A quick update on our Mr. Dexcom. He is (not sure when I assigned a gender to the receiver! haha) not waking up ever again. Actually if you leave it plug in, he is doing fine but I can't let Mr. R stay plug in by the outlet either. So, tomorrow we would have to call DexCom to order the replacement.
Also on another sad and depressing note, I may lost my flexible working hours that I have had for the last 2 years. It all started when Mr. R was dx with T1D. I had to be there to pick him up from school because one day, last year, his BG dropped so low, he was unable to even crawl home. Luckily, one of our neighbor was there picking up his kid. Mr. N carried Mr. R bag pack and the neighbor carried my son! I love all of my neighbors!
I hope my managers will understand my situation at home. I have never let anything fallen through the crack. I have worked so hard to ensure that my 'special' arrangement is not affecting anyone else at work.
Please pray for us. So many things going on I could hardly keep up anymore.
On a positive note, a friend of mine, bless her heart, has offered her child's car seat so Baby E could use a proper seat. He is over 20 lbs now and getting longer/taller by the minute. Thank you dear friend for all that you have done for Baby E.
Ok, I better clock in and start work again. I'm nervous and very worried about tomorrow. I have to talk to all of my managers about my flexible working hours. I hope and wish they will continue to support my existing schedule so I could be there for my kids especially Mr.R.
Please, please, please pray that everything will be ok for us!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Time to wake up Dexcom
Mr. M is at home today with the kiddos. I told him to try and wake up Dexcom. Dex has been resting for the last 48 hours in the bed (or bowl) of rice. Hopefully everything inside has been dried up and would work again. The replacement receiver is $199 but I have a feeling that we would have to get the whole set again and since the insurance will not cover this, it will be $900 for the whole thing.
Come on Dex...please wake up!!!!!
Come on Dex...please wake up!!!!!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Dexcom is still dead... or just sleeping
Dexcom is still sleeping. I refused to say that it is dead. I know (hope and pray) that it will wake up and beeps again. I missed the alarms. Hahaha... I used to be so annoyed when it would alarmed in the middle of the Tae Kwan DO class but now I missed it.
Dexcom is sleeping in the bowl of rice. Hopefully it will wake up full of energy and ready to work again!. I'm letting it rest. It will have to work 24/7/365 again soon. That is if it works again. :-(
Please, please, please... wake up again!
Dexcom is sleeping in the bowl of rice. Hopefully it will wake up full of energy and ready to work again!. I'm letting it rest. It will have to work 24/7/365 again soon. That is if it works again. :-(
Please, please, please... wake up again!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Dexcom went swimming...
What a day! It was a crazy hectic day. Went to work at 8am today and left at 3pm so I could take the kids to their first swimming lesson this summer. They were super excited. Both of them called me to ask about where I put their goggles, noodles, sun block and etc...
On the way home, I remembered that both of their goggles had been thrown away due to old age. I stopped by Super Target, picked up 2 pairs of goggles, 2 new noodles and last but not least a new car seat for Baby E. On the way out to the cashier, I noticed that that car seat will not recline and the goggle was not the right size. I was running out of time so with 3 inch high heels, I sprinted back towards the back of the store to return the car seat (could not find anything else that I like for Baby E, so no car seat today!) and exchanged both goggles.
I made it in time (5 minutes) before lesson started, rushed the kiddos into the car, grabbed a bottle of cold water from the freezer and a small bottle of honey just in case if Mr. R blood sugar decided to plunge later.
Once we got there, the instructor told me that she had to hike the fee (another $10 more) since she has to drive so far to get to our pool. I was already frustrated at this point. I told Mr. N to start and Mr. R to warm up. Without further ado, Mr. R grabbed one of the noodle, put on his new goggle and dive in!!!
