Well, April comes to an end. This month has flown by with little time to breath. It's put my trip up North only 3 weeks away. And, it's made my life a little crazy.
I am currently working hard to get my health under control. I'm working with fit4d.com and the wonderful team they put together for me. I feel like I've not given it my 100%, but I am working harder than I ever have before. All of my coaches have been so helpful and I've already noticed a change in my eating habits and my willingness to exercise. These are both things I needed to work on.
I've also been a busy little bee on Twitter and Facebook. Facebook is very new to me right now, and I've not been tweeting much longer than I've been on Facebook. There are so many of you in the D community on my Twitter and Facebook pages that I chat all day long about D and my life. So it's almost like I don't have anything to post about here.
I didn't, however, want to let April roll into May without at least one more post. Below is my latest creation (Twitter followers and Facebook friends have probably already seen this!). I do'nt watch StarWars, but I'm told this is a Stormtrooper. :) It was for a 6 year old who LOVES his Stormtroopers.
Next up.....
A musical cake to celebrate the end of the community choir season. (Did I mention I'd joined community choir in my town?). We have our spring performance on Sunday and afterwards a dinner. Then no more choir practice until the fall.
Instead, I'm going to try to learn to play an instrument. We'll see how that goes....
D-OC, some of you already know that I have a trip planned for May. I am heading to the DC area to stay with a friend of mine for several days over Memorial Day weekend and for a couple of days I am going on to NYC.
I already have been in touch with some of you about getting together in both NY and DC. Those of you whom I may have missed, or that I may not be sure how close you are to either place, I am letting you know I will be around. I'd LOVE to meet up with a few (or a LOT) of you.
As you will quickly find out if you spend any amount of time with me, I LOVE New York City. I've been 3 times and each time, I want to go back again. Due to the distance from Tennessee, and the shear cost of a trip (hotel, plane tickets, food, entertainment), I don't get to go very often. New York and my obsession with theater go hand in hand.
So, I figured a trip to NY would be perfect. Allison is there, and there are many other D-bloggers who live in the area and often write about going into the City.
So, basic plans have been made. And if you are going to be in the NY or DC area from May 22-May 27, please let me know and I'll see if we can't get together to meet.
This is a picture from my second trip to NY and my first ever NY subway ride. :) The first trip, I was with a tour and we just took a bus. I have to say, there's no where in the world like NY.
Sometimes I feel like I know you bloggers as well as I know my "real-life" friends. We share so much of ourselves on a regular basis. We support each other, encourage each other, and laugh at each other. We keep each other grounded and challenge each other in so many ways. However, it doesn't escape me that we don't really know each other in some small, silly, trivial ways. And sometimes I feel like I want to get to know you guys even more. So I came up with a challenge for you. While I was at work this afternoon, I was listening to my mp3 player. I set it on random so I could get a little bit of everything I like. And then I had to laugh at myself for the complete randomness of my music. So I started writing down what I was hearing. Anytime a song would change, I'd jot it down. After 24 songs, it was time for me to go home. And time to post my list on my blog. I believe that you can really get a feel for a person by the types of music they listen to. So below is my list. And I challenge all of you bloggers to compose a list of your own and post it. And let me know you've done it so I can get to know you too!
So, as you can see, there's a LOT of country, some 80s rock, Broadway musicals, rock, and pop. I tend to be a very mixed person, just like my mp3 player.
My weekend was pretty crazy. I had a million things to do and ended up not getting half of them done. It can be that was a lot of times for me, but this weekend was especially busy!
I had a cake to make for a friend on Saturday. It was a birthday cake for 2 guys. One guy was a children's church director, the other a music director, and they both were musically inclined. What I came up with:
Then, my beautiful kid sister turned 13 on Sunday. My mom and I took her and a friend out of town to eat and to buy her birthday present on Saturday afternoon. Then, on Sunday after church, my sis came home with me and we just hung out. I even let her make cupcakes. She did it all herself. The only thing I helped with was putting the icing in the bag for her. I thought she did a pretty good job!
I have to say, I love that kid more than life itself. There are 14 years and 11 months between us, and I missed many of her younger years because I was away at college. I'm glad I get to be closer to her now. She and I are as opposite as you can get, but I can't imagine life without her.
