I just got off the phone with Minimed and was pretty surprised to find the newly announced Minimed MySentry costs $2,400 and is not covered by insurance. It is cool, but I think I am more surprised by the lack of insurance coverage than the price. Hmm. Not surprised, but disappointed. Do you know what would have been smart, to annouce the upcoming release with the price, so we could get the sucker budgeted into our flexible spending accounts. The year just started and I've already ordered $500 in diabetes related supplies. There is no way I can forgo $2400 of my yearly allotment to buy this through flexible spending, but I might have budgeted for it in October. Shame!
I would love to have this thing, except I will never get the existing Minimed CGM on my daughter. I am so glad they are working on new products, but they REALLY need to fix the harpoon.
Really, what I need is an app that will read my daughters CGM or even her blood glucose meter and I will get alerts from it or be able to check on her when she is away.
Medtronic makes good products and really are industry leaders, but I am so incredibly sick of waiting for upgrades and better technology.
It is painful to wait for Medtronic Minimed to move and the MySentry product is a huge advancement (that I was promised five or six years ago), but they need to pick up the pace.
Oh! my goodness it is painful to wait. I swear the blood glucose monitors are exactly the same as I had in 1983, except 40 percent smaller and 40 seconds faster. Painful!
What are you waiting to see?
Monday, January 9, 2012
Monday, December 5, 2011
Another Dexcom Pro and Another Con
I forgot something in my last post about the Dexcom Seven Plus. PRO: I love that I can wear the sensor for two weeks. Shhh! It's kinda a secret, but some folks I know get three weeks out of it if the glue holds.
However, CON: the receiver needs to be charged, so if you can remember to plug it in at night next to your bed, you are safe. Forget and the battery can go caput and you are out of luck until you can charge it again. I was out of town this weekend and forget the power cord, so it ran out of juice into day two and I was left hanging.
Not a huge issue, but a different one from the Minimed which has you charge the transmitter.
FYI- My site is getting hammered with comment spam. Hundreds of posts a week, so forgive me if I can't get them all deleted in a timely fashion. Don't click on them, it only encourages them. Blogger/Google, get your S*** together and stop this crazy madness!
However, CON: the receiver needs to be charged, so if you can remember to plug it in at night next to your bed, you are safe. Forget and the battery can go caput and you are out of luck until you can charge it again. I was out of town this weekend and forget the power cord, so it ran out of juice into day two and I was left hanging.
Not a huge issue, but a different one from the Minimed which has you charge the transmitter.
FYI- My site is getting hammered with comment spam. Hundreds of posts a week, so forgive me if I can't get them all deleted in a timely fashion. Don't click on them, it only encourages them. Blogger/Google, get your S*** together and stop this crazy madness!
Friday, November 18, 2011
I like Dexcom better than Minimed! Yeah, I said it!
Jury is in! I have worn the Dexcom 7 Plus off and on for a few months and also switched out with the Minimed CGM. Frankly, the Dexcom is just more user friendly for several reasons. It has cons too, so let me lay them out Pro and Con style:
Pros
- Sensor is TINY and doesn't hurt (much) going in. Much like an infusion set.
- Lasts at least 7 days
- Very, very accurate. Only a couple times I've had it off the mark and it was after the seven days of wear. Often within one or two mg/dl.
- Alarms are quite and unassuming, but you know they are there. This is a big one for me. I hate the alarms on Minimed. They are obnoxious and difficult to program. Not impossible, but it requires a lot of effort to shut the thing up. I would need a whole other post to talk about the difference it makes to have the alarms more like Dexcom, so I'll leave it here.
- You still get readings after a calibration request. This is also huge. I press the button to check my numbers and a polite little message says "Check BG." I can't, so I don't, but the graph ticks along doing its best without my calibration. I get out of my meeting three hours later and it is still holding my numbers, but I know that I need to calibrate, so I check my blood sugar, see it is really close tot he Dexcom, but I forgot to enter it in the Dexcom before my next meeting. I check the unit half-way through my meeting and see my polite little reminder and think, Darn it! I forgot to plug in my reading. Oh! Well, I can do it when I'm through." AND get no annoying, blasting reminders every 30 minutes. Really, this is BIG for me.
Cons:
- Separate unit, which I have lost and then found. Bad for me!
- Doesn't talk to my pump.
- Can't merge the data
Running out of steam, but that is it in a nut shell. Minimed better get off ther asses. I have been waiting for a VERY long time and upgraded to get their technology coming out. But they have always failed on UI and don't seem to listen to their market.
I still love my pump, but I desperately wish Medtronic Minimed would step it up A LOT!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Better Success with Accuracy
Well, the Dexcom caught a low in the middle of the night and it was right about the low, but 30 mg/dl off. But juice was administered.
I have to say, my daughter is being a champ with middle school schedules. Rough second day, but overall its been great.
For the first time I can remember, she is feeling self conscious about pulling out her meter and pump. She's worried, because the rules are so strict and kids think she is using a cell phone, which means an automatic detention. So many new kids she doesn't know, so the looks and questions like, "What's that?" get annoying.
Glad its Friday! Saturday, my girl is doing a roller derby camp all day. Should be fun!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Not Accurate, So Far: Dexcom 7 Plus
Last night I was awakened by an alarm that said 47. Actual blood sugar was 90.
Today, alarm says 401, actual reading is 234. Calibrated and its back to 254, but still.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Like trending arrows: Dexcom 7 Plus
I like the constant trending arrows; pointing east for level sugars and northeast/southeast for going up or down steadily, but not fast and of course, north or south, which is pretty way to figure out.
I know folks have been blogging about this product for years, but I might as well document mine.
Also, to clarify, I have great insurance, so this experiment is largely affordable. I still like my minimed cgm, but my daughter tried it once and that was the end of that. Harpoons don't play well with kids, do we are giving this a try.
My girl had never really cared about taking her blood sugar in front of folks, but 6th grade its so different. Eyes are on every move she makes and we need diabetes to be as discreet and private as possible.
Can't hear alarms on Dexcom 7
Well, accurate readings, but the alarms and not loud enough and the vibrating is absolutely not strong enough.
Also, the receiver is easy to put down and walk away from. Potential problem.
Trying out Dexcom 7
We are trying out the Dexcom 7. My daughter won't wear the Minimed, so we are giving this a try. She just started middle school and I really want her to have this technology, and I am furious that the FDA has held up the approval of the new, rumored improved, Minimed sensor.
First report of the day; couldn't feel the vibrating alarm to calibrate and it was very close to the body. Not a great sign, if you need alarms privately.
More later.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Disorienting Low and a Car
I had a doozy of a low this week. It has been a LONG time since I got low and felt out of control. When I was younger I had some lows that had me begging for help or caused amnesia, but it really has been years. Now, I usually get low, feel it, drink a juice and move along or more often than not my CGM catches me as I fall.
This week I have been dropping a lot. Don't know why, hormones or absence of them, who knows, but Thursday my CGM was giving me alarms about predicted lows and I was in full work mode. Trying to solve a problem and I just wouldn't stop until I had it fixed. The CGM was reading 70 and I really should know better, that 70 probably means 50, but I didn't stop to take care of myself.
On a mission, I drove home from work to pick up my daughter from school, dropped her off at the house and headed to the computer store to buy a cable. I had a problem to solve and I needed that damn cable.
In the car, I felt so out of sorts. Despondent, anxious, weird, but not so obviously that I recognized what was happening. I had been having a hard week, really under pressure and I was thinking to myself that maybe this feeling I had was a new normal. That I'd feel this way forever. It was weird.
I got to the store and I asked if this cable would fix my issues and they showed me the package and pointed to the info I needed, but I couldn't read it or focus and just asked them to be sure this is what I needed.
I got home (THANK GOD), sat down at the table with my hubby, pulled out my blood sugar kit and I was 37. I looked at the meter and said, "Wow...37." My man got me a juice box and I drank it, but as I sat there I felt strongly that I was supposed to be doing something. I asked him, "Am I supposed to be dong anything?" He said, no. Quiet. I asked if he was sure and he replied yes. Quiet. I said, "I am just supposed to sit here?" He said yes and so I sat there, waiting for the juice to hit.
This is the first time I can remember since I was in my 20s that I was actually "disoriented." I really didn't have a clue what was going on. My CGM was still saying 70, so it was just a little off (HA!), but I somehow instinctively got out my kit.
I am so grateful for adrenaline when I was on the road. Without that, I could have met a very sad and disoriented end.
Monday, January 10, 2011
My 10 Year Old is Now Hooked Up: CGM
Well, we pulled the trigger and got our daughter the upgrade for her Minimed insulin pump to a Revel with the Continuous Glucose Monitor. I warned her it was coming, but I was not prepared for the resistance to putting the sucker on her.
The pump is great, the CGM sensors, not so much. They are freakin' huge needles and it took me one hour to convince her to let me put it on her. We iced her bum, we talked, we cajoled, we pleaded, we reasoned, but the only reason she consented was because we had a birthday party to go to, the clock was ticking and I refused to back down.
We had to establish the rules of engagement. Three kisses, then I had to count to three, but I couldn't touch her with the inserter until three. Then I had to say "ok" before I pushed the button.
She did it and cried like a baby. Said it hurt like hell. It bled a little, but she said it hurt for a good 20 minutes, but she was fine by the time we reached the party.
We didn't start the sensor until after the party and the sensor had its wick wet, so calibration was immediate. She thought it was pretty cool when the blood sugar numbers finally popped up on the screen of her pump.
She watched it through the afternoon and into evening. We'd ask, "Have you taken your blood sugar lately?" with a smile and she would whip out her pump and tell us the number.