I suddenly remembered that I have not lower down his basal rate. Considering the temperature was hovering around 99F, I walked to the side of the pool, motioned him to come closer to lower his basal rate. He looked like he was going to cry. I was puzzled, why would he cry when he was just splashing around. He told me that he still have his Dexcom in his pocket. My heart sank. I knew Dexcom will not replace the receiver. They told me to get a replacement receiver which will cost us $199. I just paid over $800 for the whole setup (Dexcom, Omnipod and the extra insulins not forgetting all the barrier wipes, adhesive remover, all kind of tape to secure the hardwares to his small body!) The calculator in my brain was busy churning numbers trying to figure out how I could cough up another $199 to pay for the replacement.
In the mean time I called Mr. M. I told him not to get upset!. Suprisingly he was pretty calm about it. I called my mom next, wailing. She just simply told me that it is my fault since I should have got Mr. R ready in the first place and not rely on a 6 years old to do things on his own. Ugggghhh!
Brought it home, put the Dexcom in the bowl of rice. Here's hoping and praying that it will dry out and it will still work!
In the mean time, we just have to fly blind. If I have to get the replacement part, I guess I will find a way to pay for it. It is for Mr. R anyway. There's nothing I will not do for my kids.
After swimming and a 2 hours break, the kiddos went to Tae Kwan Do. I felt so blind. I have relied on Dexcom so much that I felt so scared! Scared because I can't predict the pattern of Mr. R's blood sugar. I checked his sugar twice during the TKD session but he was doing fine.
I felt like such a failure. I can't even keep the Dexcom safe. I wish I can be the best mom to my 3 boys but there are only so much a mom can do when she has to juggle work and home. Not an excuse but it is what it is. I never felt so alone...I want the Dexcom to wake up again and help me out...
Oh by the way, I called Dexcom Rep and I do not heart this guy at all...Dexcom customer service is nowhere close to Omnipod. He is no help at all... but than again why would he care? He doesn't have a child with Diabetes...
On the way home, I remembered that both of their goggles had been thrown away due to old age. I stopped by Super Target, picked up 2 pairs of goggles, 2 new noodles and last but not least a new car seat for Baby E. On the way out to the cashier, I noticed that that car seat will not recline and the goggle was not the right size. I was running out of time so with 3 inch high heels, I sprinted back towards the back of the store to return the car seat (could not find anything else that I like for Baby E, so no car seat today!) and exchanged both goggles.
I made it in time (5 minutes) before lesson started, rushed the kiddos into the car, grabbed a bottle of cold water from the freezer and a small bottle of honey just in case if Mr. R blood sugar decided to plunge later.
Once we got there, the instructor told me that she had to hike the fee (another $10 more) since she has to drive so far to get to our pool. I was already frustrated at this point. I told Mr. N to start and Mr. R to warm up. Without further ado, Mr. R grabbed one of the noodle, put on his new goggle and dive in!!!
I suddenly remembered that I have not lower down his basal rate. Considering the temperature was hovering around 99F, I walked to the side of the pool, motioned him to come closer to lower his basal rate. He looked like he was going to cry. I was puzzled, why would he cry when he was just splashing around. He told me that he still have his Dexcom in his pocket. My heart sank. I knew Dexcom will not replace the receiver. They told me to get a replacement receiver which will cost us $199. I just paid over $800 for the whole setup (Dexcom, Omnipod and the extra insulins not forgetting all the barrier wipes, adhesive remover, all kind of tape to secure the hardwares to his small body!) The calculator in my brain was busy churning numbers trying to figure out how I could cough up another $199 to pay for the replacement.
In the mean time I called Mr. M. I told him not to get upset!. Suprisingly he was pretty calm about it. I called my mom next, wailing. She just simply told me that it is my fault since I should have got Mr. R ready in the first place and not rely on a 6 years old to do things on his own. Ugggghhh!
Brought it home, put the Dexcom in the bowl of rice. Here's hoping and praying that it will dry out and it will still work!
In the mean time, we just have to fly blind. If I have to get the replacement part, I guess I will find a way to pay for it. It is for Mr. R anyway. There's nothing I will not do for my kids.