Sunday was also the birthday of one of my closest friends. We rarely get to see each other anymore, and it's especially hard on her birthday (cause I'm always with my sister), but I'm hoping to get to take her out to dinner later this week. Our schedules are crazy, so I'm crossing my fingers that nothing comes up!
Not a single diabetes related thing here....just a quick catch up on my life at this time. I hope you aren't too disappointed in the content. :)
He is not here for He has risen as He said. Matthew 28:6a
I pray you all had a blessed and wonderful Easter.
I have not been blogging of late, but I intend on blogging more often. It's just going to be in a more general sense. Sometime it will be about diabetes. Other times, it may be about church. Or life. Or whatever my current situation is.
Basically, I'm running out of stuff to write about. Diabetes is 24 hours a day, but it's not always the most important thing going on in my life. So don't be surprised if you get some completely random posts.
Currently, I am adding pictures of a cake I did recently for my grandmother's birthday. She liked it. I was pretty proud of it myself. And I hope you guys enjoy it.
On Saturday I traveled to Nashville to meet with the Adult Type 1 Diabetics group for the second time. We meet, had lunch, and just generally chatted about life and diabetes. It's nice to meet people who understand. And to spend time in a group of people that it's weird NOT to beep. :) We were beeping and booping all over the place. So funny. And so normal for us. After leaving the group, I decided to go shopping for my sister's birthday present. She is turning 13 this month, and I had an idea of what I wanted to get for her. I am not terribly familiar with Nashville, though I can get around if need be. I was coming into the mall backwards from the way I normally come. As I was getting ready to get on the exit, I was double checking signs when I should have been looking in front of me and I didn't hit my breaks in time. Basically, I rear-ended a guy. :( His car had very little damage and neither of us was hurt. My car, however, bit the dust. It was toast. So, in addition to feeling like a total looser, being two hours from home, and having caused an accident....I was without a car. Paid off car = bye, bye. Car payment = hello. On the plus side, the guy I hit was super nice and very calm about the whole thing. I was so thankful for that, since I was such a mess. Also, the new car I got is much nicer and is built much better than my old car. So, other than an increase in insurance premiums (which I'm sure will come soon), and a car payment (MUCH cheaper than I thought it would be), I came out pretty good. Lesson learned: forget about it being the correct exit. Just get off. You can always get back on the highway later. That the good and the bad...now for the ugly. I've been fighting low blood sugars for day. Extremely low. The kind that makes you sweat, shake, and think you are going to pass out. I hate it. Because not only do I feel like I'm going to keel over at any minute, it's also a feeling that hangs around so long after the low is gone, that I am over treating myself. Example: Last night about 5 pm, I was 78 and dropping. Drank a 15 g juice box. At 6:30, I was 68. Ate dinner. Waited 40 minutes to bolus. At 8:00, 58. Ate some food (by this time, I was out of juice boxes and had no car to drive). At 8:30 I was 47. Called my mom to come bring me juice. And a car. Drank somewhere around 20 ounces of juice (darn panic drinking!) due to shaky, sweaty, and fear of passing out. By 11:30 I was 302. :( This morning woke up 204. Corrected. By 8:00 I was 47. Ate breakfast and had juice. Waited to bolus. By 9:00 I was 238. Was 99 at lunch. 78 at 4:30. 66 at 6:30. Ate about 15 grams of carbs. Was 238 at 9:30. So, as you can see, it's a constant roller coaster. And it's driving me up the wall. Any suggestions? I have a new bottle of insulin in my pump (started this morning), so I know it's not that. I think it might be stress. But I'm not sure. I'm giving it 2 more days and then I'm calling the doctor.
So as you can see, it's been totally crazy in my life since Saturday. I'm hoping this weekend calms down some. Wish me luck with that!
Okay people. Don't get too excited. It's not my contest. But it is a contest that I am letting everyone know about cause I think it's such a cool prize. Rickina, who founded and runs Stick Me Designs, makers of "stylish accessories for the modern diabetic", has a contest posted on her BLOG. :) The prize ROCKS! Basically, all you have to do is go on her blog and nominate yourself or someone else and she is going to pick a winner April 3rd. The prize pack is as follows:
If you check out her website, these seem like some really cool items to have. I don't have one yet, since the budget doesn't really afford it right now, but they are on my "to get" listed. I'm just not sure how long it will take me to get to them. :)
In fact, I am also a StickMe Sidekick. So even if you don't win, and you decide to buy one of the items on her site, you can use my code (found on the right side of my blog) and help me earn credit toward a bag for myself and earn a discount for yourself.