We calibrated at bedtime, but she lost the sensor around 11:00 pm. I positioned it closer to her Minilink Transmitter and she was fine, until 3:00 am. She came in and said she was high, so I wanted to check against her meter and it was off. CGM said 315, meter said 230. That was significant enough for me, because the calibration had about the same difference earlier in the evening. I sat in the dark and decided to turn off the CGM and restart the sensor.
By morning things seemed to match, but she was still running high. She took some Advair for breathing difficulties and I know that was shooting her blood sugars up. She called me from school and said the thing was beeping all morning. High blood sugars, missed bolus warnings, even though she bolused. I reminded her it is going to take time to balance her insulin levels to match what is happening in her body. When that happens, she hopefully won't hear any beeps at all .
More in my next post, but I'm not sure I will be able to convince her to put that sensor on again. We'll see. More later.
The pump is great, the CGM sensors, not so much. They are freakin' huge needles and it took me one hour to convince her to let me put it on her. We iced her bum, we talked, we cajoled, we pleaded, we reasoned, but the only reason she consented was because we had a birthday party to go to, the clock was ticking and I refused to back down.
We had to establish the rules of engagement. Three kisses, then I had to count to three, but I couldn't touch her with the inserter until three. Then I had to say "ok" before I pushed the button.
She did it and cried like a baby. Said it hurt like hell. It bled a little, but she said it hurt for a good 20 minutes, but she was fine by the time we reached the party.
We didn't start the sensor until after the party and the sensor had its wick wet, so calibration was immediate. She thought it was pretty cool when the blood sugar numbers finally popped up on the screen of her pump.
She watched it through the afternoon and into evening. We'd ask, "Have you taken your blood sugar lately?" with a smile and she would whip out her pump and tell us the number.
We calibrated at bedtime, but she lost the sensor around 11:00 pm. I positioned it closer to her Minilink Transmitter and she was fine, until 3:00 am. She came in and said she was high, so I wanted to check against her meter and it was off. CGM said 315, meter said 230. That was significant enough for me, because the calibration had about the same difference earlier in the evening. I sat in the dark and decided to turn off the CGM and restart the sensor.
By morning things seemed to match, but she was still running high. She took some Advair for breathing difficulties and I know that was shooting her blood sugars up. She called me from school and said the thing was beeping all morning. High blood sugars, missed bolus warnings, even though she bolused. I reminded her it is going to take time to balance her insulin levels to match what is happening in her body. When that happens, she hopefully won't hear any beeps at all .
More in my next post, but I'm not sure I will be able to convince her to put that sensor on again. We'll see. More later.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Ten is a Magic Number and When Girl's Brains Drain Like a Sieve
I've fallen off the blog for awhile, but I have a new mission and I welcome your help. My daughter just turned 10. She has been an amazingly compliant and helpful kids with diabetes. She knows more than most people about the disease and has always been very independent in her management.
On one of my previous posts, a reader told me to, "Let go. If you don't want Mutiny how about listening to your child instead of being a constant nag." Fair enough. My post was mostly sarcastic, but the fact is that every single day this week she forgot to take her insulin at one point each day, we ended up having lots of talks. I asked, "What would need to happen for your to remember to take your blood sugar and insulin?" She looked me in the eyes and said she honestly doesn't know.
I asked her what the benefits would be if she remembered and we talked about those. I also asked what the downside of not remembering is and we discussed all the ways that it sucks.
She is a SUPER kid. Bright, fun, loving, not rebelous at all, but she is just not remembering the task at hand. So I started asking friends about their girls, kids without diabetes, and it appears that 10 year old girls develop holes in their brains.
I did some more asking around, teachers of fith grade included, and they all agree that at this life stage, that self-centeredness abounds; that they really can't think the way they did even just a year ago, which explains a lot.
Another friend, who has a 10 year-old girl and a 12 year-old boy, told me he has been reading a book, Getting to Calm: Cool-headed Strategies for Parenting Tweens and Teens, which takes you into the emotional and mental world (brain) of our growing kids. I haven't read it yet and I tend not to enjoy books full of good advice (I read the first 30 pages of How to Tall, So Kids Will Listen. How to Listen, so Kids Will Talk about eight times). But here's what my friend, who has read a lot of it said.
He said that the girls at 10 are in a stage of "pruning and blooming." Their prefrontal cortext is said (simplified) to "orchestrate thought and action in accordance to internal goals." At this age, this is being "pruned," so to speak, meaning that developmentally, this part of the brain is somewhat out of order for a period of years often referred to by parents as teenage hell.
He said that beginning around age 10 for girls, they are very challenged at staying on track; starting one thing and moving to the next and then to the next. Diabetes is very much a series of steps that align with an internal goal of staying healthy and keeping mom out of her business.
So here is one scenario this week.
Snack time at school, 10:00 am
R: "Hi Mom, my blood sugar is 218.
Me: "OK, just please remember to put your blood sugar in your pump if it has gone off screen."
R: "Ok, Mom. I will. Love you. Gotta go!"
Lunch Time, 12:30 pm
R: Mom. Uh. Mmm. Uh, Mom? I don't know how this happened, but I'm 428.
Me: Ok. Did you take insulin for your snack?
R: Uh, I think so.
Me: Can you check your pump please?
R: Uh. Ok, hold on a sec. Mom? No.
Me: Ok. Didn't we talk at snack time? I believe you said you were 218. Don't you remember me telling you to be sure to put your BG in your pump?
R: Yes.
You know how the rest goes. Correction and everything is fine...until Wednesday. Same scenario, but she was at a friends house for dinner.
R: I'm 400.
Me: What did you eat?
R: Barely anything. A few crackers.
Me: Did you have milk?" She shakes her head, no. "Did you have any other carbs?
R: No...Oh! wait! I did have one of those, mmm, what do you call them? Mexican breads with the sugar on top?
Me: What kind of bread? Pan Dulce or the crispy ones rolled in sugar?
R: Uh. Those.
Me: Did you take Insulin?
R: I guess I forgot.
I am actually ok if she has a treat, but she knows full well, that that means she has to take care of that snack. She KNOWS this!
So, I need some strategies to help her remember, because it is obvious to me that everything has leaked out of her brain.
Today, I gave her a green rubber O-ring bracelet and told her that this is a physical reminder to take her blood sugar and take insulin. Her teacher is going to help remind her, but also give her something to tape to her desk which will remind her of these important tasks.
So, any advice you all have is welcome. I am totally willing to support her until her brain is whole again (18 or so they say), but finding ways that don't embarrass her, make her diabetes overt to anyone else and aren't hard for me to manage are the goal.
On one of my previous posts, a reader told me to, "Let go. If you don't want Mutiny how about listening to your child instead of being a constant nag." Fair enough. My post was mostly sarcastic, but the fact is that every single day this week she forgot to take her insulin at one point each day, we ended up having lots of talks. I asked, "What would need to happen for your to remember to take your blood sugar and insulin?" She looked me in the eyes and said she honestly doesn't know.
I asked her what the benefits would be if she remembered and we talked about those. I also asked what the downside of not remembering is and we discussed all the ways that it sucks.
She is a SUPER kid. Bright, fun, loving, not rebelous at all, but she is just not remembering the task at hand. So I started asking friends about their girls, kids without diabetes, and it appears that 10 year old girls develop holes in their brains.
I did some more asking around, teachers of fith grade included, and they all agree that at this life stage, that self-centeredness abounds; that they really can't think the way they did even just a year ago, which explains a lot.
Another friend, who has a 10 year-old girl and a 12 year-old boy, told me he has been reading a book, Getting to Calm: Cool-headed Strategies for Parenting Tweens and Teens, which takes you into the emotional and mental world (brain) of our growing kids. I haven't read it yet and I tend not to enjoy books full of good advice (I read the first 30 pages of How to Tall, So Kids Will Listen. How to Listen, so Kids Will Talk about eight times). But here's what my friend, who has read a lot of it said.
He said that the girls at 10 are in a stage of "pruning and blooming." Their prefrontal cortext is said (simplified) to "orchestrate thought and action in accordance to internal goals." At this age, this is being "pruned," so to speak, meaning that developmentally, this part of the brain is somewhat out of order for a period of years often referred to by parents as teenage hell.
He said that beginning around age 10 for girls, they are very challenged at staying on track; starting one thing and moving to the next and then to the next. Diabetes is very much a series of steps that align with an internal goal of staying healthy and keeping mom out of her business.
So here is one scenario this week.
Snack time at school, 10:00 am
R: "Hi Mom, my blood sugar is 218.
Me: "OK, just please remember to put your blood sugar in your pump if it has gone off screen."
R: "Ok, Mom. I will. Love you. Gotta go!"
Lunch Time, 12:30 pm
R: Mom. Uh. Mmm. Uh, Mom? I don't know how this happened, but I'm 428.
Me: Ok. Did you take insulin for your snack?
R: Uh, I think so.
Me: Can you check your pump please?
R: Uh. Ok, hold on a sec. Mom? No.
Me: Ok. Didn't we talk at snack time? I believe you said you were 218. Don't you remember me telling you to be sure to put your BG in your pump?
R: Yes.
You know how the rest goes. Correction and everything is fine...until Wednesday. Same scenario, but she was at a friends house for dinner.
R: I'm 400.
Me: What did you eat?
R: Barely anything. A few crackers.
Me: Did you have milk?" She shakes her head, no. "Did you have any other carbs?
R: No...Oh! wait! I did have one of those, mmm, what do you call them? Mexican breads with the sugar on top?
Me: What kind of bread? Pan Dulce or the crispy ones rolled in sugar?
R: Uh. Those.
Me: Did you take Insulin?
R: I guess I forgot.
I am actually ok if she has a treat, but she knows full well, that that means she has to take care of that snack. She KNOWS this!
So, I need some strategies to help her remember, because it is obvious to me that everything has leaked out of her brain.
