Time flies… It’s a constant of life that people rarely choose to acknowledge. Almost to the point where most folks seem to be of the opinion that they have all the time in the world. But I digress… In this instance, I say that time flies because somehow, five years have gone by in the blink of an eye. In late 2013, my endocrinologist and the RCMP were both pushing me pretty hard to start insulin pump therapy. I resisted this with all of my will, because I didn’t like change and I was fearful of wearing a pump while working as a police officer. Oh, how wrong I would turn out to be.
I started on the Medtronic Minimed Paradigm in early 2014 and it would turn out to be nothing spectacular. Sure, I no longer had to carry an insulin pen and all I had to do was input my carbs and the pump would do the work. It was neat; a technological gadget that was more fun to talk about than actually deal with. That first year was an absolute mess of botched infusion sets, inadequate ratios and failed boluses due to injecting into scar tissue. There were growing pains but after a while, the pump became as much a part of me as Type-1 Diabetes had been for all the years prior.
In 2020, I was told that I qualified to obtain a newer pump and was issued the Medtronic 670G insulin pump. I’m usually very in line with “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” so I wasn’t jazzed about getting yet another new piece of equipment. Plus, this new pump featured continuous glucose monitoring, which I would be on for the first time. I never could have anticipated how much of a difference this would make in my life and my A1C even dropped below 7.0 for the first time in almost 20 years. Despite the many pieces of hardware taped to my abdomen and some of the headaches that come with using new equipment, there’s no arguing that pump therapy has been a game-changer in ensuring my advancing years are healthy.
Yesterday was like Christmas. After 5 years, I ordered and received my new, upgraded Medtronic 780G insulin pump. I spent the better part of a few hours in the evening getting everything charged and ready, examining the new functionality and a new glucometre (boo). By the time I finally crashed for the night, I was using the new pump, had a brand new Bluetooth CGM installed and I am now waiting for SmartGuard to finish warming up so I can jump on auto mode. Some of the fun benefit with this upgraded version is the Bluetooth pairing, which improve CGM connectivity and prevents all those nasty communication losses. It also allows for a fun mobile device app, which allows me to monitor my blood sugars without constantly in clipping my pump or pulling out of my pocket.
I should probably make it clear that there are several companies that distribute insulin pumps in Canada and that, much like martial arts, which brand/company you use is subjective to one’s preferences and experiences. For me, this will be my third Medtronic pump because I like the functionality and excellent customer service. And I don’t like change. Although I always look at all available options, I’ve never been able to bring myself to switch to anything else. Plus, Medtronic spoils their customers. They sent me a shit-ton of supplies along with my new pump.
As I get older, life makes it more difficult to properly maintain blood sugar levels and stay healthy. Eventually, Diabetes will kill me. That may sound a bit morbid but it’s a stark reality. While acknowledging that reality, it’s nice to know that technology is doing its part to ensure that my longevity is as long as it can be. Maybe eventually, technology will outrun Diabetes and it will be a thing of the past. Until then, I’ll continue to be the nerd who gets excited over the prospect of a new insulin pump. ☯️
The Blogging Buddhist 