Pump possibility

I had a whirlwind of a day yesterday, so this may be a freakishly long post.

I had an appointment with a diabetes educator at my local hospital. I wanted to learn more about diet, exercise, and mostly: a pump! I’d been reading about them, but I wanted to see more in person and get more information.

I got to look at the MiniMed and try out both the MiniMed Quick-Serter and the Cleo 90 inserter for the Cozmo. I went home with a ton of pamphlets and a new desire to try out the pump. The pump was a bit large, but manageable; the tubing didn’t seem to be a huge problem; the needles seemed manageable (the ones I was looking at were 9mm, but I’d probably use a 6mm, so it’ll be even more manageable than the ones I saw); and I feel that it would really help get my A1C down.

Fast forward to dinner. It was a BBQ at GiR’s church. While in line, a lady asked if I would need a bun for my brat. I politely declined, saying that I was a diabetic. She’s like, “Really? I’m diabetic too.” My heart lept. Another diabetic! Woo!!!! I had never actually met another diabetic in my entire life, so this was fantastic. She tells me she’s on a pump and that we’ll have to talk later.

So, after dinner, we finally get a chance to talk, and she shows me her pump. She raves on and on about how great it is and really recommends that I get one. Seeing her made me feel really motivated to try out the pump. She even has 2 kids! She promised that next time I saw her she would bug me about whether or not I got a pump.

I spent most of the evening after that (and much of my work day today…) browsing for more information. Right now I’m having a hard time deciding between a MiniMed and a Cozmo. At times, the MiniMed seems so much better, but then other times the Cozmo seems so much better. I think I’ll have to make a list of what things are important to me and see how the 2 stack up. Of course, that could all be moot depending on what the insurance says.

The nice diabetes educator had given me her email address, so I emailed her today requesting to initiate the process of looking into getting me a pump. She said that she/pump rep would contact the insurance and see how much everything would cost. I did some rough calculations at home, and it doesn’t look too bad. Sure it’ll be more expensive, but it’ll keep me healthier. Also, if/when I decide to become pregnant, I really want to be on top of things, so I might as well get started now.

I never thought I’d be so excited about a pump, but I know it’ll be better for me. Now, just to pick out which one to get. =D

Oh, I wish I had a pump

At least sometimes. Last night, I had some hearty soup for dinner with a slice of homemade banana nut bread. GiR and I carefully calculated carb content and measured accurately. My blood sugar was a bit high before dinner, so I took some extra insulin for a correction. I figured everything would be perfect. Ha! Later that evening, I was at 58 with nearly no symptoms. I hate some chips, tested 15 min later and was at 50. Ugh. These are the times I wish I had a pump because it could tell me how much insulin I had “on board” from dinner. Was I at 58 with a ton of insulin on board (requiring a large reaction), or at 58 with no insulin on board (requiring a small reaction)? Also, I wondered why that happened. I’m pretty sure I calculated everything correctly. Of course, sometimes 1 + 1 = 3.

What to do…

What to do… Pity the ladies in waiting…

So, I normally use Starbust as my emergency sugar should I run into a low. At 5g carbs each, they’re both modular and tasty. However, I also have a tendency to eat my entire stash in my purse(about 5 or 6) in one sitting if I’m bored, especially at work. I already keep peanuts or cashews at my desk as a healthy alternative. The question is: How do I pick something that I would be willing to eat in an emergency but not willing to eat the rest of the time? Clearly, the Starburst (and this has also occurred with Skittles and LifeSavers) are too tempting for me to eat. Are the glucose tabs undesirable as a snack? I may try that out. Any other suggestions?