Today, I gave her a green rubber O-ring bracelet and told her that this is a physical reminder to take her blood sugar and take insulin. Her teacher is going to help remind her, but also give her something to tape to her desk which will remind her of these important tasks.
So, any advice you all have is welcome. I am totally willing to support her until her brain is whole again (18 or so they say), but finding ways that don't embarrass her, make her diabetes overt to anyone else and aren't hard for me to manage are the goal.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
I'm hungry because I'm low, not because I'm hungry.
But here I sit eating a bowl of cereal. My blood sugar is 56. I feel low and I feel hungry. I drank a juice box, but no, I could not resist the call on Honey Bunches of Oats and milk. In fact, I think I'll have another bowl.
No, the juice hasn't quite hit yet...
No, the juice hasn't quite hit yet...
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Kids get easier...right?
Seriously, today has been a long day. We had citywide swim championships today and now my girl is over at a slumber party where cake will be served at midnight. She is nine, almost 10 and she is an amazing kid. She forgets stuff, like taking your blood sugar or bolusing, but she tries. I just hate leaving her in the hands of other families.
It isn't that I think anything will happen per se, but I worry that nothing will happen. They won't remind her to check her sugar before cake and won't remind her to check before sleep, but most important, she won't remember to call me and tell me how its all going...blood sugar wise. Uggh.
Three minutes before cake-o-clock. She was low all evening. She was 58 when I was at their house. She was 63 at 9:30 at the pool (they checked her when I asked!!!!). Wonder how she is doing now. Really, I wonder.
One more minute before cake-o-clock.
Wonder if she'll call me? I feel like a lovesick teenager waiting for a boy to call. "Does he like me?" "Is he thinking of me?" The answer to both ruminations here is, "No! She is at a birthday party! She isn't thinking about you, or your worry!" But I do bet she is taking just fine care of herself. Mommy has some letting-go work to do, but it can wait until she is 25. Goodnight!
It isn't that I think anything will happen per se, but I worry that nothing will happen. They won't remind her to check her sugar before cake and won't remind her to check before sleep, but most important, she won't remember to call me and tell me how its all going...blood sugar wise. Uggh.
Three minutes before cake-o-clock. She was low all evening. She was 58 when I was at their house. She was 63 at 9:30 at the pool (they checked her when I asked!!!!). Wonder how she is doing now. Really, I wonder.
One more minute before cake-o-clock.
Wonder if she'll call me? I feel like a lovesick teenager waiting for a boy to call. "Does he like me?" "Is he thinking of me?" The answer to both ruminations here is, "No! She is at a birthday party! She isn't thinking about you, or your worry!" But I do bet she is taking just fine care of herself. Mommy has some letting-go work to do, but it can wait until she is 25. Goodnight!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Minimed Revel: Jury still out, but underwhelmed
I hate to judge something without ample time to use it, but I am pretty underwhelmed with the Medtronic Minimed Revel and CGM package. I have been using the Medtronic Minilink CGM since it came out, ordering a new one after my other konked out after 18 months.
I had the 722 Minimed Paradigm pump and it has worked really well for me. But, back when I started this blog, I was testing the Freestyle Navigator. I loved it; for the most part.
I LOVED the predicative alarms. I actually stopped lows before I had them. What could be better. So when the Revel promised predictive alarms, I thought, "Hell ya!"
I have received predictive alarms, but many came when I was already low or moments from the threshold. I'm not 100 percent sure exactly what was happening with many of these, because I don't tend to take my BS when I wear the CGM (slap my wrist). It has been really accurate for me the majority of the time. Not perfect, but really good. So several alarms I got were maybe five minutes before the actual low alarm, but I don't know what my actual BS was.
So, I decided to check sugars when I got the alarm and the first time I did this I got the Predicted Low alarm and I was 55 mg/dl. This thing is supposed to warn me 30 minutes before a low and I was already 55. This happened several times with similar results.
Benefit of the doubt wants me to say, "I need to get used to it," "its a new machine, give it a break," but a big part of me is saying send it back.
It isn't any more helpful that the 722 at this point, it just has more alarms.
OH! Big issue, I can't hear the freakin' alarms at night.
I went for two hours with No Delivery and I didn't hear or feel a thing. The alarms were not great to begin with on the 722, but they were WAY too soft on the Revel. They have different low and high chimes, but they are not better and sound softer to me because they are so high pitched.
So, I haven't put a sensor on for two days because it makes me tired thinking about verifying the readings. Easier not to know, but I better figure this out soon, I'm running out of decision time.
Anyone using the Revel have some thoughts to share? I'd love input.
I had the 722 Minimed Paradigm pump and it has worked really well for me. But, back when I started this blog, I was testing the Freestyle Navigator. I loved it; for the most part.
I LOVED the predicative alarms. I actually stopped lows before I had them. What could be better. So when the Revel promised predictive alarms, I thought, "Hell ya!"
I have received predictive alarms, but many came when I was already low or moments from the threshold. I'm not 100 percent sure exactly what was happening with many of these, because I don't tend to take my BS when I wear the CGM (slap my wrist). It has been really accurate for me the majority of the time. Not perfect, but really good. So several alarms I got were maybe five minutes before the actual low alarm, but I don't know what my actual BS was.
So, I decided to check sugars when I got the alarm and the first time I did this I got the Predicted Low alarm and I was 55 mg/dl. This thing is supposed to warn me 30 minutes before a low and I was already 55. This happened several times with similar results.
Benefit of the doubt wants me to say, "I need to get used to it," "its a new machine, give it a break," but a big part of me is saying send it back.
It isn't any more helpful that the 722 at this point, it just has more alarms.
OH! Big issue, I can't hear the freakin' alarms at night.
I went for two hours with No Delivery and I didn't hear or feel a thing. The alarms were not great to begin with on the 722, but they were WAY too soft on the Revel. They have different low and high chimes, but they are not better and sound softer to me because they are so high pitched.
So, I haven't put a sensor on for two days because it makes me tired thinking about verifying the readings. Easier not to know, but I better figure this out soon, I'm running out of decision time.
Anyone using the Revel have some thoughts to share? I'd love input.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Minimed Quickset Problem, Not Lot 8
I have had four "No Delivery" alarms out of one box of the new infusion sets Minimed has sent me. I reported it on the third time and just reported another.
It is with a box of 9mm, 23in. Quick-Set Paradigm with Lot Number: 9200558
It happens when I am bolusing only and within the three day window of normal infusion set function.
The Lot 8 issue was a fiasco and I wonder how long it took folks reporting their problems to get a adequate response. I bet if the problem had only been "No Delivery" vs. Spontaneous over delivery if it would have taken a lot longer for a recall? Any lack of delivery can be blamed on my scar tissue or improper insertion.
My experience has been that a No Delivery alarm is notice of a serious problem. I only twice or three times have gotten No Delivery alarms with an occlusion. I can be high for hours and never get an alarm, so when these alarms happen, I stop and pay attention.
Just curious if anyone else has had any problems.
It is with a box of 9mm, 23in. Quick-Set Paradigm with Lot Number: 9200558
It happens when I am bolusing only and within the three day window of normal infusion set function.
The Lot 8 issue was a fiasco and I wonder how long it took folks reporting their problems to get a adequate response. I bet if the problem had only been "No Delivery" vs. Spontaneous over delivery if it would have taken a lot longer for a recall? Any lack of delivery can be blamed on my scar tissue or improper insertion.
My experience has been that a No Delivery alarm is notice of a serious problem. I only twice or three times have gotten No Delivery alarms with an occlusion. I can be high for hours and never get an alarm, so when these alarms happen, I stop and pay attention.
Just curious if anyone else has had any problems.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Symlin and CGM: Digging it
So, I finally (finally) started trying out Symlin again. I really like it. I decided not to follow the instructions to bump up the dosage of Symlin (15mg, to 30mg to 60mg). I instead bumped up the dosage only if my blood sugars began climbing after meals.
I bumped up to 30mg about a week ago and haven't gone higher yet and I've been on it for three weeks so far. 30 mg makes me a tiny bit nauseous, but not like 60mg. 15 mg didn't make me feel sick at all. My blood sugars are SO stable. I have found when I eat a snack and don't take the Symlin, I bounce above 200 almost every time. With the Symlin I ride with barely a bump in the road.
One of the reasons I was so hesitant to try Symlin again is because of the drastic lows I had. They were scary. Scary enough for me to quit taking it.
My goals are to take less insulin, stabilize my BS and if I lost weight, I would be really grateful. Really.
I would not, under any circumstances, use Symlin without a CGM. It completely freaks me out to think of someone dosing 60 mg after a week or two on Symlin and not knowing their blood sugar afterward. Scary stuff if not monitored.
To conclude, if your doctor recommends it, take a look, but pay attention to your body AND your CGM.
I bumped up to 30mg about a week ago and haven't gone higher yet and I've been on it for three weeks so far. 30 mg makes me a tiny bit nauseous, but not like 60mg. 15 mg didn't make me feel sick at all. My blood sugars are SO stable. I have found when I eat a snack and don't take the Symlin, I bounce above 200 almost every time. With the Symlin I ride with barely a bump in the road.
One of the reasons I was so hesitant to try Symlin again is because of the drastic lows I had. They were scary. Scary enough for me to quit taking it.
My goals are to take less insulin, stabilize my BS and if I lost weight, I would be really grateful. Really.
I would not, under any circumstances, use Symlin without a CGM. It completely freaks me out to think of someone dosing 60 mg after a week or two on Symlin and not knowing their blood sugar afterward. Scary stuff if not monitored.
To conclude, if your doctor recommends it, take a look, but pay attention to your body AND your CGM.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
CDC Webcast: H1N1 and People with Diabetes
Late notice, but today, November 18, 2009 at 1:00 pm eastern the CDC will offer a webcast for people with diabetes about H1N1 Flu and the issues faced by folks with diabetes.
