*This post is my June entry in the DSMA Blog Carnival. If you’d like to participate too, you can get all of the information at http://diabetessocmed.com/2013/june-dsma-blog-carnival-3/ The prompt reads, "We’d like to know: How do you select the diabetes devices you use? To others looking into new or replacement devices, what would be your best advice to someone shopping around?"
My daughter was 2 when we chose her first insulin pump. She was tiny, and she needed tiny doses of insulin.
Our endocrinology team had brand of pump they were most familiar with, but encouraged us to do our own research and to come back to discuss. I ordered brochures from all the major pump companies. Side note: that's a very old-fashioned sounding sentence and makes me realize how much the world has changed in 10 years. There was precious little online research involved in this decision.
I spoke with people in the support group I was attending at the time. I compared all of the information I got with my daughter's needs and my own concerns. I went back and discussed our options with our diabetes team. I concluded that size does, indeed, matter.
Size of dosing mattered most, and at the time Animas was the only pump which could deliver basal increments of .025 units. In such a tiny person, the flexibility of really fine-tuning those basal rates seemed important. Indeed it was. For the first year or so on the pump she had an overnight basal of .025 units for a couple of hours every night.
The size of the pump mattered too. I needed to be able to tuck it away. No matter which brand we chose, a pump pack would be its home. Yet even a half an inch would make a difference in how much it showed, and how it fit under a shirt, dress or overalls. Animas was best in this category too, being the smallest option on the market at the time.
Other positives came up in my research, including good customer service, good initial training, and forward thinking product development. There was no difference in insurance coverage. The only downside was that this was not the pump our diabetes team was most familiar with. Yet they were all for the tiny doses and tiny size of the Animas pump and agreed it was a good fit for our daughter. We've been quite happy with it ever since.
So what advice would I give other diabetes device shoppers, the prompt asks? Gather information from as many sources as you can, while considering your own unique needs. Recognize that your diabetes team's suggestions are based on experience. That can be helpful, but could also mean they're suggesting primarily those products they're most familiar and comfortable with. Ultimately, the product will be yours, worn on your body, or carried everywhere in your bag. It needs to have the features you consider the most important for you.
Showing posts with label pump. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pump. Show all posts
Memories of a Wedding
Today we’re going to share our most memorable diabetes day. You can take this anywhere.... your or your loved one's diagnosis, a bad low, a bad high, a big success, any day that you’d like to share.
'Most' memorable day would still be diagnosis, but that's already been covered here, so I've chosen another of many memorable diabetes moments:
My sister-in-law's wedding day was memorable for many reasons. It was a gorgeous fall day. The cememony was held outdoors in the gazebo on a quaint New England town green. My husband and I were both in the bridal party. My daughter was about to turn three, and looked adorable wearing a wrist corsage especially chosen by the bride.
What makes this a memorable diabetes day is that my daughter started pumping insulin just days before the wedding.
Until she started pumping, we were giving my daughter shots of NPH insulin twice a day and covering her biggest meals with shots of humalog. There was therefore no wiggle room in a very tight schedule. If she didn't eat snacks when the NPH peaked, she'd experience low blood sugars. If she ate more carbs than 'prescribed,' her blood sugar would be high. This highly regulated eating routine made every day difficult, but made special occasions a nightmare.
Imagine, if you will, bringing a 2 year old to a party where snacks are out on a table. People are eating crackers, grapes, cookies and mini hot dogs. Your child may have 8 grams of carbohydrates at exactly 3 p.m., and nothing else to eat until 'dinner time' at 6. We had lived this scenario for nearly two years. This wedding day brought into focus how significantly our lives had just changed with a new pump tucked neatly under that little party dress.
Allowing my daughter to eat a couple of ritz crackers while we waited for our turn with the photographer was life-changing and no, I'm not using that term loosely.
The main meal was served at 1:30 p.m., which just a week before would have required us to pack a separate lunch for noon. We then would have spent our mealitme distracting her from the fact that everyone else was eating and all she got was a glass of crystal-light and some celery sticks.
When her aunt and new uncle cut their cake at 4 p.m., she was first in line for a slice and I calculated my first SWAG bolus.
That October day represented new beginnings. It was the start of a new and happy life for my sister-in-law and her husband. It was also the start of a slightly simpler life for our family; one in which we could participate in social events without the anxiety and discomfort our previous diabetes routine entailed.
Bits and Pieces 3
It's another in an occasional series of posts collating and commenting upon some interesting (at least to me) diabetes links:
Animas has submitted for FDA approval for their Animas Vibe for use in the U.S. The news is summarized here on Diabetes Mine. This product sends data from the Dexcom G4 continuous glucose monitoring sensor directly to the insulin pump, eliminating the need to carry an additonal receiver. Also notable in the article is that Dexcom has submitted for FDA approval for pediatric use of their G4 product, hopefully greatly reducing the red tape families must currently weed through in order to obtain it for their children under 18.
While our family loves to travel and see new things, the airport experience has often left much to be desired. If you haven't done so, please take a moment to sign this petition to standardize TSA screenings for diabetic persons using wearable self-monitoring medical equipment. A look back at a couple of our family's airport experiences can be found here.
It was fascinating to follow Anna Floreen's experiences wearing a Bionic Pancreas. There are seven pieces up on Glu, the first of which is linked here. I'm a realist. I know that the research process moves slowly and that the FDA approval process for even the simplest of things is grueling. Yet reading about someone out in the world wearing equipment which eliminated her need to actively manage her diabetes gave me great hope. One of many take-aways for me was that while this technology will not constitute a cure for diabetes, it will be life changing. Yes, there will still be physical baggage of sites and technology to carry around. Yet the mental baggage will be so much reduced it made me wonder what fascinating things I would think about should technology take over so much of the diabetes drudgery.
