One of the best parts about my insulin pump is that it allows me to fine-tune how much insulin I get, and when it is delivered. However, this process involves quite the learning curve. For the next few weeks, I'll be working with my DE (Diabetes Educator) to tweak ratios, doses, etc. A few of my favorite new features of my pump include...
Insulin:Carb Ratio
This number calculates the amount of insulin I receive for each gram of carbohydrates I eat. For example, I can input that I ate 93 g. of carbs tonight with my pizza dinner, and my pump will calculate that it needs to deliver 6.32 units of insulin. This allows me to be very precise with my doses, instead of guessing myself and rounding up to the nearest unit.
Basal Rate
When I was on the MDI program (multiple daily injections, or shots), I gave myself one shot each morning that lasted for 24 hours. This was called my Lantus, or long-acting insulin. Lantus delays the delivery of insulin so that it acts for a full 24 hours. I took Novalog, or a short-acting insulin with each meal. Novalog only works for a few hours, so just long enough to cover meals. However, I still needed Lantus to make sure my blood sugar wouldn't rise overnight or in-between meals.
On the pump, I am only taking Novalog (short-acting) insulin. However, the pump delivers a tiny amount of insulin every hour (just like my pancreas should) in order to keep my blood sugar from rising on its own, without food. This is really neat, because I'm able to tell it to deliver different basal rates at different times of the day. For instance, I know my blood sugar is always high around 9 am, so an hour early, my pump will squirt out a little extra insulin. I can also tell my pump that I'll be doing Zumba tonight, so it should slow down the insulin then. When I was taking Lantus, I would have to pay attention to these random factors and do things like eat M&Ms during Zumba to keep my blood sugar from dropping. Now my pump is a Zumba master! How neat is this?
Self-Insertion
Each pod is wirelessly connected to my PDM (Personal Diabetes Manager), or the handheld device that controls my insulin. The Omnipod is the only insulin pump without tubing connected to my body 24/7. This means that I am able to shower, swim, or participate in activities without having to "disconnect" my pump. However, I do need to replace the pod every three days.
When it's time to connect to a new pod, my PDM tells me exactly what to do. First, I tell my PDM that I'm connecting, and it wirelessly searches for pods within 2 feet. When it finds my pod, it does this weird connecting thing where the pod and the PDM beep and shake a little bit. When the alien moves are done, I'm able to use a vial and syringe to fill my pod with insulin (the insulin stays on my pod, or on my body, all the time). Once my pod is full, I stick it to myself. I can put it on my arm, buttocks, stomach, leg, or myriad other locations. After placing the pod on my body, I tell the PDM that I'm ready to go! It inserts a permanent plastic cannula (little tube) 6.5 mm into my body at a 45 degree angle. This cannula stays in my arm to deliver insulin over the next three days. It's pretty slick, and only feels like a little snap of a rubber band on my arm.
I LOVE that I only give myself a shot every three days, as opposed to five or six a day!
Corrections
When I'm setting my pump, I can let it know my target blood sugar range. For instance, I entered the following ranges as target blood sugars:
7:00am-4:00pm: 90-130
4:00am-9:00pm: 80-120
9:00pm-7:00am: 90-130
My pump tries to get me within these ranges whenever possible. If I test my blood sugar and it is 100, my pump will either suggest I do nothing, or it will give me insulin if I'm eating. If my blood sugar is 65, my pump will remind me to eat some sugar! If my blood sugar is 180, my pump will give me a little bit of insulin to bring me back into my goal range.
The amount of insulin my pump gives me is called a bolus, or a correction. My DE figured out that for every unit of insulin I take on an empty stomach, my blood sugar will drop 90 points. So if my blood sugar is 180, I will take a unit of insulin, and I will drop to 90 (a much more reasonable number). What a helpful device!
I will be sure to update you as I learn more about this pump and the whole new system. Meanwhile, wish me luck - I'm pretty pumped! ;)
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
Whew, what a month!
I have happily moved to my new house, just a block and a half away from my old rental house. I was blessed with the support of friends last Wednesday, when I had ten friends come help me move. They showed up around 5:30 PM with smiles, pizza, and cleaning supplies. What troopers! Highlights of the night included moving my giant plant, selling my couch on Craigslist, and completing the move by 8:30 PM. However, my house was such a mess by this time, that I had to stay with a friend. My bed was in the living room, couch in the kitchen, and boxes up the wazoo! Here are three pictures for you to enjoy.
