Updates

Apr. 16th, 2019 04:48 pm
[personal profile] diabetesdiary
Since my last post, I've met with the diabetes educator, decided on a pump, and had an appointment with my Diabetes doctor.

Diabetes Educator

My diabetes educator is super sweet and understands my need to be independent. We sat down and looked at three insulin pumps: Omnipod, Tandem, and Medtronic. The Omnipod is tubeless, which would be great, but the screen was too small for me to read with magnification. Tandem has a touch screen that had good contrast, but there was too much room for error. I had to use magnification to read the screen, take away the magnification to touch the right button, look at the screen again to see if I'd input the correct thing, take away the magnifier again and back out if I'd done the wrong thing. When practicing inputting a blood sugar of 125, I'd enter 425 by accident, thinking I was touching the 1 instead of the 4. There's a major difference between a blood sugar of 125 and 425! Medtronic had less contrast, but the buttons and screen operated most like my Animas pump. We had to turn the brightness up all the way, but it worked with my magnification and is most like what I'm used to now. I spoke with the Medtronic rep yesterday, and we're getting the process started! Insurance has to approve it, but I'm crossing my fingers this won't take long. I'm almost out of supplies for my Animas pump and am anxious that I'll run out before my new pump comes. Once they ship it, I'll set up another appointment with the diabetes educator to get everything set up. We also discussed trying a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). I know I want the Dexcom CGM because it has an iPhone app that is completely accessible. Initially the diabetes educator said I could get the newest model in June, but on Thursday she and my doctor said that's just the estimate the insurance company is giving and they could change their minds at any time. So I could wait a month and a half just for insurance to tell us they won't cover the new model until November (or later). The newest model is the Dexcom G6 and requires less finger sticks and is easier to insert. But I've chosen the slightly older G5 model so I can get it sooner.

Anxiety, Part Two

I'm anxious about running out of supplies, but there's so much more anxiety going on. I'm still having increased anxiety about what my blood sugar is doing, especially at night. It's interrupting my sleep, which is in turn causing issues in other areas of my life. I feel like I'm constantly testing my blood sugar, even when I feel fine and am not about to eat. I feel like getting a CGM will help give me peace of mind, especially at night, and my doctor and diabetes educator agree.

Team Support

On Thursday, I went to my appointment with my endocronologist (diabetes doctor). When I brought my anxiety up with the doctor, she immediately stepped out to talk to the diabetes educator and ask if they could give me a temporary CGM. I left that day with a CGM stuck in my arm. It's not one I can look at my numbers with, because there's a separate device you scan it with, and it's not the same kind I'll end up with. I thought it would be distracting and uncomfortable to wear, and that I'd hate having something else stuck in me and being attached to something else all the time, but for the most part I hardly notice it. Once I give it back to the doctor, they can send the numbers to the insurance company so they see my blood sugars fluctuate. Once they approve the CGM, hopefully it won't be long until I can get Dexcom!
My doctor also said my anxiety could be caused by issues with my thyroid. Thyroid issues are extremely common in people with Type 1. We're going to do a blood test later this week to test for thyroid issues. I have to get blood drawn for lab work before every appointment with my endo, and the lab technicians always have trouble sticking me to get a sample because I was born prematurely and have tiny veins. The last time I went in for labs, they had to stick me three times before they got what they needed. I'm not thrilled that I have to go in for a second time in a week and a half, but I know it's necessary.
I'm thankful to have such supportive, understanding members of my Diabetes care team. Even though I feel anxious and like I'm in limbo waiting for these new changes to happen, even though I'm nervous about the changes, I know I have support.

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January 2020

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