tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16141103303505750312024-03-13T09:45:36.436-07:00Welcome to Type 1 SweetHarp!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-81276136561081480422013-09-04T06:44:00.001-07:002013-09-04T06:44:42.819-07:00What???<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This happened the other day, seriously two different meter AND her CGM all with the same number!! </div>
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My kinda wordless Wednesday post.....<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-20406533678537021872013-08-30T06:38:00.002-07:002013-08-30T06:38:13.750-07:00Customer Service....Oh Omnipod, you and good customer service are not words that belong together in a sentence, unless the word NOT is included. I am a little bummed about this. Why you ask? I will share...<br />
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Prior to Omnipod Brianna was on Minimed pump and still uses their CGM and My Sentry. Anytime of the day 24/7 and even holidays they would pick up quickly. Sometimes- I mean usually, within a few minutes. Seriously. Last time I was on the phone for 7 minutes TOTAL!! Have we had issues with the pump? Sure. Have we had issues with the CGM? Yup, but they always make sure they fix it. I will say anytime we got an error I would call and demand a new pump. Minimed would have me run tests on the pump to make sure it was okay. If it passed the test they were okay with her continuing to use it. But if I felt better they would send new. NEXT DAY, BY NOON! Did you hear that next day, obviously you had to call within a certain time to get next day but still most of the time you received a new pump (okay refurbished, but still.), the next day. I think in the last 3.5 years I have asked for 4 new pumps. Some probably didn't need to be replaced but I have to sleep at night and feel safe that the pump is not going to fail on her. The last time we replaced it, two weeks ago, it was because she dropped it and cracked it. OUR fault and they asked no questions, just agreed to send a new one. They also let her change pump colors from purple to pink- you know pumps can be a fashion accessory right?!? I received that pump with in 18 hours of my seven minute call. <br />
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So welcome to Omnipod and their customer service or lack of. I will go over the stats with them... We have had one occlusion, 5 failed pods and SIX left stuck key detected. Sigh, where do I begin with their hold time? I think I have been on HOLD more with them then I have actually talked with people from Minimed, no joke.<br />
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Okay, of course in the middle of writing this Omnipod calls me from their billing department to try to work with me over insurance. So I guess billing or claims department you rock, customer service, rant is continuing with you!<br />
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So back to the hold time. I don't mind waiting, it can be expected I guess. But the other day I was on hold no lie, OVER an hour and a half OVER 90 MINUTES!!! It got to the point I just wanted to keep waiting to see how long it would take for them to finally pick up! There have been times that I am in a hurry and just want to report a failed pod and gave up. Hey, I do have a life and am totally annoyed by their music. The last time I called I talked with the representative about the hold time, she said they are overwhelmed with calls and are trying to keep up but just can't. My thought is it might be time to add more people! She did say the best time to call is the weekend and late at night. That's fine and all but some issues need quick response time!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not the text I wanted to get!</td></tr>
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So back to all the issues. I have called each time there was a stuck key, I was offered a new PDM the last two times I called, but turned it down as I didn't want to move all the information over and lose how it tracks all her data for averages and that. Silly reasons, but I didn't want too. BUT today's stuck key happened at school and she wasn't happy. She said it wouldn't stop beeping in the classroom so went to the nurse. The nurse called and I went there fix it and to call insulet. I was only, on hold 8 minutes today. Shocking! I explained the situation and thought it would be a quick no problem we will send a new one, NOPE! She wanted to know how many, what's happening to cause them and then said well maybe your daughter is holding the buttons too long at school. HELLO!?! They are happening to me too at home! I was a little annoyed that she was thinking Brianna was causing this. I reminded her she was in school and didn't like the attention the beeping PDM caused, so NO she was not doing anything wrong. She then puts me on hold and talks with her supervision. More questions, back on hold and finally says, we can replace it if you need us to. Yes, that's why I called. I want you to remember that with Omnipod the PDM is EVERYTHING, it is the meter and the way you bolus. So if it dies you are basically out of luck! So she says we can send a new one, is grounds that takes 7-10 days okay?? I said, no way. This is interfering with her school and we need it to work properly, I can't be going to school to fix it. She says fine how about Saturday? (today is Thursday) I say fine. Now do you remember MM and when they would send their products? NEXT DAY! I called about the same time so I know it is possible to get it here tomorrow, but Saturday works.<br />
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I don't regret switching her to Omnipod I just am disappointed in their customer service. Pumping and supplies are not cheap, and kinda expect great customer service. And yes, I probably should have taken a new PDM the first time it was offered, but thought and hoped it wouldn't be an issues.<br />
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Thanks again for reading! Please leave comments we love reading them and follow my blog! I would eventually like to start doing giveaways but need more followers. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-50959790801118278742013-08-28T08:37:00.001-07:002013-08-28T08:37:24.613-07:00First few days of school....After I finished the last post Brianna and I went to school for her open house. We dropped off all her school supplies and all her diabetes supplies so everything would be ready for her on first day. While we were there I wanted to make sure the school's network would allow her to text me as that is our plan this year. Brianna is using an Ipod. Well.... it didn't work. At all. She would send a text and it would go 90% but never finish. Okay, I really wasn't stressed about school starting but that was stressing me out! It was Tuesday and school was starting on Thursday. I talked with the assistant principal and he said he would look into it and fix it, or come up with a solution. So Wednesday we went back to school to see what we could do. Due to the school's super tight security or whatever, Imessaging would not work. He was able to find an app that Brianna could download and could text me from. Everything worked fine that day and I was back to being my optimistic self.<br />
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So Thursday morning, the first day of school, before breakfast she was a beautiful 108. I was a little nervous about her possibly going low, so I didn't pre-bolus her at all. (We typically ALWAYS do.) I waited until 8:50 made her a waffle with syrup and bolused as she ate. I dropped her off around 9:15, school starts at 9:25 and hoped for the best.<br />
At 10:15 I received this text...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She texts no words only pictures. This picture shows me everything I need. I can see what the sensor is doing, I can see her fingerstick number, and how much IOB. </td></tr>
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Uggg, 246 double arrows up! But if you look her fingerstick was 224 and she still had 0.65 IOB (insulin on board.) USUALLY I would have totally corrected that number. But I let it ride out. I wanted to see what would happen. So I waited, if she was going to beep again it would have been in an hour, as that is how we have her CGM set up. But no text. Success!! Now what would the lunch number be??<br />
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The nurse called at 12:25 right as she was going outside to recess she was 128. That's is an iffy number in my mind. The weather here is beautiful and I wanted to make sure that she could play and not have to worry about going low. Recess is 30 minutes and remember she hasn't eaten anything since 8:50. So I decided to play it safe and do one tablet, 4 carbs. Well, 30 minutes later she came in and was 125. So, she bolused as she was going to lunch. Again no pre-bolusing means she will spike a little higher! I'm trying to figure out setting and redo basal rates but for the first few weeks I just let things play out as I don't want to change too much. I think she beeped again around 2:15 and was 226 on her CGM and 202 on a fingerstick, but she had like 2.65 iob so I let it ride again. At 3:50 the nurse calls with her dismissal number and she was 148, slightly high but a GREAT first day!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't really like the mountains at school, but we can work with it.<br />
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After three days of school now, texting is really working! She loves that she is not leaving class. Since we started this she only has left once, and that's because she left her bag in the nurse's office after lunch. I really think it is helping her feel a little more independent. For those that have asked Brianna is 9 years old and in the 4th grade. This September she will have had Type 1 for 4 years. I know this way of doing things isn't for everyone. I have told Brianna several times that if she doesn't want to do it this way, or if it doesn't work out we can always go back to going to the nurse. She DOES NOT want to do that! I love that we are able to give her choices that make her feel like she's in control of her care. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brianna is going into the 4th grade and Courtney is 4 years old!! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids and I first day of school. </td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-11257551713239672292013-08-20T12:04:00.001-07:002013-08-20T12:04:32.021-07:00Ready for School....This Thursday Austin and Brianna go back to school. Austin will be in 8th grade and Brianna in 4th. Courtney starts in a few weeks, she will be in pre-K. They are growing up and changing so much. Somethings though will never change,like buying school supplies. You know notebooks, folders, tissues, the usual stuff. Notice I didn't say pencils, markers or crayons? I guess the school got a great deal on some items and this year we didn't have to purchase those. (They included the price in our school fees.) So Brianna's school supplies really just consisted of this...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the school supplies she needs!</td></tr>
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But we all know T1 requires it's own supplies. For Brianna we keep a box of diabetes supplies in the nurse's office. It consists of most everything she could possibly need during the day. The box sits on a table in the nurse's office right where she checks. In the box we have batteries with a quarter taped to it (easiest way to get the Minimed Pump opened in a hurry), syringes- honestly I have no idea why I pack those we haven't used a syringe since she started pumping almost 3.5 years ago, sites for both MM and Omnipod (right now she is sticking with Omnipod but who knows when she will change- look for a post on that soon,) test strips for both meters she could use, alcohol wipes, tape, glucagon, tablets, lancets, insulin, and a ketone meter and test strips for it. I think that's all.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All her supplies</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Box, insulin for the fridge and Glucagon for the cabinet.</td></tr>
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Each teacher has a classroom bag they grab in case of an emergency- like when they go outside for a fire drill. This year Brianna has three different teachers. I made a bag for each of them and for her special teacher's rooms, the art room and media room. Right now we are bringing 6 different bags to distribute. My thought is that I never want her to be without food in case of a lock down. I put things that are higher in carb and could hold her over for a while.<br />
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Again this isn't exactly what our first choice for low foods would be, but I think it would work to keep her numbers up for a while if necessary. They are also foods that I don't have to worry about being crushed, broken or really expiring. This is why we don't have goldfish or pretzels or things like that in the bags. Each bag contains a total of 89 carbs- if she ate it all. I included in each bag a list of how many carbs each item has.<br />
