OH THE HORROR!!! Malfunctions galore.

Old post from February......


The old saying "Anything that can go wrong, will." rang very true today. TWICE!!! I woke up for class this morning and as always, went to promptly check my blood sugar.

Strip in the meter. Blank screen.

Held the power button. Nothing.

Changed the batteries. Nada. Zilch. Ditto.

Luckily for me, I am an incredibly intelligent human being with just a dash of OCD, so I always carry a backup. OneTouch UltraMini to the rescue!!! I mean it's probably the most boring, featureless meter out there but in the end, it does what it's supposed to. 

Here's where it gets fun. 

After class I got back to my room and went to call Animas Tech Support. As I was taking the skin off my pump to read the toll free number listed on back, the bottom corner of the keypad pulled away from the pump. Well damn.

My conversation with the Animas rep went a little like this…

Rep: "Hello Animas tech support, how can I help you."

Me: "I swear I'm not abusing my pump but everything is broken!!"

Rep: "……….could you elaborate?"

Long story short, both my meter and my pump are getting replaced within about a week. In the meantime the pump is still functioning and I shall be using my backup meter. 

Shaming Myself + Update

You know how you hate those bloggers who go for ages without writing a post? Yeah.....haha......Me too.....

WHOOPS!!!
I realized the other day that, at one point, this blog was a huge part of my life and just how much I miss it now. Writing posts was an outlet in which I could share my feelings, opinions, doubts, and life moments where it concerned diabetes.

Now, a year and a half into my diagnosis, things are a little different. I am not yet a seasoned pro but no longer a newbie either. I have come to terms that life can never go back to the way it was before but I have also learned that changes are natural and inevitable. Is it possible that this roadblock is actually helping me to better deal with other changes that I will have to face later on? I am still learning everyday about what is going on inside my body and how to best deal with this strange condition. Thank the heavens that diabetes fascinates me because I do enjoy being a diabetes nerd. 

UPDATE TIME

1.) As you may have been able to guess from my last post, YES, I finally started on an insulin pump. I chose the pink OneTouch Ping and I couldn't be happier. His name is Otis and he is my soul mate. ❤️ Being on a pump is making life so much easier and carefree. It has allowed me so many freedoms that I wouldn't have using the alternative. I also just caught drift that Dexcom is going to be available in Canada (actually this time) around November or Deceomber. Christmas present maybe??? Mum? Dad?

2.) I started university at the beginning of September and am pursuing a double major in linguistics and drama. I got way too excited after finding out that there is another type 1 who lives on my floor and I'm doing my best not to scare her away hahaha.

3.) I switched to Apidra and am LOVING IT.

4.) I own a fish named Cisco and he is the coolest.

I LOVE YOU ALL! And I promise that you will hear from me soon. xoxox

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

I WANT AN INSULIN PUMP SO BAD!!!

Two days after I was diagnosed, one my support workers at the hospital mentioned the possibility of going on a pump at some point. I was completely opposed. There was "absolutely no way" I told her that I was "ever, ever, EVER!" going to get a pump. I was perfectly fine with my multiple daily injections and I hated the idea of having something attached to me 24/7. Of course at this point, I didn't know the first thing about insulin pumps. After I got home I started doing a ton of research and discovered what all the benefits of pumping were. Furthermore, it baffled me the amount of features that some of these pumps offered.

After some nosy-ing around I've decided that when it does come time to get a pump that I am going to get the Animas OneTouch Ping. I'm choosing this one for a couple important reasons. 

1.) It's 100% waterproof for an extended period of time. I'm a lifeguard, swimming instructor, and I work at a beach. This was an absolute "must".

2.) It connects wirelessly with your meter and allows you to control your settings without having to even touch your pump. This is great because then I don't have to go reaching into my bra or other places when I need to bolus or change something. It will just look like I'm texting or something along those lines.

3.) Built in food database on the meter-remote. I love this feature because it has hundreds of brand foods that you can select and it will count up the carbs for you. It also allows you to add some of your own foods.

4.) Sleek design. Of all the pumps I have seen this one has the most attractive design and interface in my opinion. I love the high contrast color screen and the fact that you can pick from a selection of different colored pumps. (Also if you get yours in Canada like I will be doing, the meter-remote has a color screen also!)