After swimming and a 2 hours break, the kiddos went to Tae Kwan Do. I felt so blind. I have relied on Dexcom so much that I felt so scared! Scared because I can't predict the pattern of Mr. R's blood sugar. I checked his sugar twice during the TKD session but he was doing fine.
I felt like such a failure. I can't even keep the Dexcom safe. I wish I can be the best mom to my 3 boys but there are only so much a mom can do when she has to juggle work and home. Not an excuse but it is what it is. I never felt so alone...I want the Dexcom to wake up again and help me out...
Oh by the way, I called Dexcom Rep and I do not heart this guy at all...Dexcom customer service is nowhere close to Omnipod. He is no help at all... but than again why would he care? He doesn't have a child with Diabetes...
Monday, July 11, 2011
Baby E working out
Look at what Baby E has been doing... he has been such a funny baby. He says Mom all the time now. He called his grandpa and grandma Mom too. It used to be Nana (calling for his nanny), or Dadda but now everything is Mom, Mom, Mom...
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| Garlic Bread in the oven and Edrin can't wait. |
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| I'm working out Mom! |
Friday, July 8, 2011
Baby...
I was going through my friend's blog when I came across pictures of little girl playing by the beach with her long hair down, red dress and chubby pink cheeks. It reminds me of how much I wish for a little girl of my own. How I wish I can have another baby!. I am very close to my mom and my sister so in my mind, I always have this vision of having a daughter who will be close to me as I have been with my mom.
I could have another one or two or even three more if I so wish but at the present moment, my mind is made up. I am not going to have another baby with Mr. M. As much as I love my husband, he is just so busy with is work, he will not have time for another kid.
As it is, I am so busy doing everything that I could possibly do for my children. Of course Mr. R with T1D occupied most of my time. On top of that, there are the never ending after school activities ~ tae kwan do, swimming, piano, dentist, pediatrician and endocrinologist appointments and quran/arabic classes.
I hardly have time for myself anymore. I had to hire a nanny when Babe E was born so I could still keep up with everything. Balancing work and home life is extremely hard. If I were to even tell Mr. M about all this, he would just say "Take the kids out of after school activities" or "That's why I don't want to have more kids after Mr. N". I do not know how many times we argue when we found out I was expecting again after Mr. R.
I went through 3 miscarriages after Mr. R. I went to several Ob-Gyn to find out what was wrong with me. I almost gave up until I met this wonderful doctor who told that maybe I should take some herbs. I have multiple cysts and polyps on both side of my ovaries. I was told to schedule an appointment after 30 days of taking the herb to do an ultra sound to find out if the cysts/polyps were gone or at least shrink. Lo and behold, they are all gone and along with that good news, the ultra sound technician also told me that she saw a heart beat. What??? Heart beat? yes, a baby is in there. Yay!! I was ecstatic but Mr. M wasn't ! He was afraid that another baby will be born with T1D. To him T1D has rob our family of precious time and had given us so many heart aches. Not to mention I had so many issues this time too, maybe due to age factor??? hahaha...
Anyway, now that we have Baby E, Mr. M have been very happy with him. He will not go to anyone else other than his Dad. But the point is, I do not want to go through another heart breaking pregnancy where I was crying all the time because I was so tired to the point of severe exhaustion because I had to do everything for the elder kids. Don't get me wrong, I know Mr. M loves his children very much. Except that his work is taking so much out of him. I wish he would just walk away and find another job!
Oh well, I don't know why I'm putting this in my post except that I'm feeling a little blue today. The little girl in the red dress playing by the water evoked such strong maternal feelings in me. Alas, I know I will not be able to have daughter of my own. I will not have a daughter to go shopping with or even to call and gossip with when I get old. I'm happy with my 3 boys but culture dictates that once my sons are grown up, they are going to be away, to be someone else's husband and dad and they might not have time for their mom anymore.
I felt like a I have these silent tears sometimes for what could have happened but I have to accept that it is what it is. I am not going to have a daughter of my own...