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Below is a picture of snacks and drinks we keep in the nurse's office just in case. These are more if something happens to her lunch or if they have a snack she doesn't want or if she just needs something.<br />
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Yesterday we met with the nurse and Brianna's three teachers to go over what the plan is for Brianna. First let me say her school and nurse are AWESOME! They work with me and accommodate Brianna whenever it is necessary. Brianna is on an IEP so we just add her diabetes needs into that. For her we put that she has unlimited access the bathroom, water and the nurse. Really we don't have a big formal document. It also includes how tests are to be handled regarding diabetes (like classroom tests and state tests.) <br />
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This year we are doing things slightly different, but keeping some the same. For us this works- the school, nurse, endo and our family. What we do might not be okay with/ or for everyone. We are keeping it the same that when Brianna arrives at school she swings by the nurse and tells her what number is on her sensor. Usually the number is going up as she just ate breakfast, but it gives the nurse a feel for how Brianna is starting the day. The next planned trip will be before recess she will do a fingerstick at that time. She will come back in after recess and usually check again and carb for lunch. She then comes at the end of the day for the last fingerstick before dismissal. Those are her planned trips to the nurse-4 times. Here is the part we are changing- last year each time her CGM would alarm it meant a trip to the nurse. Some days that could be a TON. As much as I love the low predictor alarms they can be overkill sometimes. Why do I say that? Well, it predicts a low, then beeps low when she hits it, then will predict low and this time she is on her way up. We have her settings on the CGM that she beeps every 20 minutes when low and every hour when high. So for one low she could beep 3-4 times. That's a LOT of trips to the nurse and sometimes they were not necessary. So this year Brianna will be carrying her Ipod with her. It gets WiFi and she will check IN THE CLASSROOM, and text me a picture of her PDM and CGM, that will give me enough information to help her decide how much to treat or correct. Thus reducing the trips to the nurse and time away from class. When we talked with each teacher yesterday we went over where she will check Each classroom has a sink so she will check back there by it. Then return to her seat. I am SO hoping this works. I hate for her to miss class time. So for all these checks the nurse is not being notified. If she feels low or if she is under 60-70 or above 300 she has to go to the nurse so I can talk with the nurse to decide what is going on. The nurse also will ALWAYS be accessible to Brianna and I can call the nurse with any concerns I have and she will get Brianna. My goal is that this will help Brianna feel like she has more control over her care. Is this a lot for a fourth grader? Maybe but I really think she can handle it and this is what she wants. So fingers crossed this works and goes smoothly. Will keep you posted! I also like this because she will always have all her supplies with her and wait until you see her bag. <br />
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Well, that is about all I have for right now. I'm off to finish packing those supply bags and getting her stuff ready for open house this afternoon. I have lots more posts started that I need to finish like, pumping at the beach, cheer leading, her ENDO appt, and her new diabetes bag (which is totally aweseome.) <br />
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So please share the link and follow my blog! Also we LOVE reading your comments. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-69126785482666797032013-08-07T06:17:00.000-07:002013-08-07T06:17:02.577-07:00Our Almost Wordless Wednesday Post.....<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pod and CGM still going strong!</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-69832302187137190962013-07-30T06:31:00.000-07:002013-07-30T06:31:44.996-07:00Four Years....I'm sure you are thinking this will be something about diabetes but you are totally WRONG!! Yesterday was Courtney's FOURTH birthday!! WOW!! Hard to believe the little monkey is 4 years old. Time sure goes by WAY too fast. She had a party this weekend with friends and family. We were very fortunate to have the weather hold out. It was raining at the beginning of the party and after cake the sun came out. She was so happy after all it was a swimming party. On her actual birthday she went to the cone and rode rides, went to Red Robin for dinner and more swimming! Perfect Day!<br />
Here are a few pics from this weekend...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Birthday Princess</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monkey!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0G6lECMDk4I/Ufe9BvTZd5I/AAAAAAAAAV4/aIc5lgQwAfE/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0G6lECMDk4I/Ufe9BvTZd5I/AAAAAAAAAV4/aIc5lgQwAfE/s320/009.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monkey Pinata </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ndTt65garPg/Ufe8_2dhpzI/AAAAAAAAAVw/hQPuCS0HiCw/s1600/033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ndTt65garPg/Ufe8_2dhpzI/AAAAAAAAAVw/hQPuCS0HiCw/s320/033.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whacking it!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pgq3xAVIdiU/Ufe9VGmy9LI/AAAAAAAAAWM/yaZd66cLtJA/s1600/053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pgq3xAVIdiU/Ufe9VGmy9LI/AAAAAAAAAWM/yaZd66cLtJA/s320/053.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few presents</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-31HS1EXZIwY/Ufe9UT128rI/AAAAAAAAAWA/K3JZz0ZvlNk/s1600/078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-31HS1EXZIwY/Ufe9UT128rI/AAAAAAAAAWA/K3JZz0ZvlNk/s320/078.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the candles blown out!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TUNA-eb4Ym0/Ufe9bOeO3YI/AAAAAAAAAWY/HL8x8U6ZsmI/s1600/082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TUNA-eb4Ym0/Ufe9bOeO3YI/AAAAAAAAAWY/HL8x8U6ZsmI/s320/082.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After swimming!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F8LbUSa40KM/Ufe7RxrEcBI/AAAAAAAAAVc/oqsxHqIHOFw/s1600/099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F8LbUSa40KM/Ufe7RxrEcBI/AAAAAAAAAVc/oqsxHqIHOFw/s320/099.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Family</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-83273523817650289562013-07-25T12:00:00.000-07:002013-07-25T12:00:31.923-07:0012 poundsToday a box came. A 12 pound box address to Brianna. This box comes every 3 months, with all the supplies to help keep Brianna alive. Nothing fun or exciting, although, I am always excited to see all the necessary supplies. It's always a good feeling to know you have what you need to keep your child safe and alive. Might seem a little drastic but really she needs each of these supplies.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plain and simple a 14x14x14 box.</td></tr>
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What's inside that box??<br />
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What are all those supplies?? Here is a list of all of it....<br />
<br />1300 Freestyle Test Strips- okay they sent the lite ones AGAIN. That's really starting to get annoying! But that's a whole other post!<br />
1326 Accu-Chek Lancets<br />
20 AAA Batteries- this is for her PDM and her CGM <br />
1 Bottle Of Control Solution<br />
1 Accu-Chek Fast- Clix Lancet Device<br />
60 Blood Ketone Test Strips<br />
30 Minimed Sensors for the CGM<br />
5 boxes of Omnipods- 10 in a box so 50 pods<br />
1 Box of Adhesive Remover <br />
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That's today's post. Short, sweet and to the point. Now to get on the phone and have the supply company send the correct test strips so we can use them! Yes, I know the Lite ones work but that's not what is recommended.<br />
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Again I want to thank everyone for reading, commenting and following my blog! I would love to start doing some giveaways, but need more followers to do that, sooooo FOLLOW us. <br />
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Also what are some things you would like to see me write about?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-41534929043607701592013-07-11T08:20:00.001-07:002013-07-11T08:20:33.886-07:00FIVE Weeks Already??Well, I actually found time to write this!<br />
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Brianna has been using the new Omnipod System for five weeks now. So the big question is what do we think???<br />
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Well, we love it! She really does. There are few negatives but lots of positive. Now to try to figure out where to start.... <br />
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For those of you who don't know about the pod, it is a tubeless insulin pump. It theoretically will work for 3 days- 72 hours- and MUST be changed. You are given eight hours as a grace period so technically it will fully shut off at the 80 hour mark. Which for us is not a huge deal. I typically was changing her sites every 2-3 days anyway just to keep scar tissue from forming and the sites in general seemed to heal quicker the less time they were in. But this is something some need to consider. I have heard some like sites to last longer or only change twice a week, so this might not be the best option for you! Plus it only holds 200 units, which is more then enough for Brianna but people with T1 that use a lot of insulin will have to change more often. I know Minimed's larger pump will hold 300 units. <br />
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So as of today, she has had 14 sites changes now with 3 failures. Yes THREE!! Doesn't seem like a ton, but we only had like 3 bad sites when she was using Minimed for 3 YEARS!! What happened? Why did they go bad? Honestly, who knows? The first change we did, we changed it right around the 72 hour mark. That day we had been swimming a lot. She got out to eat dinner. We bolused as normal, then decided to do a pod change before she got back in the pool. Everything I thought went fine, no issues. Then about an hour after it was inserted in was screeching!! We call it the sound of death, because when you hear that sound, nothing can be done besides pulling the pod. Basically it sensed there was something wrong with the delivery of insulin and shut down. That one said there was an occlusion- meaning something was blocking the delivery of insulin. When I pulled it off the cannula looked fine. So I really don't know what happened with it. Either way, I was not happy and even more Brianna was NOT happy at all. I called Insulet and they noted what happened and sent us a replacement pod. We sent back the old pod for them to test. The next 2-3 pod changes were fine.<br />
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The next failure happened Saturday morning when we were getting ready to go to Austin's baseball game. Of course we were in a hurry. I had Brianna bolus her breakfast and about 3/4 into the bolus we got a no delivery and the pod shut down. Again called them and they replaced it. The next failure was two days later. Same thing happened we had just given Brianna a bolus and 3/4 of it went in and then we got a no delivery and it shut off. With the third pod failure I was really starting to doubt we made a good decision for Brianna. We need a reliable pump.<br />
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I really wanted to know why the pods were failing and what I could do to stop it! I called after each failure. They noted all the information and sent replacement pods. They said they really didn't know what was causing the issues, but they run the pods we send back through tests to see what went wrong. Because they sent us replacement ones, we weren't really out anything other then insulin. Which is starting to add up with all the pods that are failing.<br />
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For the pod to be activated there has to be a minimum of 85 units added. Again this might be an issue for some if the person with diabetes uses a low amount of insulin you might end up wasting a lot. I have been filling her's with anywhere better 100-125 units. I get a little paranoid about running out and having to do a change early. Hey, you never know when she might go crazy and eat tons of carbs LOL!<br />
