The training session went okay. Both girls were there and it seemed like once we got into the important stuff on the pump, I had to leave the room with one of the girls. The pump rep was so good about all of it! It was a one on one session with her, so we could go at our own pace and we didn't have a set time limit of how long we had to get through all of this. First it was Dani having to go potty 15 minutes into the session even though I tried to get her to go before we went in! The second time it was with Ellee and I was NOT a happy camper. She got our attention to show that she had "accidently" gotten her gum all over her hands. And when I say all over, I mean all over! It was like a witch's web between the two hands that you would do with a long string of yarn!
I don't know what I was more upset about, the fact that she was playing with her gum when she knew better and has gotten in trouble for it before... or that the rep was getting into the important details of how to use the pump and I needed to leave the room to take care of this! Not knowing the best way to deal with this, I take her to the bathroom and hope the cold water makes it less tacky so that we can pick it off. A few minutes later, the rep comes in with a bottle of hand sanitizer and said she wondered if that would help take it off. After a few more minutes of picking to get the bulk of it off, we go back to the room with a handful of paper towels.
We tried the hand sanitizer and while Ellee picked, she went back over everything I missed. Soon we got to the point of the routine of hooking up the pump. Now we need to insert the infusion set on Ellee so that we can finish the set up. I had hoped that we were over the freak-out-and-panic stage when it came time to insert a set, but I was wrong. She flipped out and Josh had to hold her in a bear hug so that I could insert the set. She showed us little tricks to getting a good insertion and adhesion of the tape.
Once Ellee sat down and started picking at the gum again, she settled down. The rep finished showing us how to hook everything up and showed us other neat features of both the pump and remote. And that was it. She gave us instructions for when we come back the following week and made sure we had the few new scripts for supplies that we needed and we were headed out!
The immediate benefits that I see is that of the meter remote! That and it's funny to see Ellee's face when her pump buzzes from a remote delivery of insulin! She knows what it's for, but she still gives me this goofy face that I can't help but laugh at! This morning it was in the middle of her drinking her milk out of the cereal bowl! Being able to dose her while she's eating is a big advantage, that way I don't have to interrupt her to find a suitable patch of skin for her shot.
Just like anything, there are a few drawbacks, but the pro's out weigh the con's so in the long run, this is definitely a great choice for us!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Butterflies
2 1/2 years ago while we were in the hospital learning how to deal with this newly diagnosed disease, I knew that eventually she'd be on a pump. To be honest, the idea scared me and even made me sick to my stomach because I couldn't even begin to image how it would feel to have a tube inserted into you and left on for 3 days. 6 months ago I wanted to learn more. I wanted to see how it went in and I wanted to see how it felt. To my surprise, I couldn't feel it at all! Pleasantly surprised to say the least!
Ever since then, I've done so much research. I've watched YouTube videos to get an idea of how to insert it. I've read blogs, discussion boards, and manufacturer websites. I spoke with pump reps to have the ins and outs demonstrated to me and even wore two different infusion sets!
I was not only ready, I was excited! Getting Ellee excited wasn't as easy, but to a 6 year old, why would this be? With the help of Grandma & Grandpa talking it up and helping explain to her why this is better, she is finally ready! Well, as ready as a 6 year old can be!
Today is our big day! Grandma came over to get Ellee on the school bus so I could go into work early and get a few things wrapped up. When Grandma woke her up this morning to get her ready for school, she excitedly told Ellee that today was the big day that we get to put the pump on, and in a week, we will no longer have to do shots! It was a huge sigh of relief to hear El get excited with her!
Keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well this afternoon and for the next week! As with everything that we've had to deal with since diagnosis, the first month or two are rough. Then, after a while it becomes second nature I can't imagine it any other way!
Ever since then, I've done so much research. I've watched YouTube videos to get an idea of how to insert it. I've read blogs, discussion boards, and manufacturer websites. I spoke with pump reps to have the ins and outs demonstrated to me and even wore two different infusion sets!
I was not only ready, I was excited! Getting Ellee excited wasn't as easy, but to a 6 year old, why would this be? With the help of Grandma & Grandpa talking it up and helping explain to her why this is better, she is finally ready! Well, as ready as a 6 year old can be!
