Friday, March 26, 2010

My head & my daughter's pancreas

Specifically because I have started reading this book in preparation for the OmniPod:




Now, don't get me wrong, I love me some information. 
Information = good. 
Diabetic information = great. 
Could the author, John Walsh, come to my house and help me. Please? Pretty Please?

Just, you know, charts like this:







and this:





and this:




make my head hurt.

(Just kidding on that last one, I couldn't resist.)

I'm not sure I can learn all this. I barely get by with her high coverage ratio and counting carbs. I do ok with it. I feel, I think, that I semi know what I am doing. This, however, all of this, with the charts and the calculations and the basal and the testing the basal rates and the effect of insulin in the body - for how long, at what speed, which kind, when you give it. Oh boy, that just adds to the effect of the head hurting.

I know, those of you out there in blog-reading land. It becomes second nature. It becomes something you do and it's innate. I will learn it all you will tell me. I will become the queen of it. Oh, that last part, I really don't think so, I wanna tell you as I tap you on your shoulder. 

You see, I think I need lots of help on this one. Lots and lots of help on it. Figuring it all out, combing through information to find the nuggets that solve the problem. Knowing just the right calculation to make it all work. 

Maybe it comes down to the fact that, you know what, my daughter needs a working pancreas and all she has is her mommy.


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

When G was going on the pump I checked the same book out of the library. As I was skimming through it I had exactly the same response as you. "OMFG - I'm never going to figure this out. Everyone says this is the holy bible of pumping, but I'll never be able to absorb all this!" So I immediately returned it to the library and proceeded to enter into a much more intimate relationship with our CDE. She's great. We love her. I panic just a little when she's on vacation. I was on the phone with her every day for at least a month at the very beginning. Still (only 6 months into pumping) I call her with any pump questions/problems and she helps. I was just on the phone with her yesterday trying to tackle the round-the-clock crazy highs we've seen lately. (Honeymoon may finally be over? Growth spurt? Cold? Stress of a busy couple of weeks? ARG!)

So my non-expert advice is to put the book down. When she starts pumping get some practical knowledge under your belt, then pick up the book again once the initial onslaught of new info dies down. You'll figure it all out. You WIll be the queen of pumping in your house. But don't be surprised when your techno-savy child gets more comfortalbe with it before you!

Pam

alyssacr said...

I agree with Pam. I've been a pumper for a while, but there's no way I would have read or understood that book when I first started. Maybe flip through it to see what's out there to troubleshoot in the future, but definitely don't study it yet. You'll know when you need to look up something in Pumping Insulin and you'll appreciate it then. The book makes everything seem like a science, too, but don't be taken aback by that because things really aren't as perfect as it tries to make them. Constant education/learning is certainly a big part of being a healthy diabetic.

Wendy said...

You're gonna get it :) Because MOMMIES ROCK! Not having the IOB information with Omnipod might make reading that book a little complicated since Omnipod doesn't keep track of active insulin for carb boluses. I also read "Think Like A Pancreas" and "Smart Pumping", but not til AFTER we were pumping :)

Amanda said...

We are looking at starting pumping soon too and I get freaked out even thinking about it! I think it will be so good, but am overwhelmed at learning more stuff. Let us know how it goes!

LaLa said...

I found the book a little overwhelming to! I swear it is so much more simple than that. We started with one basal rate and adjusted it over a 4 week time span with a lot of help from our CDE. You will totally get it.

We had an appt today and our CDE suggested a different book. I cannot remember the name right now but it's the Pink Panther one for pumping. She gave me the website and said we could actually download it for free.

I'll find my paperwork and send the link to you as soon as I can remember where I put that dang paperwork! :-)

I get the Smith and Nephew products online. I will email you that information along with a few other products that we have tried to keep the pod in place.

You can totally do this!!!! If I can do it anyone can! Seriously!

If you think about it email me a reminder to email you. houstonwehaveaproblem@verizon.net

I'm on my husband's laptop right now so I don't have access to my email or I would just send you all the info now.

Sorry for the rambling comment!!