Blah, Blah, Blah

I was back at work today. I haven't shut up about the pump. Not that I mind, I don't hide the fact I have diabetes at work, but nor would I say I make a song and dance about it.

It was clipped to my jeans today, I knew a few people would want to see what it was all about so I went for the easy access option, no pulling it out my bra or pants.

A few people asked me if I had a good break, first I tried the reply 'not bad thanks' then I was faced with 'do anything exciting?' and then it just came out 'well I went on to an insulin pump...' I guess it is exciting if you're into diabetes.

Some of my colleagues know about diabetes and pumps as my company works with some medical companies so they were a bit more familiar, a couple of friends asked me how long I would have to wear it for, when I replied to one friend/colleague 'forever' she looked devastated. I found myself consoling her and saying it was all going to be okay.

I'm worn out. I think I might stop talking about it for now, maybe just until tomorrow...

Picture Credit: www.flickr.com/photos/dalbera/3600301569

Spaghetti Sums

Don't you hate it when you make a silly mistake? 

After me saying I had nailed my evening meal bolus doses yesterday I woke up at 1am this morning with a blood glucose of 19.3!!

After I corrected and got back into bed I realised it must of been the carbs in my spaghetti, I had hardly took any insulin compared to what I normally take for pasta, the only thing I had done differently was I referred to the packet for the carb value (rather than my Dafne book).

When I got up this morning I checked the packet nutrition info:

As cooked per guidelines 

125g serving

Carbohydrate: 31.3g

Whenever I have pasta it's usually about 70g of carbs, but for some reason I seemed to forget this, I think I was too pre-occupied with telling my boyfriend how clever this pump was and trying to give him a demo as he was washing up. So then I checked my Dafne book:

Pasta - fresh - uncooked

100g = 55g carbs

So my 125g portion was near enough 70g of carbs. 

If only I was as on the ball as this pump seems to be! 

(Picture credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mukluk/1034486730)

Little by little...

Third day in and I can't believe how much more sensitive I am to my insulin/how effective my insulin is now I am on the pump.

I have cracked the latter part of the day (I think!) Two evenings running I have had steady blood sugars from my evening meals to waking in the morning. I have been weighing my food and referring to my carbs book just to make sure I can get everything accurate. It's the rest of the day that's the problem! 

I am still going a little too low for comfort, like this morning when I got out of the shower I tested and I was 3.9, so it was jelly babies pre-breakfast, then some more pre-lunch...good job they are on buy one get one free in Tescos at the moment.

The first challenge for the next couple of days is going to be working out what I need to take at breakfast, today I did 0.5 units for 10g carbs, not enough I had to correct. But 1 unit for 10g carbs would have been too much as the amount I corrected by plus the bolus I took with my breakfast was less than the total amount I would of taken if I had done 1 unit to 10g carbs. Get it?!

It's going to be a case of tweaking each day and seeing what happens, a bit like a science experiment, just a very long one, but hopefully a very beneficial one!

(Picture credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/2798315677)

Up and Pumping!

So as you can see I am all connected and into my first 24 hours of pumping! I had a bit of an information overload yesterday so decided to steer away from an update till this morning. Although now I fear I am about to give you an information overload...

The pump training took about 4.5 hours yesterday and by the end of that I was all set up and on the bus back home. One of my first jobs was to find a spare cupboard for all my pump paraphernalia, my flat was getting over taken by boxes of infusion sets...

My pump is an Animas 2020 (in silver), filled with Novorapid and I'm currently using the Inset II 60 mm infusion set. My trainer advised to stick to the basics for now, so one basal rate, one insulin sensitivity factor and one carb to insulin ratio. It's kind of like starting again and if you go in with all different rates and ratios and don't get it correct (I think it would be a miracle if you did!) it's harder to work out what factor you need to change. So here's my set-up:

Basal: 0.600U/HR (a 20-25% reduction on my basal rates with injections)

Insulin Sensitivity Factor (ISF): 1 unit lowers 3mmol/l

Insulin to Carbs Ratio (I:C): 1 unit = 10g carbs

Target: 7.5mmol/l

I doubted that these settings would be suitable for me for the entire day, but I was willing to try it and see what happened.

I rang my nurse, Amy, before she left the hospital for the day to update her on my blood glucose (7.6) she had previously told me that I would probably run a bit high for the first few days so I was surprised I was getting lower readings. She recommended that with my evening meal bolus I override what the pump suggested if I felt it was too much. Which I ended up doing, in fact I halved my insulin to carb ratio. Despite the lows my results are looking good, my blood glucose already feels more steady, although I don't know if this is completely the effects of the pump or just because I am concentrating so much on it at the moment!

