Seven Plus Has Arrived
Guess what FedEx brought us today?
I can’t wait for tomorrow! I’ll be back just as soon as I can to reflect on the process of starting the DexCom Seven Plus! Check back soon. Until then... how about another picture?
CGM Class at CHOP
This Thursday Arden and I will be attending a CGM start class at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
The CHOP CGM staff will make sure that Arden and I understand the device and then they’ll assist us in placing Arden’s first sensor on her abdomen. A few weeks later I have a follow up appointment to learn how to read and respond to the data that the Seven Plus provides.
I feel extremely fortunate to have quality health insurance and access to a children’s hospital that is so up to date with type I and the technologies that make living with it more tolerable. I know too many people who are under or uninsured and my heart goes out to them. I’ve also heard so many crazy stories of endocrinologists that don’t appear to understand type I in any meaningful way... I couldn’t express profoundly enough how much we appreciate CHOP, it’s employees and their dedication to keeping Arden healthy.
With the addition of the DexCom seven plus to Arden’s care plan, I’m expecting to gain even better control of her BGs. We were already so thrilled with the control that our OmniPodinsulin pump gave us... I’m frankly giddy at the prospect of things getting better. We have come a long way from taking 10 shots a day. I’ve been told that there will be an option to integrate the seven plus into OmniPod some time early next year! On that day... I’ll actually be more excited then when the new iPhone comes out (and I’m traditionally very happy on iPhone day).
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in the meanwhile, any new products that help us get better control of their blood sugar numbers are welcome. Enjoy the class and looking forward to hearing about Arden's progress with the CMG.
BIG day for Arden
First, let me say that the picture on this entry has nothing to do with today’s entry... I just wanted to show it to everyone.
Arden is going to buy lunch today at school!!! What a big day this is for us and a good reminder of how type I effects things that you’d never imagine. Here’s is what we had to do to make this day happen.
We had to get the complete and comprehensive list of nutritional values for every food that the district will serve this year. That took some doing, the highlight for me was when one of the cafeteria people told me that it was difficult to get me the list because she was, “so busy making all of the food for the normal kids”. I let that one go right by, chalked it up to not thinking... I didn’t read any malice in the comment at the time and in retrospect, I still don’t. Never-the-less her words did ding my soul just a little.
Then Arden had to get comfortable, the nurses needed to get comfortable and I needed to get comfortable - we all needed to get comfortable enough for us to make this leap. May sound odd or overprotective but it’s not, it’s just how things are. So today at 1:30pm I will be in the nurses office for Arden’s pre-lunch BG check and then she and I will go together to the cafeteria and get her some lunch... just like the “normal” kids.
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I just had to comment on buying lunch at school. I live in a pretty urban area and to get the carb counts on Gracie's lunch menu has been a little like being a CIA operative. No one wanted to give the info for a long time and why you might ask. Cause school lunches, on the whole, are carb filled wonderlands of delight and non-nutritional value for the most part. I still let Grace buy lunch though, cause she needs to, just like Arden does and all our kids do.
I get the carb counts from our head nutritionist in our district. It's through Aramark actually. I sat with her in August and we went through the foods and their carb counts. I then made a list of them for the school nurse. Then, each month when the lunch menu comes home, I tally up each day and circle the carbs on each and every item. So Grace can then decide if she wants to buy or not, just like every kid. So then we know ahead of time the carb count on each lunch and it's kept in the nurse's office as well as home. This is just what works for us, but you might consider it. It really has been great, everyone can look up whatever she eats.
OK, long enough comment to leave??? I also blog about my daughter's journey with T1. You can find me at asweetgrace.blogspot.com. I think we might come from the same region.
Thanks for your blog and for sharing, it's wonderful.
Thanks for all of your great comments! Penny, I'm glad you are enjoying the site so much! I'll have to check your out soon.
Denise, She'll only be doing it once in a while. That pizza did look icky.
Dayna, xoxo
Not that Dino
Not that Dino... Dino, Arden’s DexCom rep. Dino is working his (aw hell let’s follow through with this) purple tail off trying to get Arden’s CGM through the health insurance process and things are looking real good!
I just submitted Arden’s pump records to Dino, they along with Arden’s endo’s prescription should be all we need to seal the deal and start Arden on her continuous glucose monitor - which by all accounts should significantly aid us in keeping her BGs where they should be and stave off frightening lows and life-altering highs. I’ll talk much more about all of that as this process moves forward.
For now, let’s hear it for Dino!
Yoga
Just a quick update for diabetes Blog Week, day 5’s topic:
Day 5- Let's get moving. Exercise . . . love it or hate it? Do you have a regular exercise routine? Or do you have trouble finding your exercise motivation? How do you manage your insulin and food to avoid bottoming out during your workout? Today is the day to tell us all about your exercise habits, or lack thereof.
Arden is of course only five years old but we wanted her to have an exercise regiment that she could carry with her throughout her life. After much thought we decided to try yoga. Yoga is fantastic for Arden, it is a high-return, low impact exercise that has very little impact on her BGs. Yoga keeps her strong, flexible and moving. I hope she does it for the rest of her life.
I think I may sign Arden and I up for the parent/child class when the next classes begin... I could definitely use it!
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