whoops

[Edited on April 4, 2007 at 7:50 PM. Reason : dblpost]

4/4/2007 7:50:07 PM

never seen that wilfred before...gg

4/4/2007 7:50:34 PM

check that shit and check that shit often

4/4/2007 7:51:04 PM

334

I really hate this pump.

I hate it a thousand times over.

I hate the fucking company for not overnighting a fucking essential part that has kept my pump from functioning properly, and that has made my blood sugars swing by as much as, well, looks like about 250 mg/dl right now. Fucking shitty service...

4/4/2007 11:19:17 PM

My highest sugar today was 200. I don't have 300+ as much as I used too.
What is the highest your sugar has ever been? Did you find out you had the diabeetus after going into a coma?

4/4/2007 11:25:01 PM

Highest I've ever had is 488, and it kind of blows. Extreme highs feel horrible. I get 300's sometimes, either when I fuck up, my infusion site fucks up, OR WHEN THE PUMP FUCKS UP (piece of plastic shit). Anyway, when I was diagnosed my blood sugar was 260. I didn't go into a coma. I never have due to highs or lows. I've had lows of ~30 and that high of 488, neither sent me into a coma, although I felt damn close to losing it.

My blood sugars today were actually low, then suddenly they dropped to 58 earlier, stayed low, so I ate a few chips for a snack, and suddenly it jumped up to 334... There's honestly no explanation except the cap for my insulin cartridge was pushed down earlier, then just now it was being pushed up (so I haven't been getting insulin injections for four or five hours maybe). The part to fix it is currently at my parents house, but right now I have a test to study for, and I don't have an hour to go get the part and fix the stupid pump.

Bunch of shit... Anyway, yeah, did you go into a coma? I imagine they suck/are terrifying.

4/4/2007 11:28:34 PM

My highest was like 565 or something like that, but I have never gone into a coma [my mom is a nurse and she knew the signs]or had a seizure. My lowest was 23. I hate having lows!! Highs give me bad headaches and my hands and mouth are so friggin' dry. I HATE IT!!
I have not ever had more than trace ketones (sp)
I hope I never have deal with comas and seizures.

4/4/2007 11:36:08 PM

4/4/2007 11:36:52 PM

Quote :

"I have not ever had more than trace ketones (sp)"

Really? Even when diagnosed? Mine were off the charts (like literally, off the charts) when they tested me when I was diagnosed. I've had them at "moderate" before when I went to the ER for the stomach virus i got once (didn't stop being sick for around 4-6 hours, didn't eat for almost 30 hours and my body was trying to get energy from somewhere i guess). Ketones really do suck. Feels like you're dry, hungry, and sick usually. At least, those are the symptoms associated with ketones and the complications that cause ketones (for me).

The highs really do suck. Right now I can't focus, am drying out (my ears just started itching >:E), and am kinda shaking a bit. We should've picked a different disease.

4/4/2007 11:43:59 PM

not a diabetic, but treat the every day at work


working on a neuro floor we try to have the tightest control on glucose possible.

we have a lot of people on insulin drips...........having to check blood sugars every hour on the hour pretty much sucks for the nurses and the patients 24 finger sticks!! unless they have a central catheter or an arterial catheter.

also decadron makes even non diabetic patients go on sliding scale insulin.


its nothing to see patients with B sugars in the 200s on my floor.


its also interesting that we can tell when a patient is getting septic. Normally if they are on an insulin drip their sugars are pretty stable. If they start having huge swings in their sugars, we have to make a lot of adjustments to the insulin rate, and that is one of the signs that someone is about to become septic.


Its pretty interesting stuff, but way too much to type

4/4/2007 11:44:28 PM

Septic? This relating to ketones or something? I've not heard that term before.

4/4/2007 11:46:51 PM

I was about to ask the same thing. What is a septic thingy?
Yeah. At first the doctors thought I was type II even though I was waaaaayyyy underweight bc I did not have large ketones.

[Edited on April 4, 2007 at 11:52 PM. Reason : exp]

4/4/2007 11:49:54 PM

Haha, yeah, the way underweight thing really sucks. I lost 22.5 pounds in a relatively short period of time (137.5lb instead of 160, and I was 5'10" then). I didn't notice, I just thought I was peeing a lot and tired because I was drinking too much water (aha, but in reality it was a vicious cycle).

