Pumped

Today is the day. Kids are packed, pumps are packed.....I'm almost packed. This is really happening! Had a moment last night in bed when I realized the date. Today is February 13th. Tomorrow will be one year since Jason was done at Weyerhauser. That was a big change for us. And now, almost one year to the day, here we are embarking on yet another big change. February seems to be a big month for us. :)

Oh well, gotta go finish getting ready. Kids are very excited. The girls are behaving as if they are going away on some sort of vacation.....with their pink pullmans and carrying their purses. Too funny. Samuel is "pumped" to be staying at Grammy's house and that he gets to play with Paulina and Anna all day long, since school was cancelled yet again. What is up with this winter anyway?

Fingers crossed.

And away we go......

The Dawn

Tomorrow is the big day.

Pump day.

Tonight, after bedtime snack, I gave the girls Levemir for what should be the last time. Levemir is the name of their long-acting insulin. It is supposed to last 24 hours and keep their sugars at a good basal rate. However, some people believe that it doesn't last the whole 24 hours, like it is supposed to. Since their diagnosis, over 1 & 1/2 years ago, we have been injecting them with two different types of insulins. Levemir at bedtime and NovoRapid at meal times. NovoRapid is a fast acting insulin that helps to bring their sugars down at meal time...when they are eating carbohydrates. But after tomorrow, when they are on a pump, they will only be getting one type of insulin - fast acting. The pump will be giving them little tiny amounts throughout the day, kind of like an intervenus. And then at mealtime, we will tell the pump how many carbs they have eaten, and it will give them insulin to cover them.

I don't know how well I am doing at describing this. It's hard to explain. Two years ago I didn't know anything about this. I used to think that an insulin pump had to be surgically inserted into the body like a pace maker. I guess I've come a long way.

A few months ago I made friends with a fellow Mom of a diabetic kid. Thank God for her! She is really helping me by answering my questions and reassuring me that everything will be ok. She promises me that we will be in love with the pump before we know it. In other words, it's all good. :) Just the other day, Lisa (my new BFF) was describing to me how she changes her son's sight. I had been under the impression that the needle was the thing that stayed in the belly, under the skin, for 3 days at a time. I believe I even blogged about it in my last entry. Turns out that the needle is only used to insert a teeny, tiny, soft plastic tube. So much better! Technology really is an amazing thing. I don't think I am doing very well at describing the process. Perhaps I will get better once I actually know how to do it myself. LOL. That might help. Did I mention that the needle is only as big as the one we use on their insulin pens? Like 5mm long. Very small. Gone are the days with the long four inch needles and flicking away air bubbles. No big scary needles here.

We have to be at the hospital and have the girls admitted by 9am. Then we should start getting trained on how the pump works and how to use it. Hopefully, by lunch time, we will be hooking the girls up. I'm praying for it to go smoothly. I'm scared that if it doesn't go smooth the first time round, that the girls will change their minds. Especially Abby. However, I've been told that the site change shouldn't really hurt anymore than when I give them insulin in the belly, and they're already used to that. So I remain optimistic. We will stay at the hospital all day tomorrow, all night and will probably come home some time the next morning. Samuel is going to stay at Mom's. He's excited to be having a sleepover of his own.

It's going to change how we do everything....all over again. We'll have to teach Mom plus there's the whole school thing. The teachers and T.A.s will have to be briefed. Sometimes my brain feels like it is going to overflow with thoughts. Hard to harness them.

But it's all good.

Now if I could only get some sleep.......

Pump it!

This week the girls will be put on their insulin pumps.

Breathe.

I haven't really been blogging much lately but thought I better write something, do something to document this for myself. And perhaps for someone else out there who may one day unfortunately be in the same situation.

Pumps are very expensive. VERY. But we were lucky enough to get ours before our benefits ran out from Jason's previous job. I believe that company was Maritime Life, which had awesome coverage. Some companies will not cover the cost of a pump, only their supplies. We got two Medtronic pumps and what should have costs us $13,200, only costs us $400. Again, very lucky. Pumps usually last approximately 5 years. So next time, I hope we are so lucky again.

We've been waiting for the right time to put the girls on. Or should I say the right financial time. My oldest daughter Jules, has been wanting a pump for a long time now. And finally the right time seemed upon us. Then we got word that Jason was yet again getting laid off his job. This time, however, they assure us it is not permanent, but only for a few weeks. To make a much longer story shorter, we've decided to go ahead and do it. Jules has waited long enough. Plus we are putting Abby on one as well. They will go through it together.

They are both very excited to be going to spend the night in the hospital. But have also confessed to be a little scared about the pump. Frankly so am I. It is quite the mixed bag of emotions. Now that the moment we wished for, prayed for, is finally upon us...I find myself hesitant. Not so sure anymore. Scared.

We have found ourselves a new normal, a routine, with the insulin pens. It's not such a big deal anymore. There are many days we do it without any much thought at all. I don't feel so controlled by it anymore. But now, with a pump, it's a whole new learning curve. It's like starting over. Bye bye comfort zone. Hello change. And change is something I've had just about enough of....thank you very much.

Right now when you see the girls, if you didn't know, you couldn't tell they were diabetic. Not unless you saw them getting their sugar checked or witnessed them getting insulin. Other than a medic-alert bracelet, there is no mark or stamp on their person that screams "we have diabetes!". But with a pump, it is different.

A tiny needle will be inserted into the skin of their belly. This needle is attached to this little plastic thing. The insulin pump has a tube that clips into the plastic thing and that is how insulin will travel into their body. I compare it to a seat belt. At any time, like swimming or taking a bath, we can simply unclip the pump, wait, and when they're done, clip in back on. For some reason, however, it seems to bother me that during this time, like bathtime, when I am playing with Abby in the tub, or when Jules is running around the sprinkler in her bikini, etc... they will have this little plastic circle taped on their belly. A physical reminder of their condition.....as if I could ever forget. Like I said, a mixed bag of emotions.

So why do it then? Because it will give them better control. Free up their schedule. If on vacation, we happen upon an ice cream stand and it is not meal time, then maybe they could have a cone. Unlike now. If they want to sleep in and skip breakfast, they can. Unlike now. If they run high in the night and require some extra insulin, I can just press a few buttons and not have to wake them for a needle. Unlike now.

A pump is the best possible treatment for a type one diabetic and I want that for my girls. So wat if it's new? So what if I'm scared? So what if it means more change? We will get through. Just like we did when they were diagnosed three weeks apart. And before long we should have our new normal back. A routine again.

Breathe.

Here we go.