February 1, 2012
Jump up a few years and Kirstin is now 13. Over the last 10 years of living with Diabetes there have been many new technologies that have come into play. I think we have tried them all. Each new technology is a challenge in itself.
*Kirstin first started on regular insulin, using needles with an injector. 
* I believe she started with the One Touch Meter. We have tried several other brands of meters including one that would do blood sugar checks on her arm. We found out that her arm would take a week or more for one little poke to heal. Other meters were just not accurate. Although even the One Touch has issues at times this is what we still use today.
*Kirstin was at the babysitters until kindergarten. Living in a small town I was always able to be where ever she was for lunch and all other hours outside of my 8-5 employment she was with me.
*I believe Kirstin started giving her own shots when she was six. At this time they came out with the insulin pen, which we tried for a very short time. It was too big for her little hands.
*At some point, around 6 years old she was started on the 24 hour Lantus Insulin.
It was quite an adjustment with insulin dosages and her little body getting used to it. Lantus is insulin that has a side affect of shortness of breath. After going to a few doctors to find out “why she was short of breath” we concluded that it definitely was the insulin. So be aware if this is something that your child may start. It does go away, but takes awhile.
*When Kirstin turned eight, we made another big change. She started on the Insulin Pump. Although this is quite a piece of technology, it is very expensive, time consuming, and scary. We went through a 3 or 4 hour training in Salina at the hospital with a nurse. I also kept in touch with this nurse on a daily basis until we were comfortable. The pump uses fast acting insulin, and no side affects!
*Kirstin had the Animas insulin pump for 4 years.
*After about 3 years of being on the pump, they came out with new technology of the Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM). This Dexcom CGM training with a nurse was another challenge as well. This is great technology, although now instead of wearing just a pump on her jeans, she had a monitor for the CGM to clip on.
*When Kirstin turned 12, it was time to change pumps. We chose the Medtronic that has the technology for the CGM to work with the pump. This meant only one piece of equipment to wear 24/7. The CGM is the best way to get the trends of your blood sugars but they are very time consuming and do not always work the way they are intended. They are hard to insert with a very large needle and only last for a few days.
*Kirstin is now 13. She is still using the Medtronic Pump and we do still use the sensors or CGM but not as much as we would like.
The above is a very quick run down of our technology “Life with Diabetes”. I could talk forever about it and if anyone would like to discuss further, please email me. As you probably know, they are working very hard on the new technology of the Artificial Pancreas. I am sure hoping they will come up with something that is User Friendly. Thank you for reading and Have an Awesome Day!!
