Choosing a new pump

At my clinic your pump gets upgraded every 4 years, this basically means you get to choose a new pump. This can be a really hard decision to make though. after you have made the decisions you are stuck with the same pump for 4 years! that is a long time if you don't like the pump you decide. There are so many pump to choose from pumps with no wires, pumps with a wire pumps with cgm's , pumps that can connect to your meter... So I thought it would be a good idea to write this post all about the different pumps that are out there to make it a little bit easier for you when it comes to choosing a new pump.

I have been on a pump for nearly 8 years now and I have had the same pump, Medtronic MiniMed. Now that it is coming up for my pump upgrade in August I really want to try out a different pump, however there are so many the hospital gave me to choose from. There is the Medtronic 640G pump, the Animas Vibe pump, the Roche Insight pump and the Omnipod. So what is the difference between all these pumps?

Medtronic 640G pump
The Medtronic 640G is a waterproof pump which comes in Blue, purple, pink,black and silver. It has a blood glucose meter which can automatically send you levels across to the pump which saves you having to manually enter all of the levels into the pump. Also with this pump you can have a sensors with it. The sensor based on your levels can predict when you are  approaching low levels 30 minutes in advance and automatically stop insulin delivery and after your levels are back to normal the pump will automatically resume insulin delivery.
Here is a link to the Medtronic 640G pump website for more information:
https://www.medtronic-diabetes.co.uk/minimed-system/minimed-640g-insulin-pump 

 

 

Animas Vibe pump

The Animas Vibe is a waterproof pump which comes in silver, black, blue, green and pink. The pump tracks the insulin which is still active in your body to help prevent you taking extra insulin which is unnecessary which reduces the chance of going low. This pump can also connect to a sensor if you have one. The Animas Vibe pump is very similar to the Medtronic MiniMed pump.

Here is a link to the Animas Vibe pump website for more information:

http://animascorp.co.uk/animasvibe 

Roche Insight pump
The Roche Insight pump is a waterproof pump which comes with a separate handset. This means you can put your levels and carbs into your handset without having to take the pump out. This makes giving your insulin a lot more discreet to other people. However the connection time between the handset and the pump can be a bit slow compared to other pumps.  The pumps shape is designed to be more comfortable to wear and there is a choice of small, flat cannulas.
Here is a link to the Roche Insight pump website for more information:
https://www.accu-chek.co.uk/gb/products/insulinpumps/insight.html 

 

Omnipod

The Omnupod has no wire as the 'pod' and handset aren't connected. This means all the insulin is stored in the pod which is attached to you, however this does make the cannula (pod) bigger then the other pumps. It also means you cant disconnect the pod from you, it has to stay in you for 3day until you next change it. The idea of having no wire to your pump is very appealing to people as his is the only pump with no wire at the moment. The only down side to the omnipod is when you bolus or use basal rates the amount of insulin the pod gives you can vary up to 30%.

Here is a link to the Omnipod website for more information:

https://www.myomnipod.com/about-omnipod/system-overview/ 

As you can see there are so many different pumps out there and they all have their own advantages and disadvantages. However there is not a better or worse pump, everyone prefers different pumps because everyone is different. Some people may decide that they really like the Omnipod becase it has no wire whereas some people may not like it because they are sensitive to insulin and that 30% vary in insulin could really effect them.

Out of all of these different pumps I have decided to get  Medtronic 640G pump as I think it will be the pump that will suit me best. The reason I have chosen this pump is because I am not very good at changing my cannulas, it normally takes me about 30mins to change it. It takes me this long because I have a needle phobia. The great thing about the  Medtronic 640G pump is that it has the same cannulas as the pump I already have (Medtronic MiniMed) which will make changing my cannula every 3 days a lot easier because I am used to those cannulas.

Anyway hopefully this post has helped you see the different pump that are out  at the moments and the advantages and disadvantages of them. Hopefully I will be getting my new pump in August! I can then write a post all about it :)

Tips for exams

Its been a really long time since I last posted I know but now that my GCSE's are basically over (I only have one more exam left which is on Friday) I am finally able to start writing on here again :) So much has happened since I last wrote on here, I have loads to tell you and lots of tips and advice I have learnt along the way which will hopefully help you all.

So where should I start?  I think GCSE's would be the best place. As you probably already know GCSE's can be very stressful but with diabetes on top of it, it can be a lot harder for us then it is for other people. There is so much revision that needs to be done, so many things to remember, so little time to do it all in. On top of this we have our levels that need to be kept under control so we can do the best that we can in the exams.