Some of these developments seem, perhaps, more significant than others. Yet the bionic pancreas won't be completely anxiety-free if we can't get it through airport security without a fight or a panic attack.
Location, Location, Location
Since my daughter started pumping insulin 8 years ago, we've used the same territory for her pump sites. It was chosen when she was 3, because for her it was out of sight, and less tempting to mess with. Now, to her, it's just where her site goes. The endocrinologist agrees this general vicinity may be best, since she's on the thin side and some of the other possible spots (belly, arm) 'don't have much meat on them.' Yet he's offered ideas for expansion.
Sites could be put lower or higher, over to the hip, or down to the thigh. In the past this suggestion has been more theoretical. We weren't seeing blood sugar issues, or scar tissue, or infections. It's something we'd try once in a blue moon when she was feeling very brave and I was feeling very patient.
I'm thinking we're now going to have to get more brave and more patient. Failed sites used to be scarce around here. Yet recently, there have been a few stubborn highs which have quickly resolved themselves with a new site. Nobody here is going to be happy about the change. My daughter is familiar with how the sites feel going into her favorite spots, and how they feel under her clothes. I've become confident inserting the sites in these locations too. Those new angles and new topographies make me nervous.
So how do we move forward with this?
I started here, writing about it, to sell the idea to myself. I need to be positive and convinced it's what we have to do. Then I need to sell it to my daughter. What route to choose?
There's the laying out the facts route: You're having high blood sugars. They're not healthy. We need to try some new spots and see if that helps. You know - the ones the doctor always suggests as alternatives? When he talks about scar tissue? We need to start using them.
There's the buy-in route: We have to chose some new spots. I will allow you to choose what new spots. I will make sure we have plenty of time for each site change so that you can take your time choosing, and so that there is no hurry to insert it before you feel ready.
Lastly, there's the reward route: Currently, she gets a 'prize' for every 3 site changes without excessive drama. Perhaps now there's something in it for her every site successfully inserted in a new spot. Or maybe a bigger reward for a week or two of success. Or both.
It will need to be a combination of all three, I'm sure. She needs to know why: the facts part. She needs to have some control over the situation. Getting to choose which fresh spot gets the jab seems like the least I can offer. Upping the ante on the reward part will hopefully be the bit that closes the deal. I'll stock up on tic-tacs and hair accessories to be doled out for each success, and probably throw in a mother-daughter frozen yogurt outing if (when) we make it through 3 or 4 rounds of this. I'll deserve a reward too, after all.
Sites could be put lower or higher, over to the hip, or down to the thigh. In the past this suggestion has been more theoretical. We weren't seeing blood sugar issues, or scar tissue, or infections. It's something we'd try once in a blue moon when she was feeling very brave and I was feeling very patient.
I'm thinking we're now going to have to get more brave and more patient. Failed sites used to be scarce around here. Yet recently, there have been a few stubborn highs which have quickly resolved themselves with a new site. Nobody here is going to be happy about the change. My daughter is familiar with how the sites feel going into her favorite spots, and how they feel under her clothes. I've become confident inserting the sites in these locations too. Those new angles and new topographies make me nervous.
So how do we move forward with this?
I started here, writing about it, to sell the idea to myself. I need to be positive and convinced it's what we have to do. Then I need to sell it to my daughter. What route to choose?
There's the laying out the facts route: You're having high blood sugars. They're not healthy. We need to try some new spots and see if that helps. You know - the ones the doctor always suggests as alternatives? When he talks about scar tissue? We need to start using them.
There's the buy-in route: We have to chose some new spots. I will allow you to choose what new spots. I will make sure we have plenty of time for each site change so that you can take your time choosing, and so that there is no hurry to insert it before you feel ready.
Lastly, there's the reward route: Currently, she gets a 'prize' for every 3 site changes without excessive drama. Perhaps now there's something in it for her every site successfully inserted in a new spot. Or maybe a bigger reward for a week or two of success. Or both.
It will need to be a combination of all three, I'm sure. She needs to know why: the facts part. She needs to have some control over the situation. Getting to choose which fresh spot gets the jab seems like the least I can offer. Upping the ante on the reward part will hopefully be the bit that closes the deal. I'll stock up on tic-tacs and hair accessories to be doled out for each success, and probably throw in a mother-daughter frozen yogurt outing if (when) we make it through 3 or 4 rounds of this. I'll deserve a reward too, after all.
It's Green!
The waranty had expired and it was time to get a new pump. Sticking with our previous make and model was an easy decision. Both the features and the service we've gotten with Animas have been outstanding. The tough choice was the color. The last one was pink. Pink again? Silver? Black? Blue? In light of the lack of purple or orange, the choice was easy:
Technology
Our family entered the modern age last week.
Diabetes technology we're familiar with. I truly don't know how we survived before the remote control/meter for my daughter's pump.
Other technological advances have come more slowly though. Maybe we're a bit old fashioned. Maybe we're somewhat frugal. But finally the time had come.
First we got my daughter a cell phone. I tried, hopefully not in vain, to impress upon her that it is primarily for diabetes calls and texts to me. She's thrilled to have it!
Then I got the smartphone I'm blogging from now. Now to justify it I need help finding some good diabetes apps. Any suggestions?
Diabetes technology we're familiar with. I truly don't know how we survived before the remote control/meter for my daughter's pump.
Other technological advances have come more slowly though. Maybe we're a bit old fashioned. Maybe we're somewhat frugal. But finally the time had come.
First we got my daughter a cell phone. I tried, hopefully not in vain, to impress upon her that it is primarily for diabetes calls and texts to me. She's thrilled to have it!
Then I got the smartphone I'm blogging from now. Now to justify it I need help finding some good diabetes apps. Any suggestions?
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