Am so loving this pump!! I made exactly the right choice for me.

Some hints before anyone goes on the pump.

• Do lots of homework.
• Download the manual and familiarise yourself with the functions.
• Do the online pump-school on the Animas site.
• Read “Pumping Insulin” by John Walsh, and then once you’re hooked up, use it to understand more.
• Play with the virtual pump on the Animas site.
• Make a list of your favourite foods with carbs so you can upload them to your pump later.
• Read pumping blogs and posts on Tu Diabetes and other sites.
• And ask questions!

The more you learn beforehand, the easier pump-start day will be. No two people’s requirements will be the same, but reading about others’ experiences was invaluable for me!

I have the most awesome Animas trainer on the planet (sorry, I want to claim this one). Not only does she wear the Animas 2020 herself, but is a fountain of knowledge and helpful information, given in a language catered to whatever level you’re at. She’s very kind and encouraging, and has a wicked sense of humour – definitely things I appreciate in any trainer. I can’t praise her and my DE highly enough for making this transition easy and painless in so many ways.

I’m definitely hooked up and flying!

I have no idea what my body is going to do on an insulin pump. Will I have better control? Will there be highs and lows? Will I be able to tweak my basals and figure out whether I need 2 or 10 different basals in 24 hours? It’s going to be a lot of work over the next few weeks, but something I’m more than prepared to do.

We have an 11am start, even though I am worried I won’t wake easily to get there on time. My getting to sleep problem is still hanging around. Que sera sera. I really can’t worry about all that tonight. I can survive on very little sleep. My only problem is waking up. So, I’ve got 2 alarms, my mobile phone and a phone-a-friend – someone’s going to call me to make sure I’m up. Of course, there’s always my husband who tries to wake me but is rarely successful. He’s generally sweet and gentle, and that’s the way he tries to wake me. As gorgeous as he is, I need something a little more loud.

So, I’ve got all my supplies ready. Only the insulin is still in the fridge. I’m about to make some food to take. Although there’s a fast-food shop of sorts on the hospital grounds, if I remember correctly, everything revolves around bread, which is too high carb for me. I’d rather have a normal lunch with me. Cheaper too.

So here we go. This is the last blog before I next report, attached to a pump.

I have finally worked out that I need to bolus for protein. Why has no one told me this before? Typical lack of education.

I’ve also worked out that at dinner, it’s far better for me to take 50% of the bolus with dinner, and the other 50% 1 to 1.5 hours later. Worked a charm tonight. I’d been playing around with percentages in a split bolus and finally nailed it tonight. Different meals may need a different approach but what I ate tonight is fairly typical for me. So at least I have that problem solved. This will be a breeze on a pump with the possibility of extended boluses.

Some really interesting information over at dsolve. Am still reading and learning.

[Posted from my iPhone]

While I’m sure I know what my basals will be, my Diabetes Educator still wants me to document everything for the last 2 weeks – food, insulin and many blood glucose tests during the day and night. She wants the evidence, so I have to be hyper vigilant about writing everything down. I’m just not that kind of person, but I have to be.

Having recently swapped to my iMac as my main computer (PC for many years before that), I use Diabetes Logbook X to record when I’m home, and when I’m out, the equivalent for the iPhone, which hooks into the Mac and updates the records on the iMac. It’s really easy to use and is in a format I’m used to and like. The reporting is also fairly comprehensive and very easy to read for someone who isn’t used to the software.

I’ve had a persistent cough for a couple of weeks. I went to my doctor last week and he decided I had some strange fungal thing going on and gave me some medication. His conclusion just didn’t sit right with me.

After doing some research on something completely different I came across the following:

How conincidental it is that I was put on an ACE inhibitor just before this cough started? Fungal, my ass!

I am so anti-doctors and this is yet another thing that validates what I think. Why didn’t the doctor connect the symptom with a medication he just put me on a couple of weeks ago? Too concerned about dollars and getting me out the door, I suspect. If I can make the connection reading just one article which states that this is a common side-effect, why couldn’t he? He’s the one with the degree and the experience!

I’ve long believed that despite what some doctors think – that they don’t want us doing any research on the internet – we truly need to. As long as it’s done in an intelligent way and from a very trusted source. We need to be very sure of our facts before we go running to a doctor. Something as obvious as the ACE inhibitor thing, shouldn’t have needed any research, but the state of our medical system and the apathy and dismissiveness of some doctors, actually requires it! And we pay handsomely for the privelege of seeng a doctor for the 10 or 15 mintues we’re allowed.

Pity!