So, put on your thinking caps, get creative and nominate someone! Yourself, someone you think is deserving, or even me! :D
I just have to say I've been dealing with a lot of things of late. Personally trying to decide what the next steps in my life should be. I've been blessed this weekend with a wonderful chance to spend time with members of my church family and had a true one-on-one encounter with God. As I've been searching for a direction in my life, I found myself coming up empty. No answers. Unsure of the questions. But this weekend I got an answer: Just wait on Me.
Patience has never been one of my strong points, but I am learning that He has a plan for me. And that God will not shove me into my destiny when I'm not ready for it.
On that note, I have to say that I am beginning to be re-inspired in my blogging. I have a few ideas floating around in my head and I've been trying to decide which on to post first! :)
I thank you all so much for being so kind to me and supportive of me. You are true gifts from God in my life.
Also, I just found out that Mary Tyler Moore has a book coming out at the end of the month. The title: Growing Up Again: Life, Love, and Oh Yeah, Diabetes. You have to love a title like that, right? The following is the back cover of the book (according to Amazon). I can already tell you that I will own this book. Maybe not right away (I'm kind of broke at the moment due to funding a trip I will share about with you guys later), but soon.
Each person who has diabetes struggles to come to terms with it and experiences the basic challenges of the disease in a uniquely personal way. For me, it has been a trip through rebellion and denial to finally arriving at acknowledgment and commitment to solutions. It took years. And I still rankle at the restrictions, the have-tos, the may-nots, and the never-endingness of it. But the illness is what it is, and I thank God for the genius of medical researchers who have done so much to make diabetes a less cruel imposition while propelling us toward a cure.I don’t think the story of my life with diabetes is a model for anyone else. There’s no template to follow that will determine the course of the disease and how it affects a person’s life; no one right way to manage diabetes. What I have put on paper is simply the tale of how, in the course of everyday living—dealing with the losses, the dead ends, and the triumphs that come in often seemingly random order—I’ve dodged, faced, and sometimes conquered the challenges of diabetes. I’m sharing my story because it is what I have to give, shedding some light on the follies and achievements that I’ve racked up in my daily confrontation with the disease.But my journey is just a part of the picture. So I’ve talked with other people who have diabetes to give voice to their experiences, to provide a varied view of how to live and thrive. And I’ve sought out some of the wisest and most capable doctors and scientists who are waging war in the laboratory and conducting bench-to-bedside experiments that are producing new and exciting treatments to help the millions of people with diabetes manage—and ultimately vanquish—the disease.
I've been intrigued with Mary Tyler Moore since I found out she had diabetes. I always try to find out more about people that share this disease with me. But other than hearing her speak about it a few times, I didn't really know how she dealt with it. I have a feeling this book will tell me. My favorite part in this excerpt is the part that says, "There’s no template to follow that will determine the course of the disease and how it affects a person’s life; no one right way to manage diabetes." I'm glad that someone can acknowledge this fact.
When it comes to dealing with diabetes, it always seems that someone has the answer. But only someone with diabetes can know the truth: there is no answer. There's just living life with diabetes.
I've been doing a lot of diabetes stuff of late. I've met a blogger (which I thoroughly enjoyed), I attended an Adult Type 1 group in Nashville. I started a Twitter account, of which 90% of my contacts are diabetics or related to the OC in some way. But this blogging thing is just kind of been sitting here. I find that I don't have a lot to write about. And I certainly don't want to bore you with tales of my highs and lows if I don't have some sort of a point. :) I don't really want to say that diabetes has taken a back seat in my life, because, as we all know, it's always here. But I am focusing my creativity on some other things right now. So writing for this blog has kind of taken a back seat. I contemplated doing a vlog, but I don't have a camera, can't really afford one, and if I did I wouldn't begin to know where to start with the whole vlog thing anyway. I'm almost feeling at a loss when it comes to the whole blogging thing. I'm sure I could put up a new Meme a couple of times a week, but beyond that, I don't really have anything to write about. I'm hoping you'll all be patient with me while I try to get my mind back into diabetes blogging. Until then, I'll be on Twitter and commenting on blogs when I get a chance. You guys are fantastic!