I could have another one or two or even three more if I so wish but at the present moment, my mind is made up. I am not going to have another baby with Mr. M. As much as I love my husband, he is just so busy with is work, he will not have time for another kid.
As it is, I am so busy doing everything that I could possibly do for my children. Of course Mr. R with T1D occupied most of my time. On top of that, there are the never ending after school activities ~ tae kwan do, swimming, piano, dentist, pediatrician and endocrinologist appointments and quran/arabic classes.
I hardly have time for myself anymore. I had to hire a nanny when Babe E was born so I could still keep up with everything. Balancing work and home life is extremely hard. If I were to even tell Mr. M about all this, he would just say "Take the kids out of after school activities" or "That's why I don't want to have more kids after Mr. N". I do not know how many times we argue when we found out I was expecting again after Mr. R.
I went through 3 miscarriages after Mr. R. I went to several Ob-Gyn to find out what was wrong with me. I almost gave up until I met this wonderful doctor who told that maybe I should take some herbs. I have multiple cysts and polyps on both side of my ovaries. I was told to schedule an appointment after 30 days of taking the herb to do an ultra sound to find out if the cysts/polyps were gone or at least shrink. Lo and behold, they are all gone and along with that good news, the ultra sound technician also told me that she saw a heart beat. What??? Heart beat? yes, a baby is in there. Yay!! I was ecstatic but Mr. M wasn't ! He was afraid that another baby will be born with T1D. To him T1D has rob our family of precious time and had given us so many heart aches. Not to mention I had so many issues this time too, maybe due to age factor??? hahaha...
Anyway, now that we have Baby E, Mr. M have been very happy with him. He will not go to anyone else other than his Dad. But the point is, I do not want to go through another heart breaking pregnancy where I was crying all the time because I was so tired to the point of severe exhaustion because I had to do everything for the elder kids. Don't get me wrong, I know Mr. M loves his children very much. Except that his work is taking so much out of him. I wish he would just walk away and find another job!
Oh well, I don't know why I'm putting this in my post except that I'm feeling a little blue today. The little girl in the red dress playing by the water evoked such strong maternal feelings in me. Alas, I know I will not be able to have daughter of my own. I will not have a daughter to go shopping with or even to call and gossip with when I get old. I'm happy with my 3 boys but culture dictates that once my sons are grown up, they are going to be away, to be someone else's husband and dad and they might not have time for their mom anymore.
I felt like a I have these silent tears sometimes for what could have happened but I have to accept that it is what it is. I am not going to have a daughter of my own...
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Omnipod and Dexcom
Mr. R has been on the pod and the Dexcom for the last one month and a half. So far everything is going great. I love the fact that Dexcom will alarm when he is going below or beyond his target range. I could sleep better at night knowing that Dexcom is watching over my son. Even so, I still wake up at midnight and again at 3:30am to check his blood sugar just to make sure he is doing ok. That also give me the chance to check on Mr. N and Baby E. Last night at pre-bedtime Mr. R was at 85 with an arrow going down. I gave him a glucose tablet and told him to brush his teeth. At midnight he was at 98. I felt safe and went to bed and set up the alarm at 3:30am.
3:30am - my alarm went off and I keep pushing the snooze button. I finally woke up at 4am and went to check on Mr. R. He was at 258. Yikes !!!! The PDM suggested 1.58 unit but I was afraid Mr. R might crashed later so I reduced the bolus to 0.75 unit.
At 7am before I left to work, I check his blood sugar again and he was at 208. It went down but not enough. The PDM suggested 1.10 unit. I accepted the calculation done by the PDM and bolus him. I whispered to Mr. R to check his sugar when he wake up later and call me if its still high.
I guess I should have trusted the calculation done by the PDM and should have just bolus him with the amount of insulin suggested by the PDM at 4am. Another lesson learned! I used to be my son sole replacement pancreas but now I have Omnipod to help me with it. It is no longer a game that I played everyday, trying to make sure Mr. R's blood sugar stay in range. It is all about doing the right math between the carb intake and insulin given.
