FIRST BLOG POST! WOO!

Welcome to my blog. I will warn readers now, I tend to ramble on, so I won't be offended if you get bored... especially since I will likely never know if you are bored reading my blog... or who is reading my blog anyway... well... unless you comment. COMMENTS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME!

So. What got me started blogging? Well... I am an avid reader of many blogs by and about people with diabetes. I am also a person with diabetes, and I kind of honestly felt like a bit of a snoop reading their blogs all the time, and not sharing anything about myself in return. Here I am!

I am currently a Deltec Cozmo insulin pump user. As many of you I am sure know, Smiths Medical has stopped manufacturing all diabetes supplies. This means, I have to go pump shopping. UGH! I generally enjoy shopping. I also most of the time, like reading about new medical technology that can potentially help me and millions of other PWDs out there. Why am I getting so frustrated with the shopping this time? I'm basically stuck with my decision for 4 years before the warranty is up. What if I make the wrong decision? What if I think I made the right decision, but then 2 years in, am not happy with my insulin pump of choice? Honestly, this is stressing me out!

Okay... history. I used a Minimed 508 pump when I first started pumping (6/2000) then moved up to a Minimed Paradigm 500 series model pump when that came out. In June of 2006, I had a major pump fluke happen where the insulin was leaking back from the main reservoir of my pump into the body portion of my pump. This sent me into "mild DKA" because no one believed that I really truly had a pump problem, so my MD and NP kept telling me to correct with an insulin pen until my blood sugar came down, switch out all of my pump site, tubing, reservoir, insulin, etc. and then when my blood sugar was back in line, I could try pumping again and see if I would hold stable. This back and forth went on from 8am until 5pm one day, and then I finally called the MD (endocrinologist) back with a blood sugar of 400+ and said something just was not right with my pump. The NP got back to me and said I needed to go to the ER because she didn't believe it was a pump issue, but we HAD to get my blood sugars back in control. Fine... I went to the ER, they pumped me up with fluids, and insulin, and eventually, around 10pm when I stabilized, they sent me on my merry way. What happened then you ask? Around midnight, my blood sugar was back up in the mid-400 range, and I was cranky as heck. I called the MD back, and the endo. on call said I had to be admitted until they could figure out what was going on. I said fine, but I'm driving myself to the hospital (only 1/2 mile away or so, but in hindsight... DO NOT DRIVE WITH SUPER HIGH BGLs). I drove myself there, and was admitted. I called Minimed the next morning, and we figured out it was in fact a pump problem. They said that they would send me a replacement pump the next day. They did fulfill this request, but I was quite turned off of pumping by that point because I was freaked out by what happened. I talked to my endocrinologist, and we agreed a pump hiatus might be a good plan after all. I started a regimen of Lantus and Humalog. After recovering mentally from my pump breakdown ordeal, I started thinking about pumping again, but I honestly was not in a trusting mood towards Minimed. I decided to trade in my Minimed pump and get a Cozmo pump in November of 2006.
**DISCLAIMER: MINIMED PUMPS ARE WONDERFUL... WHAT HAPPENED TO MINE WAS TRULY A FLUKE, AND IT JUST KIND OF FREAKED ME OUT MAKING ME SWITCH PUMPS**

Fast Forward to about March or so of 2009: Smiths Medical announces that they will no longer be manufacturing diabetes supplies, including the Cozmo pump.

Where am I now you ask? I went to the Children With Diabetes Friends For Life conference in Orlando, FL earlier this month, and was able to see and hold all my pump options. I also had a pod put on me, and the cannula inserted. I even tried the Minimed CGMS for a few days. What have I decided from gathering all that useful information? NOTHING! I am in the process of scheduling a pump trial with Animas, I know the basics of Minimed, so I'm comfortable with their products, and I am signing up for the $50 Cozmo users deal with OmniPod to try their system for a month.

All I can say now is... any advice / thoughts are very welcome, and please wish me luck with my insulin pump decision!