This and That

It has been one of those weeks already and it's only Tuesday.....

Sheesh.

I am excited about Princess's official pump start later this week. Princess is very excited to be done with shots and so am I.  She keeps asking me why she has her pump but is still getting shots. That's hard. Especially when she still cries when I give her shots and when she tells me point blank that she doesn't want a shot, AT ALL. (she isn't stubborn or anything....)

I admit that while the pump is easier and better for Princess, it is a constant reminder to me.  A reminder that I have ANOTHER child on an insulin pump. Not just one, two.  (I seriously hate saying that) It is a reminder of what was and now is.  It's a reminder of how different our lives were, just 6 short weeks ago.  It's a reminder that the little "machine" she wears around her waist......keeps her ALIVE.

Despite all that, I am anxious to get insulin in her pump so I can start "tweaking" her numbers. Princess's numbers really have been high and I know her A1C will be up from her diagnosis 6 weeks ago because of it.  But, there is only so much you can do to tweak things when you are on MDI and the smallest dose you can give is .5 units.  I am ready to give her more exact doses rather then rounding up or down when it is time to give a shot.

On a happier note, we did successfully change our first CGM Sensor change last night.  I was pretty proud of myself.  (not bragging here....;))  It went really well.  Princess really does have a little too much anticipation anxiety before so we didn't let the EMLA cream sit on her bottom as long has we had the past couple times.  We also had her lay down on the couch rather then stand up. I actually got it inserted with out it bleeding a whole lot either.  Last time I put one in at the Endo's office, it bleed A LOT.  I think I know the trick to getting no blood, but I must wait until another sensor change comes along in a couple days.

One top of all the pump stuff going on, Lovebug's last day of Preschool was yesterday.  It was hard.  I can't believe my baby is growing up.  I am just amazed at how much she has grown this year.  I am so thankful for great teachers who took such wonderful care of her while she was at school.

For some reason it is harder for me to watch my two d kids grown up then it is to watch my oldest (who is non d) grow up. (anyone else have that problem or am I the only one?)  I just love watching Peanut grown up, learn and try new things.  She is a wonderful, bright girl. It is just SO hard for me to accept that Lovebug and Princess are growing up. Not that I don't want them too, but growing up means giving more of their care over to other people. It's hard to know how well teachers and staff at school are going to take care of her. Will they do as good of a job as I would?  Are they going to be around staff as well as other children and parents who will be sympathetic and understanding?  I don't want anyone to look at them differently because of their diabetes or treat them differently.  I want them to know that they can do anything they want, despite diabetes.  I know there will be lots of challenges up ahead, and I try not to focus on them but I still think about them.  I just want what's best for my girls, just like any other mom would.  It is just SO HARD not to worry!

Mini - The Purple Pump

I know that Princess was only diagnosed 6 weeks ago, and while it seems like it was just yesterday it also seems like we have been dealing with this for a while now. Oh, wait....we HAVE been, for the past 2 YEARS!  I think that may feel like we had to wait FOREVER to get Princess on her pump.

Today we FINALLY got it in our hands!  Princess's precious purple pump! Whom we have lovingly named Mini - Princess's idea, not mine!  Mini has been sitting at the endo's office since last Friday patently waiting for us.  Well, more for Princess, but a little for me too!

Mini - The Purple Pump

We went to see one of our favorite people at our endo office, Miss Sally. The girls just adore her and that makes the trips to the endo office just a little more bearable.  Since we got a Medtronic Revel instead of another Animas Ping we decided to do some training, since some of the "lingo" is a little different between the two pump companies.

It training really well.  I figured most of it out pretty quickly. I'm sure it helps since I have "experience" with insulin pumps already!  (one of the positives to having a second diagnosis, I guess) Princess was super excited when she saw Mini.

When it came time to put her first site in, I knew what to do and I had Princess come over. I told her we were going to put her site in her arm.  OH MY GOODNESS!  I have never had quite as much drama from her at that moment as I did when I asked her if we could put her site in her arm.  She REFUSED!  She INSISTED on a belly site.  I wasn't sure a belly site would work, poor kid doesn't have much "fat" on her!  She is so tiny.
I asked Miss Sally if it looked like she could do a tummy site.  She looked at Princess and said it would be okay.  So, we put a tummy site in! I inserted it and she didn't flinch and no tears!!  She sure is my brave girl!!

Princess is VERY proud of her tummy site!

Princess really is doing remarkably well with all of this. Even though she doesn't like shots, she sure is on board with the pump and site changes!  I wish she was more comfortable with her sensor changes for her CGM but I am hoping she will get used to it.  She cries A LOT for those and yesterday was the first time I had inserted a sensor.  It broke my heart to see her big crocodile tears. I know that we don't HAVE to have the CGM but it does put my mind at ease.  I feel like I can breathe just a little now.  I feel like I have been holding my breathe since her diagnosis.  Huge sigh of relief.

For the next week we will be pumping with saline instead of insulin, so we can get some experience using the pump.  Makes me a little less nervous to be starting insulin next week. I feel like I will have a good handle on the pump by then. So we are pumping with Saline until next Thursday when we go live with insulin!  I am pretty excited (in a bittersweet kind of way) and Princess is too.