Naivety...

4/4/2007 11:54:04 PM

332 :-(

but I really do take good care of myself!

4/5/2007 12:00:02 AM

I got really fat the first year out I was diagnosed. I gained like 60lbs bc I did not know how to control my insulin to sugar ratio. I had a hard time working that off, but now I am regulated.

4/5/2007 12:01:03 AM

no comas or seizures, but I was in the 800s when diagnosed, and once on New Year's '04 I was really drunk but did make out the monitor reading which was: "HI" ... I think I read somewhere the OneTouch Ultras go up to 600

4/5/2007 12:04:09 AM

Yeah, I never worked out my carbs/unit of insulin ratio until I got the pump. So that was a year where I had a regulated diet and a sliding scale of insulin. I actually got excessively good at eating 80g (carb) meals fairly regularly. Of course, that was the honeymoon year. Hahaha... I love honeymoon, those were the good days... Although 3 shots/day really does suck. I can't imagine how you guys put up with that. One infusion site change every 3/4 days is more tolerable. Granted the needle stays in you, and sometimes it hurts for 15-45 minutes depending on whether the needle was crooked or not when you used the spring-loaded device to launch the infusion site into your skin, it's still much less to carry around and deal with.

But yeah... Make with the explanation brainysmurf! What's this septic business?

[Edited on April 5, 2007 at 12:05 AM. Reason : ^ Lordy! I think I might get towards passing out by that point.]

4/5/2007 12:04:49 AM

oh god

sousapickle is pissed

4/5/2007 12:05:08 AM

I hate DIABETES everyday no matter what. When I go to get preggers one day I have to be in perfect health which is impossible bc my body does not regulate itself. When you guys get older, you are gonna have to contend with not getting erections later. Men are more likely to pass diabetes down than women as well.

4/5/2007 12:07:36 AM

Woohoo! This thread just gave me an egg when I posted a reply. Yeah, I also hate this disease every day. Just when things get better health-wise, it finds some way to pull a little twist and throw you into another rut.

I know about the erections thing. Glad I don't have to deal with that right now. I'll just try to pop out a few kids before all that bad stuff starts happening (Oh, and when continuous glucose monitoring gets good, I plan on getting it so I can keep my sugars as close to normal as possible. If I didn't have to deal with the ridiculously inflexible demands of school and missing class, I'd be able to take better care of myself and have more of my diabetic stuff available to me at all times).

I also hope I NEVER get neuropathy... Which is another question. Anybody have that? I had a lot of terrible tingling and pain in my legs last fall, but it went away and I think it was probably just a repeating injury from me walking to school (I walk for my exercise. My coworker says i look like I walk like 'somebody owes me money'. Fair enough analogy ).

[Edited on April 5, 2007 at 12:16 AM. Reason : \/ GTFO troll]

4/5/2007 12:11:40 AM

it does not make any sense to say someone "walks like someone owes them money"

no sense at all

way to fuck up a cliche

4/5/2007 12:13:19 AM

THAT IS WHAT I HATE ABOUT DIABETES ON ALMOST A DAILY IS NEUROPATHY!! That is the biggest bitch about having this effing disease. Sometimes it effects me when I am running, but mostly I have it when I am going to bed.

When you get diarrhea or puke do you guys have ketones bc I have never had them during those times even though most diabetics do.

4/5/2007 12:16:31 AM

To be honest I haven't checked them during those periods.

The way to get rid of ketones is to keep food and insulin going into you and keeping your sugars regulated as you do it. Even if I have ketones, it doesn't change anything about my treatment. I treat myself as quickly as possible anyway in that situation.

4/5/2007 12:18:19 AM

I was always told to flush them out with water bc of how they raise your sugar. Like I said I have only had trace so I have not had to do that often.

4/5/2007 12:20:07 AM

oops...I gotta go take my LANTUS.

4/5/2007 12:22:12 AM

Yeah when I had them they said keep hydrated, they preferred that i drink some juice and give myself insulin for it, and they wanted me to keep my sugars around 150 or so (they're always so conservative, i try to keep them around 110). I figure the keep hydrated thing is a good rule to keep all the time though. Always fighting dehydration with above-normal sugars... Ugh...

