A celebration of pumping!

July 3 of this year marks my third year of insulin pumping. I have really preferred it to the old routine of 6-7 injections a day and having less freedom. I have an Animas IR 1250 and chose it really carefully out of the available pumps. I have no regrets over that choice. The Animas trainers have been superb to work with and a pleasure. I can say pump training is much like D boot camp and like being diagnosed again in terms of what is learned in a short amount of time. I could write a book on infusion set reactions and allergies to the cannula. My pump is named R2D2 as it beeps just like the robot when he demands input from the operator. I begin PT tomorrow with some newly fine tuned basal rates and trying to work around my primitive balance.

I have returned!

It has been a chaotic several months. Been dealing with my wife's baby a lot and him being Type 1 diabetic. I have also dealt with my grandmother having a serious illness. She had a bacterial infection and it was really serious. Her doctor was away and she had superb care while in the hospital and he released her too soon. We changed doctors to a new one who is much more interested in her. We are doing OK. My HbA1C has been good through all this, 5.4%. I have changed my infusion sets on my Animas IR 1250 from Inset 30s (I am allergic to the cannula) to Contact Detach and have had success. Had a fine fourth of July. Plan to return with more posts. I am also dealing with relearning balance, gait, and movement after many Botox injections last month. Had the Physical Therapy evaluation and am waiting for approval of PT.

Thanksgiving in D land!

I have successfully survived Thanksgiving (no leftover turkey, either). I drove to Oak Ridge, TN with my grandmother and we saw my stepbrothers and their wives and children. Had a fine time. Excellent food from excellent cooks. The insulin pump was put in overdrive. The only glitch in the whole trip was having my left hip dislocate and get severely inflamed. Had a trip to the ER to check if it was in. It was but very uncomfortable.

I also have had some changes in my diabetes arsenal. I changed my infusion set to the new Inset 30 from Animas, I got some samples and supplemental training from my new Animas Territory Representative, Holly Samples. We also reviewed my pump issues and she went through the site changes. Turns out the main problems with loss of prime was a major pumping concept, filling the cannula. I was never told you had to fill the cannula after you connected the infusion set. This caused a delay in basal delivery and air in the tubing. This and kinking in my cannulas explained my problems with losing prime. My trainer was only with Animas for a short time and training was just before a holiday at that 15 months ago. This visit was valuable and reminded me that having more training as a new pumper is valuable. My experiences are much better now and the IR 1250 is happy. My HbA1c was 5.4% so all is groovy! Holly was key to improvements in my pumping know-how.

It has been busy in the world of broadcast engineering. I have had a Vol Network football broadcast (the UT-Kentucky game we won by 2 points in 4 overtimes) 51-49. We are playing LSU in Atlanta, GA next Saturday. Go Vols!

Today, we had 4 FM exciters, 2 audio processors, and 2 FM multiplex generators fail due to a power surge. A 60 mile drive to Knoxville, TN again and a trip to Sharp's Ridge to the transmitter building to repair the affected gear. Many capacitors, resistors, diodes, transistors and a tube or two later WUOT-FM 91.9 was back on the air. Took 5 hours to repair all!

I am glad to have this week over due to the excitement and all the traffic and repairs attended too. Broadcast engineering never is dull, always repairs and maintenance to be done. Next week, I have to go get my new shoes and inserts. I had to get new orthotics and a new pair of modified New Balance 587 running shoes with them. I have a leg length discrepancy. My left leg is 5/8" shorter than my right. I need a built up left shoe. I was born this way and had to live with it 41 years of that before it was re-evaluated and compensated for. Very hard on backs and hip joints. My left hip was also cocked to the side a bit when I was born 11 weeks early in 1964. Also got club feet too with it. I get stiffer and more uncomfortable as I get older (I outlived my life expectancy 5 times along the way). Next week is going to be a slower one if possible.

Another Day In Pump Paradise or The Pump Went South!

Today has been unusual in nature. I got up early to drive out to the mechanic and get that hood release latch replacement on my Nissan Sentra (a 1996 model built in Smyrna, TN). I spent 3 hours there and he got it repaired. The grille and bumper cover had to be removed to gain access to the hood. I got my hair cut and ran some errands and shopped for some groceries. I had several instances of hypoglycemic episodes with no sensation of lows. I am dealing with autonomic neuropathy and the spina bifida and cerebral palsy with it. Not fun.

I put the pump in temp basal mode and only saw half the screen. I couldn't cancel the temp basal on top of that. Another call to Animas and letting the support nurse know about my issues with the screen and being unable to cancel the temporary basal. She is sending me a replacement pump tomorrow. I am on injections until then. This is my 11th IR 1250 in 14 months of pumping. Another day in paradise. I have lots of experiences with my backup regime of injections. I like my Animas pump even with the issues I have had. The technical support and the trainers have been superb too. I would have had trouble with other makes of pump as much or even more in my opinion. I am getting ready to drive to Lenoir City and pick up mom. A day on the go and in the life of a fool.

A Day In The Life Of A Challenged Man

This week has gone by in a blur. I have gotten rid of a serious ear infection. I have also picked up a urinary tract infection (the bane of a Spina Bifida person). I have had a visit from some friends from Knoxville and fellow audio enthusiasts and photography buffs. We had tea and listened to much music and had superb conversation. I also looked for a source for custom orthotics for my club feet and plantar fasciitis. My gait is hard on feet, legs, and hip joints. One reason why my wheelchair is thought of as a booster amplifier for my lower half. I have also dealt with insulin pump infusion site issues. I have had the quick disconnect and the fitting it attaches to fail frequently on my Animas Comfort infusion sets. I contacted my educator and discussed it with her and my Animas rep. They agreed that I likely had a bad batch of Comfort sets. I called Animas Pump Support and discussed it with the lady who was working. Turns out that there was a problem with them. I love the quality and promptness of Animas Corporation's Support people. A superb company to deal with and essential to the good pump life. I have had to deal with being in sick day mode. I am draggy but surviving. My primary care clinic and D team have been as fine as I can ask for.