In a nut shell, if you have diabetes, it is recommended you get an H1N1 vaccine. See the CDC-Diabetes site for details or the link to the Webcast.
In a nut shell, if you have diabetes, it is recommended you get an H1N1 vaccine. See the CDC-Diabetes site for details or the link to the Webcast.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Another diagnosis
On Facebook tonight I learned that a colleague's son was diagnosed with diabetes at two years old. He asked for warm wishes and helpful" We'll get through this" advice. He had 23 comments at last check.
I sent him a message and said I am happy to help them anyway I can. My experience with diabetes for the past 26 years and three days (Oct.13, 1983) will be helpful. My experience with a daughter with T1 for five years and two months will be welcome, I'm sure.
However, my long message offered very little advice; that two of the three available doctors are best, and that it really will be ok.
What more can you say on the eve of diagnosis?
I sent him a message and said I am happy to help them anyway I can. My experience with diabetes for the past 26 years and three days (Oct.13, 1983) will be helpful. My experience with a daughter with T1 for five years and two months will be welcome, I'm sure.
However, my long message offered very little advice; that two of the three available doctors are best, and that it really will be ok.
What more can you say on the eve of diagnosis?
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Diabetes Envy? Kids are weird.
My daughter has a friend who is rather enthralled with her diabetes. Her mother told me that she created a blood sugar kit with an old bag, made a fake meter and also put a calculator or something in her pants to look like a pump.
When she came to our house one time, she tripped and cut her leg. Instead of crying and screaming, she immediately jumped up and asked if she could take her blood sugar with the blood.
When she came to our house one time, she tripped and cut her leg. Instead of crying and screaming, she immediately jumped up and asked if she could take her blood sugar with the blood.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Today is her Birthday--Party!
Today is my daughter's 9th birthday party. I have the biggest cake on order you can buy and 40 plus people and kids coming to celebrate.
We also just recognized the 5th anniversary of her diagnosis. I remember her 4th birthday party, which was 20 days after her trip to the hospital. We served cupcakes, because I could figure out the carbs easier.
Looking forward to celebrating with friends and family today. It's been a tense and stressful start of school. Diabetes, teachers, nurses, 504 adjustments, big highs, and big lows and no pattern for making adjustments. Looking forward to week two when adrenaline isn't such a factor in BG levels.
Looking for cooler weather too, but I need to give it another three months in Austin. 66 days at over 100 and I think today will put us to 67!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Nervous
I can't help myself. My daughter is spending the night at friends tonight, I got her last blood sugar reading at 9:15 pm and it was 137, but I can't help but be nervous when she isn't with me.
Ugg. She is becoming so independent (4th grade this fall) and she is so capable of taking care of herself, but I am still nervous. I guess that comes with being a mom. To add diabetes to the layer of complexity between a mother and a daughter is a lot to ask of any human being.
Friday, July 10, 2009
"Control" The Dreaded, Overarching Theme with Diabetes
Wow! Control is such a loaded word in diabetes care.
- 1con·trol
- Pronunciation:
- \kən-ˈtrōl\
- Function:
- verb
- Inflected Form(s):
- con·trolled; con·trol·ling
- 15th century
transitive verb1 a: archaic : to check, test, or verify by evidence or experiments b: to incorporate suitable controls in controlled experiment>2 a: to exercise restraining or directing influence over : regulate b: to have power over : rule C: to reduce the incidence or severity of especially to innocuous levels <control an insect population><control a disease>
In diabetes care, it isn't that simple. My daughter (8, almost 9) feels very in control of her situation. I am very proud of her, but my husband and I have very consciously worked to empower her and have made LIFE first, diabetes second.
I would LOVE to hear from parents who have figured out the "control" balance; parents who give their kids space to be, take care of themselves and found a way to "let go," so they can fly.
Please share your stories, I have readers who desperately need to hear from you. How did you move away from diabetes running your lives and go back to living?
In diabetes care, it isn't that simple. My daughter (8, almost 9) feels very in control of her situation. I am very proud of her, but my husband and I have very consciously worked to empower her and have made LIFE first, diabetes second.
I would LOVE to hear from parents who have figured out the "control" balance; parents who give their kids space to be, take care of themselves and found a way to "let go," so they can fly.
Please share your stories, I have readers who desperately need to hear from you. How did you move away from diabetes running your lives and go back to living?
Monday, June 15, 2009
First independent shot
My daughter's blood sugar was high adn she needed a new infusion set tonight. She ate a snack and declared that she was going to give herself a shot. She dialed up the Novopen and injected herself in the arm.
I'm so proud of her taking control and doing it herself without my prompting. I have oodles of pride in her this week about so many things. I pinch myself, completely amazed at how in love and fortunate I am to have such an amazing kid.
Pinch!
I'm so proud of her taking control and doing it herself without my prompting. I have oodles of pride in her this week about so many things. I pinch myself, completely amazed at how in love and fortunate I am to have such an amazing kid.
Pinch!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Self-Care Gift for Moms
This post is especially for moms living with Type One Diabetes. Whether you have diabetes yourself or you care for a child with diabetes, self-care is vital to our survival. It is something that took me a long time to learn and I still have to remind myself that if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!
With that, and the approaching Mother's Day holiday, I wanted to post a very special offer for Moms (or Dads that have the sense to take this offer and give it to their lovely wives).
FREE MOTHER’S DAY BOOK OFFER
Download a free copy of life balance expert Renee Trudeau’s award winning The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life for 48 hours: May 8th-May 10th at http://www.mothersguidetoselfrenewal.com/ Sign up today!
I learned most of what I know about self-care from Renee Trudeau, a career and life balance coach in Austin, Texas. She introduced the concept of filling my cup first (yes even before my T1 child's) and also how to say "NO." She put all she knows into the very loving month-by-month Mother's Guide to Self Renewal.
Happy Mother's Day! Oh! My girl and I are featured in Month Four of the book.
With that, and the approaching Mother's Day holiday, I wanted to post a very special offer for Moms (or Dads that have the sense to take this offer and give it to their lovely wives).
FREE MOTHER’S DAY BOOK OFFERDownload a free copy of life balance expert Renee Trudeau’s award winning The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life for 48 hours: May 8th-May 10th at http://www.mothersguidetoselfrenewal.com/ Sign up today!
I learned most of what I know about self-care from Renee Trudeau, a career and life balance coach in Austin, Texas. She introduced the concept of filling my cup first (yes even before my T1 child's) and also how to say "NO." She put all she knows into the very loving month-by-month Mother's Guide to Self Renewal.
Happy Mother's Day! Oh! My girl and I are featured in Month Four of the book.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Time goes by...
It is amazing to me how fast things move. A week just shot by in a fraction of a second and it scares me when I hear things just get faster with age.
I'm a less than a month away from turning 40 and have 25 years with diabetes under my belt. I just went to the eye doctor and my eyes are perfect, except for my need for progressive lenses (I'm getting old, duh). Went to my Endo and spent 20 minutes talking with him about a lot of things. Wasn't a ton to talk about with my diabetes. We made some adjustments because I am running high after I eat a bedtime snack. I need to make more adjustments still.
I don't wear my CGM as much these days, but when I do, I seem to run in really good control most of the day and night, except after bedtime snack.
My daughter on the other hand, has been swinging like a monkey in the trees lately. I made some changes to bolus and basal, but I haven't seen things even out. I am watching the trends and then, *snap* a week has gone by and I haven't figured her out. My only thought is hormones must be raging as she tops 4'6" and 87 lbs at 8 years old.
We suffered a serious loss in the past 6 months. My daughter's diabetes educator left the practice we go to. Anyone with diabetes knows that our doctors don't know diddly compared to the Diabetes Educators. She was really our life line. I would call her day or night and she always had an answer. Perhaps it was many years taking care of diabetes peds patients, many years with diabetes herself or all the training she got taking care of her son with diabetes. She is AWESOME and I can't call her anymore. :(
And since she left, I don't feel connected to that office anymore. I like the doctor fine, she is brilliant and loves my girl, but I feel like I lost my "go to." As time slips by and I watch her blood sugars bounce, I start to feel lost and have no desire to call the office for help. THEY don't know my kid like SHE did. Kinda angry about it still, but again, time moves so fast for me now that I can understand how a grudge could linger for half a year or more.
My months may be gliding by, but that has also served me well. Nights and days of worry over fever and flu, days of lows that just never seem to come up. Super-rubber-ball 400s, then 30s in a three to four hour period; they all smooth out over time. I have found, that if I can stop and hit the pause button, breathe, and look at what is going on , do what I have learned to the best of my ability, that things always seem to work out fine. It isn't the individual blood sugar readings that matter so much, it is what is happening over time.
My last A1C was 7.2 and I was thrilled. I know, we are supposed to shoot for 6.0 to 7.0, but 7.2 made me jump for joy. Remember, I ran high for many, many nights at bedtime, but the rest of my 24 hours in a day I did very well.
Can I make improvements? Always! But my averages are good, I have no complications, I am enjoying my life, I am able to care for my girl AND I can stop and hit the pause button occasionally and appreciate all I have learned. I can live with this without being afraid; I am not afraid.
I'm a less than a month away from turning 40 and have 25 years with diabetes under my belt. I just went to the eye doctor and my eyes are perfect, except for my need for progressive lenses (I'm getting old, duh). Went to my Endo and spent 20 minutes talking with him about a lot of things. Wasn't a ton to talk about with my diabetes. We made some adjustments because I am running high after I eat a bedtime snack. I need to make more adjustments still.
I don't wear my CGM as much these days, but when I do, I seem to run in really good control most of the day and night, except after bedtime snack.