4/5/2007 12:22:40 AM

message_topic.aspx?topic=471961

4/13/2007 9:49:51 AM

http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2007/4/22/112114/202

Quote :

"The Great Modern Glucose Poisoning Epidemic There is about a one in three chance that you are seriously ill and don't even know it. It's not a disease caused by a pathogen but a chronic long-term poisoning that starts with your pancreas and nervous system. In the first decade or so you aren't even aware that you are ill, but your nervous, endocrine, and circulatory systems are decaying. Eventually random symptoms start to appear, the kind of things we tend to blow off as "just getting old." "

4/22/2007 10:33:17 PM

Git damn I hate changing my insulin pump to accomodate new schedules for the diabeetus.

Worst blood glucose control I've had in a while, I just wish it would stabilize (dammit!).

Oh, and BTTT for Wilford Brimley.

5/22/2007 10:47:51 PM

56 mg glucose/dL blood

and I'm seein the endoc in about an hour

does anyone see an endocrinologist other than the folks at Raleigh Endocrine Associates, and what are your thoughts? I looked in the yellow pages when I first came to State and they were the only ones listed. My doc in Charlotte, Mark Parker, was amazing, and I'd like to have a similar experience up here, but R.E.A. hasn't impressed me.


ugh being low sucks

6/22/2007 10:18:49 AM

Damn, after reading this thread, I see that diabetes is such a bitch

I wish you guys the best in keeping it under control

6/22/2007 10:26:41 AM

whoa. we consider someone with anything less than 70 mg/dL to be in an altered state of mind and that they can't decide stuff for themselves.

i've seen some people at like 50mg/dL act crazy, have seizures, hit me, etc. fun stuff.

oral glucose ftw.

6/22/2007 1:25:28 PM

I should have asked TWW for a good doc in charlotte, but I have already been set up with one.

Quote :

"56 mg glucose/dL blood"

Is that low for you bc that is crazy for me? I start to feel out of control with my sugar that low. I hope you got some OJ and peanut butter crackers with that one.

6/22/2007 6:20:22 PM

nah I don't start going crazy until I'm in the forties. I mean I can definitely tell I'm low, and it wakes me up when I go that low while sleeping, but I feel comfortable up until low 50s/early 40s - 56 is about the comfort limit for me.

[Edited on June 22, 2007 at 6:27 PM. Reason : this is sousa]

6/22/2007 6:26:50 PM

I have never passed out or had a seizure and I did not know that people have done that with sugars in the 50's. I always thought that i would have to bottom out with zero before those things would happen to me. I sound like a n00b diabetic don't I? I have had it over 10 years.

Sousa, when my sugar is in the 40's I have trouble communicating.

[Edited on June 23, 2007 at 12:29 PM. Reason : extract]

6/23/2007 12:28:52 PM

poor punchmonk

6/23/2007 12:33:22 PM

poor punchmonk

7/6/2007 6:17:36 PM

ATleast you guys have it better now then when my grandmother was dealing with being a diabetic..she was giving herself shots at morning, noon and night..and pricking her finger...and for someone like myself who cant stand needles....MAN!! She was a strong lady though and she's definitely in a much better place now..


good luck with keeping your insulin levels in check man

7/6/2007 6:24:15 PM

I am going on the insulin pump finally. Any advice?

7/7/2007 12:57:12 PM

come on people!! help me out here.

7/9/2007 6:18:56 PM

checkin in

7/11/2007 4:50:02 AM

Quote :

"Septic? This relating to ketones or something? I've not heard that term before. "

sorry, i kind of abandoned this thread.


if someone in the NICU has a couple of Blood sugars over 250 they earn themselves an insulin drip, meaning they get their sugars checked every single hour, and the drip is adjusted accordingly until the sugars are stable enough to not change the infusion rate for 6-8 hours.


and septic, means someone has septicemia...or an infection of the blood. ICU patients have tubes coming out of well, everywhere, so there are lots of sources of infection.


had a patient friday that got 5 amps of d50 for low sugars.... we did a spot insulin check and it was 33........we have no idea why... no one gave her any insulin

[Edited on July 11, 2007 at 6:35 AM. Reason : she had seizures ]

7/11/2007 6:28:13 AM

Does anyone use the Omni Pod? That is the one I am thinking about using.

