Pump Progress

We are coming up into our 4th month on an insulin pump!  Looking back, I have no idea why I was so afraid of them (okay, it's because Ellee is *still* afraid of the infusion set changes).  After 2 weeks on a pump, it lowered her A1C by half a point and finally got us back down under 8!  I've been told by many people that we shouldn't think of the A1C as a scorecard, but you can't help it.  If it's high, it makes you feel like a bad parent, and no one wants to feel like a bad parent.  I did have to smile when I had a former director of a JDRF chapter tell me the other night not to beat myself up over a few bad numbers!

We go on Monday for our quarterly Endo appointment!  I'm excited to see what her A1C is, but at the same time nervous that it will be higher than 8.  I do have some concerns to go over with the doctor, such as the weeks with high numbers, then the sudden drop and having weeks of lower than my nerves can take numbers.

I've been debating about seeing if we can use a Continuous Glucose Monitor for a month to get an idea of areas that we can fine tune her rates.  I have a feeling this is one of those things were "if it were me, I'd do this", but since it's Ellee I have to stop and ask what is best for her.   After hearing two 20 year olds talk about how long the canula is, I'm not sure Ellee would like me if I suggest sticking one of them on her!

Over all, I am very happy that she is on the pump.  She is getting a lot better about changing the infusion sets, especially when she is able to do some of it herself.  She *hates* it when some one else takes her old set off, she takes it off in the shower, or will allow me to put alcohol on the old so that it loosens up, BUT she has to be the one to pull it off!  And I'm fine with that!

There is something about understanding how things work that make them less scary.  I found out the hard way that by explaining everything that goes into changing her set to her, she is more accepting of the process and doesn't fight it.  By showing her how the infusion device worked, it calmed her nerves.  She now likes to prep the set for me.  She takes all the plastic and paper off, unwinds the tubing, and gets it completely ready for me, even pulling the spring back to load it.  Just recently she has started wanting to fill the cartridge.  So I showed her how work the plunger a few different times to help get rid of the air bubbles.  I may have to redo it myself if there is an air bubble, but so far she doesn't mind.

It seems that by being involved in the process, she feels she has more control... and I'm fine with that! After all, she will be in charge of it soon enough, which is sad to think.  I couldn't have asked for her to be any more cooperative with the whole process than she has been!