Mr. R's A1c has been between 6.4 - 6.7 range until the last 6 months, his A1c went up to 7.2 - 7.3 range. That was one of the many reasons that prompted us to put Mr. R on the pump.
He has his endocrinologist appointment in 3 weeks so I'm praying and hoping that we got his A1c down to the level that he used to be before. I know it will be hard. He has been in honeymoon phase for over 2 years. We were told that he is still in his honeymoon phase but I am not so sure anymore. His blood sugar has been all over the place now.
Please pray that they will find a cure for this illness soon.
3:30am - my alarm went off and I keep pushing the snooze button. I finally woke up at 4am and went to check on Mr. R. He was at 258. Yikes !!!! The PDM suggested 1.58 unit but I was afraid Mr. R might crashed later so I reduced the bolus to 0.75 unit.
At 7am before I left to work, I check his blood sugar again and he was at 208. It went down but not enough. The PDM suggested 1.10 unit. I accepted the calculation done by the PDM and bolus him. I whispered to Mr. R to check his sugar when he wake up later and call me if its still high.
I guess I should have trusted the calculation done by the PDM and should have just bolus him with the amount of insulin suggested by the PDM at 4am. Another lesson learned! I used to be my son sole replacement pancreas but now I have Omnipod to help me with it. It is no longer a game that I played everyday, trying to make sure Mr. R's blood sugar stay in range. It is all about doing the right math between the carb intake and insulin given.
Mr. R's A1c has been between 6.4 - 6.7 range until the last 6 months, his A1c went up to 7.2 - 7.3 range. That was one of the many reasons that prompted us to put Mr. R on the pump.
He has his endocrinologist appointment in 3 weeks so I'm praying and hoping that we got his A1c down to the level that he used to be before. I know it will be hard. He has been in honeymoon phase for over 2 years. We were told that he is still in his honeymoon phase but I am not so sure anymore. His blood sugar has been all over the place now.
Please pray that they will find a cure for this illness soon.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Camping with Omnipod and Dexcom
Here's the update to the camping post that I did on 4th of July. I could not post too much that day, since I was using my Iphone. This was our first camping trip with Omnipod and the Dexcom. This was also the first camping trip where we were not allowed to have camp fires. Can you believe that? What is camping without camp fires at night with toasty marshmallows sandwiched between two honey graham crackers and pieces of melted Hershey chocolates? The kiddos were disappointed but hey, I don't want to start forest fire either so we made do with propane grills and cooked everything else on the stove.
While we were there, we went to the Eleven Mile Canyon. What a wonderful place to go for the 4th of July weekend. The stream was cold with melted snow and so clear you could see the bottom. At first, we went in the dipped our toes but the kiddos end up jumping in. It was pretty refreshing! the temperature was between 88F to 95F and the water just cooled us off. I waded in with Baby E while Mr. R and Mr. N started goofing and swimming in the stream. Photos to follow soon - maybe in the next post!
Mr. R had his pod on his tummy and Dexcom on his back. We were happy with that arrangement when the Dexcom receiver started to scream. Oh yeah, the loyal "Out Of Range" message popped out!. I was happy Mr. R remembered to take it off before he jumped in because the receiver is not water proof. Or is it? I just can't remember. I have to make a mental note to check on that. So now the Dexcom is useless. An hour later, Mr. R started to complaint that the pod is hurting his tummy. Uggh!! We just put it on the night before. Checked it - looked wet but it was still fine. I told Mr. R to go ahead and play in the water and if the pod fall, I had brought the fast acting insulin as a back up so I could give him insulin for the food that he was going to eat and we should head back to the camper in time to put a new pod on.