Today is our big day! Grandma came over to get Ellee on the school bus so I could go into work early and get a few things wrapped up. When Grandma woke her up this morning to get her ready for school, she excitedly told Ellee that today was the big day that we get to put the pump on, and in a week, we will no longer have to do shots! It was a huge sigh of relief to hear El get excited with her!
Keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well this afternoon and for the next week! As with everything that we've had to deal with since diagnosis, the first month or two are rough. Then, after a while it becomes second nature I can't imagine it any other way!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Dates are Set!
Even though it isn't mine, I was like a kid at Christmas when I heard that the pump had been delivered on Friday afternoon! Ellee and I had spent the morning and most of the afternoon on a field trip to area farms with her class, so this was a nice little way to end the day!
I had called Children's Hospital earlier once I found out what the delivery date was and they informed me that the local Pump rep would call me to set up the next step, probably on Monday. I've been so busy at with work and the girls that forgot to be impatient that she hasn't called me yet! Last night while getting something out of the car at the last minute before soccer practice, my phone rang. I didn't recognize the phone number and we needed to get practice started, so I sat the phone down and headed out to the field to run with the kids.
After practice, I checked my phone and they had left a voice mail. Listening to it, I could have kicked myself for not answering it! It was the pump rep calling to set up appointments for the next step in the pump process!
Again, I can't stress enough about how excited I am about starting her on a pump. It's like contact lenses for people with bad eye sight. Glasses are a pain, and even though contacts have a few draw backs and take a while to get use to, they really are a huge step forward in making your everyday life a little easier. That and when El was first diagnosed, I had heard all kinds of great things about pumps, but at that point in time, I just couldn't imagine how they inserted and it bothered me not to know that. I just couldn't fathom it, so it became something that any time I was asked about it my response was "I know we will get one eventually, but we just aren't ready for it yet."
And now we are ready!
I read on some groups that it was taking months to get set up for the following appointments after receiving the pump in some areas. I was afraid that it was going to take the long for us, and dreaded hearing that they were booked that far out. So when Diana told me that she could set something up for October 6th and then October 13th, I signed a huge sigh of relief!
We have homework to do before our appointments, but it makes these past few months of fighting to get this process completed feel like has been worth it! I was hoping to get all of this done before school started but no such luck. I even explained to Diana as we were trying to figure out times to make the appointments that I don't want to take her out of school any more than I have to.
I'm just excited to think that as of October 13th, Ellee will be a pumper! The funny thing about that date is that October 21st will be 2 1/2 years since she was diagnosed. I'm just thankful every day that we got to walk out of that hospital with her. Type 1 Diabetes may not have a cure, but it is manageable, and I am VERY thankful for that!
I had called Children's Hospital earlier once I found out what the delivery date was and they informed me that the local Pump rep would call me to set up the next step, probably on Monday. I've been so busy at with work and the girls that forgot to be impatient that she hasn't called me yet! Last night while getting something out of the car at the last minute before soccer practice, my phone rang. I didn't recognize the phone number and we needed to get practice started, so I sat the phone down and headed out to the field to run with the kids.
After practice, I checked my phone and they had left a voice mail. Listening to it, I could have kicked myself for not answering it! It was the pump rep calling to set up appointments for the next step in the pump process!
Again, I can't stress enough about how excited I am about starting her on a pump. It's like contact lenses for people with bad eye sight. Glasses are a pain, and even though contacts have a few draw backs and take a while to get use to, they really are a huge step forward in making your everyday life a little easier. That and when El was first diagnosed, I had heard all kinds of great things about pumps, but at that point in time, I just couldn't imagine how they inserted and it bothered me not to know that. I just couldn't fathom it, so it became something that any time I was asked about it my response was "I know we will get one eventually, but we just aren't ready for it yet."
And now we are ready!
I read on some groups that it was taking months to get set up for the following appointments after receiving the pump in some areas. I was afraid that it was going to take the long for us, and dreaded hearing that they were booked that far out. So when Diana told me that she could set something up for October 6th and then October 13th, I signed a huge sigh of relief!
