Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Bad Word Wednesday: Redacted Edition

Infusion set failures. Let me tell you about them.


For those who pump insulin, you know what that can mean. For those who don't know, it can lead to high BG readings that don't want to budge, not because you had that second brownie and didn't bolus the requisite amount of insulin, but because some [redacted] piece of [redacted] plastic failed to properly insert another piece under my skin properly. But instead of, say, trying to deliver for 5 minutes, and then telling me, "Hey, over here! I'm not working so well!", it lets me carry on with my bedtime routine. Until…

4:30-something [redacted] a.m.

Beep beep beep. 

I roll over to check the phone on my bedside table. Not time to get up yet. I roll over to go back to sleep, knowing my trusty first alarm is scheduled for 5:55 am. 

Beep beep beep.

I reach over to poke my phone, trying not to wake up too much.

Beep beep beep. 

Then I realize that it's my [redacted] pump. I squint in the darkness, and see the dreaded No Delivery alert. 

No this is a perfectly acceptable notification if it is, indeed, out of insulin because I hadn't loaded it up with insulin. However, I inserted the set right before bed. Something had gone wrong with the installation of said set, and I had to do something about it. Now. 

[redacted]

So out of bed. Which means there's a required trip to the bathroom (yeah, because I am of a certain age), and downstairs to the Diabetes Supply Bin, unwrap a new infusion set, find a good spot on my body with my eyes squinting in the [redacted] too bright light of the dining room. 

Next comes a BG test to find out where I'm at.

16.9 mmol (300 mg)

[redacted]

... and a lot more profane words than that were going through my head. And [redacted] that, I'm annoyed and starting to wake up too. This is just a piece of crap. 

Nonetheless, I bolus the suggested amount and crawl back into bed. I think I noticed that it was just after 5 now. Less than an hour before the first alarm. 

Fast forward to breakfast time. 6:20 am. Time to test, and THIS is what I get?! 


[redacted]

BTW 15.9 mmol = 286 mg = not much [redacted] difference from 1-1/2 hours ago.

Ok, moving on....