Everybody gets stressed out about exams. The only difference is when I get stressed out it can cause my levels to go high and this makes it really hard for me to concentrate. I remember sitting there trying to revise and wondering why it wasn't going into my head properly, when I checked my levels they were high and this was the reason why it wasn't going in. I would get really annoyed because it wasn't my fault this was happening but I was really worried it would mess up my exam results. I found the best way for me to revise was revising for half an hour and then having a break five minutes and then going back to revise for another half an hour. If I found my levels were running high I would give a correction or put a temp basal on to keep my levels lower so that I could actually concentrate.

If you are starting any exams or anything like that where you have got to do a lot of revision I would advice making a revision time table. On the time table it should tell you what you are going to revise everyday so that you don't get behind with revision. Making a revision time table really helped me because it meant I knew exactly what I had to do everyday and it meant I had revised everything I needed to in time for the exam. I would also recommend not leaving all your revision till the day before the exam. If you do it will just stress you out more because you wont be able to learn everything before the exam and this will mean you wont do as well as you can. I kinda left my revision for my mock exams to the last minute and I didn't do very well so for my GCSE's I made sure I revised months before the exam so that I knew all of the information and I wasn't stressing out the day before the exam.

When it came to my first exam I was so worried and stressed about it on the day, even though I had revised loads for the exam I felt like I didn't know the information properly. I remember sitting in the exam panicking as they read out the exam rules on the front of the test. I sat there and closed my eyes and focused on my breathing, this really helped me calm down. When I opened the paper and looked at the questions I realised I actually knew all the information and I was able to answer all of the questions. After the exam I felt so happy and impressed with myself because I couldn't believe that I got through the exam without panicking loads and giving up. The exam was no where near as bad as I thought it was going to be so this made me feel a little bit less stressed about the rest of my exams. Surprisingly throughout all of my exams in the first 2 weeks my levels were really good which meant I was able to concentrate properly and do the best I could.

When you do any exams remember to tell the exam people at school that you have diabetes so that they are aware as they can set up things like sitting you near the door so that you can go out and check your levels at anytime. Also the time that you are out sorting out your levels should then be added back on to the time you have in the exam so that you don't loose any time. This can be really helpful as it means you don't loose anytime if your levels are low so you have exactly the same amount of time that's everyone else has.

So here are a few things you need to remember when it comes to revision and exams.

1. Make sure you don't leave revision until the last moment
2. Make a revision time table
3. Take regular breaks when revising and keep checking your levels so you can correct them if they are high
4. Make sure the school have put things in place for your diabetes
5. If you start panicking in the exam concentrate on your breathing
6. Test your levels before and after exam so you can correct them if they are high or eat something if they are running a bit low
7. Try not to panic, (easier said then done I know)  you will be fine

Hopefully these points will help you through exams and revising. I know exams can be scary and you probably feel like your diabetes will get in the way and stop you achieving your best, but trust me that isn't true as long as you look after yourself as well as revising. I thought my levels would be really high in the exams which would have made it hard to concentrate and affected my grade but actually my levels were fine.

Good Luck to anyone who has been taking exams recently :)  

Exams

Being in year 11 (last year of college) at school can be really stressful. All the exams, controlled assessments, homework, revision....the list goes on and on. Its like the school think you don't have a life outside school with the amount of revision and homework they want you to do (one of the reasons why I haven't posted in a long time). You are put under so much pressure to do well in all your subjects and it really doesn't help when they cram like 3 mock exams in each day over 3 weeks, it would make so much more sense to spread the exams out more so that you actually have enough time to revise and remember all of it. Anyway luckily the real GCSE's are spread out more so that you can make sure you have enough time to revise, learn everything and do the best that you can in the exams.

I remember when I had my year 10 exams which decided if you were ready to move up into year 11. I panicked so much about them, I was silly though as I left my revision to the last moment as every time I tried to revise I would stress out which made my levels go really high. This made it really hard for me to concentrate so I ended up giving up with revision. This obviously wasn't the best thing to do as it meant I panicked while in the exams as I hadn't revised anything and I ended up doing really
rubbish.

 

I went through this cycle every time I had an exam. I am sure many other people go through something like this too so don't worry if you do, you aren't alone.  

I needed to find away of stopping this cycle happening though as with my year 11 exams I need to get good grades to be able to get into the 6th forms I want to go to so that I am able to do the courses I want. So I spoke to my psychologist about it and we came up with a few ways how to stop this cycle from happening.