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Brianna uses Apidra insulin and that was another concern of mine. I had heard from several people that Apidra tended to clog or crystallize in the cannula after 48 hours, or with some right away. Apidra works really well for Brianna so I didn't want to have to switch insulin. She was on Novolog prior, but has been using Apidra for almost 3 years now. So far we have had no issues with leaving Apidra in the pump for 3 days. We never did with Minimed either. So that was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. Another thing to consider with the insulin and the pod is the pod will not start up with insulin under 50 degrees. We leave her insulin in the fridge even after we open it- works best for us. So I just take the insulin out 30 minutes before a change so it can warm up and we have had no issues. So as far as insulin goes no worries there!<br />
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Podding falling off all the time! This was a HUGE concern for me. We have a pool and swim all the time- if it would EVER stop raining here! Part of the reason we switched to the pod was to make swimming easier for her, so if they are falling off all the time that wouldn't be worth it. She has swam countless times in the last month and ALL the pods have held on. In fact they are near next to impossible to come off! The first time she got into the pool, I told hubby maybe we should cover the pod, I would really hate for it to fall off. He said wait and see. So we did- again it would have been SO his fault if it fell off. But it didn't. She jumped in like a crazy, swam, and played rough. That pod held on tight! I was impressed. I will say the edge of the tape does occasionally come up from where her pants rub on it, but NO issues with it coming off. So another worry put to rest.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you look close you can see the pod on her right side.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hardly noticeable. </td></tr>
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Removing the pod. Here I was SO worried that it would be falling off all the time, I never imagined it won't come off! They are obviously significant big then a little site so there is a large taped down area. When we removed her old sites we just pulled quickly and ripped it off. Well the first time we have to remove the pod I did the same thing and just pulled it off. I think I took a layer of her skin off. She SCREAMED! OUCH!! So since then we have been using Unisolve to remove her sites. It seems to be working well. There is a significant amount of glue that is left on her skin. It is quite an ordeal to get that stuff off! For us, wiping the glue with the Unisolve pad, then alcohol and then using a dry cloth seems to work. <br />
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I think I'm going to end the post there for today...<br />
I have so much more I want to write about. Hopefully will post again in the next week!! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-86740952290107822062013-07-02T14:20:00.000-07:002013-07-02T14:20:07.080-07:00Cut the CordFor anyone that know me, knows I am Minimed's BIGGEST supporter. I LOVE their products. I love that their pump and CGM are all in one unit. It makes it so easy for Brianna to only carry around one device. I love the ease of use. Brianna has been on the <a href="http://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/products/paradigmrevelpump" target="_blank">Minimed Revel pump</a> for a little over three years, and the CGM almost three years. We have the <a href="http://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/products/guardiancgm" target="_blank">Guardian </a>and <a href="http://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/products/mysentry" target="_blank">MySentry.</a> Seriously LOVE minimed and all their products.<br />
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BUT a few months ago we went to a JDRF event and Omnipod was there. We looked at it and honestly I didn't think much of it. Yes, no tubes would be nice but at that time they still only had the bigger pods, so I didn't really think much of it. My husband and I talked a little about it in the car but it ended there, or so I thought...<br />
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Then in March, knowing swim season was coming up, hubby asked, okay I'm going to blame him for this one, have you thought any more about trying <a href="https://www.myomnipod.com/" target="_blank">Omnipod</a>? WHAT?!?! We swim a LOT during the summer. Brianna's pump is not water proof which isn't a huge deal as she likes the freedom while swimming of not having something attached to her, but in the same sentence I must say no pump no basal. For the last two swim seasons, I have been giving her missed basal as a bolus right before I disconnect her. BUT do you know how hard it is to give 0.50 units when she's 70 or 90? If I don't hours later she will be in the 200's-300's and holding there. So it worked. I knew what to do. Once an hour I would hook her up and give her the missed basal as a bolus and off she would swim. Well, then she would want to eat, back out of the pool and hook up and give insulin she needs for what she was eating. Not a huge deal. But it was something I was comfortable doing, I knew how to do it. But I was the only one doing it. Not for one second I want you to think I don't want to do it, because if it is what she needs then I will but then my thoughts were what if I'm not there, what if she is at a friends house? I can't expect someone else to do what I do.<br />
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So with that I agreed I would call and get information about Omnipod and the <a href="https://www.myomnipod.com/customer-care/upgrade-offers/qualified-pumpers/index.php" target="_blank">Cut the Cord Program. </a>I seriously felt and feel like a traitor. They were very helpful and told me that for a certain price we could get the PDM and then when it was time to refill pump supplies instead of sites and reservoirs we would get pods. Seemed easy enough. <br />
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I am someone though, that is under the mind set if something is working then why switch? Her A1C for the last year has been in the 5's. She was happy with the pump and CGM. Why switch? I had talked to several people that were on the pods. I didn't want to know the good things about it- I wanted to know what could go wrong! Some of my fears- the site would fall off all the time. The PDM meter would be "off" from what I was use to and would cause a dramatic increase in her A1C. Many people also talked about super high numbers right after a pod change- I didn't want to deal with highs every 2-3 days just from changing her site. Pod size was another concern, I didn't want this HUGE thing on her. Probably the thing I was most of afraid of was what if she hates it??<br />
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With all that being said, in March we decided to go for it. Brianna was VERY unsure of this- really I don't think she wanted to try it at all. We told her several times that if she hated or even didn't like it a little we would switch back right way and wouldn't try it again. I wanted HER to feel good about the switch after all it was all about making HER life easier.<br />
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We ordered Pods in May, the next time we were eligible for supplies, and it was a done deal! We set an appointment for the beginning of June to meet with a nurse educator about transitioning to the pod from the pump. I probably could have done it myself but it was recommended we go so we did.<br />
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So June 6th, we went and transitioned from the pump to the pod. It was the easiest transition ever. We just put the pod on and took the pump off. Because she was already on a pump there was no missed basal or that, just stopped one and started the other. We learned how to bolus and set up the PDM. And we left.<br />
It was the first time in almost 3 years that she didn't have something attached around her waist.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And there it is on her back,hooked up and running. </td></tr>
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Next post- what do we think 4 weeks into Podding?? Stay tuned and follow my blog.....<br />
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I love reading all your comments so leave me your thoughts. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-89200709691948713312012-08-23T08:06:00.000-07:002012-08-23T08:06:08.000-07:00And they're gone....Today is the first day of school for Austin and Brianna. I will admit I have been looking forward to them going back. The fighting around here has definitely escalated in the last few weeks. Some days they play so nice and other, that was the time I was counting down the days until school started.<br />
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Austin is in Junior High, 7th grade, this year. His school starts at 7:30!! What a change for him. So today it was up nice and early at 6:00AM. I hate writing that 6AM? This is the kid that was sleeping still at 10 in the summer. So, tonight should be interesting. LOL. He asked to wake up earlier tomorrow as he doesn't like to be rushed in the morning- bus comes at 6:55. The nice part of going so early is that he gets out of school at 2pm. I think he was excited to go back and hang out with his friends again. He was able to go last week and tour the school and find his locker. His first 4 classes from his locker are far from his locker, close to his locker, far from his locker and then close to his locker. He will be getting some exercise this year going up and down all the stairs. All his classes after lunch are really close to his locker. I don't post much about him here because one he doesn't like it and two he doesn't have diabetes. Austin is a great kid, and we couldn't be more proud of him! From straight A's in school last year to advance classes, to the sports he plays, he is just a well rounded kid. So for this year I hope he makes new friends, keeps friends he has close, does well in school and sports and most of all has FUN! Oh yeah and learns too. ;-)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Off he goes!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Brianna got to sleep in a little bit, her school doesn't start until 9:30 so I usually get her up at 8:00. Today I got her up a little early at 7:30. I think I'm going to like not rushing around try to get both Austin and Brianna ready. It was kinda nice no fighting before school. Things seemed to run much smoother. Brianna has been SO excited and looking forward to going back to school. She had her fabulous outfit picked out for weeks! She is going into 3rd grade this year. Big changes for her this year as well. She will have a new school nurse and a male teacher. We got to meet him a few days ago, she was a little nervous about him but feels much better now. It was nice seeing all his past students coming down and talking with him. For me that speaks volumes, I mean would you go and see a teacher you didn't like?? So we packed up the car, quick did a picture with her BFF, and on to school we went. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brianna and her BFF hard to believe they are in 3rd grade, I can still imagine them together in preschool. </td></tr>
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I hope for Brianna this year that she makes great friends, keeps the friends she has close, learns, feels comfortable and safe. <br />
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I hope that one day the MySentry would link her up when she was at school. It would make all my worries vanish. So until something like that happens I have to trust the school will do what is best for her and she will be proactive for her care.<br />
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So until my little ones goes to preschool in a few weeks, it is just her and I. And Courtney you are our last baby so you can slow down growing just a little....</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where did Austin and Brianna go??</td></tr>
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Well, I won't hear anything from Brianna's school until lunch so I hope all is going well with both my kids.<br />
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I love reading your comments! So does Brianna. Can't wait to tell you all about how their day went! Until next time...<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-35309382376332767522012-08-21T08:14:00.001-07:002012-08-21T08:14:16.513-07:00School Supplies <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Back to school is an emotional time for all parents. You are either excited they are FINALLY going back or nervous or sad they are going back. As a parent of a child with Type 1 diabetes nervousness, stress doesn't begin to describe how I feel. Don't get me wrong I am very excited they are going back, but will also miss them terribly while they are gone. (I could and will write a whole post all about that but today supplies.)<br />
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Over the last few weeks we have been buying all Austin's and Brianna's school supplies. We also purchased everything Brianna needs for school to care for her diabetes. <br />
