Not Quite A Week But We Have Learned A Lot

The Medtronic 530G has been on my oldest daughter since Thursday night.

Today is Monday.

While that might not make us full experts yet, we certainly have learned a few things.  Because I like to write about things that are generally not discussed in most hoity-toity scientific research magazines, here are a few fun family observations.

1.)  Bolusing is slow.  Did I say slow?  I mean a snail doing the moonwalk S.L.O.W.  However, in the weirdest of ways, I actually think postprandial blood sugars are better.  Total weirdness.

2.)  The pump is pretty.  As I was taking the battery out of her old Animas Ping to store away indefinitely, I noticed the scarred, scratched and paint-chipped exterior.  Wincing in a way that only a mom does when seeing how your child has used something to pieces - literally - I also suddenly realized that the new Medtronic 530G will never be in this condition.  Simply for the coolest of reasons: it is plastic.  Kind of like an old 1962 Chevy compared to it's latest cousin, the 2014 Chevy.  Hey, I live in Michigan and we no longer see rust.  How is that for progress?!

3.)  The Mio infusion site is teeny.  As a former user of the Comfort Short and the Inset 30, the tape and site is about 50% smaller.  We all know that body real estate is a precious commodity, so it is nice to use less.

4.)  The alarms for the CGM are soothing.  I think they sound like bells.  My daughter who tends to be annoyed by all pump music, has begrudgingly agreed.  Of course, this is because we are in the pump honey-moon period.

5.)  Turning the Medtronic pump on in the dark is something to get used to.  The first and second night were spent with a few fumbles on clicking the correct combination of buttons to make the light appear.  I missed our Animas during those early nights.  Last night was much better.  Practice does make perfect.

6.)  The sensor is comparable to the Dexcom, but not as accurate.  Our direction was to calibrate four times daily, however, we seem to be finding better success with less calibrations.  Much as the same with the Dexcom.  The less information we provide, the more the sensor can catch up and reflect what is happening.

7.)  Our daughter loves having one gadget.  On the first full day after hook-up, she played in a golf tournament.  After she was done with her first section, she ran over to me with a panicked expression telling me that she forgot her Dex receiver.  As she said it, she realized what she was saying and started to laugh with relief.  No more losing gear.  And yes, she hit the ball really well after that.

8.)  Our youngest daughter is jealous of her sister's new pump.  Yes, even insulin pumps make kids envious.
9.)  Three hundred unit cartridges are awesome!  For the first time, we no longer feared running out of insulin on a trip away from home.  Thank you to Medtronic for providing this option!

10.)  With two pumping two different insulin pump brands, I found myself having to think a bit more carefully about the supplies that we bring along.  Even as I type this, I am thinking that I really need to add an extra infusion site for Medtronic to our emergency vehicle bag.  Mom will have to be even more organized!  Yikes!

And that is all for now.  I will try to update in a few more days with more observations.