Oh My Lantus! A Goodbye Letter

Dear Lantus,

We both knew this was coming for awhile now. You'd seen me spend hours on end browsing the Internet and looking at insulin pumps. It was inevitable. Lets skip the tears, I don't want this to be harder than it already is.

Don't get me wrong Lantus, you are a great insulin. You were my rebound after my falling out with NPH, you gave me the freedoms that he never could. You made me feel steady. You never had mood swings where you would suddenly have a peak at an inopportune time, and you made my a1c so much better. Despite the fact that you always burned just a little bit, you are the best long acting insulin I have ever known.

Now hear me when I say that I am not leaving you for Levemir. You don't deserve that. I just feel that  I don't need a long acting insulin in my life right now. It's not you, it's me.

I know we've been in a bit of a love triangle with Humalog in the mix. And you guys always worked so well together. I'm going to miss the three of us. Although don't tell Humalog, but I'm considering leaving him for Apidra. I just need to start fresh I think.

I'm sure we'll meet again Lantus. Ping and I are bound to have fights and not see eye to reservoir. I am going to need a shoulder to cry on or a jab in the stomach, and it will be you I come to. This is not the end Lantus.

All my love,
Hanna

How To Get The Insulin Pump Experience Without Being On A Pump

I've been desperately wanting to get on a pump since about 3 weeks after my diagnosis. But alas there is that "wait it out" time period that my hospital enforces to allow you to get used to your diabetes before switching from MDI (Multiple Daily Injections) to an insulin pump. Usually they tell you to wait at least a year, but because I am older than most of their typical patients and very independant with my diabetes management they said that they would try to get me on one a lot sooner.

In the mean time though, I have been nosying around and I have found a way to get very close to "pump life" while still being on MDI's. There are three steps in this process and they are listed below.

***Please note that I am not a medical professional and that everything I am going to talk about works for me but may not work for you. This is also stuff that I have talked about with my diabetes team and I recommend that you do the same before trying any of these techniques.***

1.) I-Port Advance

I started using this device not because I have a phobia of needles but becase I was tired of the little red marks that all the injections were leaving on my stomach and thighs. I also wanted to get used to wearing something on my body for when I start using a pump.

The I-Port mimics infusion sets because it requires only one needle prick every three days. But instead of having tubing connected to your body, you inject your insulin with pens or syriges right into the device. The needle never touches your skin. It is inserted the exact same way that most infusion sets are and just leaves a tiny flexible cannula (plastic tube) beneath your skin. This little device is also great for kids who are scared of needles because it only requires 10 pokes a month as opposed to 3 or 4+ a day!

2.) Basal/ Bolus Insulin Regime (Lantus)

I think it's safe to say that everyone enjoys sleeping in. But if you're on the insulin program I was on before than that is just not an option. Until just recently I was using Humalog (aspart) and Humulin N (NPH) in the morning, Humalog again before dinner, and then Humulin N before bed. Sure it meant that I didn't have to inject myself at lunch because of the peak period of the NPH, but it also meant that I had very structured mealtimes with not a lot of wiggle room. If I wanted to sleep in I would still have to get up at 8:00am to give myself insulin and eat a full breakfast and then go back to bed if I wanted, but that practically never happened.

So my diabetes nurse recommended I try out a basal/ bolus approach. This involves taking Lantus (glargine) insulin that runs in the background and then taking the rapid acting Humalog to cover my meals and snacks. Lantus is a peakless insulin that allows me to eat whenever I want (or not at all if I don't feel like it) and gives me a lot more freedom in regards to sleeping in. Hallelujah!

Just like on a pump, the Lantus replaces the tiny drip of fast acting insulin and just lets you "bolus" for your meals by giving yourself rapid acting insulin.

3.) FreeStyle Insulinx Meter

This is not just a meter. This is the meter to end all meters. It is based on pump technology and can recommend an insulin dose based on your blood sugar and how many carbs you plan to eat. When you set it with someone on your diabetes team it even takes into account your insulin to carbs ratio, how long insulin stays in your body for, and how much insulin it takes to lower your blood sugar. This saves me a ton of trouble and has definitely helped me keep my blood glucose in range. Not only does it do the work for you but you can also set your own photo as a bcakground pic. Neat! The software it comes with it pretty awesome also and it lets you create graphs and charts to print off and show or email to your diabetes team. Oh and did I mention it's touchscreen?

Do You Name Your Diabetes Supplies?

I'm the kind of person who just really enjoys naming everything. My musical instruments, parts of my body, and yes........my diabetes supplies. It not only gives them so much more personality but it makes doing the "diabetes chores" so much more fun. The needles hurt less when you're smiling. So without further ado, let me introduce you to my team (and no I'm not talking about my endo and dietitians).


1.) My meter - His name is Edward. Like the vampire. Because he takes my   blood...............yes I'm aware of how lame I am.

2.) My lancing device - Sir Lancelot................I actually thought this one was funny.
3.) My glucagon - Luca.





4.) Insulin Pen #1 - Eli.

5.) Insulin Pen #2- Lilly.




6.) My spare meter - Drumstick. Don't ask why.