We have homework to do before our appointments, but it makes these past few months of fighting to get this process completed feel like has been worth it! I was hoping to get all of this done before school started but no such luck. I even explained to Diana as we were trying to figure out times to make the appointments that I don't want to take her out of school any more than I have to.
I'm just excited to think that as of October 13th, Ellee will be a pumper! The funny thing about that date is that October 21st will be 2 1/2 years since she was diagnosed. I'm just thankful every day that we got to walk out of that hospital with her. Type 1 Diabetes may not have a cure, but it is manageable, and I am VERY thankful for that!
Monday, September 12, 2011
FINALLY!!!
When you don't expect a phone call to keep you updated because you know that not everything is in yet, it seems like you get unnecessary updates all the time. But, when you are anxiously waiting by the phone to hear that you got the final approval, it seems like forever before that call ever comes!
I waited all week and never heard anything. So finally on Sunday, I shot our Animas rep an email asking if they have heard from the insurance company yet. I wasn't really expecting to hear anything back, but this afternoon my phone rang and my caller ID showed "Animas Pump Company"! I didn't get too excited because I expected Nick to be calling to say that he got my email but has not heard from the insurance yet.
There are times when I love being wrong! They were calling to say that we have our final approval and we can get everything set up so that they can ship the pump out! I am beyond excited!
Ellee seems to finally be on board with this new concept! She has asked me a few different times about when we'll get it. I know that it will be a rough first few months, change is always rough, but she is a such a strong person and adapts so well. Diagnosis was rough and getting use to the shots. Then we got use to the shots and transitioned over to Pens instead of syringes. Change is always scary, but some times change is for the better! We like the pens, but the time has come to move onto the next step in order to get tighter control!
Now to call the doctors office and set up our next appointment for them so that we can start using this thing!
I waited all week and never heard anything. So finally on Sunday, I shot our Animas rep an email asking if they have heard from the insurance company yet. I wasn't really expecting to hear anything back, but this afternoon my phone rang and my caller ID showed "Animas Pump Company"! I didn't get too excited because I expected Nick to be calling to say that he got my email but has not heard from the insurance yet.
There are times when I love being wrong! They were calling to say that we have our final approval and we can get everything set up so that they can ship the pump out! I am beyond excited!
Ellee seems to finally be on board with this new concept! She has asked me a few different times about when we'll get it. I know that it will be a rough first few months, change is always rough, but she is a such a strong person and adapts so well. Diagnosis was rough and getting use to the shots. Then we got use to the shots and transitioned over to Pens instead of syringes. Change is always scary, but some times change is for the better! We like the pens, but the time has come to move onto the next step in order to get tighter control!
Now to call the doctors office and set up our next appointment for them so that we can start using this thing!
Friday, September 2, 2011
First Day of School
After the horror stories I've heard and read about schools not being very cooperative in dealing with diabetes routines and treatments, I was nervous to send Ellee to school last year. That fear quickly melted away after meeting with the school nurse and other staff. I can't say enough about how impressed I was with everyone there! Knowing that Ellee was being taken care off made it easy to prepare for school this year.
What I wasn't prepared for was sending Dani to preschool! She was ready for it, and she needs it. She is also an independent girl and it's good for her to get out for a few hours to do things on her own, instead of being a tag along for Ellee's things. I will admit that it was unusual to just to fill out school papers and medical forms without attachments of additional instructions that is required for T1D!
But school went great for both girls! I had to drop Ellee off along with all of her medical supplies. It was so neat to see all the excitement and energy of all the teachers and students!
At lunch, I met Grandma & Dani at preschool. I was sure that it would be a fight to get Dani out of the car, but nope, she grabbed her book bag and was ready to go in! Everything was fine until we got to the classroom. I think for the first time in her life she was nervous! She didn't get clingy and she didn't cry, she just kind of stood there like she didn't know what she was suppose to do. I took her over to put her supplies in her box, then Mrs. M told her to get a toy and have a seat at one of the tables. As she looked around for a table toy, Mom and I stepped out.
In a few hours it was time to get Dani from preschool, then home to wait for Ellee to get off the bus! Dani was so excited to see me, gave me a big hug then said "Mommy, guess what?! I behaved!!!" I asked what they did today and she pulled off her book bag to pull out the picture she drew! Then she told me all about the snack they had! I love the excitement, I just wish I could bottle it so that it lasts throughout the whole year!