My daughter on the other hand, has been swinging like a monkey in the trees lately. I made some changes to bolus and basal, but I haven't seen things even out. I am watching the trends and then, *snap* a week has gone by and I haven't figured her out. My only thought is hormones must be raging as she tops 4'6" and 87 lbs at 8 years old.
We suffered a serious loss in the past 6 months. My daughter's diabetes educator left the practice we go to. Anyone with diabetes knows that our doctors don't know diddly compared to the Diabetes Educators. She was really our life line. I would call her day or night and she always had an answer. Perhaps it was many years taking care of diabetes peds patients, many years with diabetes herself or all the training she got taking care of her son with diabetes. She is AWESOME and I can't call her anymore. :(
And since she left, I don't feel connected to that office anymore. I like the doctor fine, she is brilliant and loves my girl, but I feel like I lost my "go to." As time slips by and I watch her blood sugars bounce, I start to feel lost and have no desire to call the office for help. THEY don't know my kid like SHE did. Kinda angry about it still, but again, time moves so fast for me now that I can understand how a grudge could linger for half a year or more.
My months may be gliding by, but that has also served me well. Nights and days of worry over fever and flu, days of lows that just never seem to come up. Super-rubber-ball 400s, then 30s in a three to four hour period; they all smooth out over time. I have found, that if I can stop and hit the pause button, breathe, and look at what is going on , do what I have learned to the best of my ability, that things always seem to work out fine. It isn't the individual blood sugar readings that matter so much, it is what is happening over time.
My last A1C was 7.2 and I was thrilled. I know, we are supposed to shoot for 6.0 to 7.0, but 7.2 made me jump for joy. Remember, I ran high for many, many nights at bedtime, but the rest of my 24 hours in a day I did very well.
Can I make improvements? Always! But my averages are good, I have no complications, I am enjoying my life, I am able to care for my girl AND I can stop and hit the pause button occasionally and appreciate all I have learned. I can live with this without being afraid; I am not afraid.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Diabetes Management is FUN; I sweat playing Wii Fit!
Ok, I have to admit, I wanted the Wii Fit as much as my daughter did for Christmas. She almost has me beat doing the hula hoops, but I gotta tell you the yoga and strength training are F.U.N.I like that the "trainer" can tell you if you are shaky (not from low blood sugar, but I'd pay extra for that) or imbalanced. The balance board tracks your progress in the form of BMI, weight and balance or posture. It really is a marvel.
I did seven yoga poses and six or seven strength training exercises and then did the turbo hula hoops and got a high score. I was actually sweating a little. Amazing.
NOW, imagine if there was a Wii Fit Diabetes Management Edition. You heard it here first! An edition that let's you put in not only fitness goals, but HbA1C goals, average blood sugar goals and meal planning options. Oh! My God that would be so cool.
What if, it was internet based and bluetooth enabled so you can download your pump/meter and give access to your doctor. Ok, fantasy over, but if Nintendo is listening, get busy! There are 23.6 million people with diabetes in the US alone and more than 230 million in the WORLD!
Woke up thinking about diabetes complications at 3 a.m.
This morning I had a first; worry about the future impact of complications on my body. Perhaps it is the pending New Year and the resolutions that always hover. Perhaps it was my husband, who said that he is sick of sitting in front of the computer and wants to get moving. Perhaps it is the Wii Fit and the fun games that are making me think a lot more about my diabetes and my overall health.
I have three months left of my 39th year. I was in the bathroom this morning and wondered if I need a mammogram now. Making my poached egg, I scrapped off half the butter I was about to use.
I put my CGM on four days ago for the first time in months. I thought the transmitter was about to konk out on me when I had a couple iffy sensors and bad readings, so I tucked it away and feigned self-control by "knowing my body." I have to say though, my blood sugars are darned normal most the time and the CGM confirms this for me nicely.
So, in bed this morning around 3:00 a.m., I started thinking about how my body was aching; really in need of a massage (which I got for Christmas). My ankle was stiff and the more I twisted it and stretched it to try to loosen up, the more I realized I don't like to be in pain, or really even discomfort, AND I don't like taking pills to make me feel better. This led to thoughts about how I'm going to feel if I am in pain all the time because of complications. I actually thought. "I'm not sure if I could live with that." I thought, I hope I get killed by a bus or freak train collision rather than suffer as I get older.
Don't worry, I'm not imbalanced or depressed, but it made me think about how much control I take over my health and life. Where does diabetes care fit into my priorities. To be honest, not very high on the list. My health fits in right about where most people fit it in, between kids activities, work, doing dishes and beating myself up over the things I *should* be doing.
I don't spend an inordinate amount of time beating myself up; gave that up years ago, but I have slipped to the other side to virtual complacence. Don't think that is the best place to be either.
My daughter takes most of my energy, time and stamina. Her diabetes takes the rest. How do I teach a kid to make the right choices, when they aren't a priority for me?
So, the Wii Fit really kicks some butt. I ought do be doing yoga now, but I just wanted to start a dialog about reality, not fear. A little voice in me is saying that I should be more mindful, thoughtful about my choices. That self-care is a high priority, no matter my other obligations. I think the example of the oxygen mask on the airplane is perfect here. If I don't get air first, how can I help my child?
I have three months left of my 39th year. I was in the bathroom this morning and wondered if I need a mammogram now. Making my poached egg, I scrapped off half the butter I was about to use.
I put my CGM on four days ago for the first time in months. I thought the transmitter was about to konk out on me when I had a couple iffy sensors and bad readings, so I tucked it away and feigned self-control by "knowing my body." I have to say though, my blood sugars are darned normal most the time and the CGM confirms this for me nicely.
So, in bed this morning around 3:00 a.m., I started thinking about how my body was aching; really in need of a massage (which I got for Christmas). My ankle was stiff and the more I twisted it and stretched it to try to loosen up, the more I realized I don't like to be in pain, or really even discomfort, AND I don't like taking pills to make me feel better. This led to thoughts about how I'm going to feel if I am in pain all the time because of complications. I actually thought. "I'm not sure if I could live with that." I thought, I hope I get killed by a bus or freak train collision rather than suffer as I get older.
Don't worry, I'm not imbalanced or depressed, but it made me think about how much control I take over my health and life. Where does diabetes care fit into my priorities. To be honest, not very high on the list. My health fits in right about where most people fit it in, between kids activities, work, doing dishes and beating myself up over the things I *should* be doing.
I don't spend an inordinate amount of time beating myself up; gave that up years ago, but I have slipped to the other side to virtual complacence. Don't think that is the best place to be either.
My daughter takes most of my energy, time and stamina. Her diabetes takes the rest. How do I teach a kid to make the right choices, when they aren't a priority for me?
So, the Wii Fit really kicks some butt. I ought do be doing yoga now, but I just wanted to start a dialog about reality, not fear. A little voice in me is saying that I should be more mindful, thoughtful about my choices. That self-care is a high priority, no matter my other obligations. I think the example of the oxygen mask on the airplane is perfect here. If I don't get air first, how can I help my child?
Monday, July 7, 2008
Agave Syrup and Homemade Microwave Popcorn
So I am am curious how many of you have tried Agave Syrup as a replacement for sugar or honey, cause I am a sucker for honey on biscuits and have been very interested in this product. There is an article on Diabetes Health, but it doesn't really list the carbs vs. honey or sugar, just exchanges, which I thought was very out of fashion (using exchanges vs. straight carbs).
Any thoughts on agave syrup are appreciated. I do have one recipe to share that blew my mind. Who knew that microwave popcorn could be made without all the crap packed into the pre-packaged bags? Martha Stewart apparently. A friend with celiac hipped me to this homemade version of microwave popcorn with agave syrup and butter for a kettle corn yummyliciousness (we tried it with Splenda and butter, but would love to try agave).
Homemade Microwave Popcorn
Place 1/4 cup of popcorn in a paper lunch sack with a bit of salt. Fold over top of bag and lay on its side in microwave.
Microwave for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, but listen for slow popping or it will burn quick.
Plop a dollop of butter in a dish ( Or smart balance butter that I love) and nuke for a few seconds to melt.
Add some agave syrup and pour over your fresh popcorn and toss (more salt is nice).
Yum! Homemade microwave kettle corn.
Think it buying the prepackaged kind is easier? Fine, but look at the ingredients list and just try to scrape off the stuff inside the bag after popping. Hard to believe we ate this stuff thinking it was a good snack. Also, cost per bag is SO cheap. Frugal and healthy snack!
Happy popping!
Any thoughts on agave syrup are appreciated. I do have one recipe to share that blew my mind. Who knew that microwave popcorn could be made without all the crap packed into the pre-packaged bags? Martha Stewart apparently. A friend with celiac hipped me to this homemade version of microwave popcorn with agave syrup and butter for a kettle corn yummyliciousness (we tried it with Splenda and butter, but would love to try agave).
Homemade Microwave Popcorn
Place 1/4 cup of popcorn in a paper lunch sack with a bit of salt. Fold over top of bag and lay on its side in microwave.
Microwave for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, but listen for slow popping or it will burn quick.
Plop a dollop of butter in a dish ( Or smart balance butter that I love) and nuke for a few seconds to melt.
Add some agave syrup and pour over your fresh popcorn and toss (more salt is nice).
Yum! Homemade microwave kettle corn.
Think it buying the prepackaged kind is easier? Fine, but look at the ingredients list and just try to scrape off the stuff inside the bag after popping. Hard to believe we ate this stuff thinking it was a good snack. Also, cost per bag is SO cheap. Frugal and healthy snack!
Happy popping!
Friday, April 18, 2008
Camp Sweeney, Here we come
My girl and I are headed out today for a family weekend at Camp Sweeney for kids with T1 diabetes. The weather is supposed to be spectacular, but I think it is still a bit early to swim in the lake.
