Pumps are Ggggrrrreeeaaattt!

We finally got started on our pump. We choose the Omni Pod for Isabelle because it did not have any tubing and it seemed to offer everything else that we wanted in a pump.

We started a saline start on June 16 and then we went in on June 20 to do the insulin start. The saline start went smoothly. We had a good time learning the pump during the week and Isabelle didn't complain too much when we had to change the pod and believe it or not she didn't even complain about the insertion. She calls it the scary tickle because you never know when it is going to happen. She does not however like having to take the old pod off. It seems that removing the sticky tape that holds the pod on is the biggest issue. She says that it hurts.

When we were at the endo's office doing the insulin start Isabelle pitched the biggest fit because we had to take the old pod off and put a new one on. She did NOT like it and the whole office heard about it. It reminded me of our early days on insulin shots. I practically had to hold her down to get the new pod on her. We left the office feeling really excited and hopeful. But, I was dreading having to be up all night. We were told that we would have to check her BS's every 2 hours for the first 24 hours on the pump and then every 4 hours the second day on the pump including throughout the night.

I had planned to do something special with Isabelle to commemorate the new pump. She decided that she wanted to go to Krispy Kreme and watch them make donuts and have one. So off we went to KK. When we were at the endo's office she was in the low 200's. Nice number considering the major screaming and fit that was thrown. By the time we got to KK her blood sugar was in the low 300's. Still not too bad considering the emotions of the afternoon. So we bolused for the donut and the high and went home to give Daddy-O and Alex their donuts.

I decided to go to the mall and let the kids play in the fountain to kind of wind down the day. When we made it to the fountain I checked her BS to make sure that she wasn't low because she had a big bolus. Nope. Not a chance. She was in the low 400's. I checked for keytones, but luckily none. I decided to let her play and gave her lots of water. When we were leaving I checked her again. She was still in the low 400's. I bolused her again.

We get home and it was about 3 hours after we left the endo's office. I was trying not to freak out. It was time for dinner so I was in the process of making her a hotdog when my cell phone rang. It was Nurse T. from the endo's office just checking in on us. I have never been so relieved to hear from someone in my life! I was totally trying not to freak out and Thomas had been in a car accident the evening before and was upstairs asleep so I was on my own. T walked me through everything. And we decided to wait for another hour to see if she would come down or not. I was thinking at this point that I needed to change that pod. We finally decided an hour later to change the pod because obviously there was no insulin getting through. Amidst much shrieking and crying we got the pod changed, a bath, and she finally fell asleep. She was still in the 400's. After checking her every hour for the next three hours we were still not seeing any signs of the pump working. I was totally freaking out. T was calling to check in every hour. We finally decided around midnight that the pod was going to have to be disconnected and we were going to have to give her shots. So at midnight I was giving her Humalog and Lantus. She finally came down around 3 am. I can't believe that she made it through the night with no keytones. Towards the end of the night she was at moderate, but by the morning she was negative.

I was so incredibly nervous and feeling very discouraged. I didn't know what to do. We decided to just take a break from the pump on Saturday and try again either Saturday evening or Sunday.

Saturday came and we were having to give shots. Late in the afternoon we put on a new pod in a new spot. It worked! Later that evening I picked up the owner's manual to read over it again to see if there was something that we missed. It suggested pinching up the skin around the pod before insertion. Especially when being placed on a spot that is lean. Duh! I don't know how we missed that the first time through the book or if they mentioned it at the endo's how we missed it then. Izzy is lean everywhere. When we did our next pod change I pinched and it worked.

I think that from Friday night to Monday night I got maybe 8 hours of sleep. I'm still trying to catch up. Thomas let me get in a long nap yesterday so that has helped enormously.

The biggest problem that we are having now is that when we change a pod her numbers are going high. I think we might have gotten it figured out though. Now when I know that we are going to change a pod I give her a double bolus of her basel dosage. That has seemed to do the trick.

Isabelle is doing really great with her pump. She loves it. She has decided that she likes it much better then shots. By the time of our 4th pod change she quit screaming and complaining. Now she says that she is ready for the tickle and she is not scared anymore. She is soooo brave!!! I can't believe that she has done so well. One evening she was having some ice cream and Thomas told her that she could have more ice cream because she had a pump now. That seemed to change how she felt about the pump.

Izzy's BS numbers have been really great. It is amazing how much the pump has done for that. It has also relaxed our lives a great deal. I no longer have to stop whatever I am doing to sit down with a paper and calculator and figure out what she needs for her insulin. It makes a huge difference to just put in how many carbs she has eaten and push a button.

So, overall, even with the craziness at the beginning it is really great. We are really happy with the Omni Pod. We have had some issues with the pod falling off. But, I dare say that most of that is due to having a very active preschooler. She is learning to be more careful with it. The first week she pulled one off when she slid into a chair. It was on her lower back and just popped off part of it. The cannula stayed in so I just taped it onto her until we could get home and change it. Today she was playing with me and trying to run from me and knocked the entire pod off after hitting the wall. I guess that we have been lucky that on the days that she has had a pod fall off it has been a day to change the pod anyway. We also had an issue with the water and the pod. Seems we were only supposed to allow her to be in the water for 30 minutes at a time. I remember the cde telling me that but for some reason it went in one ear and out the other. So, it fell off. But, we won't let that happen again. :) Live and learn.

Sorry this post has been so long and crazy. I have been trying to find the time to post and have just been so exhausted from loosing so much sleep that I haven't done it.