I got this from Lee Ann. I love her's, so I thought I'd do my own.
Three names I go by: 1. Sis or Sissy 2. Cara Belle (co-worker started calling me this and it stuck. Her 5 year old doesn't know who Cara is....but he can tell you exactly who Cara Belle is!) 3. Drama Queen. :P
Three Jobs I have had in my life 1. Teaching 2nd Grade 2. Deli worker in a grocery store 3. Working in the wearhouse of a shirt factory when I was 16.
Three Places I have lived 1. I've never lived anywhere but the state of Tennessee, although I have lived in a few places in TN. Never more than a 60 mile radius from where I live now.
Three Favorite drinks 1. Diet Pepsi 2. Unsweet Tea (with artificial sweetener. I live in the South! It'd be sweet tea if it weren't for stupid diabetes) 3. Water
Three TV Shows that I watch 1. Bones (greatest show EVER!) 2. American Idol 3. Biggest Loser
Three places I have been 1. New York City 2. Idaho (met my biological family when I was 18) 3. San Antonio
People that e-mail me regularly 1. Amanda 2. Rachel 3. My co-workers Three of my favorite foods 1. Chinese 2. Mexican 3. Cheese. Of any kind.
Three friends I think will respond 1. I have no idea 2. I have no idea 3. Please tell me if you do.
Three Things I am looking forward to 1. A trip I'm taking in a couple of weeks. 2. A trip I'm taking in May. 3. Getting a teaching job.
You'd think I'd have figured out, by now, that sometimes things just don't work out the way we want them too. I really had plans to be posting more often, but it's just not happening. Work has been more stressful in the past two months than the entire time I've been working there (3 years). Between restructuring of our supervisory positions, the governor wanting to cut jobs, and the fact that my job is a job that jumps drastically when the economy is down, I have been over worked, stressed, and feel like all I want to do is sleep when I get home. Case in point, I got home at 7pm tonight. I am supposed to get home at 4:30. But, I'm getting back to a better place now. In spite of the fact that I have been working long hours, I feel like things are starting to flow again. And that's nice. I have been busy, but not so much that I can't still Tweet a little. And try to blog once in a while. And I still read blogs faithfully, even if I don't comment. But just know that when I get myself back where I need to be in regards to work and home life, I will start to blog again. :)
Okay, so I've been pretty much absent from the internet for the past week. I hate that, but I've done little more than check my e-mail. I simply haven't had time and haven't felt well.
I fought a cold all week last week and by Saturday, I thought I had it beat. That is until I woke up Sunday morning feeling like I'd been hit by a truck. And I've pretty much felt that way since. Last night I broke down and asked the pharmacist what I should take. My normal cold meds just weren't cutting it. I've not wanted to go to the doctor since everyone else in my town has strep, or the flu, or the stomach virus. I figured I could tough out a cold. By last night, I was beginning to second guess myself.
Turns out, my pharmacist is a pretty smart guy. He recommended a med to me and within a couple of hours I began to feel much better. For the first time in days, I slept through the night (I could BREATH!!) and woke up feeling like a new person. I still am a little coughy and yucky, but I can deal with it.
Last week, while I was fighting to keep this silly cold away, I was also working on the baby shower cake for a friend of mine. My gift to her, along w/ a baby blanket that I knitted. "Why," you may ask, "did you work on a cake all week long?" Well, if you've ever watched Ace of Cakes, you know it can take FOREVER to do the detailing work. I worked for an hour Tuesday night, two hours on Wednesday and Thursday nights, and Friday night from 5 until 11. I was able to finish it up on Saturday morning in about an hour. Whew! But it was worth it. It went over wonderfully and I was pretty darn proud of myself.
I am constantly trying new things. This was a very new thing to me. And I am always working to get things perfect. While this wasn't perfect, I was proud of my first effort at a design like this.
Anyway, I am hoping that I will be completely recovered by the weekend, since my sister is spending the night with me on Friday and we are heading to Nashville on Saturday morning to shop (her!) and go to a cake show (me!).
Hopefully I will get to post another blog or two as well...
I have not been blogging regularly. Basically, I've had so much stuff going on, that I've not had time. Even tonight, I am putting stuff off, just so I can blog. I miss you guys! And I miss blogging.
So it's catch up time.