We waited for Ellee to get home, so that we could run up to Lima to pick up her new glasses. I was disheartened to hear that her right eye was getting weak, but I knew that these new glasses should help her out tremendously. As Ellee got off the bus, Dani ran out to greet her as if it had been years since they last saw each other! Nothing will bring a kid down faster from the "first day of school" high than telling them that we are going to go get her new glasses. I hate when she complains about wearing glasses, but I know that wearing them will only help in the long run. After they were adjusted to her, I think she realized how much they help her out, even though she won't admit it!
What I wasn't prepared for was sending Dani to preschool! She was ready for it, and she needs it. She is also an independent girl and it's good for her to get out for a few hours to do things on her own, instead of being a tag along for Ellee's things. I will admit that it was unusual to just to fill out school papers and medical forms without attachments of additional instructions that is required for T1D!
But school went great for both girls! I had to drop Ellee off along with all of her medical supplies. It was so neat to see all the excitement and energy of all the teachers and students!
At lunch, I met Grandma & Dani at preschool. I was sure that it would be a fight to get Dani out of the car, but nope, she grabbed her book bag and was ready to go in! Everything was fine until we got to the classroom. I think for the first time in her life she was nervous! She didn't get clingy and she didn't cry, she just kind of stood there like she didn't know what she was suppose to do. I took her over to put her supplies in her box, then Mrs. M told her to get a toy and have a seat at one of the tables. As she looked around for a table toy, Mom and I stepped out.
In a few hours it was time to get Dani from preschool, then home to wait for Ellee to get off the bus! Dani was so excited to see me, gave me a big hug then said "Mommy, guess what?! I behaved!!!" I asked what they did today and she pulled off her book bag to pull out the picture she drew! Then she told me all about the snack they had! I love the excitement, I just wish I could bottle it so that it lasts throughout the whole year!
We waited for Ellee to get home, so that we could run up to Lima to pick up her new glasses. I was disheartened to hear that her right eye was getting weak, but I knew that these new glasses should help her out tremendously. As Ellee got off the bus, Dani ran out to greet her as if it had been years since they last saw each other! Nothing will bring a kid down faster from the "first day of school" high than telling them that we are going to go get her new glasses. I hate when she complains about wearing glasses, but I know that wearing them will only help in the long run. After they were adjusted to her, I think she realized how much they help her out, even though she won't admit it!
Almost There
If the customer service after we get this pump is half as good as the customer service we are getting now, then I will be thrilled! Our rep from Animas has been amazing at keeping us updated on our application progress! He has called me to keep me in the loop even when there hasn't been any new news, which is something that I never would have expected!
Monday (the 22nd) was our quarterly Endo appointment, as well as the day that Grandpa had his open heart surgery from a heart attack he suffered on Wed, the 17th. I was hoping to hear something before we had to go to Dublin for our appointment, but he wasn't out before we had to leave. With being nervous about my Dad's surgery and the hassle and disappointed we had with this whole pump process, I'll be honest that I was ready to lay it all out there with the doctor about how I honestly felt about it all. I did not expect this appointment to go so well.
I guess it just goes to show that when you expect the worst, when things go better than that, it's a pleasant surprise and puts you in a good mood! The nurse started off by telling me that they signed and faxed (with confirmation) the pump paperwork over a week ago and even pulled up the paper to show me! I really wasn't expecting that, but it would explain why the insurance company went ahead and released the information. I made a call to Nick and left him a message that they have already sent the approval over but were more than willing to resend it if he would give them a call on Tuesday morning.
I was ready for the doctor to give me a hard time about us being ready for the pump, but instead, she addressed the multiple lows we were having. Her A1C was still higher than they would like, but it dropped from the last visit. I was very disheartened to hear that this number was till high, I thought our control has been better and most of her meter readings have been within range, if not on the lower range of the scale. I can't help but think that this is one of the many reasons that we are ready for a pump.
After the appointment, I called Uncle Jason to find out that Grandpa came out of surgery and they said he did very well!