Last year my girl (then 6) went to Sweeney for a week-long camp and she spent a lot of time crying. She is very attached to me at bedtime and had a very hard time with home sickness, so this year we decided to do the weekend camp together. Little does she know, this weekend is prep for the three week camp next summer. Her daddy and I need a break!
She'll be 8, turning 9 at the end of summer then, and I figure she'll be over us (Ha!). So hubby and I are planning a trip (in our heads) to the Mexican Riviera, even if it is just for four nights or so. We haven't spent "quality" time alone since she was born. Actually, our last vacation alone was during the Millennium New Year where we went to San Francisco. I was pregnant and didn't know it until I got home from the airport at nearly midnight and peed on a pregnancy test.
My man is starting a new position with UPS as a driver, so he can't travel with us this weekend. He has been clerking there for 2 1/2 years, which allowed me the flexibility to start my own business, as UPS provides full benefits to the WHOLE family not no cost (besides his sweat & blood); he just had to work minimum of 25 hours per week. He has worked nights for as long as he's been there and operated another business from home during the day.
So, this weekend is a test run, prep for future spousal vacation. We'll have two weeks vacation next summer to use and I hope my girl is ready for three weeks of fun at camp.
Last year my girl (then 6) went to Sweeney for a week-long camp and she spent a lot of time crying. She is very attached to me at bedtime and had a very hard time with home sickness, so this year we decided to do the weekend camp together. Little does she know, this weekend is prep for the three week camp next summer. Her daddy and I need a break!
She'll be 8, turning 9 at the end of summer then, and I figure she'll be over us (Ha!). So hubby and I are planning a trip (in our heads) to the Mexican Riviera, even if it is just for four nights or so. We haven't spent "quality" time alone since she was born. Actually, our last vacation alone was during the Millennium New Year where we went to San Francisco. I was pregnant and didn't know it until I got home from the airport at nearly midnight and peed on a pregnancy test.
My man is starting a new position with UPS as a driver, so he can't travel with us this weekend. He has been clerking there for 2 1/2 years, which allowed me the flexibility to start my own business, as UPS provides full benefits to the WHOLE family not no cost (besides his sweat & blood); he just had to work minimum of 25 hours per week. He has worked nights for as long as he's been there and operated another business from home during the day.
So, this weekend is a test run, prep for future spousal vacation. We'll have two weeks vacation next summer to use and I hope my girl is ready for three weeks of fun at camp.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
FreeStyle Navigator FINALLY Approved
Well, the time has finally come! The Abbott Diabetes Care FreeStyle Navigator Continuous Glucose Monitoring System is finally approved by the FDA and available!
I started this blog when I was admitted to a three month study of the Navigator and I wrote extensively about my experiences over the trail. It begins with my first day and continues through some trials and tribulations over the following three months.
I included lots of pictures of the unit, of the insertion process and it seems that it is virtually the same unit I used in trail, but they updated a few irritating things, like there was no way to escape out of the reports window without waiting for it to time out.
During the trail my blood sugars were more manageable, but it was only in my final week of the trial that I truly realized how profoundly this technology could improve my control. My doctor could see things that would never be seen with 8 tests per day. I had a drop in my A1C of 10 percent during the trail and that prompted me to buy the Minimed CGM when it came out with the Minilink.
I think there are comparable in technology, BUT the Navigator would give me alarms 30 minutes before I was low and that saved me more than once. Also, you have readings every minute, which can be very helpful as you are dropping.
The insertion of the sensor is MUCH better with the Navigator and you don't see this HUGE needle plunging into your belly like you do with the Minimed.
The Co-pilot software was awesome; way better than the Minimed version. I loved the visuals along with the numbers.
I could not find the pricing information on the web, so I called the hot line and held for 5 minutes. They took my personal information first, then told me the pricing would be as follows:
The receiver and transmitter kit, which also includes one box of Freestyle strips, batteries and lancets will range in price from $960 -$1040. The Sensor kit includes six sensors for approximately $360-390. That is $60 a piece folks. Not sure how much I appreciate that without insurance coverage.
If anything, I think this will give Minimed and Dexcom a run for their money, which I hope in turn, brings about sexier and more sophisticated devices from which to choose. I like my Minimed because it is contained all in one unit, but if I were to buy today, I would absolutely consider the Navigator.
I started this blog when I was admitted to a three month study of the Navigator and I wrote extensively about my experiences over the trail. It begins with my first day and continues through some trials and tribulations over the following three months.
I included lots of pictures of the unit, of the insertion process and it seems that it is virtually the same unit I used in trail, but they updated a few irritating things, like there was no way to escape out of the reports window without waiting for it to time out.
During the trail my blood sugars were more manageable, but it was only in my final week of the trial that I truly realized how profoundly this technology could improve my control. My doctor could see things that would never be seen with 8 tests per day. I had a drop in my A1C of 10 percent during the trail and that prompted me to buy the Minimed CGM when it came out with the Minilink.
I think there are comparable in technology, BUT the Navigator would give me alarms 30 minutes before I was low and that saved me more than once. Also, you have readings every minute, which can be very helpful as you are dropping.
The insertion of the sensor is MUCH better with the Navigator and you don't see this HUGE needle plunging into your belly like you do with the Minimed.
The Co-pilot software was awesome; way better than the Minimed version. I loved the visuals along with the numbers.
I could not find the pricing information on the web, so I called the hot line and held for 5 minutes. They took my personal information first, then told me the pricing would be as follows:
The receiver and transmitter kit, which also includes one box of Freestyle strips, batteries and lancets will range in price from $960 -$1040. The Sensor kit includes six sensors for approximately $360-390. That is $60 a piece folks. Not sure how much I appreciate that without insurance coverage.
If anything, I think this will give Minimed and Dexcom a run for their money, which I hope in turn, brings about sexier and more sophisticated devices from which to choose. I like my Minimed because it is contained all in one unit, but if I were to buy today, I would absolutely consider the Navigator.
Friday, February 22, 2008
My Seven Year-old Holds onto her Routines--TIGHT!
I have had diabetes for 24 years and I go through periods of great diabetes focus. Then, I get tired and just can't over think it anymore. My blog hiatus since December is evidence of where I am.My daughter's care has been challenging. Her A1C is up and our vigilance has slipped because this disease is frankly really inconvenient. Let me say, we still test 10 times per day, but I have been more likely to forget to tell her the carbs for her snack she grabs in the middle of tree climbing. Thirty minutes later I have the flash, "DAMN, I forgot to tell her the carbs!"
She rarely goes too high, nor does she go too low, but she doesn't sit at 100 all the time either. You know the infusion sets are becoming a problem in terms of viability. They aren't lasting as long and I suspect this is due to scar tissue build up. I just gave advice to a dad looking at pumps for his eight year-old and said to be sure to promote site rotation right away; this has eluded us entirely. My girl likes it on her rear and that is IT. Just the thought of doing it on her tummy or thigh sends her into a panic.
I have really noticed how routine and the specificity of that routine is extremely important to her. Getting her to try anything new is just exhausting. We went to the video store on a rainy Saturday and I thought she would really dig seeing the Muppet Show; I remember how darned funny it was when I was a kid. Hys-ter-i-cal! She groused all the way home from the store and FINALLY, half way into the third episode with Gilda Radner, she began laughing. Now she is hooked, but it took two and a half episodes and that is a long time in kid time.
So, imagine me trying to get her to try an new type of infusion set or a new site. It is just too exhausting, so for now Good is Good Enough.
Photo from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Muppet_Show
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Can I offer you a glass of water?
Stress manifests in the most unusual ways, but for me, I tend to ignore the simplest things, like drinking water. I work and work, organize and strategize, so that my life is manageable and my family's life runs like a well oiled machine. But, at the end of the day, I am exhausted, achy, weary and just overwhelmed.This morning I woke up with a headache. Not a little headache, but a killer, mind numbing one that had me analyzing what the hell was going on. I quickly realized that I was simply not drinking enough water.
I was clued into the importance of this at a Fit, Family Club night at my daughter's school last night when the session leader was talking about how we often hunger from thirst. That we might be eating more, because in fact we are really thirsty. She recommended that we drink a glass of water before we start a meal; that one action may curb our tendency to consume more food than we really need.
So, I got a bottle of water this morning and drank that before my coffee. I then got a huge glass and sipped on it for almost an hour. I also drank two cups of my favorite tea, Buddha's Bliss from Texas Medicinals. Within an hour, my back and neck stopped hurting, my headache cleared, my energy was back to buoyant and I just felt darned good.
It can be hard to remember that self-care begins with the smallest things, but it is an accumulation of those efforts that end up making us happier and healthier.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Happy Hollandaise
Everyone feeling the crunch yet? The gift giving is off the hook this year. I can't control myself with the eating, shopping, and overall need to consume.
My girl and I made sugar cube houses; a diabetic nightmare if I ever saw one, but they are beautiful. I caught myself eating one of the candy rocks off her stone pathway to the front door and had to slap my own hand away.
My girl and I made sugar cube houses; a diabetic nightmare if I ever saw one, but they are beautiful. I caught myself eating one of the candy rocks off her stone pathway to the front door and had to slap my own hand away. They were much prettier before the kitty decided to play with them.
Just got the tree up with family this evening; weeks later than we have ever done it before, but I think I have some holiday blues, which leads to more consumption.
I haven't been wearing my CGM for about a week now. Just tired of everything and I am shocked at my capacity for malaise, even with all the twinkling lights, cookies and yumminess. My blood sugars are great, even without the CGM, so I will settle into the flow and try to enjoy the rest of the holidays.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Serious Symlin Scare--It all worked out, but carry Glucose Tablets!