Here is a list of things you should try to stop the cycle from happening:

• Start revising early, don't leave it to the last moment 
• Make a revision table so that you know what you are going to revise every day
• Revise for like an hour and then have a break as if you revise for too long it will stop going in
• Make sure you are organised and know when your exams are
• If you know your levels go high when you revise, put a temp basal on your pump while you revise or if you are on injects check your levels regularly so you can correct them    
• Try some relaxation techniques to help yourself relax

I used the stuff listed above and it really helped me, I hardly panicked in my mock exams and I feel like i have done well in most of them. If you had asked me at first before I did all of those things to help me stop the cycle I used to go through, I would have said they would have never worked and there was no point in even trying them. I am so glad I tried that list of things as it has helped me so much and now I am not working about doing me GCSE's next year as I know I can control my emotions and not panic in the exams and mess my grades up.

If you are struggling with your emotions and levels while doing revision and exams please use the list of things to help stop that from happening, it will really help. If you plan enough in advance you will do fine in your exams. Just remember to revise and follow the tips in this post. I wish everyone good luck in their mock exams if you haven't already done them :)  
 

Holiday aboard

Sorry I haven't posted on my blog in a while, it's because I have been on holiday for 2 weeks in Portugal. The weather was so nice there, it was always sunny and hot throughout the day and in the evening there was a lovely cool breeze. The holiday was so relaxing and I loved it, the only bad thing was the only Internet that I was able to connect to was in a restaurant, which was quiet a long walk from our apartment. So I wasn't able to talk to people or write any blog posts or go on Facebook :( 

Whenever I go on holiday abroad I always worry that they won't let my through security because of all of my insulin and my pump and pump supplies that I will need.. Every time I have been on holiday it has been fine when i was going through security it always been fine so I don't really know why I worry about it. The only thing we got told we had to do this time was put my glucoJels in a separate bags to my insulin. 

If you go on holiday abroad I know it can make you worry a bit about getting through security with all your diabetic supplies but try and not worry as it will be fine. All you have to remember to do is get a letter off your diabetic team to say that you can bring liquids on to the plane and put all your liquids and diabetic supplies on clear plastic bags so that the security people can see what it is. Make sure your gluco gels and your insulin are in separate clear bags as one is a liquid and the other is a gel (as we found out when we went through security). Always pack more stuff then you will actually need so that if something went wrong with your pump supplies or your levels were higher so you injected more and used more insulin.  Make sure your insulin is in a cold bag or something so that it keeps cool and doesn't go off because it's too hot. If you are on a pump make sure you bring injections and needles just encase anything happens to your pump.

 

When we got through security we went in to a shop to buy some drinks and food for the plane. While we were in the shop looking at the sweets and chocolate one of the members of staff was stacking the shelf's right next to us. I looked over at her and noticed that she had the OmniPod pump in her arm. As the woman walked away I whispered to my mum that the woman was diabetic and that she had the wireless pump in her arm. The woman then came back and carried on stacking the self, my mum asked her if it was a pump in her arm and the woman said yeah. So I said how I was diabetic and was on a pump. 

 

Me and my mum had a conversation with the woman about the OmniPod as I didn't really know how it worked and had never met someone on it before. The woman said how it had helped her so much and that she preferred it to her old pump that had a wire. She said it made everyday life so much easier as there was no wire which meant she didn't catch the wire on anything and it also meant her line didn't get blocked as much as it used to. Also it made it a lot easier for her to have baths, showers and do exercise as she doesn't have to disconnect her pump as there is no wire. Overall she said she wouldn't know what she would do now if she didn't have the OmniPod pump.    

After thinking for a while about the OmniPod pump for a while I think I would really like to trial the pump as I don't know whether I would like it or not. The thought of not having to have a pump attached to you while you are sleeping and following you around whether you go, is amazing. The thought of not having to worry about catching your line on anything and it ripping out or having to disconnect then having a bath, shower or exercise. The only thing that worries me is because the cannula is a lot bigger then my cannula now I am scared I wouldn't like it because its bigger and I might knock it off or something while I was getting used to it. The OmniPod is so much more advanced for the other insulin pumps and it just shows how much technology has improve over the last couple of years.