Part of the appeal of this doctors appointment was that I told the girls that we would pick out their backpacks after we were done. It's so hard to give them complete control to pick something out when you aren't that fond of their choice! That is the main reason I waited for backpacks till I made it back to Target with the girls, because I was not fond of all the bags that I found around Lima. But the girls did good, Ellee picked out a purple bag with butterflies and an orange kitty (with matching lunch box), and Dani picked out a "Hello Kitten" bag. And no, it's not "Hello Kitty", she was quick to correct that it's "Hello Kitten"!
It was late when we left Columbus and I can't say that I was surprised that both girls fell asleep. It was a very hectic, and emotional day.
Monday (the 22nd) was our quarterly Endo appointment, as well as the day that Grandpa had his open heart surgery from a heart attack he suffered on Wed, the 17th. I was hoping to hear something before we had to go to Dublin for our appointment, but he wasn't out before we had to leave. With being nervous about my Dad's surgery and the hassle and disappointed we had with this whole pump process, I'll be honest that I was ready to lay it all out there with the doctor about how I honestly felt about it all. I did not expect this appointment to go so well.
I guess it just goes to show that when you expect the worst, when things go better than that, it's a pleasant surprise and puts you in a good mood! The nurse started off by telling me that they signed and faxed (with confirmation) the pump paperwork over a week ago and even pulled up the paper to show me! I really wasn't expecting that, but it would explain why the insurance company went ahead and released the information. I made a call to Nick and left him a message that they have already sent the approval over but were more than willing to resend it if he would give them a call on Tuesday morning.
I was ready for the doctor to give me a hard time about us being ready for the pump, but instead, she addressed the multiple lows we were having. Her A1C was still higher than they would like, but it dropped from the last visit. I was very disheartened to hear that this number was till high, I thought our control has been better and most of her meter readings have been within range, if not on the lower range of the scale. I can't help but think that this is one of the many reasons that we are ready for a pump.
After the appointment, I called Uncle Jason to find out that Grandpa came out of surgery and they said he did very well!
Part of the appeal of this doctors appointment was that I told the girls that we would pick out their backpacks after we were done. It's so hard to give them complete control to pick something out when you aren't that fond of their choice! That is the main reason I waited for backpacks till I made it back to Target with the girls, because I was not fond of all the bags that I found around Lima. But the girls did good, Ellee picked out a purple bag with butterflies and an orange kitty (with matching lunch box), and Dani picked out a "Hello Kitten" bag. And no, it's not "Hello Kitty", she was quick to correct that it's "Hello Kitten"!
It was late when we left Columbus and I can't say that I was surprised that both girls fell asleep. It was a very hectic, and emotional day.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Making progress
I've given up hope on getting an insulin pump before school starts because I'm 99% sure the doctor won't sign off on it before we meet with her on the 22nd. After the last conversation with the pump rep, Nick, he said the insurance company was at a stand still because they needed the doctor's approval before they would even look at numbers.
The bad thing about my office is that my cell phone reception isn't the greatest. I did manage to set up an appointment with Ellee's new teacher to go over my "plan of action" for managing her T1D while at school. Shortly afterwards, I get a phone call that for some reason my phone drops, but does send it to voice mail!
It was another rep from the pump company telling me that they were able to get the cost information from the insurance company and wanted to share the cost break down with me! Really?!?! I immediately called back only to get his voice mail, so I'm anxiously playing phone tag with him!
I'm nervous and excited at the same time! I'm sure this will be quite a bit of out of pocket cost, but it will be worth it. You make sacrifices for your kids and this is no exception! And thank goodness for Health Savings Accounts!
The bad thing about my office is that my cell phone reception isn't the greatest. I did manage to set up an appointment with Ellee's new teacher to go over my "plan of action" for managing her T1D while at school. Shortly afterwards, I get a phone call that for some reason my phone drops, but does send it to voice mail!
It was another rep from the pump company telling me that they were able to get the cost information from the insurance company and wanted to share the cost break down with me! Really?!?! I immediately called back only to get his voice mail, so I'm anxiously playing phone tag with him!
I'm nervous and excited at the same time! I'm sure this will be quite a bit of out of pocket cost, but it will be worth it. You make sacrifices for your kids and this is no exception! And thank goodness for Health Savings Accounts!
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