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Here is what most kids Brianna's age will take back to school, you know all the standard supplies.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iu8pvRCpkTU/UDOeh8HharI/AAAAAAAAAOY/ax3EAJR47Qo/s1600/068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iu8pvRCpkTU/UDOeh8HharI/AAAAAAAAAOY/ax3EAJR47Qo/s320/068.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Standard 3rd grade supplies.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Yesterday we went and brought all her diabetes supplies to the clinic.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SgNjmQYtyiE/UDOfWV4YZwI/AAAAAAAAAOg/1iRNVrIWzxU/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SgNjmQYtyiE/UDOfWV4YZwI/AAAAAAAAAOg/1iRNVrIWzxU/s320/008.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This all fits inside a box that sits on the clinic counter- minus the insulin which goes in the fridge. It is there so she can do what she needs to quickly and get back to class.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xCVsDtL_Hak/UDOf9DdmIvI/AAAAAAAAAOo/kqIAJa6DhIQ/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xCVsDtL_Hak/UDOf9DdmIvI/AAAAAAAAAOo/kqIAJa6DhIQ/s320/010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is all the supplies Brianna has at school. The upper two bags go into the classrooms she is in the most. The big snack bag and bag of drinks stay in the clinic. All the other bags go to each classroom Brianna could go in. The paper is her care plan from Children's. The box all the way on the right is what sits on the counter.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is Brianna will all her supplies bagged up and ready to go.</td></tr>
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I went over everything several times to make sure that she will be prepared. I think she should have more then enough supplies. Today we get to go and meet the teachers. So wish us luck!<br />
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I am trying hard now that she is going back to school to write more. I would love for you to follow my blog, the more followers I get the more giveaways and contests I can have. <br />
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We met the new school nurse last Friday so<br />
Tomorrow's post meeting the new nurse....<br />
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Questions??? Comments??? We love reading them! <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-19875716664805112102012-07-11T07:47:00.000-07:002012-07-11T07:56:41.110-07:00Friends For Life Day 1Brianna was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes almost 3 years ago. A few months after diagnosis, we heard about an annual conference that was held in Florida, called <a href="http://childrenwithdiabetes.com/activities/orlando2012/" target="_blank">Friends for Life,</a> by<a href="http://childrenwithdiabetes.com/"> Children with Diabetes</a>.<br />
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Last year we went to a local <a href="http://childrenwithdiabetes.com/activities/Cincinnati2011/report.htm" target="_blank">event</a> they had in Ohio. It was AWESOME!! Brianna was able to hang out with kids that all understood and lived with Type 1. After seeing how happy she was and how much she enjoyed it, we knew we needed to make the trip to Florida, at least once for her. Little did I know that it would be GREAT for all of us- okay I kinda knew we would all enjoy it.<br />
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The first two days of the conference were a little relaxed. Though I have heard that this is not a typical year because the holiday was in the middle. We did not go on Tuesday, but started with registration on the 4th. At registration we got our shirts, papers and bracelets. The bracelets are a badge of honor- green is you have Type 1 diabetes, orange if you don't- you support or love someone with diabetes and yellow if you have Celiac. Seeing so many green bracelets was awesome, not that I like all the people have diabetes, but they all knew exactly what it feels like to have diabetes- something as hard as I try I can never full feel or understand.<br />
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Next we did, Diabetes Art Drop-In that was put together by Lee Ann Thrill. They had lots of diabetes related "garbage" that they kids and adults could make art projects with. There was tubing, boxes from sites, CGM's test strips, vials of test strips, test strips, ketone strips a little bit of everything. Some of the projects were quite elaborate and really creative. Brianna really liked coloring, gluing and making art projects.<br />
Here she is crafting...<br />
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Here are the finished masterpieces ;-)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think Brianna was trying to fit as many puffs on there that she could!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtney </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brianna FFL- 2012 All made out of test strips! Dad made it for her.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut up tubing, test strips and test strip vials.</td></tr>
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You will see lots of pictures of Courtney and Brianna, but very few of Austin. He did attend with us (as well as my mom) and had A BLAST but he does not like his picture taken so the ones I have are very few. :-( He is 12 so I guess it all comes with growing up and I have learned to just respect it, though I wish I could have snapped a few more of him. He was in Sports Central while we made the art. ANYWAY...<br />
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At registration they also gave each person a pedometer and if you
reached 10,000 steps you got a special T-shirt. So Brianna went into
have her eyes checked, Austin spent the time walking and trying to get
his shirt- I think he got to around 4,000 and then it reset. That
happened to mine several times. By the end of the conference we each
received a shirt!<br />
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For people with Type 1 diabetes that attend the conference Retinal Screening is offer. We took advantage of this and decided to have Brianna's eyes checked. She was a little apprehensive, she didn't know what they would be doing. The team that hosted this event was eye care specialists from Institute of Ophthalmology and Visual Science from the New Jersey Medical School. They did an in-depth evaluation, way more then the typical eye exam would do. They also save all the data so if she ever, and she will, comes back to another event in Florida they will compare the results to see how her eyes have changed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B7dC-xpA9B0/T_1-5Na-guI/AAAAAAAAALc/9dFDpBB2Pgk/s1600/022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B7dC-xpA9B0/T_1-5Na-guI/AAAAAAAAALc/9dFDpBB2Pgk/s320/022.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brianna wore 3-d glasses and had to pick up a "bug" and on the other page point to which circle was coming at her.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Measuring the pupils</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking her oxygen level</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YPkcbb4P8Ww/T_1_VZSCS4I/AAAAAAAAAL4/TnKFd0qlIHk/s1600/025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YPkcbb4P8Ww/T_1_VZSCS4I/AAAAAAAAAL4/TnKFd0qlIHk/s320/025.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking her blood pressure</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fCFbgn0ZYto/T_1_dnH6mQI/AAAAAAAAAME/-1m-kqexjdU/s1600/026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fCFbgn0ZYto/T_1_dnH6mQI/AAAAAAAAAME/-1m-kqexjdU/s320/026.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking blood pressure</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QryLtuPDuYQ/T_1_lIbpeLI/AAAAAAAAAMM/9auMSNEwRpg/s1600/027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QryLtuPDuYQ/T_1_lIbpeLI/AAAAAAAAAMM/9auMSNEwRpg/s320/027.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add caption</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k8hoJ8oJZgQ/T_1_1jZKydI/AAAAAAAAAMg/j1pEbFAOyCQ/s1600/029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k8hoJ8oJZgQ/T_1_1jZKydI/AAAAAAAAAMg/j1pEbFAOyCQ/s320/029.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holding really still. They take a quick picture of the eye but the data they get is amazing!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rXW47vDnvoE/T_1__nkiG1I/AAAAAAAAAMo/VHpHACVtrMQ/s1600/030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rXW47vDnvoE/T_1__nkiG1I/AAAAAAAAAMo/VHpHACVtrMQ/s320/030.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The results.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-goUqPV1gpgo/T_2AIs6OwDI/AAAAAAAAAMw/VDlKdl38cmE/s1600/031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-goUqPV1gpgo/T_2AIs6OwDI/AAAAAAAAAMw/VDlKdl38cmE/s320/031.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were at least 20 pictures of each eye looking at all the different layers.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t_Rw_xb-PaQ/T_2ARmuE0mI/AAAAAAAAAM8/JnNcz4Em9DU/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t_Rw_xb-PaQ/T_2ARmuE0mI/AAAAAAAAAM8/JnNcz4Em9DU/s320/032.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything looked normal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KN5nEtvhXB4/T_2AZB6ayAI/AAAAAAAAANE/YjHdMfOd6o8/s1600/033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KN5nEtvhXB4/T_2AZB6ayAI/AAAAAAAAANE/YjHdMfOd6o8/s320/033.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the information.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wpXaPv8K1QI/T_2AiUsLyiI/AAAAAAAAANM/oRxmoO_Nyso/s1600/034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wpXaPv8K1QI/T_2AiUsLyiI/AAAAAAAAANM/oRxmoO_Nyso/s320/034.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final test</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mkwo7iwO6Ik/T_2ArkpfvxI/AAAAAAAAANU/-qFnsH3Tdqk/s1600/035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mkwo7iwO6Ik/T_2ArkpfvxI/AAAAAAAAANU/-qFnsH3Tdqk/s320/035.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a picture of the back of her eye. They are looking at all the arteries and veins. It looks totally normal- no signs of any complications</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gDklrx0BCf0/T_2A9enNu2I/AAAAAAAAANo/HLFHXGTmp_k/s1600/037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gDklrx0BCf0/T_2A9enNu2I/AAAAAAAAANo/HLFHXGTmp_k/s320/037.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her eye has a birth mark on it, apparently only 1% of the population has it. It is above where the white hand is on the screen.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The only recommendation Dr. <span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Ben Szirth has was for her to wear sunglasses. He said that he actually recommends that everyone does, but people with diabetes really need to. </span><br />
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">The final thing for the day was the First Timers' Welcome Reception. It was a chance to meet and see all the new people that came to the conference. It was unbelievable to see everyone all connected by Type 1 diabetes. They gave a brief overview of what to expect and a first timer from last year gave his experience of what he thought. It was just overwhelming sitting there knowing you were about to have an experience that nothing compares to. People will always go on vacation, but this was so much more then "just a vacation" never would you be surrounded by such love and support and people that truly get it. And with that it wrapped up day one of the conference. </span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><br /></span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Day 2 tomorrow--- hopefully.</span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">I am really going to start to write more frequently. I would love for you to follow me. I love reading your comments and suggestions so please post. Thanks!!</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-18903856492965083732012-05-03T08:13:00.000-07:002012-05-03T08:13:30.335-07:00Three Months???Seems like life is just flying by. It is hard to believe that I have not written something in over 3 months! I have all these great ideas and things I want to share, the problem is trying to find time to write them!<br />
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I am really going to try hard to write more. I love reading everyone's blog and thinking to myself yup, that is exactly what we go through. <br />
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Anyway, I guess I will start with yesterday. Brianna went to the Endo for her normal 3 month check up. She had a great appointment. She gained almost 3.5 pounds and grew one inch in three months!! That is AWESOME!! She is still cruising along in the 50% for both. I know she isn't going to be super tall, I am only 5'3. Her blood pressure was great and her skin looked wonderful. <br />
