Monday, January 22, 2007

No Delivery


So my diabetes was coasting along. That’s almost a warning sometimes.

Friday night I changed my pump site. Yeah, yeah, I know. “You should change your site in the morning or afternoon so that you can monitor yourself all day.” I don’t. It’s just a better time for me. Maybe it’s years of scar tissue. Or maybe it’s because I don’t change as often as I should. But when I inject a new pump site…it seems to take a while to kick in and start working. During the day, it’s hard to test and stay carb free that long. I end up doing CCBs. (crazy correction boluses) and then dropping big time a couple hours later. So I have learned that I do best changing it at night. I might creep up a little the first hour or so, but in the morning after I’m back in the good range. It’s just one of the mysteries of my diabetes. Anyway, I changed my pump site on Friday night. Went to bed about an hour later. At 1am, my Cozmo is buzzing like crazy. I wake up and fish it out of the pump belt. It says no delivery-blockage detected. (or something like that. I was so tired that I don’t really remember, and I’ve never even seen that alert before.) I stumble to my supplies, get a new quick set, and find a different spot. Can I just mention that AGAIN, I am frustrated with the stupid quick serter and it’s unpredictable behavior? I have switched back and am using my old one…the new ones just suck and I can’t use them. I’ve mentioned before that the THREE new ones that I ordered from stupid minimed don’t have enough room for the quick set to nest in it, so it falls out when tipped. My old one has developed a hesitation after pushing the button, but at least it stays nested. Of course my blood sugar clocked in at 288. I gave a serious CBB. Next morning woke up to Dixie’s barking and hitting, and a number of 38. She doesn’t usually wait for the number to get that low, but come on, she gets tired just like we do. Especially after a week of work. Dam diabetes.

Last week’s average was 95. I should be happy about that. But it meant a lot of lows mixed with some average numbers. It’s a better place to be than up high, but exhausting sometimes.

DIXIE TIDBIT: (I’ve gotten some feedback that people want to know more about Dixie. I’m going to try and include and bit about her each time.)

So people ask “do you bring her with you everywhere?” The answer is yes and no. She comes to work with me every day. I try to be apart from her sometime during each weekend. That means that I might go to the grocery store or out to lunch without her. It’s good for her to develop some independence. The trainers that worked with me said that being apart is good practice in case something happens and we HAVE to be apart. (If someone I love was in an accident, if my other dog had a vet emergency, etc.) If we were never apart, Dixie wouldn’t know what to do. So we are apart a little. It’s hard to leave her! She really wants to be with me all of the time. I really think that she wants to know that I’m o.k. Because Dixie has passed the public access test, she is able to go to any public place. This includes malls, stores, movie theaters, church, clinics, schools, etc. It doesn’t mean that people have to “let” me bring Dixie into their homes. Dixie wears her vest whenever she is in public (but never at home), so that people know she’s a working dog and remember not to pet her. It’s too distracting for her to be petted like crazy out in public. She has an ID badge in her vest that shows people that she has passed the public access test. I’ve never actually been asked to show it, but it’s in there, along with GU for me.

7 comments:

Allison said...

Hi Molly, I just found your blog and love it! I'm a Cozmo pumper, as well (and am super excited about the upgrade!). Just wanted to de-lurk!

:o) Allison

Chrissie in Belgium said...

Yes, give us the Dixie tidbits. More pls! I have a Cozmo too, and I have never seen that alarm text. It is not even in their manual. I LIKE that you have figured out when is the best time for YOU to change the site. We Ds have to learn to figure out what works for each one of us - general rules just do NOT always fit. Did Dixie tell you your bg was high? Gosh would Sky be in 7th heaven if he could come with us to the movies! I think it is so kind of you to think more of Dixie whan yourself when you say that she must have her own independence, in case an emergency should arise. AND I am with you 100% that although it is better to get the average bg down, the unavoidable hypos are SO exhausting..... Glad I found your blog!

Minnesota Nice said...

Does "public access test" just mean that she knows how to act appropriately in public places?
Does she go with you when you drive?
I love hearing about Dixie.

Sarah said...

I love hearing about Dixie too. I think it is just so cool that you have her. I”d really like one, one day. I’ve been having correction lows lately. I have been thinking lately that I can’t really trust my pump. If I correct initially, that is okay. But if an hour down the line it still says I need a correction, I haven’t been correcting. I drop FAST about an hour and a half after I take my insulin. It wasn’t always like this, I just seem so sensitive to insulin lately.

mel said...

If you use the same quickserter that I use, it's the round blue one, then you might need to lightly press down on the infusion set after placing it into the serter. This will lock it into place. When I first got mine, it used to be a hassle and fall out, then I realized that pressing it halfway down would lock it and then pressing it fully down will lock it.

Scott K. Johnson said...

Hi Molly,

I too have trouble with my sites after I change them.

For me, I find that it's my first meal on the new set.

That might lead one to think that the insulin is pooling or something, which might be the case.

BUT - I change it at night, and I'm fine all night, until I eat breakfast - then it's like a frickin' rocket ship to the moon and I start rage bolusing (I like your CCB term!) and fight the lows later. Sigh.

We'll talk more about this I'm sure - in a way I'm glad to see I'm not the only one dealing with it!

Sandra Miller said...

Molly-

Dam diabetes, indeed.

And hey, I would love to read more about Dixie. I'm fascinated by (and hopeful just thinking about) a dog that can be trained to detect lows...

She sounds like a real sweetie, too. :-)

Take care,

Sandra

p.s., Thanks for the comment you left on my blog-- it's nice to know we're not alone in all of this.