The first
pump was
like I’d found
a pancreas
It can feel like Groundhog Day
coming at you year after year,
but I’ve found the lead-in to
Christmas this year has far
less to do with managing type
1 than it has done in the past.
It’s a welcome change to
be able to turn the regular
schedule inside out without the threat of
a hypo derailing Christmas prep. It’s not
just ticking off the decorating, shopping
and extended work hours to get the
to-do list down to a manageable level,
but also the motivation to get the fitness
levels up to a satisfactory standard. Not
to mention the increased party activity.
A lot of this new-found freedom
has arrived thanks to the adjustments
I made by using the Medtronic 670G.
I’ve always found the hypos that
disappoint the most are the ones that should have
been avoided, or that arise out of an error in my
own judgement. Like the time I turned a major
peak-hour traffic artery into a car park. After a
series of errors in management, which began at
lunch time when I forgot whether I’d had an insulin
injection prior to a counter meal at the pub, I failed
to see the rapid descent in my BGLs later in the day
until it crippled me on the way home.
I was as busy as I’d ever been and, for just a
moment, my attention to diabetes left the building,
beginning a chain reaction that saw me being
attended to by ambulance officers five hours later.
It wouldn’t happen too often, but getting thrown
on your backside, only to fit until you managed
to reach the fridge door between convulsions,
or received assistance from a shocked passer-by,
was something that had to stop.
The first period of pump use was like I’d found
a pancreas. HOOOOOORAAAYYYY!!! Control
was better, my confidence improved and, most
importantly for me, the hypos disappeared. Dead
set DIS-A-PPEARED. I reckon it was
largely due to the pump having direct
contact with a continuous glucose
monitor. The machine would actually
suspend insulin delivery if my sensor
glucose level drifted anywhere near my
low range. Then this year came the
updated version, the 670G (I should
mention I am a Medtronic ambassador).
This thing began acting on its own....
more like a pancreas than my faulty
pancreas for sure... if that makes sense.
The loop of insulin administration is getting so
close to a natural occurrence I’m very excited
about the advancements to come.
Now, leading into Christmas with a system
that follows my behaviour like nothing I’ve known
before, it’s a brand new, unseen season, with one
less massive consideration to accommodate. I can
eat when I have time, sleep in when my kids let me,
and push through without lunch on a busy day
and not worry about a thing except the finish line
ahead. When I get there, there is no more satisfying
feeling than seeing my onboard management
system give me a thumbs up on my glucose levels
and a big “fire when ready” for the party ahead. ■ WORDS^ ROB^ PALMERPHOTOGRAPHYDAVIDTHOMSON^(ROB’SPHOTO),^ GETTYIMAGESOur resident type 1 columnist, Rob Palmer, discusses
the gift of a “pancreas” in time for the festive season
THE
OF ALL
best gift
postcards from the shed
138 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 diabetic living