I my CGM about a month ago and started using it a couple of weeks ago. His name is Thunder (which made the name Lightening, for my pump, a natural choice :p) and I don't know how I ever lived without him! I've been hesitant about each new piece of medical technology...I don't like change...but each one has made my life easier to control and more manageable.
My biggest problem has become where to carry all this technology?! Bra, back pocket, belt clip...good thing there's nothing else because I'm out of room. So, generally my pump lives in my bra - it seems to work out pretty well. Thunder, in my back pocket at work normally, although I don't always hear it beep or feel it vibrate so I might have to find a better spot, and at home, it stays with my phone, which is never far from me.
I flew to Kansas this past week and traveling turned out to be another interesting gem :) At MSP they just did the hand swab to make sure I wasn't hiding a bomb in my pump - no questions about Thunder or the transmitter - and other than being low on the plane ride there, diabetes wise, the trip there was a uneventful. Kansas City is a slightly different story. There was a sign to please alert TSA about any medical devices, so I did. She rolled her eyes at me and told me to go on through. So I do. Then the lady on the other side gets upset because I didn't tell her. I beeped, so I had to have the full pat down. Its okay, I'm not hiding a bomb in my pump so bring it on. It took 45 minutes and if my flight hadn't end up switching gates and being delayed, I probably would have missed it. There were a lot of annoying questions like can you take it apart? Whats on your stomach? (my answer...on which side? lol).
Anyway...each time I sit down to write, I've got something to say, but now that I'm here not much seems exciting.
I've been working on exercising more consistently, and thats been...interesting. There have been some near perfect days - I turn my basil down at the right time, eat a granola bar and get in a good 45 minute work out - shower then eat lunch, and stay in a happy blood sugar range the whole time. I'm proud of those days. Then there have been a couple times I've forgotten to turn my basil down and realize it when I'm 9 blocks from my house and the 4 glucose tabs stuffed in my shoe are not going to cut it. I'm finding that a mostly protein breakfast is better than cereal...I notice it when I work out but Thunder tells me that, in general, cereal is a difficult food for me to bolus correctly for and might be why I feel like crap so often before lunch. Which sucks, because cereal is pretty much my favorite food in the world.
As a whole, I'm figuring it out. The new technology that I was so hesitant about, helps me understand my body more and that's worth the pain of not having room in my pockets for chap stick anymore.
As far as life goes - the last couple months have been a whirlwind...I spent a couple of weeks in Bismarck working, which I mentioned before I think. It went well. There were some really really hard parts about it. The work side was awesome - I LOVED working there. It was busy all the time - that was a lot of fun - I like the kind of chaos that can be contained...I like containing it :) There are such clear boundaries there. For most people, that might not even be noticed, but its something I always liked about that store and being there for a couple of weeks helped me to regain my footing a little bit...remembering how I worked there before, and paying attention to the different way I handle situations in that environment versus how I handle them in my current store, I think helps me now that I'm back here too.
Since I got back from Bismarck my friend Brittany came to visit for a few days and the next week my friend Allison came. and last week I went to Kansas to visit my best friend from high school, Kallista. Overall - I have been good...which is something I haven't been able to say too often for a while. Connecting with people, having fun with people, catching up, enjoying things outside of work...they're important to my sanity. I need to remember that. When I don't do it for a while I start to feel very stuck...I NEED people. I need the positive influence of people who care about me. I'm better when thats a present thing in my life.
Next month, provided there is a time that works, I'm going to Florida for a week - I can't wait to meet my cousins new little guy, Carson, and spend time with the other two monkeys, too. I can't wait for a week of cousin time...and I can't wait to be just 20 minutes from the OCEAN :D
The Kansas City airport has been my worst experience yet. Never again.
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