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The last few months we have been dealing with more highs then ever before. (Could be because she is grow, but could just be because.) Numbers is in the 300's. I was a little worried about what her A1C would be. I was guessing something in the 6's. BUT it was 5.6!!! Only a slight increase from 5.5 last time. Endo was really happy, and told me that I am WAY to hard on myself and that her numbers are great. <br />
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I know there was a big debate over whether or not to publish what the A1C is. But for me I am proud of it. I don't put it out there to make others feel bad. I do it in hopes to encourage people. I also post things because I don't talk to all my family daily and this gives them a chance to know how Brianna is doing. I would have posted what her number was regardless. <br />
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I was asked what are your secrets. LOL! Really I don't have any. But here are a few things that I think really help with keeping her numbers in range, the best I can.<br />
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I feel SO SO SO blessed with our insurance company. How many people can say that? Brianna is able to receive all the supplies she needs. I never have to worry about any supplies. There are days if she is having really crazy numbers that I will test 20+ times, YES 20!! On average I test 13-15 times a day. But I never have to worry about running out of test strips. Our new insurance is even covering Blood Ketone strips, again a blessing because those suckers are EXPENSIVE!! (On a later post I am going to post how much diabetes really cost a month.)<br />
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Brianna also wears a CGM. What is a CGM? Well it is a continuous glucose monitor. It gives us a good idea where her numbers are heading. Not always perfectly calibrated but for the most part, it is close. We have the settings on her CGM really tight. I have it alarming probably more then it should but I don't want her to sit in the 200's for hours and not get a correction. I take full advantage of the CGM. Brianna wears her CGM 24/7. I do not give her a break, and really she doesn't like having it off. She doesn't always feel her lows so this helps. I do understand that some people don't want a CGM because of the additional poke but if it will keep her safer?? Again I feel so blessed that our insurance covers this. The cost is ridiculous! I know several friends that would love one but their insurance doesn't think it is medically necessary to that I say REALLY??!? <br />
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Another thing that I think keeps her A1C lower is what I run her at night. This is something that sometimes takes me out of my comfort zone. At night her range is anything lower then 90 I will treat with carbs (unless CGM shows she is going up. Again LOVE the CGM) and I correct anything over 130 sometimes 140 (unless CGM shows she is dropping, man I love that thing :-) ) <br />
I know these numbers are low 90-130 is a really tight range, but think of it this way they sleep 8-10 hours (I would love to sleep that long!!) and if she stays in the 200's all night that is a HUGE part of her day. When she runs higher she feels really bad in the morning, and all that sleep doesn't really matter. I know everyone is different I would never suggest you change your settings with out talking with your doctor. I can do this also because she does have the CGM and MySentry- can you tell how much I love the CGM???<br />
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Another person that plays a big part in Brianna's day is our school nurse. One that is there full time, the clinic aid, and then the RN come every 3 days. They take great care of Brianna. I know they always have her be interest at heart. They call any time she is low or really high, so we can talk about how to treat her. They are also starting to use the CGM. She will call and say she is 154, but the CGM is showing her is dropping and there is an arrow down. So we can treat her early and hopefully keep her in class more. They are very supportive. I love that they are willing to take the time and call, vs just giving her 15 carbs- that would send her through the roof!!! <br />
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Another HUGE part of her A1C being great is our Endo. She is the best! She is really available to her patients, by phone, or e-mail. We go a large Children's Hospital. There are several different doctors and nurse practitioners. The one we picked is, I think, the best. She is always there to check carelink and offer her suggestions. Yes suggestions, she doesn't make me change things. She really believes I know Brianna best. She LISTENS and takes what I say into consideration. I love that she doesn't just call and say do this! We make constant changes. We never leave Brianna's settings the same for 3 months, how can you, a lot changes during 3 months!! We are always tweaking things. <br />
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Lastly I think about why I keep her numbers in range the best I can. What is running through my mind? Well, I think about my daughter in 20 years. I want her to be complication free. I never want to look at her and think you know what I didn't do EVERYTHING in my power to keep you healthy. Do I lose sleep?, sure, am I stressed and worried more then most non-d parents absolutely but in the end she is MORE then worth it.<br />
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Well, hopefully the next post will come long before August. I can't wait for summer! The kids only have 20 more days of school! Wow!!<br />
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Thanks for reading! We love reading your comments. :-)<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-62000416244318720672012-02-01T09:58:00.000-08:002012-02-01T10:03:24.746-08:00MySentry Update and ENDO AppointmentWe have been using the MySentry for about a week and a half now and we are LOVING it. It has been a little bit of an adjustment for me. I was use to her wearing the wireless microphone in her pump pack and being able to hear everything she did. Now it is just silence and a number. It is a welcome change, but it did take me a few days to really start to trust that it would work. The first few nights and even mornings I would walk down there and think, I know what her number is so what am I doing here? I guess old habits are hard to break. <br />
The only problem we were having was it losing signal in the night. We had the outpost about 5-6 feet away from her bed. But several times during the first few nights it would lose data and alarm! It was getting very frustrating. Our rep suggested that we move it even closer, possibly putting the outpost on an extension cord and moving it as close as we could, safely, to her. Right now we have an extension cord that is tied to her bedpost so it is literally 2-3 feet from her. (It is up high enough and tied tight enough that it is not a danger to her while she sleeps.) Since doing this is it working perfectly! At night if she beeps high, low, weak signal anything, I am alerted. No more rushing to her bed and realizing I have let her pump alarm for hour(s). I think my hubby is also enjoying it. He usually does not get up with her at night, but he likes know what is going on with her, and this lets him know if she is high or low. Do I sleep more with the MySentry, maybe. Mysentry only helps me hear the alarms, it really does nothing to manage her diabetes. I will say that when I am sleeping I feel better knowing that I will hear those alarms. <br />
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Today, I gave the endo the last of the paper work I needed her to fill out for us and hopefully we will have it in a few days and then mail everything off to insurance. I have never filed a claim with them before so I don't know what to expect. I am hoping it is a quick process, for anyone that knows me, knows I am not a patient person :) Plus I really would like this done ASAP as we are switching insurance companies on the first of March. <br />
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Today was Brianna's 3 month follow up appointment at the endo's office. Sometimes I wish these follow-up appointments would have an end date in sight, but until there is a cure, every 3 months we go. <br />
Her appointment went really well. Her last A1C was 5.2 and this time is was 5.5. So overall a good number. We made a few basal changes at night but other then that left everything alone. Our goal for next time is that she does QUICKER fingersticks at school. She is soooo slow! I think she gets caught up in everything that is going on in the clinic but she needs to move it in and out!!<br />
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I will say about her A1C I know several people last time expressed concern about it being too low. Trust me in saying that I never purposefully run her low to get a good number. I work really hard to get that number. (Also not saying if yours is high you don't work hard, I know diabetes is not a fair disease.) I really think the CGM is one of the most important things in her diabetes care. Knowing where her numbers are going is so important. Those arrows, oh those arrows, as much as I hate seeing them in either direction, the information they tell is VERY important. <br />
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I am going to try to start blogging more frequently. It really helps me get my thoughts out. I hope that others will understand more about diabetes and those that are living with diabetes will know they are not alone.<br />
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I LOVE reading your comments.....Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-91204975231296756072012-01-22T14:54:00.000-08:002012-01-22T14:54:31.191-08:00It's HERE!!If you remember from my last post, I was very excited for Medtronic's release of their newest product <a href="http://www.medtronicdiabetes.net/products/mysentry">MySentry</a>. The device is suppose to help parents hear the pump (CGM) at night as well as see what is what is on the pump's screen.<br />
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We were trying to decide if we should wait and see if insurance will pay for this item or if we should just pay for it. At this point in time, Medtronic is not working with insurance companies to cover this item. It is a cash only item. They do offer a payment plan that is interest free which is nice. We decided to go ahead and purchase this item and try to submit to our insurance company and see if they will cover it. I will update in a few weeks-months to what the insurance company says. We are waiting on our first bill and then we will file.<br />
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The hook up was really easy. It only comes with three parts, a color display screen, an outpost and a power cord. You just had to connect the pump to the display screen and then connect the outpost. Following a few very easy instructions. The first time the outpost did not link correctly but after the second try it worked fine. Total it took just a few minutes. <br />
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Right away I could see how awesome this was going to be. She was up in her room playing and the display was downstairs with us. She was going low and pump was beeping and so was the MySentry. I loved that I didn't have to wait for her to come down to tell me, or have to worry about her playing and wonder if she was high or low. Of course within 30 minute of us having it her sensor died and needed to be recharged and a new <a href="http://www.medtronicdiabetes.net/products/continuousglucosemonitoring">CGM</a> site put on. For those who don't know how it works, the transmitter charges about 20-30 minutes and then there is a warming up period of about 2 hours. During this time no data is transmitted. That two hours seemed so long!! But when it was time to put in that first BG the MySentry beeped and let us know. This was really nice because before if Brianna was playing she might clear the "Meter BG Now" screen several times before letting me know.<br />
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We put the outpost in her room and then moved the display where I went, either in my room or in the kitchen. She was playing the basement for a while with the display right at the top of the stairs and it did lose signal a few times. But once she came back near it, it picked her right back up.<br />
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The best part so far is knowing what her number is doing without asking her a million times a day, "What's your number?" I don't think I realized how often I did that. I think she really likes it too. She is able to walk over and just see her number without having to push buttons on her pump. (In all honesty she rarely looks to see what her number is without being asked) She does think it is really cool though. <br />