1) Two weeks ago, I met with some other adult type 1 diabetics in Nashville. There were 7 of us that showed up to have lunch at a great little restaurant called The Yellow Porch. The food was fantastic. I was the only one who didn't live in the Nashville area (it's about a 2 hour drive for me), but it was nice. And it's probably going to be a monthly thing. I don't know that I can always make the trip, but I can go sometimes. And as you guys know, it's nice to be around others with diabetes.
If anyone is in the Nashville area, let me know and I'll get you the info on our next meeting.
2) I spent an entire week without my sensor on. But MiniMed came through for me. They not only got the approval, instead of waiting on the letter, they agreed to overnight me my sensor order. I should get my new box of sensors tomorrow. And the letter they needed was faxed to them today, after they had already agreed to release my order.
Someday I will get into an entire blog post on how wonderful MiniMed is. I won't do it today, but when I do, expect a short novel. You just don't get customer service like that anymore.
3) I spent last weekend in the D.C. area with my friend and my adorable godson. It was a nice trip. I left on Friday and didn't have to be back until Monday night (gotta love state holidays).
During my trip, we spent waaayyyy too much time eating. No lie. My diet (sorry Biggest Loser gang!) went out the window for the weekend.
4)On Valentine's Day, we got together with some other friends of Amanda's and had dinner at a fantastic restaurant called The Melting Pot. I had never had fondue before, so it was an experience. And the food was amazing! I loved it. Not to mention it gave me an excuse to get all dressed up.
5)Sunday morning I met up with Heidi, fellow blogger, from The D-Log Cabin. :) I love meeting fellow bloggers. It's so fun! We met at a place called Eggspectations and had wonderful omelets and chatted away. I'm going back up in May, so I'm hoping to get together with Heidi again and maybe some other fellow bloggers in the area. It would be fun to get several of us together to have lunch and hang out. Not to mention, so much fun to blog about.
Pretty much the rest of Sunday was spent watching movies, napping, and making cupcakes. :)
6)Monday morning, we headed back to Baltimore (this is where I flew into and out of) early.
The first thing we did when we got there was go stake out Charm City Cakes, home of Duff from Ace of Cakes. We took pictures in front of the building. You can't go in. It's only by appointment. And there is black on all the windows. But it was still pretty cool. I stood in front of Charm City Cakes! **Eeeekkkkkkk!!!!!!**
7)Then there was a restaurant that Amanda wanted to take me to called The Blue Moon Cafe. Since there is no website, I have just linked you to some reviews. Basically, it's a little hole in the wall. Very small, very packed. The wait was around 45 minutes. But when we got in, it was oh so worth it. They make Captain Crunch French Toast. Yup, you read that right. I don't know how they do it, but it is THE most fantastic thing I've ever had in my entire life. Homemade bread, no need for butter or syrup. And also I guesstimated around 110 carbs. I was so full when I left there that I only ate some cheese and crackers for the rest of the day.
Now, folks, I am spending this week working on a baby shower cake/cupcakes, so I have very little time. But I will blog again next week. Really.
On Friday afternoon, on my way to the airport, I got a call from Medtronic saying the insurance did approve my sensor order. I should have my new shipment in a week or so. :) I can deal with that! I am soooo happy. My mother cried when I told her. I would have posted sooner, but had no internet access. I will blog all about my trip in the next couple of days.
Last Saturday I took my sensor off. It was dead and I only had one left. With the whole insurance deal, I didn't know how long it would be until I heard something. So I spent the entire week "bare". I have run all over the board since then. I've had crazy highs and some lows. But none like hit me last night. My mom and sister came over to hang out and help me get ready for my trip I am taking this weekend. While they were hear we ate dinner and I began to work on some Valentine's Day cupcakes I was taking to work today. Suddenly I started feeling a little "off". When I tested I was 31. Three juice boxes, 5 BG tests, cold sweats, and numb lips later, my mother was crying and I was just becoming a normal human again. I never lost consciousness, but looking back on it, I think I probably could have used a trip to the ER. I didn't go. But it would have been quicker than waiting on my own. Since I moved out of my parent's home when I was 18, I haven't lived with them again. That's been nearly 10 years. I don't typically mention my ups and downs of diabetes to my mom. I just don't think of it as that big a deal. It's just part of life. But last night left my mother in tears. And I hate myself for that. I know it's not my fault and that she loves me, but I hate to worry her. She raised me with this disease. She knows the ins and outs. But time tends to mask the evils of this disease. You "forget" over time. Last night's horrible low was a Diabetes 101 updated crash course for my mom. And I hate that she had to deal with it. This, Dear Insurance Company, is why I need coverage for my MiniMed CGMS. Not because it would save my mother some tears, but because it might keep me alive. If they hadn't been here, I don't know what would have happened.
