Moments of Truth

I am the world's worst diabetic.On second thought..I am the world's second worst diabetic. My hero, is a Reality Check Aussie bloke who wore an infusion set for 30 days, no problem. I will be in a state of permanent awe over that.
I went to another insulin pump meeting tonight + they were discussing changing infusion sets/reservoirs every three days. And when their infusion set goes bad, before three days, they still do a complete set-reservoir change. Some of them throw away 30-50 units of insulin because of that.

This is how I do infusion set/reservoir changes-when the 300 unit cartridge runs out, I put a new one in. I prime a new tubing line every couple cartridges.(twice a month) Infusion sets, I leave in till they're dead.(varies from 5-7 days, I once left one in for 15 days) I have never had an infection,(in 7 years)and because I rotate, I rarely get scar tissue.(and it goes away, within a month) I have been preached at endlessly through the years to change every three days and I do not feel the need because of the above factors.

Tonight, I had one of those "wow" moments,as I realized I am probably the only pumper on the planet to do it that way. Followed by another "wow" moment when someone on a Medtronic cgs complained about feeling guilty for an 6.2 a1c, she thought she should do better on a CGS. My jaw just about hit the floor, one should not look a gift horse in the mouth.(my own a1c is far from that,though it is improving) I do
not belong in this group, most of them had a1cs under 7..
A guilt rush soon followed, maybe if I did change my sets on a set schedule my a1c would be better. There's a "site change" alarm on my pump, and for the first time ever, I'm going to start using it. I don't like changing every three days, one has to worry every time whether the site is good but there may be something to this theory of better bgs with regular changes. Even if I am the world's weirdest diabetic, as I don't get scar tissue. It's worth a shot,trying it. When I said how I did it I got the usual passioned pleas to stop destroying my skin/life, and maybe, they have a point. Skin can only take so much abuse.

Great meeting, as usual, this pump group has been around for 10 years (pretty impressive, the pumps of 10 years ago were very different and the CDE's have really had to adjust to a lot of changes).

Steel Magnolias- Color me a Reformed PWD

"I'd rather have a little bit of wonderful then a lifetime of nothing special."
-Shelby, the diabetic heroine, Steel Magnolias

And so, as you all know, she had her baby + shortly thereafter expired from kidney failure.(failed transplant) Fulled the "diabetics shouldn't have babies" rumor mills for all time.
I like that quote- simply because it embraces the challenges, doesn't give the dream up. I don't like it for the woefully inaccurate portrait (of diabetic pregnancies) it presents. I want to live like that- no matter what the future holds, and what diabetes might throw at me, the point is life is(to some extent) what you make it.

Now for the reformed part.

This (hopefully) being the last Summer of the Singlehood, I feel the urge to do something that most married people, and especially diabetics, would not participate in. Happily married people feel the need to stick around for each other, and fellow PWD's understand what said activity does to the blood sugars.
I know that that said activity has the potential for overstuffed stomach, extremily high blood sugars, and the instant stamp of Endo dissaproval.(no,I don't recommend asking them about it) Because, I've done it before + it was not the pretty sight. Ketchup, mustard, relish- the area was like a war zone.
I will say that after 5 hotdogs(and buns),1/2 a gallon of water + pepsi(to queall the rolling stomach) the dubious distinction of "5th place" was not enough to give me any dreams of going professional. Nope, I went home + swore off hotdogs for an entire month. And its been several years since I did this.
But(come the 3rd of July), I'd like to do again- because I never will again
+ hey,its a way to get a free supper. (plus half a gallon of ice cream, for participation) Just gotta remember to prebolus 10 units.

After that-someone else can have my place. My wildchild days will be over.