Another hour passed and Mr. R came back and said that it is really hurting. Lo and behold, the pod is still sticking but I could see the cannula poking out of his skin! It was hurting because the cannula was poking his skin. Another 80+ unit of insulin wasted. The tummy area is really not working on him. I may have to stick it somewhere else. Maybe on his legs. Oh well! Lesson learned.
We had our picnic there from 11am to approximately 7pm. Just in time before the fireworks started. 20 minutes before we left, while I was busy packing our stuff back into the van, Mr. N and Mr. R was jumping up and down. I ignored them as usual... boys will do what boys do! But at the corner of my eyes, I saw Mr. R wheeling in 12 inches rainbow trout out. I was so excited, I ran back to the picnic site, scrapping my feet on the boulder, (ouchy!) thinking in my head that I should check it out later.
Took picture of the boys and the trout (Mr. M and grandpa and all) and started to pack all the stuff again. Put the picnic basket, mat, camping chairs, and etc in the van. Put Baby E in the car seat, buckled him up and told the 2 older kids to get in, waited for their grandpa and grandma, and suddenly noticed that my feet is really bleeding. Ouch!!! I took the fist aid kit out, cleaned it as best as I could and put some Neosporin on it. The cut wasn't that bad but the bleeding was awful!
Oh well, fast forward to the end of the evening, the kiddos along with their grandparents went to the fireworks show. I stayed behind with Baby E in the camper. He saw a lot of fireworks show (between Disney World in March and Disneyland in June not forgetting a mini firework show at the San Diego Sea World).
It was a nice camping trip with Mr. M and his family (all went except for a niece and his sister who went to FL). It was a nice 4 days break for me. Alas, I am still tired but at least the kids had fun and that's all that matter to me. After all, it is all about the kids. They grow up so fast, I was afraid that one day, I will wake up only to find that they are all grown up and live far from me! I wish I can keep them with me all the time so I could hug and kiss them and protect them from everything. I just hope they will remember all the things that I did for them and never forget their mom.
Time will tell...
While we were there, we went to the Eleven Mile Canyon. What a wonderful place to go for the 4th of July weekend. The stream was cold with melted snow and so clear you could see the bottom. At first, we went in the dipped our toes but the kiddos end up jumping in. It was pretty refreshing! the temperature was between 88F to 95F and the water just cooled us off. I waded in with Baby E while Mr. R and Mr. N started goofing and swimming in the stream. Photos to follow soon - maybe in the next post!
Mr. R had his pod on his tummy and Dexcom on his back. We were happy with that arrangement when the Dexcom receiver started to scream. Oh yeah, the loyal "Out Of Range" message popped out!. I was happy Mr. R remembered to take it off before he jumped in because the receiver is not water proof. Or is it? I just can't remember. I have to make a mental note to check on that. So now the Dexcom is useless. An hour later, Mr. R started to complaint that the pod is hurting his tummy. Uggh!! We just put it on the night before. Checked it - looked wet but it was still fine. I told Mr. R to go ahead and play in the water and if the pod fall, I had brought the fast acting insulin as a back up so I could give him insulin for the food that he was going to eat and we should head back to the camper in time to put a new pod on.
Another hour passed and Mr. R came back and said that it is really hurting. Lo and behold, the pod is still sticking but I could see the cannula poking out of his skin! It was hurting because the cannula was poking his skin. Another 80+ unit of insulin wasted. The tummy area is really not working on him. I may have to stick it somewhere else. Maybe on his legs. Oh well! Lesson learned.
We had our picnic there from 11am to approximately 7pm. Just in time before the fireworks started. 20 minutes before we left, while I was busy packing our stuff back into the van, Mr. N and Mr. R was jumping up and down. I ignored them as usual... boys will do what boys do! But at the corner of my eyes, I saw Mr. R wheeling in 12 inches rainbow trout out. I was so excited, I ran back to the picnic site, scrapping my feet on the boulder, (ouchy!) thinking in my head that I should check it out later.
Took picture of the boys and the trout (Mr. M and grandpa and all) and started to pack all the stuff again. Put the picnic basket, mat, camping chairs, and etc in the van. Put Baby E in the car seat, buckled him up and told the 2 older kids to get in, waited for their grandpa and grandma, and suddenly noticed that my feet is really bleeding. Ouch!!! I took the fist aid kit out, cleaned it as best as I could and put some Neosporin on it. The cut wasn't that bad but the bleeding was awful!
Oh well, fast forward to the end of the evening, the kiddos along with their grandparents went to the fireworks show. I stayed behind with Baby E in the camper. He saw a lot of fireworks show (between Disney World in March and Disneyland in June not forgetting a mini firework show at the San Diego Sea World).
It was a nice camping trip with Mr. M and his family (all went except for a niece and his sister who went to FL). It was a nice 4 days break for me. Alas, I am still tired but at least the kids had fun and that's all that matter to me. After all, it is all about the kids. They grow up so fast, I was afraid that one day, I will wake up only to find that they are all grown up and live far from me! I wish I can keep them with me all the time so I could hug and kiss them and protect them from everything. I just hope they will remember all the things that I did for them and never forget their mom.
Time will tell...
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Happy 4th of July
We are currently at Woodland Park camping. The campsite owner promised a site to us, however when we arrived, we were given a totally different site. The new site is a joke. It is right beside the highway. Oh well! We parked our RV and set it up. It is not as nice as our favorite campground but beggars can't be choosers. I don't know what the plans are but Mr. M is supposed to plan the day activities.
This also our first camping trip Dexcom and Omnipod. I will write more later. time to eat breakfast.
This also our first camping trip Dexcom and Omnipod. I will write more later. time to eat breakfast.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Pod Error....again!
We love the Omnipod and the Dexcom. It has help Mr. R tremendously with this T1D. He could eat at anytime he so wish and oh the freedom that it gives him is wonderful. Last week he was able to go out without me since his uncle knows how to operate the PDM to bolus insulin after he ate.
We love the technology...when its working. It seems like every third pod would gave us a pod failure or error message after less than 24 hours of putting it on him. It is frustrating since we wasted so much insulin!!!! Insulet has been pretty understanding in sending us the replacement pod but its getting annoying when we have to change it before the 3 days is up.
I had to change a pod last night only after 11 hours of putting new one on him. Another pod error! It was screaming 3 minutes before we have to leave to piano class too. I changed the pod so fast it should have been recorded in the World Guinness Record!
Mr. R has been pumping or a podder since 05/16/2011. We (Mr. R and I) were required to attend 2 days worth of training and another one and a half day training for the Dexcom. Mr. M (hubby) was not able to attend due to his work schedule. The endocrinologist insisted that Mr. M has to attend but I had to tell her that I am the one that does EVERYTHING for Mr. R so it will not be a big deal. While we are on the pod issue - let me tell you this story.
When we decided to start Mr. R on the pump, I did a lot of research, Internet, books, talk to other bloggers, other parents with T1D and bla...bla... After a lengthy discussion with Mr. M and Mr. R, we decided to go with Omnipod for the reason listed below:
I can't possibly put a traditional pump on him. It will not work with him. So, our final decision was to go with Omnipod, even with all the pod failures. But we are happy with it! I'm sure we will get through this bad batch of pods and it will all be better, right???? hahahaha. Now, I'm sure the other traditional pumps is as good or even better than the Omnipod since Omnipod is a fairly new product. The traditional pump might work for other children but I know it will not work for Mr. R.
Mr. M and I agreed it will be the omnipod or no pump until he is bigger and can take care of himself better. I can't wait for the newer pod to come out. Supposedly it is 40% smaller than the existing pump. We will also look at the SOLO pump once its out. Heard about it and everyone keep guessing about the date it will be launched but so far nothing yet.
We had to go through so many hoops and loops to get the endocrinologist to go on board with us through the Omnipod journey. After so many weeks if not months of discussing, pleading and finally standing firm on our decision, the doctors and nurses at BDC agreed to let Mr. R go on trial pod. We went on deactivated pod for 3 days, than saline start for a week and after we took the classes, quizzes and the whole 9 yards of everything Mr. R start his first pod filled with insulin.
Don't get me wrong, Mr. R's endocrinologist and nurse (Ms. Graciela) are the best doctor-nurse team at the BDC. They gave valid argument in regards to Omnipod:
Below are some picture of Mr. N and Mr. R prior to T1D.
We love the technology...when its working. It seems like every third pod would gave us a pod failure or error message after less than 24 hours of putting it on him. It is frustrating since we wasted so much insulin!!!! Insulet has been pretty understanding in sending us the replacement pod but its getting annoying when we have to change it before the 3 days is up.
I had to change a pod last night only after 11 hours of putting new one on him. Another pod error! It was screaming 3 minutes before we have to leave to piano class too. I changed the pod so fast it should have been recorded in the World Guinness Record!
Mr. R has been pumping or a podder since 05/16/2011. We (Mr. R and I) were required to attend 2 days worth of training and another one and a half day training for the Dexcom. Mr. M (hubby) was not able to attend due to his work schedule. The endocrinologist insisted that Mr. M has to attend but I had to tell her that I am the one that does EVERYTHING for Mr. R so it will not be a big deal. While we are on the pod issue - let me tell you this story.
When we decided to start Mr. R on the pump, I did a lot of research, Internet, books, talk to other bloggers, other parents with T1D and bla...bla... After a lengthy discussion with Mr. M and Mr. R, we decided to go with Omnipod for the reason listed below:
- Tubeless
- He doesn't have to carry the PDM with him (one less thing for him to forget to take everywhere he goes) The PDM goes with me in my purse. I wish I can do the same with the Dexcom but Mr. R will have to be glued to my side 24/7/365!
- customer service - excellent
- he can swim, spar during tae kwan do, run around with his brothers, tumble, camping, hiking, shower and more without taking it off and putting it back.
I can't possibly put a traditional pump on him. It will not work with him. So, our final decision was to go with Omnipod, even with all the pod failures. But we are happy with it! I'm sure we will get through this bad batch of pods and it will all be better, right???? hahahaha. Now, I'm sure the other traditional pumps is as good or even better than the Omnipod since Omnipod is a fairly new product. The traditional pump might work for other children but I know it will not work for Mr. R.
Mr. M and I agreed it will be the omnipod or no pump until he is bigger and can take care of himself better. I can't wait for the newer pod to come out. Supposedly it is 40% smaller than the existing pump. We will also look at the SOLO pump once its out. Heard about it and everyone keep guessing about the date it will be launched but so far nothing yet.
We had to go through so many hoops and loops to get the endocrinologist to go on board with us through the Omnipod journey. After so many weeks if not months of discussing, pleading and finally standing firm on our decision, the doctors and nurses at BDC agreed to let Mr. R go on trial pod. We went on deactivated pod for 3 days, than saline start for a week and after we took the classes, quizzes and the whole 9 yards of everything Mr. R start his first pod filled with insulin.
Don't get me wrong, Mr. R's endocrinologist and nurse (Ms. Graciela) are the best doctor-nurse team at the BDC. They gave valid argument in regards to Omnipod:
- Mr. R do not have enough real estate to carry both the pod and the Dexcom - we currently have 8 sites of which we rotate both the pod and the Dexcom
- Mr. R is pretty lean - we pinched up his skin
- too many pod failures - hahaha we have this issue!
Below are some picture of Mr. N and Mr. R prior to T1D.
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| At Disney World - Spring 2008 (worry free trip, no insulin, no frio pack no BG meter and strips). |
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| 2007 Pumpkin patch |
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| DisneyLand Spring 2006 - Sleeping on mommy |
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| 2007 Halloween Boo at the Zoo - When eating so much candy and sugar is not a big deal except daddy made him brush his teeth twice! |
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| He can eat cake and frosting all he wants. |
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