Overall I had an amazing holiday but I think it went way too fast but maybe that was because I was staying in bed asleep until 10 or 11am haha. I will soon be starting school and it will be my last year at collage. I hope everyone else has had a good holiday as well and that your levels have been good.

hba1c

A hba1c is a test which works out your average level over a long period of time. This test is done by a simple finger prick just like a bloodcount test but you need a little more blood. A hba1c is normal done every time you have a hospital clinic appointment and it helps your diabetes team see how good your levels have been and how good your control of your diabetes is. If your hba1c is high the hospital will help you work out why it is high and how you can get it back down, they wont get annoyed or angry with you as they are only there to help you.

At the beginning of last year my hba1c went all the way up to 13 because I didn't have good control of my levels at all. I went through a bad patch where I decided I didn't want to be diabetic anymore so I didn't do my bloodcount and just gave myself insulin for the food I was eating. I would just make up what my bloodcount was and put it in my pump so that it looked like I was doing my levels when I wasn't. I thought no one would find out what I was doing but because I was making up what my levels were, it meant that when my levels were running really high I wasn't giving correction as I didn't know they were. so my levels just stayed high. When I was doing this I had no idea what I was actually doing to my body, my body got used to having high levels and I was making myself really ill. When I found out that my hba1c was 13 it made me realise that I really need to change and get it back down to normal.

So I set myself a goal to get my hba1c below 8, I knew it would take a lot to get it down that much but I knew I would be able to do it in the end. I didn't care how long it took me, I would do it. I started doing all the things I should have been doing like checking my levels and correcting, using temp basals to help get my levels down, changing the amount of insulin I was getting and  things like that. Every time I went to my clinic appointments I couldn't wait to see how much my hba1c had gone down. Sometimes I got a bit upset as it had gone up and I felt like it was never ever going to go below 8. However I never gave up I carried on doing everything and anything I could to get it lower.

Last week I had a hospital clinic appointment and for some reason I had a feeling that my hba1c was maybe going to be below 8 as my levels had been really good for once. After having the hba1c test done you have to wait a while to get the results s while we waited we got called by the doctor. I walked in to the room and sat down as the doctor was looking through my notes. She then looked at me and said wow, your hba1c is 7.2 (55). I honestly couldn't believe it was 7.2, that's the lowest my hba1c has ever been and I have been diabetic for over 11 years. The doctor was so impressed with me, she said that normally when someone's hba1c goes to 13 they never get it back down to 7. I was so happy I couldn't believe I had finally got it down that low :)

I realised that if I couldn't control my levels now it was going to be a lot harder then I got older and I don't want my diabetes to ruin getting good GCSE results.  I don't want my diabetes to control me and make it a lot harder to do things I want to do so I did something about it. I started looking after myself move and caring about what my levels were and what my hba1c was and that is how I got my hba1c down and back to normal.

Here are some tips to get your hba1c down:

• Set a goal for your hba1c so that you have something to work towards
• Have a reason why you want your hba1c to be lower
• Make sure you are doing all the things your hospital have told you to do
• Correct high levels
• Change the amount of insulin you are having if you are having constant lows or highs at a certain time of day
• Ask your diabetic team to help you if you are struggling or finding it hard

All of these thing will help you get your hba1c down, however don't get upset or annoyed if your hba1c goes up high because at the end of the day it is only a number. The hospital wont get annoyed with you if it is high as they are there to help you, not tell you off. As long as you are doing the best that you can that's all that matters.
If you but your mind to something you can do it, never give up.  

#showmeyourpump

Sorry I haven't posted in a while I have been so busy with exams and school work that I haven't really had time to write a post.
Today I thought I would write a post about Sierra Sandison as I saw a post that she posted today on facebook and it really inspired me to do something I would never have done before.

On Facebook one of my mums friends who has diabetes tagged me in this post...

"There it is. I would never have dreamt of posting a swimsuit picture on social media, but diabetics from all over the country have been asking to see me and my insulin pump on the #MissIdaho2014 stage. Honestly, it is terrifying walking out... on stage in a swimsuit, let alone attached to a medical device. My message to everyone, diabetic or not, is that we all have something that doesn't "measure up" to the beauty standards set by the media--and that is okay! It does not make you any less beautiful. We also all have obstacles, challenges, and trials. Diabetes turned my life upside down when I was first diagnosed. Don't let your challenge hold you back or slow you down. Use it to, not only empower yourself and grow as an individual, but to serve and influence other people as well.
With that said, I have faced my fear of proudly showing my insulin pump! Now I want to see YOURS! Post your photo on social media (insta, twitter, facebook--make sure it is shared publically so I can see it) with the hashtag #showmeyourpump! The nationwide support from my fellow diabetics this weekend has been AMAZING! I can't wait to see more of you guys!
This is not limited to just girls, or to people with pumps--I want to see YOU and whatever your daily battle with diabetes looks like."

