World Diabetes Day

It's interesting that this day occurs/is celebrated in the month of November. Many people focus on the things that they are grateful for during this month, because of Thanksgiving. Well, today I am grateful for my diabetes.

Sound crazy?

It's not, if you let me explain.

I am extremely blessed to live in a time when being a diabetic isn't a life sentence. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't all that long ago that the technology that sustains me and helps me survive and have a good life did not exist. The pump I will soon get, the glucometer I check my sugars with, insulin: in all it's life giving glory...DID NOT EXIST. Back in the day I would have probably been sent home to die after such a diagnosis.

But I wasn't, because I live in the here and now, when technology is accessible and makes life possible (and a great one at that) for any PWD's (people with diabetes).

I am grateful for living in a time when people who know and love someone with diabetes don't have to just sit by and watch their loved one suffer and die from the ravages of this disease. If I take care of myself, I can lessen the likelihood/alleviate many complications of my disease.

I have so many "cans" as opposed to "can'ts" compared to so many people who lived before today.

For all these things, and much much more, I am grateful for what life has given me.

Even my diabetes.

Pump Demo

This last Monday I went to the Utah Diabetes Center at the UofU in Salt Lake City. My appointment was supposed to be just for a consultation about the pros and cons of insulin pumps. They were sitting down with me to explain the different types of pumps/name brands that are available to diabetics like me.

I met with a wonderful gal named Dez. She took the time to really answer my questions. I decided that though I had been vehemently against the idea of getting a pump in the past, I would go in to this appointment with an open mind, and plenty of questions.

There were 3 kinds of pumps shown to me. There were the OmniPod, the Animas, and the Medtronic pumps. The OmniPod is a tubeless pump that has a casing where the insulin is located and sticks to your body with adhesive and is controlled by a fancy-pants glucometer. Basically you program the glucometer to administer insulin. Both the Animas and the Medtronic pumps require tubing and are about the size of a pager.

After all three devices were explained to me, Dez asked which one I would want to try for what they call a "demo" or a week long trial of working with a pump knowing only the basics. I chose the Medtronic. She suggested that we schedule another appointment for me to come down so she could help me learn the basics, how to set the pump up etc. I asked if she had any free time that day, because it's a 40+ minute drive down to Salt Lake City from where I live, and she said I could wait around while she worked with another patient.

To make a long story short, I am now in the middle of this pump demo and loving it. It's so nice to not feel like a walking pin cushion with sticking myself EVERY SINGLE TIME I eat. It's a more precise science, in that it calculates how much insulin I should give myself according to my insulin to carb ratios. It elminates the guessing game of how much I calculate in my head and helps reduce the likelihood of lows.

It's been a little adjustment to wearing the pump, but I disconnect it for taking showers, swimming, etc. I have absolutely no complaints whatsoever. Yet. We'll just have to see.