It Bounces!

To say the pump transition has not gone as planned would be an understatement. I can honestly say I never thought Benny would grab his brand new pump and throw it across the room. I cringed when it landed on our kitchen floor, but it seems to be okay. First, there was a mix up with the company that orders the pump and the one who makes and delivers it. That resulted in a extra two days before we got it. I think it's an insurance issue, but I can't believe the middle-men involved in this thing. Then, they sent the right pump but the wrong infusion set. We have a few samples, so we decided to go ahead as planned and change out the set this week. Good decision? I'll let you know how it works out! So Sunday afternoon, we set up the pump. Your doctor gives you a whole bunch of numbers to program in - insulin to carb ratios, blood glucose target numbers, etc. We did that, set up the tubing and filled the pump cartridge with saline. We'll use saline instead of insulin until next Monday when we go "live" and start using it all for real. We got the inset onto Benny (we're calling it his "button") and unlike last time, he was not happy about it. After the initial outburst (okay, it was a total tantrum - and that's when he chucked the pump across the room) he calmed down until bedtime. When I changed him, he noticed the "button" on his tush and told me to "off it." Again, once we held firm, he seemed to forget about it. As of this morning, we haven't actually hooked the tubing to the inset so he's not actually pumping, not even the saline. Why go through all this? I truly believe using an insulin pump will make a dramatic difference in Benny's long term health. All the research points to better control with a pump, which means less chance of the devastating complications that can come with diabetes. Is it worth a few tantrums which he (hopefully!) won't remember in a few days? You bet. Does it rip my heart out? Every time.