1. Living room three weeks before I moved in!
2. Living room the night I moved in!
3. Living room five days after I moved in!
So, I guess the move was a success! I guess?
I was blessed with a three-day weekend. I spent Friday night with Eric's family, playing lots of cribbage. On Saturday, we went into town to run errands, including picking up exciting things for my house (like a shelf for the bathroom and a dish rack). The Brainerd Jaycees were hosting a fishing tournament with 10,000 contestants, so town was nuts, yikes! On Sunday, I didn't get out of bed until 1:30 PM, and enjoyed watching Enemy of the State in bed. Today was a busy day. I paid bills, worked at school for a few hours, finished cleaning my house, met with my landlord, filed the claim for my car, talked with my Omnipod representative, made a pheasant in the slow cooker (weird), installed curtain rods, and did my lesson plans for the week. Whew!
I have happily moved to my new house, just a block and a half away from my old rental house. I was blessed with the support of friends last Wednesday, when I had ten friends come help me move. They showed up around 5:30 PM with smiles, pizza, and cleaning supplies. What troopers! Highlights of the night included moving my giant plant, selling my couch on Craigslist, and completing the move by 8:30 PM. However, my house was such a mess by this time, that I had to stay with a friend. My bed was in the living room, couch in the kitchen, and boxes up the wazoo! Here are three pictures for you to enjoy.
1. Living room three weeks before I moved in!
2. Living room the night I moved in!
3. Living room five days after I moved in!
So, I guess the move was a success! I guess?
I was blessed with a three-day weekend. I spent Friday night with Eric's family, playing lots of cribbage. On Saturday, we went into town to run errands, including picking up exciting things for my house (like a shelf for the bathroom and a dish rack). The Brainerd Jaycees were hosting a fishing tournament with 10,000 contestants, so town was nuts, yikes! On Sunday, I didn't get out of bed until 1:30 PM, and enjoyed watching Enemy of the State in bed. Today was a busy day. I paid bills, worked at school for a few hours, finished cleaning my house, met with my landlord, filed the claim for my car, talked with my Omnipod representative, made a pheasant in the slow cooker (weird), installed curtain rods, and did my lesson plans for the week. Whew!
Friday, January 11, 2013
Back to Reality
Last time I blogged, it was December, 2011. Whoops. I have some updates for you!
Hit and Run
Whew, my car was hit in the grocery store parking lot two weeks ago. I have an irritating 10" dent on my driver's side door, but it's nothing imminent. However, the repair cost is $600.00 for a crummy repair, or $1400.00 to replace the door panel, a more permanent fix. I pay the $500.00 deductible, and insurance will pay the rest. Unless, I could still decide not to submit a claim, and just pay it myself. If I submit a claim, I'm risking my insurance rates going up in the next year. If I repair it for $600.00, I'm risking decreasing the value of my car for a future trade-in. How fun is this?
New House
My rental house sold in December, so in two days, I'm moving to a new rental house just a block and a half away. I'm so blessed by how well everything is working out - my new landlord is my old neighbor, and the pastor at a church in town. My new house will have a spiral staircase, a dishwasher, new floors, recently repaired drywall, and all sorts of surprises! It has a cute entry way, a bigger kitchen, a nice living room, a tiny bedroom, and an ancient bathroom. The upstairs is a tiny A-frame loft, barely big enough for me to stand up in. It will work perfectly for a cute sewing area, where I don't need to worry about keeping the space impeccable! I will also be blessed with two porches, a garage, and similar rent to what I'm paying now. My friends will be helping me move boxes in two days, and in four days, I'll be completely moved into my new home! Pictures and updates to come...
Omnipod
My Omnipod insulin pump is arriving in the mail today! Omnipod is the only insulin pump without tubing, so it involves a little pod that I can wear on my arm or stomach, and a handheld device to control my insulin intake. The PDM can wirelessly deliver insulin, calculate my doses, and store information like blood sugars, carbohydrates, etc. A pump will help me to have quite a bit more freedom - I won't have to be awake at 9:00 PM and 9:00 AM to deliver insulin, I will be able to "snack" during the day, and I won't have to give myself shots in public. I'll be able to exercise whenever I want, more quickly control lows and highs, and wear dresses without concern. I will never need to disconnect the pod while showering or swimming, but I will change the infusion set every three days. This is not a permanent deal, and it does not stop me from checking my blood sugar 4-6 times per day. However, I can't wait to give myself one shot every three days, rather than the FIVE shots I give myself each day now! I couldn't be more ecstatic to receive my Omnipod today, and to have it set up within the next month. What a blessing.