7/11/2007 5:13:15 PM

from a book i'm reading, When You're a Parent with Diabetes:

The powerful message that she shares with us is that human beings are not perfect; therefore diabetes self-care is not perfect. Instead of suffering guilt about our fallibilities, we need to set realistic goals for ourselves. She reminds us that glucose values are data (“just numbers”). They are not judgments, but they do provide use with information and control.

7/17/2007 8:58:48 PM

Wow, you guys start to lose it at 50's with your blood sugar?

I had it at 34 before and was able to walk through the chick-fil-a line at the atrium, buy something, sit down, and chug a coke, then refill, then chug another coke. This was when I was first diagnosed about 4 years ago I'd say. It was pretty wild, but I felt in control.

Aidsabeetus FTL. SO far this summer it's been lame because of all the traveling I've been doing for work. So I've had days where I swing 200 mg/dl up and down up and down because my work schedule has been crazy.

Now I've hurt my back and am completely inactive, though I'm giving office work a shot tomorrow. Hopefully that goes over well. :E Also, insulin pumps that remind you ever 3 minutes that they want you to change the infusion site (because the insulin cartridge is down to its 8 units of reserve insulin for basal rates) make me want to stab things. I know I need to change it, but... I just wanna play video games. :E

7/17/2007 9:04:58 PM

TELL ME ABOUT PUMPS MINDSTORM!!! I asked earlier in the thread and that a few weeks ago.

7/18/2007 6:05:55 PM

DAMN GIRL SETTLE DOWN!

...


K, I'll tell you what I know about mine.

I have the deltec Cozmo with the optional Cozmonitor attachment (the Cozmonitor is a Freestyle blood tester that is adapted for use with the Deltec Cozmo pump, it automatically feeds your numbers into the pump once it reads them, so you can easily correct your blood sugars at meal time/any time).

Pros about the cozmo:
- It was small compared to other models when I got it.
- It has lots of warnings and such so you know when to change your infusion site or your battery, so you're never left unprepared unless you're just a jackass.
- It uses a single AAA battery that lasts about 24-30 days.
- It has a backlight and the pump itself is waterproof (The Cozmonitor is not and should be removed before watersports)
- It hasn't broken in the 3 years and 1 month that I've had it.
- It's versatile and programmable, and at some point they were supposed to release a software update for it that adds new functionality.
- It has a touch bolus button on the side that allows you to program in an insulin bolus for a meal without looking.
- Their customer service isn't bad, based upon when I've called/used them.

Cons about the cozmo:
- They didn't tell me anything else about the software since I've registered for it (and it was supposed to be out by now and on my pump already).
- The touch bolus button falls off too many goddamn times and almost isn't worth replacing since the button still works without the rubber button cover.
- Sometimes its software freaks out and pushing any buttons or doing anything with the pump yields no response (I've had this happen 3 times. Resetting it by undoing and replacing the battery cover works just fine)
- There really isn't any good software to convert your blood sugar results into useful information, or at least that I've seen that's for free. There was some software (Freestyle Copilot) but it was QUICKLY recalled due to a completely obvious and annoying software error (that would've been caught if they weren't rushing it). I have not received any news about a new version of the freestyle copilot.
- It's expensive. Around $5000 before negotiations begin with your insurance company (the price was reduced to $4000 for mine, and the insurance company had us pay 10%).
- Though their customer service isn't really bad, their representatives can be idiotic. I ordered a life-essential part for the pump (the part that allows the insulin cartridge to advance its plunger and produce insulin) and they sent it via the cheapest method of shipping they had, AND it arrived a day late. So in the meantime I had a half-functioning pump and ridiculous highs/lows. This is just something to watch for.

My experience with this pump has been good overall, despite my number of cons about the product. It's made my life easier and less of a hassle, though I honestly don't feel like I can still just up and do whatever I want. Having a $4000 piece of equipment glued to your stomach makes you get REAL worried/careful about what you do with yourself (if it breaks, you're shit out of luck for a bit of time). Overall it's worth the trouble, and your skin will THANK YOU for it. It can be hit or miss for the first month finding your sweet spot for infusion sites. You'll sometimes miss and hit something you didn't mean to, and you will be in pain (a lot of pain) as you work to get the infusion site out of your stomach, and then you'll be hesitant before you go and do it again. I accept this as a part of having the pump. No system is perfect and neither am I. I just learn to adapt my choices based upon where I've had sites in the area and where the fat is thickest in my infusion site area so I don't stab myself in the muscle or something.