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The next big challenge, the whole reason we got it was bed time. Her sensor I thought was reading really well, but apparently we did a bad calibration and the sensor was not happy! It said she was trending downward fairly quickly, when in reality she was holding steady at 138. I will say every time her pump beeped in her room the MySentry beeped. The volume is adjustable which is nice. We have it on the loudest setting right now and we can hear it from the first floor when the display is on the second floor. But back to last night. It took a good hour for the sensor to be back linked up the her actual BG. After that I went to sleep, it was nice that when she was starting to go upwards it beeped let me know. I went in her room cleared her pump and corrected. Back to sleep for me. There was two times when the outpost and the pump went out of range. We are planning on moving the outpost to a different outlet in her room that will hopefully fix that problem. It also beeped weak signal. There are sometimes at night that her pump, if we miss it, will beep weak signal so long that it will lose the sensor. So to fix that I just had to readjust her pump so her CGM and pump were a little closer.<br />
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Before we had the MySentry, at night, she would wear a wireless microphone in her pump pack and I would have the receiver and speaker on my nightstand. You could always hear some noise coming from her room, if it was her rolling over, coughing, her stomach growling, etc. It was a little hard at first to hear nothing but just see the number. I did walk down to her room once. Got there and didn't know what else I could do. I know it will alert me, I guess just because it is so quiet I will have to get use to it.<br />
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Here are a few pictures...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GWjtb_DxvmM/Txx7de1odpI/AAAAAAAAAJc/5ORFUdTI3ng/s1600/326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GWjtb_DxvmM/Txx7de1odpI/AAAAAAAAAJc/5ORFUdTI3ng/s320/326.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brianna and the box! We are so happy to get it. It really did feel like Christmas morning!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tFgKhGkXtX0/Txx7d5UKXJI/AAAAAAAAAJk/YMWKnx0wOBw/s1600/327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tFgKhGkXtX0/Txx7d5UKXJI/AAAAAAAAAJk/YMWKnx0wOBw/s320/327.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The outside of the box. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fJX-OlbkaoQ/Txx7eTNECYI/AAAAAAAAAJs/ZMd7RbooqZI/s1600/328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fJX-OlbkaoQ/Txx7eTNECYI/AAAAAAAAAJs/ZMd7RbooqZI/s320/328.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Up and running. Couldn't have asked for a more perfect BG :)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>From the picture above you can see there is a lot of information on the display screen. From left to right- B.H. is her initals. You can add a picture under it but none of them are that great. She was a little disappointed. Next is the battery on the pump. The 70u is how many units of insulin that is left in her pump. Next is how strong the signal is. The next two deal with the sensor. The first is when the next calibration is due. The other is how long the sensor has left, they say a brand new sensor last 3 days.<br />
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As other people that have gotten the MySentry have mentioned it would be nice to see how much insulin on board left. But maybe that will be changed eventually who know :)<br />
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Another thing that might be nice would be if there was more then one outpost. For us we have a two story house with a basement. It would be nice to keep an outpost in her room as well as in the basement so it is always able to pick her up. You might be able to buy another one, but who knows. <br />
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I am looking forward to this summer to see what the range is outside. We have a swingset in the backyard, it would be nice for me to be able to monitor from inside and not have to yell and ask her how she feels. We are also looking at finding an adapter so we can take this with us in the car on long trips. This could also help me feel a little safer IF she was to go on a sleepover. Funny how a small device that<i> just </i>displays a number can make me feel so much more relaxed. <br />
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Here is what it sounds like...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxh1J5Eh-8CmQntga1ZvKzUkA1q-ScG9GHqcep6yr0w98XJCf5N63dQwbDeKGLLLDrAwb-F5pn_2ogTQAXFbw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
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Overall we are thrilled with it. I hope now at night I will have a little more confidence that I will hear the alarms and maybe sleep a little better. I know I will always either get up and do a fingerstick at least once a night or get up and look at the screen, but now those inbetween times I know it is also watching and keeping me informed. <br />
And that in my mind is priceless....<br />
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I will update in a few days with my thought about how things are going! Coming up too, it Brianna's 3 month endo appointment at the beginning of Feb. <br />
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I LOVE reading your comments and questions so post away!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-88673129281854788212012-01-05T07:42:00.000-08:002012-01-05T07:42:28.187-08:00Sleep!Sleep. The easiest part of the day right? Most parents look forward to being able to put their little ones to sleep and relaxing, not having to worry about them for several hours. Seriously not even thinking about will they wake up in the morning.<br />
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For parents of children with Type 1 Diabetes, sleep is anything but restful. Remember diabetes is a 24 hour disease you never can take a break from it. Their blood sugar can go really high or really low quickly.<br />
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Being connected on facebook lately I have been hearing about more and more kids and adults, Type 1, dying of "<a href="http://www.endocrinetoday.com/view.aspx?rid=27787">Dead in the Bed Syndrome</a>." JDRF even had a eye-opening statics that 1 in 20 kids, with Type 1, will die from Dead in the Bed Syndrome. It is heart breaking, but it is realty.<br />
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When we were diagnosed they told us check her before she goes to bed, at midnight and then once more before morning. You would not believe the number of lows I have caught in that in-between time, when she is suppose to be safe. In reality I checked her at LEAST every 2 hours when she was sleeping, more if she was low or going high. Lucky for me she sleeps through most of the checks. The checks have decreased a little since she is on a <a href="http://www.medtronicdiabetes.net/products/continuousglucosemonitoring">CGM</a>, but I still have to walk down to her room to either check her pump to see the number or do a finger stick. Her <a href="http://www.medtronicdiabetes.net/products/paradigmrevelpump">pump</a> because it is connected to a CGM does alarm when she is going low or is high, we set what numbers it alarms at and how often. After alarming so long it will alarm longer and then vibrate. Guess what? She sleeps through ALL of it. So scary to think that it is telling her to get up you are low!! We have tried several different things for me to be able to hear the alarm down in my room. We have tried a baby monitor in her room. That works okay but if there is static or if she is sleeping on the pump I might not be able to hear it. So the next step was to get a wireless microphone and put it in her pouch and then put the receiver and speaker on my nightstand. That again works okay. But I hear every time she moves and there is also static. Plus the microphone uses batteries that can die, finally had to do rechargeable, and they ALWAYS seem to die in the middle of the night. There are some nights that I am just so tried of walking down to her room to check her because she is low or on the way back up, that I just stay there and sleep with her. <br />
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Okay not sure if anyone remember but she is almost EIGHT years old! Not sure how much longer she is going to be okay with a baby monitor, microphones or me sleeping with her. And I totally don't blame her.<br />
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Yesterday, a product that will help nighttime was FINALLY approved. This product has been in the works for over 3 years with the last 18 months or so waiting on FDA approval. Here is a <a href="http://www.medtronicdiabetes.net/products/mysentry">link </a>to the product.<br />
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Brianna has the Minimed Revel pump as well as the CGM. So she is able to get this product.<br />
The name of the product is <a href="http://www.medtronicdiabetes.net/products/mysentry">mySentry</a>. When reading about it and what it could possible do, just brought me to tears. Being able to sleep at night in my bed and being able to look over and see what the CGM graph is doing is priceless. Actually being able to hear an alarm and respond to it quickly before she gets too low or high, priceless. Being able to have this device when she is in the house and not having to constantly ask her what is your number, priceless. Priceless for what it can do, but guess what it is EXPENSIVE!! Seeing how it just came out on Jan. 4, 2012, insurance companies may or may not cover this item. We are right now trying to see if ours will cover it. If not we are probably going to buy it, regardless of the high price tag. I NEED sleep, I NEED to be able to keep my daughter safe at night. <br />
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There is also a video about parents that have tested the product out and loved it. Hearing them talk and their son talk, was amazing. I always want Brianna to feel safe.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WRviczwKQRs/TwW9eaV0qoI/AAAAAAAAAJU/7B6lntvyKFg/s1600/Bear_Frame3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WRviczwKQRs/TwW9eaV0qoI/AAAAAAAAAJU/7B6lntvyKFg/s320/Bear_Frame3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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So when you put your kiddo to bed at night and say "See you in the morning" consider yourself lucky. When I tuck her in I always tell her I will be back shortly to check you. <br />
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Hopefully one of my next posts will be of me explaining about how mySentry is working for us. It might be a few months though. I e-mail her endo yesterday and she said it would be a few weeks before they would write for it because the rep from the company has not talked with them about it yet. I e-mail the rep and he said they are just learning about it now so they can talk with the hospitals and doctors offices. Then the company reps have to talk with insurance companies to explain why this product is necessary for people and kids with T1 to have. It is all a process that takes way to long! And yes this does need a prescription. Why I have no idea, but it does.<br />
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I love reading your comments so please post :-)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-29977450950047889472011-12-07T15:37:00.000-08:002011-12-07T15:37:46.487-08:00Winner!!First Winner of the Thermal Lunch Tote is Comment #17<br />
<dl class="avatar-comment-indent" id="comments-block"><dt class="comment-author " id="c7438915922403186029"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/02317537266719165855" rel="nofollow">Kris</a> said... </dt>
<dd class="comment-body" id="Blog1_cmt-7438915922403186029"> Facebooked it! :)
</dd><dd class="comment-footer"> <span class="comment-timestamp"> <a href="http://type1sweetharp.blogspot.com/2011/12/first-giveaway-and-fund-raiser.html?showComment=1323288445769#c7438915922403186029" title="comment permalink"> December 7, 2011 12:07 PM Co</a></span></dd><dd class="comment-footer"><span class="comment-timestamp">Kris is from <a href="http://www.mysugarbugs.com/">My Sugar Bugs </a></span></dd><dd class="comment-footer"><span class="comment-timestamp"> </span></dd><dd class="comment-footer"><span class="comment-timestamp"> <span class="item-control blog-admin pid-993435310"><a class="comment-delete" href="http://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=1614110330350575031&postID=7438915922403186029" title="Delete Comment"></a><a class="comment-delete" href="http://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=1614110330350575031&postID=7438915922403186029" title="Delete Comment"> </a> </span> </span> </dd></dl>The Second Winner of the $10 GC is Comment #7<br />
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<dl class="avatar-comment-indent" id="comments-block"><dt class="comment-author " id="c4328276547897891307"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/17818861980843167968" rel="nofollow">Misty</a> said... </dt>
<dd class="comment-body" id="Blog1_cmt-4328276547897891307"> Shared on FB!!