Wisdom Teeth
I got my wisdom teeth out two days after Christmas, and what a whir! I was unable to have anesthesia because of some funny miscommunication with my doctor about my insulin. So, I told him, "If I don't have my surgery today, I'm walking out of the clinic and you will never see me again. It's a miracle you got me here in the first place." So, I was awake for my surgery! I had twelve Novocaine shots and lots of laughing gas. It was a miserable sixteen minutes during which I was shaking, sobbing, and the nurses kept asking me if I was going to make it, or if they'd have to stop. Yikes! I'm sure the surgeon probably went home and told his wife all about the sad little girl they had to operate on. Anyway, I was blessed to have very few post-op concerns. I was really nauseous that afternoon, but I was blessed to be able to walk out of the operating room feeling fine since I didn't have anesthesia. My biggest concern was a few days later when I was eating dinner and found three pieces of rice stuck in a tooth socket. YUCK. Glad I had a quick recovery!
Thanks for reading, hopefully pictures of my new house and my Omnipod pump system will come soon. :)
Hit and Run
Whew, my car was hit in the grocery store parking lot two weeks ago. I have an irritating 10" dent on my driver's side door, but it's nothing imminent. However, the repair cost is $600.00 for a crummy repair, or $1400.00 to replace the door panel, a more permanent fix. I pay the $500.00 deductible, and insurance will pay the rest. Unless, I could still decide not to submit a claim, and just pay it myself. If I submit a claim, I'm risking my insurance rates going up in the next year. If I repair it for $600.00, I'm risking decreasing the value of my car for a future trade-in. How fun is this?
New House
My rental house sold in December, so in two days, I'm moving to a new rental house just a block and a half away. I'm so blessed by how well everything is working out - my new landlord is my old neighbor, and the pastor at a church in town. My new house will have a spiral staircase, a dishwasher, new floors, recently repaired drywall, and all sorts of surprises! It has a cute entry way, a bigger kitchen, a nice living room, a tiny bedroom, and an ancient bathroom. The upstairs is a tiny A-frame loft, barely big enough for me to stand up in. It will work perfectly for a cute sewing area, where I don't need to worry about keeping the space impeccable! I will also be blessed with two porches, a garage, and similar rent to what I'm paying now. My friends will be helping me move boxes in two days, and in four days, I'll be completely moved into my new home! Pictures and updates to come...
Omnipod
My Omnipod insulin pump is arriving in the mail today! Omnipod is the only insulin pump without tubing, so it involves a little pod that I can wear on my arm or stomach, and a handheld device to control my insulin intake. The PDM can wirelessly deliver insulin, calculate my doses, and store information like blood sugars, carbohydrates, etc. A pump will help me to have quite a bit more freedom - I won't have to be awake at 9:00 PM and 9:00 AM to deliver insulin, I will be able to "snack" during the day, and I won't have to give myself shots in public. I'll be able to exercise whenever I want, more quickly control lows and highs, and wear dresses without concern. I will never need to disconnect the pod while showering or swimming, but I will change the infusion set every three days. This is not a permanent deal, and it does not stop me from checking my blood sugar 4-6 times per day. However, I can't wait to give myself one shot every three days, rather than the FIVE shots I give myself each day now! I couldn't be more ecstatic to receive my Omnipod today, and to have it set up within the next month. What a blessing.
Wisdom Teeth
I got my wisdom teeth out two days after Christmas, and what a whir! I was unable to have anesthesia because of some funny miscommunication with my doctor about my insulin. So, I told him, "If I don't have my surgery today, I'm walking out of the clinic and you will never see me again. It's a miracle you got me here in the first place." So, I was awake for my surgery! I had twelve Novocaine shots and lots of laughing gas. It was a miserable sixteen minutes during which I was shaking, sobbing, and the nurses kept asking me if I was going to make it, or if they'd have to stop. Yikes! I'm sure the surgeon probably went home and told his wife all about the sad little girl they had to operate on. Anyway, I was blessed to have very few post-op concerns. I was really nauseous that afternoon, but I was blessed to be able to walk out of the operating room feeling fine since I didn't have anesthesia. My biggest concern was a few days later when I was eating dinner and found three pieces of rice stuck in a tooth socket. YUCK. Glad I had a quick recovery!
Thanks for reading, hopefully pictures of my new house and my Omnipod pump system will come soon. :)
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