I will say that having a pump makes you free to live your life on a loose schedule (relatively), so you can eat what you want when you want, and you can adjust your pump (quite easily) to adapt. I absolutely have to recommend pumping for any insulin dependent diabetic. More than likely, it will be working when you don't. The first time you end up in the ER for something stupid like a stomach virus where you can't stop vomiting (an emergency for a diabetic for sure, you can't eat or drink and you're not sure what will happen to you), you will be VERY HAPPY that your little pump will keep you alive with that basal rate of insulin. Also, when you're out somewhere and your friends offer you something to try to eat, it's cool to be able to share in that, pretty much no matter what it is (bring on the death sweets, bitches!), and to just be able to program your pump to adapt. It also seems like you're not making a big issue out of having a beer or trying a slice of pie. You just push some buttons on your little device (you can even hide that you're programming a bolus with my pump's touch bolus button ) and all is well. This is much less frightening for the people around you than whipping out a bottle of insulin, prepping a needle and getting the air bubbles out, then stabbing yourself on your arm/leg/stomach. It makes social events tolerable and drinking possible! (I'll admit I like to have a beer or three, though I don't do it very often and I monitor the hell out of myself when I do).

Getting a pump is pretty much the best thing you can do for yourself. It was fun in highschool to be the center of attention as everybody wtfed all over themselves when I whipped out the needles and started playing doctor, but it is MUCH BETTER to be able to get away with a couple quick button presses and to get on with the social conversation. People don't even have to know you have a pump, and you can pretty much do whatever the people around you are doing (besides fucking yourself to pieces with drugs and alcohol).

I also can't stress enough the little things about having a pump that make your life better. You no longer have to carry needles with you. Yes it's true, you should have insulin and needles ready to you, within 15 minutes distance of you at all times (for certain). However, if you want to just go out and make a quick trip to target, you don't have to grab your whole kit and run. Keep your pump and your tester in your pocket with some sugar, and you're good to go. Personally I keep 3 things of scooby fruit snacks, my wallet, my insulin pump, and my testing supplies in my pockets, and I've got room for a cell phone or a knife or something if need be. When you wake up in the morning and go eat breakfast, you only have to test your blood sugar and push a few buttons when you want to eat. And you don't have to eat every time! You can pre-program a temporary basal rate of insulin for the pump to give you over the next, say, six hours to account for the fact you haven't eaten. Then you could eat a bigger dinner. You may have blood sugar swings during this, but it will be a much less violent and unpleasant occurrence than if you had not eaten and were still on needles. Plus it's really quite wonderful to never have a bruise on your arm or leg or stomach ever again. And to never have to worry about the inconsistency of your disposable needles! I've had them get stuck in me before, I've had them get bent as they were going in and tear me up a bit, and I've just gotten dull needles before. The infusion sites I've had are more consistent (AND MORE EXPENSIVE) than the needles I've used in the past. Also, all the tags on your arm from where your preferred injection location has been... Those will heal and disappear. You will no longer have a small area on your arm with about 40 marks on it. You'll have about 6 tiny red dots from your infusion sites, spread out across a wide area (off to the sides of your stomach, I'd guess) and they won't be noticeable if you have your shirt off or something.

There's really a hundred different things I could talk about with these pumps. My experiences, my good times, my bad times. What I truly hate, what I really love. What color I like... What colors I didn't get. The newsletter they send you about your pump and pumping in general... Et cetera et cetera ad nauseum!

Let me know if you have any more questions, and PM me if you bump the thread and DEMAND a response. I just forgot this thread existed to be honest.

[Edited on July 23, 2007 at 12:12 AM. Reason : hot damn, I am a fucking windbag expert.]

7/23/2007 12:12:27 AM

thanks, b. i'll let her know you responded, G.

7/23/2007 12:14:08 AM

Satisfaction guaranteed!

7/23/2007 12:20:22 AM

^^ Sure thing, Q. I hope this answers her question, E.

7/23/2007 12:22:35 AM