Oh! My! Last night I was rushing around to get dinner on the table, getting my daughter ready for a sleep over, sending my hubby off to work. I made a HUGE regular pasta (vs. Dreamfields) dinner and took my Symlin, but FORGOT to take half my insulin; I took the whole dosage with a 60g carb bolus.
About 20 minutes after I ate I realized what I did, so I grabbed a 30g carb instant breakfast and got my daughter out the door for her sleep over. As soon as I made it to my friends door I felt myself slipping.
We were touring around her new home, admiring this and that when we made it to her bedroom and I plopped down on the bed. I felt awash in fuzz. I pulled out my pump/CGM and I was 70 with a down arrow 30 minutes after eating. I KNEW I was in trouble, so I immediate drank 30g carb of OJ. I slipped to 60 in five minutes.
My friends were talking about shopping for houses and I just blurted out that I couldn't listen to anything anyone had to say and promptly planted my butt on the sofa. My friends looked at me and I was not all there. I was glassy eyed and pale. I looked at the CGM again, 52! Yikes! I drank almost another full 8 oz of OJ when I realized my Symlin was preventing me from absorbing the OJ properly. It wasn't working!
I remembered (some how in my twirly/speedy low mind) a discussion of serious lows with Symlin from a Diabetes CGMS group, or perhaps from TuDiabetes.com, but someone mentioned that Glucose tablets were about the only thing that worked with these severe lows because they could be absorbed into the blood stream even as you chewed and as they made their way to your stomach.
I ACTUALLY had a Ziploc baggies filled with about 15 glucose tablets and I started eating. Did I mention my CGM was showing a drop so fast it couldn't even alarm. I was 40 with a down arrow and and I know I was MUCH lower. I sat on the sofa and my friends are like, "Hey, whats the worst case scenario here?"
I realized that this situation COULD get bad; this kind of thing hasn't happened to me in seven years, so I asked my friend to go to my house and get my Glucagon kit. She was gone 15 minutes and just as she walked in the door, my blood sugar went to 42. YEA! This is after the whole bag of glucose tablets--maybe 15 or so.
It took me almost 30 minutes to climb over 100. I hit 198 as a high afterward, which was AMAZING as I probably consumed 300g carb. Ok, I exaggerate, but who really knows.
Scary! Mom's, don't let your guard down when you are struggling to get everyone else's life inorder. A valuable lesson for me to slow down and be more caring of my own diabetes needs.
MY CGM saved my life. I would have totally flipped out without SEEing what was happening as it happened. I didn't have my BG kit, so I am unsure of accuracy, but I AM certain that it was incredibly helpful. I was able to keep my cool KNOWING what was going on.
Another thing--I will always have glucose tablets in my purse!
About 20 minutes after I ate I realized what I did, so I grabbed a 30g carb instant breakfast and got my daughter out the door for her sleep over. As soon as I made it to my friends door I felt myself slipping.
We were touring around her new home, admiring this and that when we made it to her bedroom and I plopped down on the bed. I felt awash in fuzz. I pulled out my pump/CGM and I was 70 with a down arrow 30 minutes after eating. I KNEW I was in trouble, so I immediate drank 30g carb of OJ. I slipped to 60 in five minutes.
My friends were talking about shopping for houses and I just blurted out that I couldn't listen to anything anyone had to say and promptly planted my butt on the sofa. My friends looked at me and I was not all there. I was glassy eyed and pale. I looked at the CGM again, 52! Yikes! I drank almost another full 8 oz of OJ when I realized my Symlin was preventing me from absorbing the OJ properly. It wasn't working!
I remembered (some how in my twirly/speedy low mind) a discussion of serious lows with Symlin from a Diabetes CGMS group, or perhaps from TuDiabetes.com, but someone mentioned that Glucose tablets were about the only thing that worked with these severe lows because they could be absorbed into the blood stream even as you chewed and as they made their way to your stomach.
I ACTUALLY had a Ziploc baggies filled with about 15 glucose tablets and I started eating. Did I mention my CGM was showing a drop so fast it couldn't even alarm. I was 40 with a down arrow and and I know I was MUCH lower. I sat on the sofa and my friends are like, "Hey, whats the worst case scenario here?"
I realized that this situation COULD get bad; this kind of thing hasn't happened to me in seven years, so I asked my friend to go to my house and get my Glucagon kit. She was gone 15 minutes and just as she walked in the door, my blood sugar went to 42. YEA! This is after the whole bag of glucose tablets--maybe 15 or so.
It took me almost 30 minutes to climb over 100. I hit 198 as a high afterward, which was AMAZING as I probably consumed 300g carb. Ok, I exaggerate, but who really knows.
Scary! Mom's, don't let your guard down when you are struggling to get everyone else's life inorder. A valuable lesson for me to slow down and be more caring of my own diabetes needs.
MY CGM saved my life. I would have totally flipped out without SEEing what was happening as it happened. I didn't have my BG kit, so I am unsure of accuracy, but I AM certain that it was incredibly helpful. I was able to keep my cool KNOWING what was going on.
Another thing--I will always have glucose tablets in my purse!
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Minimed Sensor Backorder --four business days. Thoughts on CGM and my kid.
I ordered my Sensors for my Minimed Real-time CGM on Halloween, Wednesday,October 31 and got notification today that they were being overnighted. That was less than one week and I ordered a box of ten.
I'm pretty happy about this. Life without readings is basically life, but with no idea what your blood sugar is. Yes, I am supposed to be taking it, but I have gotten so comfortable wearing the sensor all the time, I just can't get back to my meter.
I had a sensor that was really rough on me as my last sensor. I bled like HELL and hurt when I put it in. I read on a forum that the ones that tend to bleed have had longer life, so I crossed my fingers and hoped, but it failed after four days and I wasn't going to mess with it. I just wanted it OUT!
I am still bruised and I took it out almost two weeks ago.
Not sure why this happened, but thankfully is was the first in 30 sensors to do this kind of damage.
I've decided to wait on the CGM for my seven year-old girl. I have come to find out that it isn't the insertion that worries her most (although it absolutely does), but it is the alarms going off all the time. You know what? That happens frequently. It will really extend the amount of time she is thinking or being reminded about diabetes, which is a lot and for right now, in this first generation of devices, I am willing to let her have some space with it.
Also, when the CGM is made so that I get the alarms on my mobile device, that will be a whole other story. It is a lot of responsibility for a seven year old to deal with the various alarms. Trust me I TOTALLY understand the benefits for her and me, but for now...we are going to wait.
I'm pretty happy about this. Life without readings is basically life, but with no idea what your blood sugar is. Yes, I am supposed to be taking it, but I have gotten so comfortable wearing the sensor all the time, I just can't get back to my meter.
I had a sensor that was really rough on me as my last sensor. I bled like HELL and hurt when I put it in. I read on a forum that the ones that tend to bleed have had longer life, so I crossed my fingers and hoped, but it failed after four days and I wasn't going to mess with it. I just wanted it OUT!
I am still bruised and I took it out almost two weeks ago.
Not sure why this happened, but thankfully is was the first in 30 sensors to do this kind of damage.
I've decided to wait on the CGM for my seven year-old girl. I have come to find out that it isn't the insertion that worries her most (although it absolutely does), but it is the alarms going off all the time. You know what? That happens frequently. It will really extend the amount of time she is thinking or being reminded about diabetes, which is a lot and for right now, in this first generation of devices, I am willing to let her have some space with it.
Also, when the CGM is made so that I get the alarms on my mobile device, that will be a whole other story. It is a lot of responsibility for a seven year old to deal with the various alarms. Trust me I TOTALLY understand the benefits for her and me, but for now...we are going to wait.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Tape is Necessary on CGM Transmitter--I just flushed $35 down the toilet
So, I put in a new Minimed Sensor two nights ago. I put it on my rear, so I had to get my hubby to help me because I don't like it too high on my hip.
I forgot to put on my overbandage (Tegaderm) and I thought about it several times, but I needed hubby to do this too, and he was never around when I thought about it.
I was very careful getting dressed and going to the restroom, but this morning I was bending over to pick up the recycling and a seam in my jeans caught just under the edge of the sensor and pull it right off my fanny.
Oh well!
I forgot to put on my overbandage (Tegaderm) and I thought about it several times, but I needed hubby to do this too, and he was never around when I thought about it.
I was very careful getting dressed and going to the restroom, but this morning I was bending over to pick up the recycling and a seam in my jeans caught just under the edge of the sensor and pull it right off my fanny.
Oh well!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Symlin and CGM--Wow! This is SO much easier
You know I tried to use Symlin a couple years ago, before the Continuous Glucose Monitor, and it was HARD. I got low...really low and the lows are tough to treat, but I recently decided to give it a try again now that I have the Minimed Realtime Continuous Glucose Monitor.
I am 38 and my insulin requirements have increased significantly in the past year and I am also gaining weight as a result. This does not make me happy, so I'm trying Symlin (which I hear is now FDA approved in a pen).
I have been on Symlin for about a month, using it once or so a day. It is NOT convenient to carry it around with you when you have been reliant on the CGM and your pump, so I usually get Symlin when I am at home eating.
I have to say, it is miraculous to see how it impacts my blood sugars post meal. It works well, but the best is that I can catch lows early and see exactly how it impacts my readings for hours after.
It has been a long while since I posted regularly, but in case you weren't sure, I LOVE having a CGM and I can't imagine life without it. I will live longer and I will see my child grow because I know answer to the only question that really matters with diabetes-- "What's your blood sugar?"
I am 38 and my insulin requirements have increased significantly in the past year and I am also gaining weight as a result. This does not make me happy, so I'm trying Symlin (which I hear is now FDA approved in a pen).
I have been on Symlin for about a month, using it once or so a day. It is NOT convenient to carry it around with you when you have been reliant on the CGM and your pump, so I usually get Symlin when I am at home eating.