5.) Ability to customize the tune. Okay this one definitely wasn't a deciding factor but I just thought that it was really neat. Makes it feel a little bit more personalized just to you.

Why did I choose this over other pumps?

I did definitely check out other pumps such as the Medtronic Paradigm, Omnipod, and Accu-Chek but I just didn't feel like they completely suited my needs (for example the Medtronic is not waterproof). When it comes to the CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitoring) on the Medtronic, I just feel like it is something that I don't really need right now. I check my blood sugar more than average anyway and 95% of the time they are always in target range (and I'm not going to lie.......I don't find the idea of a second site very appealing) Plus it doesn't come with the advanced meter-remote (which I <3!) As for the tubeless pump (Omnipod), I don't have an issue at all with tubing. Actually, I really like the fact that with traditional pumps you can unclip for a little while. I also wear a lot of tight clothing and I feel like this pump would probably show through. Don't get me wrong, these are still great pumps and would probably be perfect for other people but I think the Animas Ping just really fits what I need.

My concerns?

I think my only concern was that I may not know where to put it. But I feel like it's one of those things that you could put anywhere you store your cell phone. To be honest I will most likely just hide it in my bra (mother nature blessed me enough so I shouldn't have a problem with this haha).

Why Isn't There Just a Meter That Does It All?!

So I'm still currently on the meter that I got given at the hospital. It's the Freestyle Lite from Abbot. I actually really like it. It's a simple little thing that is easy to use and has a couple cool little features. Plus I really like the fact that the port is at the bottom. I don't know why but I just don't like it at the top. The only other meter I have used is the OneTouch UltraMini which I got sent in the mail. I've been shopping around for my next possible meter and I've found that although there are a lot of ones that have great features, there's not one that just "does it all". Below is what I think would be the ultimate meter (also one that I would pay good money for).

1.) Telcare

By far one of the most technologically advanced meters I have found on the market. I haven't found a whole lot of information on it because it's relatively new. But what I did learn was that Telcare actually transmits wirelessly over a cellular network (at no charge to you). When you test the results can be sent to your computer, iDevice, even as a text to your family members. The data is also sent to a private online database that can be accessed by you, your family, and your doctors. No more writing in log books!



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2.) FreeStyle Lite


This is my current meter as I said above I really like it. It's really small and compact which makes it easy to carry around and for a tiny meter it's got some great features. For example it's one of few meters that I've found that not only has a back light but also a light in the test strip port which makes nighttime testing a breeze (I mean I really enjoy not having to actually get out of bed to turn my overhead light on at 3AM). To be honest I don't understand why all meters don't include this feature. You can also set up to four alarms on it at different volumes. Another really cool thing about the Freestyle is that it requires the smallest amount of blood to complete a test (only 0.3 microlitres) and if you don't put enough on the first go around you have to option to add more for up to 60 seconds. No more wasted test strips! (Because we all know how fricken expensive they are).




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3.) Accu-Chek Mobile
Strip-free testing. Hallelujah! I don't know about anyone else but I get really annoyed when I'm cleaning out my purse and I literally find used test strips by the handful. This glucose meter has a little cassette that you change once every 50 tests! Plus you can just clip your lancing device into the side for an all-in-one meter. Cool!












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4.) Precision Xtra
This one not only offers blood glucose monitoring but also has a different set of strips to check for ketones. Perfect for the diabetics that want to know exactly whats going on in their bodies. You get two features in one.







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5.) FreeStyle InsuLinx 
Based on insulin-pump technology, the InsuLinx can recommend the amount of insulin you should take based on your BG reading. It also logs your data and gives you weekly messages to help you identify patterns in your glucose levels. What's also nice is that it's a touchscreen. This one is perfect for those who are one multiple daily injections but who want the control that a pump would give them. You can even upload your own photo for the background.







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6.) OneTouch Ping
Unfortunately, this one is restricted only to those who have the OneTouch Ping insulin pump. But all the same it's got some really neat things on it. Of course it transmits wirelessly with the pump by allowing you to bolus without you needing to take the actual device out of your pocket of wherever you may be stowing it. I has a huge food base with brand name foods that you can select and it will count up your carbs for you. It also allows you to store some of your own foods which may not be on the list. I calculates the amount of insulin you take and can really fine tune your dosages.








Now if only all of these features could come on a meter remote that transmits wirelessly to an insulin pump I would be 100% sold.