Here are the pictures of Sierra Sandison at Miss Idaho 2014 with her pump on show

 Sierra Sandison's Facebook post and pictures really made me think. I have been on the pump over 6 years and I have always hidden my pump under my clothes or had it in a pump bag so that no one else could see it. I have always been scared of people giving me funny looks and asking question about my pump if it was on show so that why I always covered it up and pretended it wasn't there. However after reading this post it made me think, why should I have to hide my pump when its part of me? It shouldn't make people look at me different or think I am not pretty just because they can see my pump.

On Monday when I saw Sierra Sandison Facebook post I thought I would do a 'show me your insulin pump picture' and post it on Facebook. It wasn't the easiest thing to do as I had never showed most of my friends what my pump looked like or that I had a pump, all they knew was I had diabetes so posting a picture of my with my pump on show was a massive thing for me to do. It took me ages to press post however in the end I pressed post (even though it took my like half an hour haha)

Here is my 'show me your pump' picture

 

I was so surprised by the response I got to my picture once I had posted it. So many people liked it and I got so many lovely comments on it. I was really proud I had done it and that everyone was so nice about it and I didn't get any horrible comments like I thought I might get.

I think Sierra Sandison is such an inspirational person and I would never have posted any pictures like this if it wasn't for her and her hashtag campaign #showmeyourpump. If you have a post please  do the 'show me your pump' picture as I know you can all do it  :) I know it is really scary at first but its like a weight lifted off of your shoulders once you have done it.

PE and School

I admit I really don't like PE at school, I don't like being judged by other people in the class because I am not very good at sport. Most people just end up moaning at you because you aren't very good and apparently your not even trying when you know you are, you're just not very good at it. This doesn't always happen to people but I have had it happen to me before and know probably other people have too. Anyway, doing PE can really effect your levels just like any form of exercise does and with the weather on top of this it can make it even harder and frustrating.

So a couple of weeks ago I was doing PE at school and we were playing rounders outside on the grass. The teacher split the class in to 3 teams so that 2 teams could play a game of rounders while 1 team did some batting practice and then we would all swap over. For the first game I was on the team that was doing batting practice then when we went to swap over I started to feel like my levels were low.

Me: Miss can I check my levels as I think I am low?
Teacher: Yeah of course
Me: (checks levels) Miss my levels are low
Teacher: It will be fine I will sit in field with you encase anything happens
Me: I need to have something to make my levels go up first
Teacher: Have you got something on you to eat or drink?
Me: Yeah I have a can of coke (gets can of coke out and starts drinking it)
Teacher: That can of coke is so small and perfect for people with diabetes
Me: Yeah I know (finishes can of coke)
Teacher: You can go stand in field now
Me: No I cant, I have to sit down for 10mins first, for my levels to up
Teacher: Ok, you can stay there then
Teacher: (Comes back to me 5mins later) Its been 10mins Laura
Me: I don't think it has been
Teacher: Yeah I know, I was only kidding
Teacher: (comes back 5mins later) Its been 10mins, you can bat now
Me: I need to check my levels first to see if they have upped enough
Teacher: Okay
Me: (checks levels) My levels are fine now miss
Teacher: Good but its the end of the lesson now


I couldn't believe that my PE didn't know what I was meant to do when my levels were low, she's so funny. Luckily now she knows what to do when my levels are low as I was low in my PE lesson the next day and she understood what I had to do and knew my levels were running low because of the hot weather.

Tips for looking after your levels while doing exercise:

• Check your levels before doing exercise - if they are below 10 maybe have something to eat before
• Make sure you have stuff to up your levels on you - Glucose Tabs, sugar drinks, sweets or something like that (liquid ups your levels quicker as you don't waste energy chewing)
• Make sure someone with you know what your symptoms of a low are - sometimes you might not realise you are low but someone else can by looking at you and the way you are acting
• Make sure you check your levels more while exercising - check if your levels are dropping so that you can have something to eat to stop them dropping
• Check your levels after doing exercise

I know that your levels can be really annoying while you are trying to do exercise but if you follow the tips in this post, hopefully it will make it a little bit easier for you. Don't let your levels stop yourself from having fun doing whatever exercise you like doing.
Always remember you are stronger than you think!