Introducing Rose

There is a new kid on the diabetes block. She recently arrived in Canada and, just last Friday, showed up on my doorstop.

Her name is Rose and she is a lovely pink Animas Vibe pump. She been riding around on my belt since Sunday evening. We're still getting used to each other but I think she will be a wonderful addition to my diabetes arsenal.

Let me explain how Rose came to arrive into my life.

Many of you probably know that I usually wear a green Animas Ping pump named Lucky. Lucky arrived on the scene a while ago now and, thanks to his waterproof nature, has made a huge difference to my swimming routine as well as on triathlon days. No longer having to remove my pump when I swim is pretty sweet and very helpful when it comes to blood sugar management.

Here is a picture of Rose (top) and Lucky (bottom). You'll notice from the tubing that Lucky was still attached when this photo was taken. 

Lucky is also pretty cool because he can be remote controlled using my One Touch Ping glucometer. Which means that on weekends like this past weekend when I wore two different dresses over two days, he can be hidden under the dress and there is no need to dig him out when I need to bolus.

Back in November the Dexcom was released. Dexcom is a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) that is separate from Lucky. Mine is named Dexter and, since the moment he arrived, we've been inseparable. He shows me what my blood sugar is doing, he alerts me if I'm high or low or when I'm climbing or dropping too quickly. He has made a huge difference in my diabetes management and, after only six months, I can hardly remember life without him.

Smile for the camera Dex!

So I have a waterproof insulin pump that I can remote control when I need to. I have a Dexcom that keeps me on top of my blood sugars. What more could I possibly need?

Not much, I thought, until the new Animas Vibe pump came out.

The Vibe is different than the Ping and there are pros and cons to each of them. Both of them are waterproof which is critical to my lifestyle. The Ping, or Lucky, has the remote control feature I mentioned which, when I first got it, didn't seem like that big a deal. After having it for a while, I realized how convenient it really is and what a difference it can make when you need to keep the pump tucked away under your clothes.

The Vibe, aka Rose, does not have the remote control feature. But she makes up for it by having the Continuous Glucose Monitor built right in. With her, there is no need for a separate Dexcom device. One touch of a button and you can see one of six different CGM screens. It's pretty sweet.

This is the 3-hour screen. I can also see what my BG is doing over 1 hour, 6 hours, 12 or 24 hours or I can just see the current BG reading, an arrow showing me where it's headed and the amount of insulin on board (IOB) 

So how did I end up with Lucky and Rose? Well, about six weeks ago now, you might remember that I did a presentation for Animas as a conference for diabetes educators. It went really well. One thing led to another, we exchanged a few phone calls and I ended up signing a contract with Animas. I agreed to do more presentations like the one I did, as well as attend local, and not so local, events. In exchange, I would be signed on to their Animas Heroes program and I would receive a new Animas Vibe pump. A pump that would make a big difference in my ability to stay on top of my blood sugars during sporting events. No need to leave Dexter tucked away during a swim because he is not waterproof. No need to add more weight to my running belt by bringing him with me. Now the CGM is build right into the pump and, at any point during a workout or race, I will be able to look down, see what's happening and make decisions as I go.

So Rose arrived on Friday and, after my weekend of fancy dresses, I revved her up and hooked her on. I have three weeks until the next wedding weekend when I'll need to wear Lucky again so I can remote bolus as needed. But, for the moment, Lucky's in the cupboard and Rose is hanging out.

What about Dexter you ask?

Well, I'm guessing I'll be wearing Lucky a lot during the summer months because of all the sundresses I'll be sporting. So he'll get to be my wing man as usual. When Rose takes the stage though, he'll end up in the cupboard with Lucky.

He's not particularly happy about that but I'm hoping he'll learn to see it as a much deserved vacation.