</dd><dd class="comment-footer"> <span class="comment-timestamp"> <a href="http://type1sweetharp.blogspot.com/2011/12/first-giveaway-and-fund-raiser.html?showComment=1323113241357#c4328276547897891307" title="comment permalink"> December 5, 2011 11:27 AM </a></span></dd><dd class="comment-footer"><span class="comment-timestamp"> </span></dd><dd class="comment-footer"><span class="comment-timestamp">Misty is from <a href="http://www.boxofchocolatesblog.com/">Life is Like a Box of Chocolates! </a></span></dd><dd class="comment-footer"><span class="comment-timestamp"> </span></dd><dd class="comment-footer"><span class="comment-timestamp"></span></dd><dd class="comment-footer"><span class="comment-timestamp"></span></dd><dd class="comment-footer"><span class="comment-timestamp"></span>Looks like it pays to share things on facebook :) Please contact me or Erin with in the next 24 hours so we can get this order placed! Thanks again for everyone that entered. I hope to do more giveaways in the future. If you would like to place an order to benefit the JDRF party please do so before Friday.</dd><dd class="comment-footer">
</dd><dd class="comment-footer">Thanks!!</dd><dd class="comment-footer"><span class="comment-timestamp"> Thanks again!!</span></dd><dd class="comment-footer"><span class="comment-timestamp"> </span></dd><dd class="comment-footer"><span class="comment-timestamp"></span></dd><dd class="comment-footer"><span class="comment-timestamp"></span></dd><dd class="comment-footer"><span class="comment-timestamp"></span></dd><dd class="comment-footer"><span class="comment-timestamp"></span></dd><dd class="comment-footer"><span class="comment-timestamp"></span></dd><dd class="comment-footer"><span class="comment-timestamp"><span class="item-control blog-admin pid-1145072323"></span></span></dd><dd class="comment-footer"><span class="comment-timestamp"><span class="item-control blog-admin pid-1145072323"><a class="comment-delete" href="http://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=1614110330350575031&postID=4328276547897891307" title="Delete Comment"></a><a class="comment-delete" href="http://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=1614110330350575031&postID=4328276547897891307" title="Delete Comment"> </a> </span> </span> </dd></dl>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-36952005407375742912011-12-02T18:07:00.000-08:002011-12-04T13:34:12.709-08:00First Giveaway!! And Fund Raiser!I am so excited to be having my first give away!<br />
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So what am I giving away and how do you enter?<br />
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Let me tell you why I picked this company and person to host my first give away.<br />
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I was first looking for ways to raise money for JDRF, without just going door-to-door and asking for donations. (Which we do and are very successful.) A good friend of mine suggested that I let her host a party for all my friends and family and she would donate all the commission to JDRF and Team Brianna. Wow! That was an awesome idea.<br />
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Erin Diehl is a fellow D-mama so the cause of JDRF is as close to her heart as it is to mine. She is a great supporter of our team and has had several parties for me and others to raise money for JDRF and other causes. In total she has donated well over $500 to just our team! That is truly amazing! She works for Thirty-One Gifts .<br />
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This is a brief look at what Thirty-One Gifts are about taken from their website<br />
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"Our stylish, affordable products are exclusive to Thirty-One. From our signature purses and totes to storage solutions that help organize your life, you'll find something to fit every personality and situation. Each season, we develop new products built on the idea that our products must be functional AND fashionable (and, of course, make great gifts!)"<br />
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Sounds like great products right? Who would want affordable nice quality purses, lunch totes, storage, and stationary among other items. <br />
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One of the Items we are Giving Away is a Thermal Lunch Tote:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dh5oeIG3GAU/Ttj31iQy6FI/AAAAAAAAAJI/g2PQzg8-xnI/s1600/3000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dh5oeIG3GAU/Ttj31iQy6FI/AAAAAAAAAJI/g2PQzg8-xnI/s400/3000.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>You get to pick the fabric!! You can even have it personalized if you want- though that is extra.<br />
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We are also giving away a $10 Gift Certificate to shop at Erin's Thirty-One Site.<br />
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We currently use the Thermal Lunch Tote as Brianna's diabetes bag when we go out. No one even suspects what is inside of it. She gets so many compliments on how nice her "purse" looks. Because it is thermal the insulin will stay cool inside of it. There is more then enough room for all the supplies that we carry around with us. She does also have two that she uses as lunch boxes. She loves that they are personalized with her first name on it. <br />
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I am having a party locally, but if you would like to order and help support JDRF you can! Thirty-One can ship right to your house. Here is how to order and help support JDRF. To place or order or look at the catalog click <a href="http://www.mythirtyone.com/erindiehl/">here</a> then click on events, click on Kelly's JDRF event and then you can shop online and it will benefit our fund raising event. I have several of the products that I use all the time from the Cindy Tote that I use as my diaper bag to the cinch sacs that Brianna uses to keep all her sports and cheer items organized. These products are great! If you are reading and think this you know someone who would love these items but you can't decide what to give, they do offer gift certificates! <br />
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</b><br />
<b>So how do you enter the giveaway??? You do as many as you want.</b><br />
1. Follow my blog- 1 entry<br />
2. Go To Erin's Thirty-One Site- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/#%21/groups/189146237808051/">a facebbook page</a> and leave a comment that I sent you! It is a closed group so you will have to ask to join. -1 entry<br />
3. Sharing this giveaway on facebook- 1 entry- up to 3 different times<br />
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4. Having Erin host a party for you -5 entries!! You don't have to live locally, she can send catalogs and set up the party on-line so you can have one.<br />
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For each post you did so. <br />
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<b>Rules:</b><br />
This contest will close and the winners will be picked on Wednesday, December 7, by 5pm. You will be have until 5 pm on Thursday, the 8th, to claim your prize or a new winner(s) will be selected. This way it gives the winner of the gift card enough time to place their order before the party closes. All orders have to be placed by then for you to get the extra entries. I will use Random.org to select the winners.<br />
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I hope I explained and did everything right! Remember I am still new to blogging and the is the first giveaway!!<br />
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Good luck!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-1402895834060969062011-11-30T07:39:00.000-08:002011-11-30T07:41:19.811-08:00Thank You!We just finished up with our Tastefully Simple fund raiser! It is was success. We were able to raise a little over $200 for JDRF. I could not do this by myself. I had a great consultant that was so generous to come out and donate her time and give us food suggestions for all the yummy items. She then donated ALL her commission to JDRF. Truly an amazing person, she has no connection to Type 1 either!! <br />
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I also want to say a BIG <b>THANK YOU </b>to all my friends and family who keep coming and ordering at all my parties. You are all AWESOME!! I am truly bless to have you all in my life.<br />
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Look for my next blog post, there will be another chance to order Christmas gifts and have the money go towards JDRF and possibly my FIRST give away! I am so excited.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-80430941838709643832011-11-17T07:51:00.000-08:002011-11-17T07:51:52.665-08:00Tastefully Simple..Last night I had a Tastefully Simple party. Though this was not your typical party it was a fund raiser. Prior to diagnosis, I never had any type of party. I went to them all the time but really had no interest in doing them. All that has changed now. I will have parties or whatever to raise money for diabetes. I have been blessed to find people that are willing to host a party for me and then donate ALL their commission to JDRF, really amazing people!<br />
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Tastefully Simple has AWESOME easy to make products. Think about Christmas coming up and how they would make wonderful gifts. These make great gifts for teacher or really anyone- after all we all have to eat right? :) Your order will be delivered before Christmas. There is also still time to place an order for my party and have the money donated to JDRF. Ordering is really easy and secure. To order please go to <a href="http://tastefullysimple.com/">Tastefullysimple.com</a> place whatever items you want into your cart. Then at the check out please search for my name Kelly Harp so we get credit for the party and the money will go to JDRF.<br />
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I really do all appreciate all that came out last night and all that placed an order online. I can't say thank you enough! Brianna always feels so special that everyone comes for her and to support her! After all it is all for her, to raise money so hopefully one day she and everyone else with Type 1 will not have diabetes!<br />
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I will be having a 31 Gifts Party early next month. If you know any other good fund raising ideas please let me know. I am dedicated to raising money until a cure is found!!<br />
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And again THANK YOU!!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-24344034968945427332011-11-15T18:47:00.000-08:002011-11-15T18:47:18.168-08:00EndocrinologistTomorrow,Brianna goes to the endocrinologist, or endo's office. These appointment are every 3 months. They are a check up to see how everything is going with Brianna's Diabetes. <br />
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So what happens at the visit?? First when she gets there they always have her pee in a cup. They check to see if she has ketones. Brianna NEVER goes for them, at this point not sure why we even go through the effort in trying, but we do. They are fine with her not going. We do monitor her really close if her blood glucose is high or if we suspect she has ketones. Then they do the typical things like height and weight. Kinda nice to see how much she is growing every 3 months. Then comes the part we all love/hate the <a href="http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/a1c/">A1C</a> check. For Brianna they check it by a finger stick. For parents it is kinda like our report card. I try not to think about it like that, but it is hard. Good or bad it is not really our fault, but unfortunately we look at it that way. Brianna has blood work done every six months to a year to monitor her thyroid, they also watch her cholesterol, and then the normal blood work. <br />
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Then they take us back to a room. A nurse then comes in and checks her blood pressure. Then we go over all the settings that are currently in her pump. All the medication she is on and if she needs any refills. They has about lows/highs- sometimes that seems like an odd question after all she does have diabetes.<br />
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Then nurse leaves and we wait for the doctor or in our case Nurse Practitioner to come in. We have an awesome relationship with her. We have had almost all our appointments with her since being discharged from the hospital. What is great about her is she takes my phone calls or answers my e-mails about changes I want to make. She also really remember Brianna. She will look at all her current numbers and offer suggestions on what she thinks I should change. She has said on my occasions this is what I would do, but you know her best. It is nice to have an input in her care vs do this. She lets me brain storm changes on what would work. They also check Brianna's skin to make sure that no site is getting used too much and offer advice on where new site could be. <br />
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What is also nice about our Children's Hospital is they offer you to see a dietitian/nutritionist, nurse educator or social worker at each visit. We usually just decline but it is nice to know they are there if I needed them.<br />
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So hopefully tomorrow's visit will go okay, but if it doesn't guess what there will be another one in 3 months and 3 months after that, and so on, until a cure is found.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-72635729887460131192011-10-25T08:05:00.000-07:002011-10-25T08:05:58.405-07:00Halloween PastHalloween is a fun holiday. The kids get to dress up, carve pumpkins, go on hayrides and oh yeah trick or treat and get candy.... lots of it. As a mom with daughter who has Type 1 Diabetes, I try really hard to make sure that Brianna has a "normal" childhood. I never want her to miss out on anything because of diabetes. So will she trick or treat? Absolutely.<br />
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Trick or treat is a holiday that can be a little hard on the BG (blood glucose.) There is excitement, exercise and candy all in one magical night. Throw in pizza, that is what we usually have before tricker or treat and the numbers that night can be a disaster. But you know what last year they were not. SHOCKED!!<br />
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Our first year for tricker or treating since D entered our lives was two years ago. I really don't remember much about it. Brianna was still on shots. I was really into the moment, wanting to make sure Courtney had the best first Halloween! I know all the kids had a lot of fun, and that is all that really matters.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brianna 8 weeks after diagnosis - 2009</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> My ABC's Austin, Brianna and Courtney. 2009</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brianna and her BFF, GiGi- riding in style. Sitting perfect for a quick exit.</td></tr>
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Last year's goal was the same as every other year, make sure the kids have a great time but try keep Brianna as close to in range as possible. Last year we had pizza before we went out. Really the only thing we did different last year then the previous year was she was on a pump and CGM - so we got to see about what her numbers were. While trick or treating we usually don't let the kids eat candy, just for the safety reason so we can check all the candy when we get home. This also works out really nice, for diabetes so I don't have to think of the carb count while walking. While we are out we try to check Brianna about every 30 minutes or so unless the pump is beeping low or low predicted. We do make the exception if she is low she can pick if she wants glucose tab or a piece of candy. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8_lQuXD_FE4/TqbBHXyPrfI/AAAAAAAAAHY/5LIzXEJErnI/s1600/1262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8_lQuXD_FE4/TqbBHXyPrfI/AAAAAAAAAHY/5LIzXEJErnI/s320/1262.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Austin, Brianna and Courtney about to go out.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SuwWpfN1kgs/TqbBJHFL13I/AAAAAAAAAHg/UNn4lZ2kl8g/s1600/1265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SuwWpfN1kgs/TqbBJHFL13I/AAAAAAAAAHg/UNn4lZ2kl8g/s320/1265.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brianna Tinkerbell</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HkDwi7dNd6Q/TqbBeFISFAI/AAAAAAAAAHo/5XmIwg-x90c/s1600/1282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HkDwi7dNd6Q/TqbBeFISFAI/AAAAAAAAAHo/5XmIwg-x90c/s320/1282.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes she does get A LOT of candy!!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bX9EvyoOwdo/TqbA87t5raI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/xkanlsUIh6A/s1600/1261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>When we get back they dump all their candy. We let Brianna pick out all the candy she wants to eat- usually 4-5 pieces. Remember it is Halloween and I don't want her to think that just because of diabetes she can't have candy! Plus her brother is eating it so it is only fair to let her- right? :) And we all know that just because she has diabetes does not mean she can't have candy, cake, ice cream or anything. She eats it all. We pre-bolus 10-15 minutes more if she is a little high- this give the insulin a head start. Insulin does not work right when administered it usually takes 10-30 minutes to start to work. It lasts around 3 hours. And then she eats away. For me then the real job starts, I worry will she go low from all the running around, will she go high from the candy? As you can see from the graph that she did spike a little 199, not an awful number, after eating candy and the rest of the night she was low. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the night after trick or treating So from 8:30 pm to 8:30 am. Do you see anything wrong? Nope it was a PERFECT night</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Sunday we are going to BooFest, sponsored by our local JDRF chapter. I can't wait! Brianna has several friends with diabetes that will be attending- some of them you might know and read about all the time :). I will post and take lots of pictures!<br />
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Then Monday is Halloween, with Trick or Treating from 6-8pm. For this year, I don't see things changing that much. Pizza before, candy after, and great time to be had by all. I want her to have memories of all the fun she had on Halloween NOT that she worked so hard to get that candy and we won't let her eat it. The worst part for us was figuring all the carb count for all that candy. Because they are the little size they don't have them written on them- really wish they would!! I did find this so it is a great reference page that will help <a href="http://www.diabetes.org/assets/pdfs/youth/ada-halloween-candy-list.pdf">Click here.</a> It gives candy with their carb count.<br />
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Hope everyone has a Happy Halloween and remember just because they have diabetes doesn't mean they can't participate. And diabetes, we know you will be there, but you can take a backseat because Brianna will be the star of the night not you!<br />
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I <i><b>LOVE </b></i>reading your comments so please post!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-71710714706721277702011-10-18T09:32:00.000-07:002011-10-18T09:33:41.934-07:00Brianna's DiagnosisIt was summer time so many of the <a href="http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=103498">classic symptoms</a> you see with Type One Diabetes, we brushed off. Courtney, Brianna's little sister, was born at end of July, 2009. Brianna, who was 5, was having some accidents at night, but we thought it was regression, because of the new baby. The accidents didn't make sense because she was potty trained when she was 2 and had very few accidents since, but so much was changing in her world, we didn't think much of it. Water, she was drinking lots of water! Again, we were not really worried she had just started taking so new seizure medication, more about that later, and she was told to drink lots of water. I always have a cup of water at my bedside so for her to request one was not that odd. It was really HOT, the temperatures were 90-100 most days. Looking back something we also found weird was she was actually asking for candy. This was really unlike her, she is our healthiest eater, she usually ate carrots and ranch for snack. Maybe her body was feeling low and she needed sugar? <br />
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The rest of the summer went the same way, her drinking lots of water and having an accident here and there. I can say this looking back, I really didn't think much of it when it was happening, remember new baby?? We were just enjoying the new baby and life. Brianna started Kindergarten at the end of August. She was so excited, she went in the afternoon, Monday-Friday. Friday morning's she did gymnastics, as well.<br />
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As August went on and into September the accidents were getting more frequent, but only at night. During the day she would pee more but no accidents. We tried everything, cut liquids down, made her pee more, NOTHING was working. I was embarrassed was I doing something wrong? I could not figure out why she was having them. I kept thinking I hope she doesn't start having them at school too. Seriously diabetes did not even come into my mind. Why would it? We have no family history of diabetes. Most kids/adults that are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes have no family history. <br />
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Finally I called the doctor on September 10, and told them something odd was going on she is peeing more and having accidents. What do you think could be wrong with her?? They were thinking UTI and wanted me to bring her in the next day. I was hoping that she would not have an accident that night and I would cancel the appointment in the morning. But that night she had another accident.<br />
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So Friday, September 11, 2009, she got up had pancakes and syrup for breakfast, got ready and went to gymnastics. She had a great time at gymnastics, but was upset we had to go to the doctor she wanted to go to Skyline and then school. It was library day and she was so excited to get a new book- funny some of the details I remember from that day. I told her we would be in and out a really quick appointment, then off to lunch. <br />
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That is not what happened. We walk back they checked her out, she looked fine. They ask for a urine sample, not a problem for her. We are in talking with the Nurse Practitioner when the nurse comes back in with the results from the urine sample. I will never forget the look on her face, she was in complete shock and almost panic. She said excuse me I am going to talk with the doctor that is here today. Okay... couldn't figure out what the big deal was UTI right? Give us medication and we will be on our way. She comes back in WITH the doctor, they said there is a large amount of <a href="http://www.dlife.com/diabetes/blood_sugar_management/blood_sugar_highs/ketones">ketones</a> in her urine. Tells me they would like to do a finger stick. Mmm, okay.... The number pops up on the screen 364! I start crying immediately!! Normal blood glucose is 80-120. I ask do they think she has diabetes???? She can't have diabetes can she?!?!? They say they are unsure but RIGHT NOW you have to go down to Children's Hospital and they will waiting for you. They said be prepared to stay a few day. I asked if I could go home and get a few things first. They recommend I went right away. I called hubby, he left work and met us at home and we went down together. There was no way I could take Brianna and a new baby down there by myself, I was a mess!<br />
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When we got there her numbers had come down she was almost back in range. Really weird. We sat in the ER for what seemed like forever, with them asking for urine samples, doing blood work and trying to get an IVs- yes two, started. After a few hours in the ER, I could not wait to get out of the ER this was when H1N1 was going around like crazy and I had the new baby with me, they took us up to our room. By this time Brianna was starving she had not eaten since breakfast. They did a finger stick and let her eat. They didn't give her insulin, she didn't require anything via IV, they were there just in case. Her numbers were in the 100-200's, not super high like you think of when you hear of Type 1 diabetes diagnosis stories. So most of Friday night it was a waiting game. After food they did go up, but again not extremely high. They thought that she had Type 1 Diabetes, but wanted to rule everything else out. The next morning they came back and said all her other blood work came back normal, and yes she did have Type 1 Diabetes. They said her A1C was 7.9 and we had caught diabetes really early. <br />
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This picture was taken 2-3 weeks before diagnosis.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G-rps68hNmw/Tp2En5lAnfI/AAAAAAAAAGI/9UjcckbLLtk/s1600/Blog+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G-rps68hNmw/Tp2En5lAnfI/AAAAAAAAAGI/9UjcckbLLtk/s320/Blog+pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brianna loving her baby sister </td></tr>
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This one is just a few days before diagnosis<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GfMsw0AekZ8/Tp2E2GVBjqI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/eQznnf1NKmQ/s1600/10734_1146270494209_1150945973_30420977_7182550_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GfMsw0AekZ8/Tp2E2GVBjqI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/eQznnf1NKmQ/s320/10734_1146270494209_1150945973_30420977_7182550_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You would never think anything was wrong with her. <br />
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</tbody></table>I do regret not taking any pictures when she was in the hospital but I really was overwhelmed.<br />
What happens when you are first diagnosed? What is the hospital like? Stay tuned for the next post. :)<br />
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I love reading all the comments! So please feel free to leave your thoughts.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-67356933796256185772011-10-15T19:33:00.000-07:002011-10-15T19:33:47.157-07:00Tubing and Beeping!Last night we went to a Fall Festival at Brianna and Austin's school. Brianna had a great time with her friend, G. Austin, I think, had a great time, but then again he is WAY to old to be hanging out with his parents. Courtney, she was just happy to be sitting in the stroller eating suckers- anything to keep her quiet and happy!!<br />
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Brianna and G had fun time running from room to room playing games and seeing all their friends. This is a big deal at the school tons of kids go to this festival. While doing a sand art project I was helping Brianna put the lid on and saw the girl next to her with tubing hanging out!! Brianna says, "yeah, that is ... " Brianna talks about her all the time, she is an older girl that goes to the same school. I love/hate seeing other people with pumps. Hate it because I would not wish this on anyone, but love it because it reminds me that yes there are other people that know what Brianna is going through and other parents that know what I feel like. So for a few minutes they did sand art together and we went on our way.<br />
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The festival was almost over and Brianna and G had a few tickets left and wanted to play two more games. While playing a game I heard Brianna's pump beep. Brianna checked it and said, "nope, it wasn't me!" Okay... maybe my ears are off. They played the other game in the room. While they were playing that and I heard the beeping again. Brianna checked, really mom it is not me!! Look around, must be loosing my mind! So we sit down to count the tickets and there it is again...TUBING hanging out of a boy's pocket! Not even thinking, I ask do you have diabetes? He looks a little surprised with the question, but says yes. I ask if it was his pump beeping and he laughs a little and says yes. I tell him Brianna has the same pump. I have a really hard time when I see that tubing not saying anything to the person. <br />
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Over all great night. Brianna loved seeing two kids with diabetes and pumps just like hers. She even said did you notice the boys pump was clear mom and he just puts it in his pocket? Brianna loves to know the color and how they where their pump.<br />
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And of course once the night was over from all the running around and excitement her pump was beeping low!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614110330350575031.post-36618964313601737112011-10-12T06:52:00.000-07:002011-10-12T06:52:02.487-07:00Welcome!My blog is finally up and ready for me to write. Special thanks to my BFF for designing it. Now the problem is what do I write about?? Where do I start?? I have so many thoughts and ideas swarming in my head.<br />
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I decided to write a blog after reading and relating so many different diabetes blogs. I am writing for Brianna, so one day she will know what was going on in her life at the time and how we cared for her diabetes. I am writing for myself so I will have a place to put all my thoughts. I am writing also in hopes that someone might get something out of it. Although the focus will be on diabetes, I am going to try to write a few times a month about other things in my life. I have two other kids that do not have diabetes and they are just as special as Brianna.<br />
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I always want you to remember when reading that I know Brianna and HER diabetes. Things that work for us might not work for you. So please always talk with your doctor before you make any changes. <br />
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Comments are ALWAYS welcomes. I know people will not always agree with things I do, but that is life. I always want you to be honest. Sometimes other people's ideas makes me think and really helps. <br />
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With all that said, I am excited to start writing and hope you will enjoy reading. Remember we are all in it together until a CURE is found for diabetes.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12435328143164120574noreply@blogger.com4