Off the Insulin Pump and back on M.D.I

It all started around 4 weeks ago. I had been noticing that my numbers were totally out of control. Sky high glucose readings and no apparent reason for it. There had been 2 or 3 times in the past couple weeks previous in which I went to change my infusion set out and noticed that I had a bent cannula. This would explain my high numbers. I put in another set. But 2 weeks ago one day it happened to me again and I finally decided after giving myself plenty of correction boluses that it must be another bent cannula and sure enough it was. Well I put in another set and called my endo. I let him know that I was not going to be using my pump until I get in touch with Animas and let them know that I may have been sent a bad batch of sets. So the endo prescribed Lantus for my basal insulin and I would go ahead and use my Apidra insulin for my boluses and corrections. I was totally amazed at how well I did on the Lantus from the first day! I started out on 12 units even though my Endo suggested 15 units per day. I was NOT wanting to go through nightime lows so I started at 12 and adjust upward if needed. Twelve units was just right and seems to keep my numbers around 110- 114  on a regular basis. I tried to get in touch with Animas's support line to have them send me some more infusion sets but after an entire day of being on hold for well over 15 minutes each and every time I called them I finally gave up and decided to try them at another time. Injections don't bother me much, especially since I've been on the pump for so long. It's a strange feeling not being hooked up to something all day long. When I change clothes I am still thinking I have to avoid the site so I don't pull it out. Yesterday I went shopping and forgot to take any insulin with me so I had to come home earlier than I had wanted to. With my pump I don't have that problem :)

Recent Hb1ac.. I am pleased!

Happy to report that my last hb1ac was 7.4 down from the whopping 8.7. I had hoped for it to be lower but I see now that this is just going to take more time. I'm not beating myself up too much over it not being lower. I had lost some weight and found that I was taking too much basal. Now my settings are as follows:

• 12:00 am-1:30 am-.55
• 1:30 - 5:00 am- .60
• 5:00 am- 1:30 pm-.50
• 1:30 pm-4:30 pm-52.5

I've been satisfied with this new Animas ping pump and meter. It's getting the job done. I find I still don't use the food menu carb counter feature but plan on it in the future. My endocrinologist suggested I should lower my basal rate at my last appointment. As I said I had lost weight but another reason to lower my basals were due to the fact that I was not taking in enough bolus insulin. My ratios were totally off. Started a new job and found I was running around skipping lunch every once in a while. Until I get used to this job I can count on it being up and down I guess. Let's see, what else to report..I have almost denied myself pizza altogether. I know I could use my bolus setting for a square and could maybe have pizza but right now it just isn't worth the hassle. I think only once in the past month have I had pizza and I stopped myself at one slice. Before this I would have maybe 4 or 5 and that carb load was really too much for me. I took my bolus all at once, I would go low. I scattered it about over 6 hours like I have been told to do and I would still be 300+ come morning time. Another thing to report is I am getting much better at pacing myself when it comes to activity and am suffering less lows now.

Holidays are Torture on my Averages

With the holidays came lots of good food. Why does this always happen to me? Because I have no self-control? That would be it. I made candy for Christmas for my non-diabetic friends and family members and sampled too much of my own creation. I think that my average according to my ping meter is around 165 for the 3 month. It's a little better at 157 for the past month. I try not to beat myself up too much. I don't want to be too discouraged about falling off the wagon during the Holidays or else I might lose heart and give up the fight and that's not gonna happen. Well what else do I have to report? Oh yes, I still love the ping! I recently received my updated meter that Animas sent out. There was a software problem in the earlier meter remotes in which one might get the wrong amount of insulin if bolus was given via the meter. I don't use the food database that much. I still have yet to put in my favorites but I will get around to it soon. The other thing I need to do is get some of those tunes for my pump. And the scratching issue with the pump bugs me. I strongly urge everyone to get a cover for their pump and be very careful bumping into things. It seems this pump gets scratched up much easier than my old minimed paradigm did.

My Blessing in Disguise

I had been due for a new insulin pump since last fall but approval was rejected by my insurance.
I just couldn't understand why this was happening to me. It's hard enough to live with
diabetes without your insurance company fighting you over what you KNOW you must have to control it. I was angry, yet it seemed there was nothing I could do. I had hit a brick wall in dealing with these people (insurance company) and the pump company I was trying to get a new pump through had had no better luck with them either. No matter that we had the letter of medical necessity and all the other paperwork we were told to get to them. Finally I just threw my hands up and said to myself that I would just leave it in God's hands and if I don't get a pump then so be it. If something happens to mine that is out of warranty, I would just have to go back to injections of humalog and lantus. Now I didn't want to do this because the shots I didn't mind, it's just that multiple daily injections did NOT control my diabetes like the insulin pump did.
Fast forward to August of this year. I had my endocrinologist appointment and was asked if I had a new pump yet. I once again told the story to my doctor about being denied one by our insurance and he said that he would take care of things. Within 2 days I received a call from Animas and was told that they were going to be faxing the forms for me to fill out. I got that done the same day. Within a week I was told the good news that I had finally been approved for my new pump.

There is a moral to this story. Had I been approved for a new pump last fall, I would have not been able to get the new "One Touch Ping" insulin pump from Animas. This pump only was only released to the public this year and only started shipping in mid August. So sometimes when it seems like all we have in front of us is obstacles that keep us from what we think we need, it is really just a blessing in disguise. I am living proof :)

New "One Touch Ping" Insulin Pump Finally Arrived!

Well I've been a little busy since my new pump arrived last week. It was like Christmas for me! I unloaded everything, watched the DVD on my computer and read the information booklet over and over. This thing is so very neat! The Animas rep told me I could choose either black, blue, green, pink, or silver. I chose the black because hey- black goes with anything.
I've included a few pics for now of the ping. I took these the day of delivery. The one thing I noticed right away was that the size of this pump is not really much bigger than my old minimed pump. Think I'll take a pic of them both side by side for comparison. I had heard the ping pump was considerably larger than the paradigm but sure doesn't seem like it to me. Another big plus is the screen- it's so neat to be able to see the screen without having to push a light button. The screen wakes up immediately when you push any of the up/down buttons or the "OK" button. I'll post more on how I like this pump in the upcoming weeks and months.