I have to say, it is miraculous to see how it impacts my blood sugars post meal. It works well, but the best is that I can catch lows early and see exactly how it impacts my readings for hours after.
It has been a long while since I posted regularly, but in case you weren't sure, I LOVE having a CGM and I can't imagine life without it. I will live longer and I will see my child grow because I know answer to the only question that really matters with diabetes-- "What's your blood sugar?"
Sunday, September 9, 2007
I'm Mad!! Minimed Carelink Software has a Gaping Hole
Just to put this up front--I'm MAD!
Minimed offers Carelink Personal Therapy Management Software, a Web-based system designed to help you take information from all of your diabetes management tools – your insulin pump, continuous glucose monitor, blood glucose meter(s), and logbook – and organize it into easy-to-read charts, graphs and tables. It offers a logbook as well, which is "intended to assist you in analyzing impacts to your glucose control based on delivered Bolus insulin and external events documented in the Logbook."
PROBLEM--The Logbook only offers five "external event" options for documenting what is happening with your diabetes care:
Carbs
Exercise
HbA1C
Infusion Set Change
Urine Ketones
There is no place in this "therapy management software" to make general comments about your health or wellness, like when I have the stomach flu, a major deadline at work and I am stressed to the point of exploding or a sinus infection. My menstrual cycles causes HAVOC on my blood sugars from the day I ovulate through PMS and to the end of my period.
These are not random notes; frivolous nuggets of information. This information is about MY LIFE and every move I make impacts my diabetes control. My doctor, when he reads the files I saved from Carelink, has to know the facts when making recommendations about bolus/basal changes. If he doesn't see what is going on, it looks like I am just randomly out of control.
The very thing that makes the CGM so miraculous is that we get hard numbers 24/7. Numbers are virtually meaningless if you don't know what is happening to my body causing the blood sugar changes.
My doctor will get two weeks worth of reading through the Carelink and the first five days are relatively stable; it shows some lows, but there are notes related to exercise, so that makes sense. There was one super high with a note about an infusion set change, so that makes sense.
Then, day six shows blood sugars hovering between 150 to 200. No notes (after all this isn't related to the five logbook entries provided). Two days later they are high--over 200 all the time. A temp basal is employed, but again no notes.
I'm 250 at bed time on Day 12 and then Day 13 shows a huge drop in sugars; now below 70 all morning and not much higher after lunch. Day 14 is stable again--80-140 most the day.
What is a doctor supposed to do with this if he doesn't know I'm sick or have my period or had a bad batch of insulin or had a tough work week. There is no treatment recommendation that would make sense.
So, my point--I'm mad that the medical companies spend so much energy developing technology that can serve us SO well, but they forget about who is using it or what we have to do to manage the disease they are helping us treat. Who would release software that doesn't allow a user to make general notes. It is absoutely ridiculous!
Minimed offers Carelink Personal Therapy Management Software, a Web-based system designed to help you take information from all of your diabetes management tools – your insulin pump, continuous glucose monitor, blood glucose meter(s), and logbook – and organize it into easy-to-read charts, graphs and tables. It offers a logbook as well, which is "intended to assist you in analyzing impacts to your glucose control based on delivered Bolus insulin and external events documented in the Logbook."
PROBLEM--The Logbook only offers five "external event" options for documenting what is happening with your diabetes care:
Carbs
Exercise
HbA1C
Infusion Set Change
Urine Ketones
There is no place in this "therapy management software" to make general comments about your health or wellness, like when I have the stomach flu, a major deadline at work and I am stressed to the point of exploding or a sinus infection. My menstrual cycles causes HAVOC on my blood sugars from the day I ovulate through PMS and to the end of my period.
These are not random notes; frivolous nuggets of information. This information is about MY LIFE and every move I make impacts my diabetes control. My doctor, when he reads the files I saved from Carelink, has to know the facts when making recommendations about bolus/basal changes. If he doesn't see what is going on, it looks like I am just randomly out of control.
The very thing that makes the CGM so miraculous is that we get hard numbers 24/7. Numbers are virtually meaningless if you don't know what is happening to my body causing the blood sugar changes.
My doctor will get two weeks worth of reading through the Carelink and the first five days are relatively stable; it shows some lows, but there are notes related to exercise, so that makes sense. There was one super high with a note about an infusion set change, so that makes sense.
Then, day six shows blood sugars hovering between 150 to 200. No notes (after all this isn't related to the five logbook entries provided). Two days later they are high--over 200 all the time. A temp basal is employed, but again no notes.
I'm 250 at bed time on Day 12 and then Day 13 shows a huge drop in sugars; now below 70 all morning and not much higher after lunch. Day 14 is stable again--80-140 most the day.
What is a doctor supposed to do with this if he doesn't know I'm sick or have my period or had a bad batch of insulin or had a tough work week. There is no treatment recommendation that would make sense.
So, my point--I'm mad that the medical companies spend so much energy developing technology that can serve us SO well, but they forget about who is using it or what we have to do to manage the disease they are helping us treat. Who would release software that doesn't allow a user to make general notes. It is absoutely ridiculous!
October 3, 2007 Update
I e-mailed Minimed the night I wrote this post and I have not received a follow up beyond the message that my comments were being forwarded to the Marketing Dept. I sent them another message this morning requesting a response.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
T1 Kids--How do you handle diabetes care at school?
Today is day two of second grade for my sweet girl. Day one was awesome. Her teacher was prepared, the Teacher's Assistant who cares for her was on hand and ready. Her blood sugars were 92 for morning snack, 112 for lunch and 85 for afternoon snack. Hooray!
Then today, well actually last night, she was 92 at 11:00 p.m. My husband checked her at 2:00 a.m and she was 174. He didn't know she was 92 earlier, so he only did a partial correction. This morning she was 275. Hmmm. I pause, but figure since she didn't get the full correction last night, things might be OK, after all it is only day two of her infusion set. I correct and we head to school.
Morning snack 230, obviously not great, but lower than before. Lunch, 212, OK, lower and its a post morning snack number, but still not great. Afternoon snack, 427. So up to the school my hubby goes to give her a shot (we live a half block from school). She'll be home in 45 minutes, so we decided to wait on changing the infusion set.
Then I went to pick my girl up after school and her teacher was a basket case. She was SOOOO worried that she screwed up. She said, "I should have seen it coming."
I let her know in no uncertain terms that she cannot claim responsibility for my daughter's blood sugar numbers. It is her job to teach her, get to know her and keep and eye out for the symptoms we discussed for almost an hour and a half. I said that if she is worried at all, to ask my girl to take her blood sugar and to call me if there are issues. Her diabetes management is OUR responsibility and we will do our best to care for her with the information we are given each day.
Now, I should say that my daughter has been under the supervision of one Teacher's Assistant since she started Kinder at the school. It took some months of cajoling the administration, but everyone finally agreed that having one person watch over her care (we have no full-time nurse) was better than her, at five years-old, trying to figure out which of the five people at the school was supposed to help her three times per day.
This angel of a TA named Molly is loving and tender and watchful over my girl. She also cares for several children with Autism and Down Syndrome, but every single day at 9:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. she is in the room watching blood sugars be taken, writing down the numbers, helping count and add total carbs, monitoring the pump entries and trouble shooting with me on the phone if there are issues or she just thinks my girl just looks a little off today.
Molly knows my child and loves her dearly and this system has worked great for us. I hate the idea of a teacher being responsible for teaching, managing nearly 20 kids and giving her full attention to my child's diabetes. I like the teacher being an active participant, but not the care provider. It works for us.
Tell me how your little one gets care while at school. What is your biggest worry? Do you trust the people/system caring from you child?
Then today, well actually last night, she was 92 at 11:00 p.m. My husband checked her at 2:00 a.m and she was 174. He didn't know she was 92 earlier, so he only did a partial correction. This morning she was 275. Hmmm. I pause, but figure since she didn't get the full correction last night, things might be OK, after all it is only day two of her infusion set. I correct and we head to school.
Morning snack 230, obviously not great, but lower than before. Lunch, 212, OK, lower and its a post morning snack number, but still not great. Afternoon snack, 427. So up to the school my hubby goes to give her a shot (we live a half block from school). She'll be home in 45 minutes, so we decided to wait on changing the infusion set.
Then I went to pick my girl up after school and her teacher was a basket case. She was SOOOO worried that she screwed up. She said, "I should have seen it coming."
I let her know in no uncertain terms that she cannot claim responsibility for my daughter's blood sugar numbers. It is her job to teach her, get to know her and keep and eye out for the symptoms we discussed for almost an hour and a half. I said that if she is worried at all, to ask my girl to take her blood sugar and to call me if there are issues. Her diabetes management is OUR responsibility and we will do our best to care for her with the information we are given each day.
Now, I should say that my daughter has been under the supervision of one Teacher's Assistant since she started Kinder at the school. It took some months of cajoling the administration, but everyone finally agreed that having one person watch over her care (we have no full-time nurse) was better than her, at five years-old, trying to figure out which of the five people at the school was supposed to help her three times per day.
This angel of a TA named Molly is loving and tender and watchful over my girl. She also cares for several children with Autism and Down Syndrome, but every single day at 9:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. she is in the room watching blood sugars be taken, writing down the numbers, helping count and add total carbs, monitoring the pump entries and trouble shooting with me on the phone if there are issues or she just thinks my girl just looks a little off today.
Molly knows my child and loves her dearly and this system has worked great for us. I hate the idea of a teacher being responsible for teaching, managing nearly 20 kids and giving her full attention to my child's diabetes. I like the teacher being an active participant, but not the care provider. It works for us.
Tell me how your little one gets care while at school. What is your biggest worry? Do you trust the people/system caring from you child?
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