(all results in mmol/l)

16:45 - 7.6

18.15 - 2.3

18.30 - 3.2 

19.55 - 5.4

20.35 - 7.3 

22.50 - 7.8

01:00 - 8.7

04:30 - 12.3 

08:15 - 7.1

09:25 - 10.2

11:20 - 10.8

Don't worry I won't be letting you know every single result every hour of the day...

I'm going to see what this afternoon brings now, see if we have a repeat episode of yesterday and if we do I have evidence to suggest introducing another setting. I stocked up on supplies last night just in case, cupboards full of juice and jelly babies! 

P Day!!!

Haven't been able to post since Thursday, been so busy with parties and more parties...(a little taster above)

I could do with a long lie in this morning, but not today, as P day is here!! (P doesn't stand for party, thank god) Today I'm off to the hospital for my pump training with my nurse and Animas trainer. 

I'm just eating my breakfast and have already took my Novorapid, I have been repeating in my head 'don't take my Levemir, don't take my Levemir' (I'll be going onto basal rates on my pump later today so must not take this insulin too!) I've remembered that part. I've also got my pump in my bag along with a couple of infusion sets and the manual, I'm wearing jeans for easy tummy access, so I think I'm ready to go.

All being well I will be up and running on the pump later today and back to post!

Adventures in the night..

Last night I had a dream, I can't really remember the full details, but I thought I was having a hypo (low blood sugar for those who are new to this) but a person in my dream was telling me I wasn't - 'it's just the same feeling as a hypo' they were saying - I believed them whoever this person was. But then suddenly I woke up, sweating and my heart was thumping, ah that wasn't just a dream I thought, I am having a hypo. 

I still tested myself just to make sure, waking up sweating isn't unusual this week...My meter read 2.9mmol but I felt lower. This was an unusual hypo, I glanced at the clock it was only 12.30am, I had only been asleep for 90 minutes. I knew straight away I had took too much insulin with my evening meal, I had over corrected as my blood sugar had been high. If I wake with low blood sugar in the night it's normally an hour or two before I am due to get up and I only need a juice and it's back to sleep within 5 minutes. This one felt different, I even contemplated telling my boyfriend (then thought he would just groan, roll over and fall asleep...so I didn't bother) I sat on the sofa in the dark and managed to pack away quite a hefty midnight feast (I felt starving!) - a big juice and a cereal bar and then after scrounging around in the cupboard, fridge and the empty biscuit tins I found the last packet of raisins in the kitchen cupboard and scoffed them down too. 

This morning I woke with a blood sugar of 13mmol - not too bad considering my 'adventure' in the night (that's my boyfriends new name for a night time hypo by the way...)

What I find most fascinating about this story is the beginning...it isn't the first time I have dreamt about desperately trying to get some food, trying to buy a drink but not having any money, trying to test my blood sugar but not quite managing to do it, to then wake and find my blood sugar low. 

It's clever don't you think? Even if in my dreams I'm still a diabetic I think it's pretty cool I have a built in hypo detector installed in me, no wires or batteries required!

(Picture credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/slighning/513835291)

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

It's hot in London. Very hot, almost as hot as being on holiday.

So, if that's my conclusion why am I not reducing my insulin like I would do on holiday?

This morning on waking my blood glucose was 8.1mmol I took my normal breakfast dose and ate the same cereal and amount I always do. When I tested about 2 hours later I was only 7.6 (lower than usual at that time of the day for me), my morning snacks then consisted of 10 grapes, a small smoothie and a cereal bar - so near enough 50g of carbohydrates. Lunch time blood glucose, 8.2 mmol. 

Perfect, this sun has some bonuses. Plus it means I get to eat nice things like Fab lollies because I 'need' them!

Picture Credit: (http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldofoddy/339925295)

Getting to know you...

I would like to pretend that this photo of me was taken by someone else when I was actually deeply engrossed in reading the manual for my new pump, unaware I was being photographed. Sadly it wasn't, I put the camera on self timer and pretended I was reading the manual for the purpose of this blog...

So there we go. 

When I picked up my pump from my nurse last week I eagerly read the manual on the bus home and continued reading the manual whilst sitting on the sofa when I got home, in fact I had to prise myself away from it. Then things got busy and me and the manual haven't spent as much time together as we should have done. Pump has been neglected too, although from next week it will be a different story.

So far I've learnt how to set the time and date (that was without even referring to the instructions!), which batteries to use and not use, how to navigate through the menus, I even learnt that you shouldn't put your pump in the dishwasher nor should you use a microwave oven to dry it. 

4 chapters in, 14 chapters left, 6 days to go, who knows what other fascinating facts I haven't learnt yet. That's it, me and the manual have some catching up to do...