On a plus note, I am back on the sensor. Currently the only one I have left. And I am off for a long weekend to see my friend in the D.C. area. I'll be offline until sometime Monday night. I hope all of you have a fantastic Valentine's Day weekend.
I was tagged by Jill to post six things that make me happy. Here are the rules: Link to the person who has tagged you. Write down six things that make you happy. Post the rules, tag six others and let them know you did it. Then tell the person when your entry is complete.
1. My church. It makes me happy because I love being with other people who love God. I also enjoy my work in the church (teaching 5-6 year olds). It lets me feel like I am doing something good.
2. My family. They are a little weird sometimes. But they are mine, and I love them. They make me smile. The love me when I'm crazy and when I'm not. And they are so supportive of me.
3. My friends. I have so many wonderful friends. I am hard to get to know at first (you guys wouldn't think so, but I really am!), but when I make a friend, you are pretty much stuck with me for life. One of my friends I've known since kindergarten, another since we were 3, 2 since high school, and another 2 since college. And then there are my internet friends! You guys rock. I wouldn't trade you for anything!
4. Music. I'm not talented. I won't be the next American Idol. Or a famous musician. But music moves me. Music of all kinds. I wake up every morning with a song in my head (no kidding!). I'm constantly singing in my car, my apartment, and in my head at work (I don't want to scare the co-workers!). I have a song for every situation. Most songs remind me of a time, or a place, or a person.
5. Cake decorating. Yeah, I know. Weird, right? But it makes me happy. I like being creative and then letting people eat it! :) I am constantly buying stuff to make and decorate cakes. Sadly, I'm not making any money at it, so I am going broke. But it's fun, so I'll suffer.
6. Theater. I could go to a play every single week and be perfectly happy. Sadly, I don't get to go nearly enough. There just isn't the opportunity where I live. When I get the chance, I try to take it though. Including going to see RENT in Washington, D.C. on my birthday this year! I bought myself tickets, even though my birthday is three and a half months away. :)
Okay, now that I've done this wonderful meme, I am going to break all the rules by NOT tagging 6 people. Most of you have already been tagged, but if you haven't, feel free to do this and then let me know, so I can read it. :)
I'm not really sure what to do. I was approved for my CGMS back in February of last year. I didn't have any problems getting approved. It just went through and I was hooked up with in about 6 weeks. I feel so grateful and blessed that was the case for me. MiniMed was essential in my getting approved and they went above and beyond when it came to getting me the information I needed and getting all of the paperwork to my doctors. Since going on CGMS I feel I have much better control. It's been so important to me. In fact, I have discovered that any time I am off of my sensor, my blood sugar goes a little crazy. At one point, I even believe the sensor saved my life by waking me in the night when I had a low. I live alone and nighttime lows were always a worry of mine. Then the hypoglycemic unawareness because a problem in the daytime too. I would be walking around talking and my blood sugar would be in the 30s or 40s. It was a blessing from above to be approved for my CGMS. About a week ago I realized I only had 2 sensors left in my box. I put one in and ordered a new box right away. Usually MiniMed is very quick in getting items to me. This time it was dragging on a little. It began to worry me. I usually take my sensor out after 7 days, but this time I have left it in. I am going to try to get at least another week out of it. I'm not sure how successful I'll be. This afternoon I received a call from MiniMed. Apparently when my insurance company changed their "policy" it was required to get a new letter of medical necessity. They are supposed to be contacting my insurance company today and waiting to hear back from them. At this point, I have no idea how long that is going to be. I have no idea how long I am going to have to go without a sensor. And I'm not even sure if they will approve it. I'm scared.
In true Carly Simon fashion, I have discovered I am vain. More so than I would have thought. And it bothers me.
I got my insulin pump 3 years ago in May. My warranty isn't up on my MiniMed 722 for over a year, but I have been curious about other insulin pumps. When I was offered a pump, the only two that I was shown were the MiniMed and the Animas insulin pumps. And my CDE pretty much told me that the one most people in this area get was the MiniMed.
