Sugar & Spice

Diabetes has been good to me lately - with not too many highs, and very few lows. I have much fewer lows now than I did for months after my diagnosis, though I do think that on average I am running slightly higher. I hope to bring this down, but would prefer it not to be in exchange for more lows... I am still experiencing a bit of issues with my morning numbers. It has settled down a bit, but I think that my evening Levemir dose is not sufficient. This dose was increased in February after an Endo visit (from 10 to 12 units), but I am still seeing a rise in numbers most mornings. I have done a few 2am tests - one which came in in range (with the morning reading being the same as this one), one in range with the morning reading being a bit higher, and one higher than my bed-time reading, and an even higher reading when I woke up. I think I need to do a few more of these before my next appointment at the end of May. I will do an A1C then also, but I am not banking on any improvement there.

Gym has been okay. Nothing more really to say here, other than it is becoming increasingly difficult to drag myself there with the morning becoming darker and colder, making my bed a hell of a lot more comfortable. Traffic also seems to get worse every week...

On the pump front - I am yet to meet with the Roche rep. Hopefully I will do that some time in May. It seems as though the only options available here are Minimed and Roche. Once I have met with Roche rep, I will decide. Costs are going to play a major role in my decision - not so much the cost of the pump, but the monthly consumables. They seem to be quite expensive, and I am not yet sure how my medical aid would cover these. I have been considering changing insurance companies, but changing mid-year is going to be more of a hassle - so I have decided to wait until the end of the year when we are given options to change to different plans or Schemes. If my insurance company refuses to pay, or does not cover enough I will consider changing to another and going onto the pump only then.

Just after I was diagnosed I never would have thought about going onto the pump. I still have a few issues - sleeping with the pump being one of them, but I have been assured that this is not a problem at all. But everyday I realise more and more what the benefits of having a pump would have, and how much more convenient my life could actually be (although I don;t find MDI to be that much of a convenience...). I also believe that if these morning number continue to be higher than my bed-time numbers, and also if they increase, the pump will be the only real solution to solve that problem.

And non-diabetes related - Friday is a holiday - yea!, and so too is Tuesday. I am still considering taking Monday off, to make it an even longer weekend...

Labels: dawn phenomenon, medical aid, pump

Posted by justme at 13:26 | Permalink | Comments

I met with Ms Minimed yesterday and it went very well. She showed me the three pumps they have available and the different features of them. She also showed me the CGMS - OMG that needle!!! (Apparently this needle does not hurt...) We spoke about diabetes control, the pump etc. and I asked her a few questions. We also discussed the pricing and how to go about motivating to the medical scheme. I have my doubts... Not so much about them paying for the pump itself, but the monthly consumables. These are very expensive. I did some calculations on the amount the Scheme is currently spending on me on average on insulin, needles, glucose strips, and then made an estimate on what insulin would costs should I change and added all the others. The amount they would have to pay is considerably larger. I will try contacting them today to see what they would cover. I would not mind a co-payment of say 10 - 20% on the pump consumables per month, but I doubt I would be able to afford paying the full amount every month...

She also gave me contact details of a pumper working close by. So we met for coffee in the afternoon. I have never really contacted somebody I don't know and invited them for coffee, so I was actually a bit nervous about the meeting, but excited too. This was the first time I have actually met another Type 1 face to face (that I know of...). We spoke about the pump, she showed it to me, where it was inserted etc. She had done a site change in the morning, so I could actually see where the previous site was too. We spoke more about diabetes, and also about things other than diabetes. It was great meeting with somebody who is actually wearing it!

My next step is to contact the Scheme to find out there policy on the monthly pump consumables. Hopefully by Monday afternoon I will meet with a rep from Roche to see the Spirit. I want to read up more about the differences between these two. It would really be great to be able to contact somebody who has actually used both..

I must say, I am quite excited about it now! Still a bit apprehensive, but I really think that moving to the pump would be a good thing. In my chat with fellow Type 1 yesterday, we spoke about controlling thing now to the best of your abilities, and not trying to fix the problems and complications later in life that could have been prevented. And I think the pump is probably a very good start!

