Forgot to Change Site

I dropped him off at work and a couple hours later I get a call saying he forgot to change his site this morning.  He had about 2 units left so that gave him a little more than 2 hours and he could not eat anything with carbs in the meantime.  He is at risk of getting DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) within hours of no insulin delivery.  Thankfully, I was at home & we live very close to his work so I packed up the site, the wipes, the cartridge, the insulin, and the tegaderm and delivered it to him.  

Not too long ago, we lived over 25 miles away from his job and did not have a car, what would of happened then?  I worry myself so much.

Measuring Cups

Measuring Cups can be a diabetic's best friend.  We recently purchased a set of measuring cups since we only had one.  We've only used them a couple times and the ink from them is always washing off!!  What's the point of a measuring cup if it can no longer measure?!  Of course, who saves receipts for measuring cups but that's just not fair.  I think I will be sending an email soon for a refund.

Ketone Testing

Testing blood for ketones can help detect DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) which is a serious medical complication of diabetes caused by low insulin conditions.  

Most people test for ketones if blood sugar is above 250.

Readings below 0.6 mmol/L ~ Normal Range

Readings 0.6 to 1.5 mmol/L ~ Indicate the development of a problem that may require medical assistance.  Follow your doctors recommendations.

Readings Above 1.5 mmol/L ~ Indicate high risk of DKA.  Follow your doctors recommendations.

Low While Sleeping

BG check before bed was 99 (his target is 140 at bedtime) so he drank some juice then went to sleep.  About 1am something just told me to check him, I did and he was at 59 so I gave him more juice.  As I was trying to figure out the low, I realized he forgot to temp basal for the walk this evening.  I am very angry at T1 right now.  What if I wouldn't of checked??  He doesn't get up till about 630am.  These are the times I feel like Type 1 just smacked me in the face.  No matter how good your control is it's always there lurking every minute of every day.  Can't wait for the Animas Vibe with the integrated CGM to be released in the US!  We can't risk anymore lows, nobody should have to!!

Also, I wish the pump told you how many carbs to eat to bring you back up to target instead of just saying your low.  I'm in the process of trying to figure out how many points 1 carb brings him up. Everyone is different but has anyone ever tried to figure it out?

Which Pump?

Doing research when choosing an insulin pump can be quite overwhelming.  I've put together some things that may help someone just starting to do research....

- Discuss it with your endocrinologist (I specifically say endocrinologist because they are the experts)

- Do as much research as possible, get a notebook & write down what you learn, talk with others that wear the pump you are researching

- Make a list of questions and things that are important to you (remember all the pumps do the most important thing - deliver insulin, but features on each one may vary).  The Animas Ping Pump is waterproof, the Medtronic MiniMed Paradigm Revel offers an integrated CGM, and the OmniPod is tubeless.  Don't you just wish there was one pump that had all those features?  =)

- Visit the pump companies website and get a free information packet mailed to you

- Have the pump company check your insurance to see if it will be covered (having the pump company do this is better, they are the experts in dealing with insurance companies)

- Be patient.  Keep in mind your endocrinologist office may want you to take classes on pumping & the process is usually not instant.  Also, keep in mind that getting a pump does not mean you don't have to check your blood sugar.  It usually takes time to get the pump settings correct so you may need to check your blood sugar more than usual.

- Check out the pump companies policies.  Do they offer a loaner pump if going away on vacation and if they do, is it free?  What happens if your pump breaks?  Do they offer email customer service for non urgent issues?  What is their warranty policy?  If a updated pump is released after you get yours, do they offer an upgrade and if they do, how much will your out of pocket expense be?

- Keep in mind the things that are important to you.  Choosing a pump is usually personal preference.

One thing to keep in mind is reservoir/cartridge size, one of the pumps has the ability to hold 300 units of insulin in it as opposed to 200 units, think if this is important to you.  Would you even use 300 units in a 2-4 day time span?  Most doctors/pump companies recommend site changes every 2-4 days and most also recommend to do the site change and the reservoir/cartridge change at the same time, so you may not even use 300 units in the recommended time span.  However, you might use that much so keep this in mind to determine if this is important to you.

I have compiled a comparison list of 3 popular insulin pumps available in the US ~ Animas Ping, Medtronic MiniMed Paradigm Revel 723, and OmniPod ~ check out the list by visiting this link ~ http://www.type1diabetesawareness.org/insulinpumps.htm

Blog, Website, YouTube, & Facebook

I'm am creating a network for Type 1 Diabetes Awareness.

Blog ~ type1diabetesawareness.blogspot.com
Website ~ www.type1diabetesawareness.org
YouTube ~ www.youtube.com/type1diabetesaware
Facebook ~ www.facebook.com/type1diabetesawareness

Free Clinic

Last year we were in a bad situation, we were low income and without health insurance.  There was no way we could afford insulin, let alone any of the other supplies.  We found a free clinic and to my amazement they gave him his vials of insulin, test strips, and needles free of charge.  I felt so relived.  Well, the next time he had to go we weren't so lucky.  The person "in charge" of the office did not understand what TYPE 1 DIABETES really meant and when I called to make sure they had his insulin in stock, she said that they are not a pharmacy and can't just "give it away".  I explained how we'd already been there and he is a Type 1 and needs this to live.  She did not understand and was unwilling to help.  I begged to talk to the doctor since I knew he'd understand, but she refused to put him on the phone.  Even the health department refused to help.  We were out of options and were forced to move to another state that would be willing to help him.