Started on Saline

Well, things moved a little faster then I thought they would. I started on saline this past Sunday. I was so nervous about inserting the infusion set that I think I made it worse then it needed to be. Just did me first set change and was only a little scared. But I did it and it hurt much less then my first, scared to death but trying not to show it attempt. I'm sure it will get easier with time. I do on August 10th to meet with the trainer again and switch over to insulin. Can't wait!! Life will be so much easier and I won't have to forget to take my injections after I've told the pump to "deliver". It's hard to remember that all important part when you're using the saline. :)

It's here!!!

My blue cozmo pump came last Thursday!! I'm currently taking it for a "dry" run. Programed it and filled the reservoir with air. Going through all the button pushing I normally would have to but without it attached to me. By the time I go for the saline hookup, I'll be an expert at the menus and buttons. Then I can focus on the infusion sets and getting used to actually having it attached to me. My only problem has been remembering to give myself my insulin injection after I tell the pump what to do. I forget that the pumps not doing it and I still have to take the injection (at least for now).

So, I'm looking for suggestions for names for my pump. Anyone got any creative suggestions?

Dude, I'm getting a pump!!

Got the call yesterday. My insulin pump has been approved and is being shipped. It will be delivered on Thursday!!!. I'm going with the Detec Cozmo.



I'm getting the Pacific Blue. I'm waiting for the call from the trainer to set up training for the week of August 11. Unfortunately because of schedules I have to wait until then. But I'm already a third of the way through the manual. Couldn't even wait for Thursday. I downloaded it from the company site. No, really, I'm not excited or anything. :)

A Bit About Me

So why am I writing this blog? To tell about getting my first insulin pump. But first a little background. I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in November of 1980 when I was 8. It was a scary thing but at only 8 my mom took most of the responsibility for everything. It was all new to her also. As I got older I took on more of a roll but it never really hit home exactly what diabetes could do to me in the future. I knew the facts in my head but "that wouldn't happen to me". As a result I never really kept my diabetes in control. Why should I. I never landed in the ER like people you read about who don't take care of their diabetes. I was hospitalized in 2006 for DKA but I blamed that on a reaction to an antibiotic. Still not my fault, right? And no way was I getting a pump! I had lots of reasons for not doing it. Some were about me and some about others in my family.

Then life really turned upside down. I had grown up living with my Mom, my Aunt and my Great Aunt and Great Uncle. My Great Uncle had passed away in 2004. Since then my Mom and Aunt had been taking care of my Great Aunt. She had severe dementia and it was only getting worse. My Aunt would stay with her in the day and my Mom was home in the evening. I only lived 15 min away so when they needed me I would come help. My mom had some health problems. She was diabetic and had a triple bypass in 1990 and had stints put in several times since. She knew she needed another one and we were working to schedule it for Spring 2007. But that was soon put on the back burner. On Mother's day weekend my Aunt fell while helping my Great Aunt go to the bathroom. My Great Aunt hit the side of her wheelchair and knocked it over. My Aunt standing behind was knocked over and broke her hip. She had surgery and was in rehab for several months. But what were we going to do about someone to take care of my Great Aunt? We called her son in NJ and said we needed help. He was in very bad health himself so there was nothing he could do personally. We agreed we needed someone to watch her in the afternoon. So our crazy schedule started. I would go to their house in the morning between 5:30 and 6am and stay with her while my Mom was at work. We then had an aide that stayed from 12:30-4 when I went to work. My Mom was home by 4 and I worked until 9 pm and then went home to Tom, my husband, and out greyhounds. That was Monday through Thursday. I was with my Great Aunt all day on Friday's and worked every Saturday. On Sundays I tried to spend time with Tom and the dogs. This went on for several months. My Aunt came home from rehab but she couldn't take care of my Great Aunt. I was pushing my Mom to have the procedures she needed to have done. We first had it set up for July. But when she had her blood work done it came back that she had severe kidney problems. That needed to be addressed before she could have the heart cauterization. With some med changes and diet changes they decided her numbers were OK enough to do the cauterization. She had that done on Aug 3. After that procedure we knew something was wrong. She had had a mild stroke and had trouble using her one hand. It became very obvious that she would not be able to take care of my great aunt. Another call to NJ. This time there was no choice but to move my Great Aunt to an assisted living facility. She didn't (and still doesn't) need a nursing home. Just someone to watch her and help her do everything. She's now 99 but is more like a child. And when you try to get her to do something she doesn't want to she acts like one. She'll hit, pull hair and bite. There was no way my Mom could take care of her when she was like that. I had trouble and I'm a lot younger. So she moved to Shangra-La assisted living. Now that I knew my Great Aunt was being well taken care of I could focus on my Mom. They had to run the dye test a little at a time and give her kidneys several weeks in between to recover. Then on Halloween she called me at work and said she was having shoulder pain. For her that was heart issues. She wouldn't call 911 until I got there so I raced over and called 911. She was taken to Howard County General. They had planned to transfer her to Washington Adventist on Friday to do another cauterization. But late Thursday night I got a call that they were flying her to University of Maryland downtown and that I needed to go. I saw her after they had her settled. She was in pain but told me to go home. I was back as soon as I could the next morning. I was in the room with her when her heart rate spiked and her blood pressure dropped. They had to put her on a ventilator. The next 11 days were the longest with many ups and downs. My Mom died Monday November 12 just before I got to the hospital.

I had been staying with my Aunt at night so she wouldn't be alone. I'm still doing that 8 months later. Eventually Tom and I will move up there with her and sell our house but that is a slow process. After the shock wore off I realized that I didn't want to be in the situation my Mom was in. So many things wrong that one couldn't be treated for making another worse. I didn't want to die at 65. I realized that I needed to get my diabetes in control. My last few A1C's had been over 9%. Not good. But like my Mom I had been putting taking care of everyone else first. I decided that getting a pump would be a good thing. But our insurance was changing on January 1 so I really couldn't do anything until it changed. I did research on the Internet and decided that I wanted to go through the Joslin Center. I called to make an appointment at the University of Maryland center and they were booked so far in advance they suggested trying the center out of the Baltimore Washington Medical Center. I was glad. I wasn't really ready to walk back into University just yet. So I made an appointment with Dr Munir for March 31. Still almost 4 months away but by then I hoped to have made sense out of the new insurance.

I had my appointment. My A1C was 9.4. I started the FIT/Pump classes. Carb counting and understanding more about diabetes. And here we are today. I had my next appointment with Dr. Munir Wednesday. A1c down to 7.3!! Yesterday I met with Liz, the diabetes educator, and finished up all my paperwork and the order form was faxed to the pump company. I decided to go with the Deltec Cozmo. Now they need to do their fancy footwork with the insurance company and I cross my fingers that all goes well. So send good insurance approval vibe my way.

So that's my story up to the present. A bit of a roller coaster but I'm really hoping things will be more normal from now on. Although I'm not sure I remember what normal is like. This blog is for me to write about getting my pump and the changes (hopefully all good) it will make in my life. Check back often to see what's happening.