It is bearable but no bueno.
I don't understand! I've been on ice for hours and I'm still in pain!
This doesn't make sense.
This is pure stupidity

Ok. So I called my dr to ask if I could take another/early dose of Methadone. I figure it won't hurt since I'll see the doc manana to hopefully get an increase of the med anyway. This pain is too much. They called me back after 10 minutes and gave me the green light to take an early dose of Methadone. That means I'll take 3 pills today. I read that it should take about 30 minutes to get into my system so I'm hoping that it will help my pain. When I called the dr I was considering the E.R. again because the pain is building with no relief. My last resort before E.R. was to lay on my yoga ball, stretch my back out as much as possible and ice it that way. My spine is opened up allowing the bulging discs to not pinch my nerve that goes down into my foot. Joseph rubbed my leg while I'm on the ball and my pain is being helped but still very very strong... Bad thing is, I went to get off the ball.. Moving EXtremely slowly, letting the spine back into it's original position and resquishing the discs.... but I got to a point where I was upright enough to take a drink of water but otherwise... I'm stuck. I literally can not get off my ball...

I can't get out of this position without IMMENSE pain, more than earlier...
I don't typically use my ball because to lay on it really hurts my belly. It gives sharp pain in my right side about 2 inches above my hip bone. I'm just trading one pain for another...
At least for now, I'm back to bearable pain rather than how it was when I spoke with my dr.
Trying not to think of my situation too much right now. Blake woke from his nap and came to lay by my and give me "besos" for my owies. He is very compassionate and always has a kiss to make me feel better. He can always make me smile...and then I send him to daddy cuz I have to concentrate on what I'm doing.

- To say that this is hard to deal with is an enormous understatement -

This pain was slowly and surely dissipating. Joseph was in the other room, getting ready to bring my recliner into the front room when Blake stepped right on the back of my foot, flattening it against the floor.
Joseph ran into the living room when he heard me scream and start sobbing and gasping for breath. It was so horrible I couldn't hardly breathe. He held me til the pain subsided enough for me to get back into my hands-and-knees position, moving as slowly as possible. He brought my chair in, put it back together and I inched my way into the seat. It's been over an hour since I took the Methadone and it has already kicked in, helping my pain a ton. I couldn't imagine my pain level if I hadn't taken that pill... especially with this latest incident.

11 Weeks 6 Days

I slept fairly well through the night. Pain kicked back in around 8am. Blake was with my parents so Joseph and I could sleep in. I slept with an ice pack under my back till about 11:00. My pain at that point was doing much better. Around 4, my pain kicked back in quickly. I laid on an ice pack again and Mom rubbed my calf for a few minutes. Once the ice went deep enough, the pain in my foot vanished almost completely within 3 minutes. This tells me that my back is what is causing so much pain right now. It is late now and my pain is coming back again. I was able to make a late grocery shopping trip and that definitely didn't help my situation; that is when I felt the pain begin. Two more days til I can see my pain management doctor! 

I went low once and stayed high on purpose for the remainder of the day. During last night, I dropped 300 points when I shouldn't have. I plan to go to bed high and check my level throughout the night at 2 hour intervals to see when I'm dropping and prevent another low like I had last night. I know some insulin rates need to change massively but am not sure which times they need to be changed. I have to make sure to go to bed before I get too tired so that I don't sleep though my alarms!