Back In Time

Two things happened the other day:

1. I ran out of test strips for my current glucometer, and
2. My pump beeped to tell me that I was down to 20 units just as I was heading out the door to work.

So, I did the following:

1. I grabbed my old (as in I was using it last year) glucometer and test strips, and
2. I grabbed my old (as in I was using it before I got the insulin pump 3 1/2 years ago) insulin pen

I figured I'd just use the old glucometer until I could get more strips after work and I also figured I'd use the insulin pen to bolus for lunch because I had enough insulin in the pump to get through the day but not if I bolused for food or highs.

With me so far?

Here is what I learned:

1. My old glucometer is agonizingly slow. It takes like two whole seconds to suck up the blood. My current one sucks it up like a Dyson vacuum. It beeps (beeps!!) once there is enough blood and it beeps again (again!!) once it has the result. Those two extra seconds felt like an eternity. I actually thought that I would never take it with me to a race because I would lose my mind waiting for it. We're talking two extra seconds folks. That could keep me from getting on the podium!

And the beeping is just obnoxious.

2. My life has become a hell of a lot more precise since I started using the insulin pump. When lunch time came, I checked my sugar which took FOREVER (beep......................beep) and then I entered my BG in the pump followed by the number of carbs I was about to eat. The pump told me to take 3.5 units of insulin. So I cancelled the pump, grabbed the insulin pen and proceeded to dial in 3.5 units.

Except I couldn't dial in 3.5 units.

I could only dial in 3 units. Or 4 units.

Seriously?!?

I guess I had taken for granted how precise my diabetes management has become since I started using the pump. I mean I'm constantly taking small (like 0.2 units small) boluses of insulin to correct slight highs, to help deal with morning swims etc. That wasn't possible for me before. One unit was as small as it went. These days, one unit is a lot. I'd have to have a BG over 10 mmol/l (180 mg/dl) in order to require one unit.

Perhaps the new insulin pens are more precise, I don't know. I haven't needed a new one in a few years now so I haven't paid attention.

Luckily, I was quick enough on the draw to figure out the easiest solution. Take 3 units with the pen and 0.5 with the pump.

What a difference a year, or three, makes.

Kinda made me feel like this: