Pumping Update

It's been about 7 weeks since we starting pumping with Omnipod.

Matthew likes it a lot. He still hestiates at site changes because he's had a couple that have hurt, but for the most part, he likes it.

I'll be honest, though, the transition from shots to pumping has not been easy.

At our pump class, the CDE (a type 1 herself) said the first 3 months of pumping would be 3 times the work. She said things would probably get worse before getting better.

She was right.

But the past few days....and yes, I'm a little fearful to write this....things are finally...dare I say it......settling down.

I think I have basals set. Pretty darn close. (I am living and breathing Meri's 3-day-rule. Which, by the way, our CDE believes it as well!)

Carb ratios seems to be working.

And let me tell you....it's about time. A look back over the logbook shows me the dirty details of what we've been going through the last 7 weeks:

17 days with BGs over 250.

5 of those days, we saw BGs over 350.

16 days where Matthew had low BG. Oh how he hates going low.

But God has been good and the numbers are getting better.

Until the next growth spurt, right?

Pumping....What I Love So Far

I know many of you are still on MDI and curious about our pumping adventure. We're only a couple of days into this, but here are some things that I love:

1. No shots! Matthew's favorite part by far!

2. I love the ability to give smaller amounts of insulin. On MDI, I could only dose in half unit increments. This morning, I gave Matthew a correction of .15--completely amazing!

3. Corrections in the middle of the night are much easier. You still have to be careful about the amount of insulin giving...but I don't have to worry about Matthew moving in his sleep while I'm giving the shot. I cannot tell you how many times that sleeping child would roll over right in the middle of his shot---needle half hanging out of him. Not fun, people.

4. I love being able to correct sooner, without an additional shot. Here's what happened yesterday.

Yesterday Matthew's BG was 170. It wasn't time to eat yet, but I wanted him a little lower before lunch.

Thanks to the pump, I was able to go ahead, correct him right then and he was sitting at a great number by the time we ate. I NEVER could have done that on MDI without giving 2 shots. I LOVE that!

5. The pump does that math. Dance of joy!

6. Finally, I love the pump, but I'm glad we waited as long as we did.

Every family is different, of course, so you have to decide what works for you. (If Matthew had been much younger, I'm sure I would have desperately wanted the pump sooner!)

Matthew was diagnosed in March of this year. The past 9 months has given me time to handle this emotionally. I now see how different foods effect Matthew. I feel much more confident in carb counting. Overall, I'm just more ready to handle this new adventure. The timing has been perfect for us!

Our Pump Start

As you know, we took the plunge and started pumping yesterday. And....

WE LOVE IT!!

It all started around 9am when our Omnipod trainer came to our house. His name is Wesley and he's fantastic! Not only is he a trainer, CDE and type 1 himself.....he's also an ordained minister! How cool is that?!

We all sat down around the kitchen table and Wesley helped Matthew program the pump. Yes people---Matthew actually programed the pump all by himself. Kevin and I were so proud of him.

Now....I confess...the night before, I did threaten death if Matthew didn't buckle down and really focus during the training. Fortunately, he stayed right on track. : ) We were really proud!

After the quick set-up, it was time to put on the pod. Easy-breezy. I love that I don't have to see the needle with the pod. Just attach that baby, push a button. DONE! Amazing!

Once the pod was on, we took a BG (blood glucose reading), popped in the carbs for breakfast and Matthew ate breakfast WITHOUT A SHOT! He was so pumped! LITERALLY!!

Sidenote....Matthew started to say a little blessing before he ate, but Wesley jumped right in and prayed for us. I couldn't believe it. What an unexpected gift!

Training was pretty easy. The PDM (personal diabetes manager) is really easy and straight-forward to work. Wesley stayed for about 2 and 1/2 hours and that was it!

Of course, we went out to lunch to celebrate! It was great to take Matthew's sugar, and bolus for the carbs without having to pull out the syringe.

I think one of the things Matthew will love the most is being about to eat more at the end of a meal. When we were on MDI (multiple daily injections), we would count carbs, give insulin, then Matthew would eat. If he wanted more food, he had to take another shot or eat food without any carbs. That "free" food gets old after a while.... Now....if he's still hungry, he can just pop the number of carbs in his PDM and eat extra. He's going to love that!

Last thing, but really important....how is his BG? Not bad at all. Great during the day yesterday, but we need to do some adjusting at night. He still has his usual 8-9pm spike that we need to adjust for. We'll be heading to the doctor in the morning to work on that and have our first site change.

So....that's it. All is great so far.

I feel very blessed.

We're Pumping!!!

Yay! Woo Hoo! The big day has arrived and life is GOOD! Everything has gone beautifully so far and we are so thankful!

I want to write all the details, but I'm just too tired right now. Not just tired. Completely and totally wiped out. It must be some kind of adrenaline let-down or something. As you can imagine, last night I was a bundle of nerves and got very little sleep. So....tomorrow I will give a full update. : )

Oh! And thank you to anyone who lifted us up in prayers. This morning, all my nervousness went away. I was just excited and ready to begin this new journey!

Yay! God is good!

We Start Pumping Tomorrow

So the big day is nearly here. Yes, we start pumping tomorrow! Everyone is excited.

But I have a confession to make: I'm getting nervous. My tummy is in knots. I keep thinking "Are we crazy to hook him up to this device 24/7?!" I thought these feelings might hit me tomorrow, but I'm really surprised that I feel nervous already. (I've even cried a little bit and that hasn't happened in a while.)

I guess it's just the idea of starting fresh all over again. As most of you know, I was in "adrenaline mode" the first 5 months after Matthew's diagnosis. I was unstoppable!

Then I hit my 3-month depression phase. I'm not sure how much I talked about it on here, but let me say that I have never faced anything like that before. God pulled me through without medication, but it was discussed at the doctor's office and I was a heartbeat away from grabbing those meds.

And yet I didn't. I'm not against medication, but I really felt like God was going to get me through without it. And He did! But people...it was bad time in my life.

Okay....then the past month or so....I can actually say I've gotten "comfortable" with diabetes. Of course, that's not the right word, but I've settled into a routine and I'm adjusting better. We're in a groove. I'm learning. And it's working.

Those highs that always drove me crazy---I now look at them as "information" instead of something bad. It's made a world of difference. For me. And the boys.

But now.....we're starting all over again. Another big learning curve. I will say, I'm grateful that God has helped me get to the point where I am. If I was still dealing with depression, this would be so much harder.

So....I'm choosing to be grateful.

I'm excited.

I'm nervous and yes, there are a few tears.

But God got me through before and I pray He will get us through again.