I did look the information over carefully, and ultimately went with MiniMed because they were within months of releasing their CGMS system. That was of great interest to me and I figured it would be something I would eventually want to try. So, I ended up with the MinMed 722, and later joined the world of CGMS.
I'm happy with my pump. In fact, I don't have any problems with it to speak of. The CGMS is also great. My only complaint with that is the HUGE needle that I can SEE while I insert it (note to MinMed: Make your sensor inserter like the quick set. I don't wanna see the needle!).
More than likely, I will stick with MiniMed when it comes time to get a new pump.
But, after hanging out the the OC for a while, you get curious. There are people with Cozmo pumps, Animus pumps, Omnipods, and people with MiniMed pumps. I wanted to explore the different types of pumps. I wanted to see their features and read up on them.
I started out by visiting each website. Most of them were very informative. And all of them allowed you to request further information be sent to you via snail mail. I filled each of them out.
When I got to the Omnipod site, there was also the option to request a trial "pod". I did this also. I wanted to see the actual size and shape. I wondered how it would work with my clothing.
A trial pod has no insulin & no needle. It's basically just the size and weight of a real pod. When I received it in the mail my first thought was that it was smaller than I thought it would be. I let it sit in my living room for over a week before I finally broke down and put it on.
The instructions state to pick a place that will not be bothered by folds of skin. I already had an infusion site on my stomach and because of my weight (I'm doing the Biggest Loser D-Style...cut me some slack!) I felt like my stomach would not be a good site.
I looked on the website for some tips. Some of the people were wearing it on their leg. That was out for me as most of my jeans are fitted and it would look like I had a growth on the side of my leg (see! Vain I tell you!!). There was another picture with the pod on the back or side of the arm. This was something I thought I could live with. I slapped it on my left arm.
It was a little weird at first. I expected it to be. When I first got my MiniMed, it took some time to get used to.
Day one went by. I caught my arm (or should I say the pod on my arm) on a door frame. Twice. In the same day. And let me tell you, it's not pretty! Also, taking off my clothes, I got the sleeve of my shirt & the strap of my bra caught on the pod at two different times. Sucks. It HURTS!
But, I figured I'd get used to it.
Day two rolled around. I started my day out lazing around my apartment (it is the weekend after all). When I finally decided to get around to doing something, I made the choice to go shopping. I was looking for something to wear and I pulled out a pink tee-shirt that I hadn't worn in a while. When I put it on my heart did a little flutter. I realized you could see the pod. It wasn't like you could see it a little bit; you could see the whole thing.
Suddenly I didn't want to go shopping. I didn't want to leave the house. Because I didn't want anyone to see this large piece of plastic stuck to my arm. I started thinking about the post that Kerri wrote for dLife. And later, the one she wrote on her blog. In both posts, she talks about people staring at her Dexcom sensor on her arm.
Did I want people staring at my arm? No way. But Kerri doesn't want that either. But was I strong enough to put up with the stares? No way. I took a picture of my arm and quickly changed shirts. I was a chicken. I was VAIN.
(Enjoy a little Carly...)
For the most part, people don't realize that I have an insulin pump. It's pretty inconspicuous. My CGMS is very small and I wear it on my thigh, so my pants or skirt always cover it. The pod was impossible to hide unless I had on a long sleeved shirt. And that's what I ended up wearing that day.
After spending all day shopping (and nearly ripping the thing off my arm a couple of times while changing clothes) I came home and took off the pod.
I love the fact that it's not tethered. But all in all, I don't think it would work for me.
The thing that made me the most sad was the fact that I let what some strangers would think about me, effect the way I would treat my diabetes. And it threw me back to feeling like Cara: iRobot.
I miss my friends. They are really awesome and almost none of them live anywhere close to me. But, over Valentine's weekend, I am going to visit a friend in the D.C. area. I won't have much time, but I know there are some fellow bloggers out in that area, so if you want to get together for coffee or whatever, let me know. It might work out and it might not, but I'm always up for meeting fellow bloggers.
BTW, I don't drink coffee. But what else do you "get together' over? I mean really? :D
This is a picture from my second trip to NY and my first ever NY subway ride. :) The first trip, I was with a tour and we just took a bus. I have to say, there's no where in the world like NY.