Labels: diabetes, pump

Posted by justme at 08:52 | Permalink | Comments

That is when I am meeting the pump rep! I spoke to her this week and made an appointment. I am really excited about seeing all the different components to the pump, and of course the pump itself. Hopefully things will then fall into place in the next few weeks - I will decide whether or not I want to go through with it, then arrange to maybe try it out before making my final decision, trying to get the medical aid to pay for it (which I think is going to be near impossible), and then maybe finally getting my own one.

Friday has come along (again) - they seem to come so quick! This weekend we are having a BBQ for his birthday (tomorrow). A friend who is in the process of relocating to another city may be here and able to come to the party (with my god daughter, who has apparently grown a lot since I last saw her!).

Labels: pump

Posted by justme at 13:25 | Permalink | Comments

I need to take control.... I am still having difficulty with my gym routine. A few months ago this was all so easy for some reason, but now I have problems getting up in the morning to go. I still manage a few times a week - but sometimes I get there too late to be able to do anything worthwhile. Yesterday morning was a good session, and I pushed myself a little harder - and it felt good. I guess I just need to find the motivation again...

My one year appointment is coming up soon. I have not yet made it. I am still considering changing endo's. I need to see someone in March - as my chronic medication will expire then (it needs to be renewed annually). I am a bit nervous about this appointment, as I know that my control has not been that good lately. I guess I have finally exiting the honeymoon period and it is time for some adjustments. It has been like this on and off since about November last year. So needless to say I am fearing the A1C the most... But this is also what is making me consider the pump even more. I have not called the rep again - hope to do that either today or early next week. I want to meet with her before my next endo appointment - so I can kind of know what I want and the questions I want to ask. I still doubt that my medical scheme will pay for the pump - but I guess if I can pay for it I should... The only other thing I am concerned about is that if I do get it (and pay for it myself), if the Scheme will cover all the monthly consumables. But first things first - I need to call her!! (I sometimes tend to put these things off....).

This morning we woke up to a very cool city - it must have been raining most of the night, and there was still a slight drizzle. Still the temperatures are okay (minimum temperature of 17 degrees Celsius).

Been having a problem with fruit lately - they seem to ripen way to quickly. Bananas are going completely mushy within 3 days, apples are too soft... I have tried buying at various different shops, but it is all pretty much the same. So tomorrow I am going to try out an organic market that is open every Saturday (at least this is the plan...). I am hoping that the fruit will be of better quality! I am dying for nice apples and bananas...

but - so glad it is Friday!!

Labels: diabetes, Endo, fruit, gym, pump

Posted by justme at 10:10 | Permalink | Comments

Things have been completely crazy this month. I am glad all the craziness can now come to an end, and I can get on with life.

I wrote my last exam on Monday, and it did not go that well. We have been having extremely hot weather, the weekend was real bad, and I could not concentrate on studying - though I cannot blame the weather alone, as I have had more than enough time for this... I am glad the weather seems to have past - I do not like the heat that much, and temperatures of 40 degrees celsius is unbearable to say the least. Opening windows and doors did not help. One of the days there was absolutely now wind either! But things seems to have cooled down now...

On Saturday we are attending a wedding. His best friend is getting married... (I hope for their sake the weather stays as it is now!)

I have been reading up more on the pump. Thanks Bettercell and Megan for your comments. I would never actually have thought about allergies - which I seem to be prone to sometimes. I have decided to maybe try the pump for a couple of days - but with saline or something, to see if I have any allergic reactions. this must sound real weird, having diabetes, but wanting to test it without insulin. My reasons are that in a few days of testing I will probably not be able to get perfect, or good for that matter, control. before making my final decision I want to be sure that I can actually wear it. Then I will go onto the next steps. Thinking about this is quite exciting, but I am nervous about it to! People without diabetes would probably think I am weird...

Also now that things are not that crazy anymore I can get my gym routine back into shape. I went this morning, and managed to do some running. I had a toning session yesterday, and can still feel it in my legs when I walk after sitting for a period of time!

I cannot believe that it will be one year soon! I was thinking about it recently, and realised that this time last year I already had it, but it was not yet official. Even though I new the symptoms, while I had them I never realised...

This time last year I was visiting my best friend in the UK. It was terribly sad time for us, as her son had past away from congenital heart defects after having surgery. I cannot believe it has been a year already.

Labels: A, gym, pump

Posted by justme at 12:22 | Permalink | Comments

Labels: pump

Posted by justme at 13:11 | Permalink | Comments