Medtronic Love

I promise to share that delish BBQ recipe, but life keeps getting in the way. : P

I didn't get to share the entire story yesterday, and it wasn't appropriate then.  Mary Claire has been pretty high (220+) but we are only keeping it there with lots of insulin.  (at least 165% basal all-the-time)  Anyway, she got her site (and reservoir and tubing and insulin) changed on Monday after running high (over 240).  We don't pull any punches, we change it all, and start fresh.  Yesterday, same story.  We were headed to the Evans for dinner, and at the last minute after not having come down enough to eat (under 240, ketone level), we changed it all again (new site, insulin, everything!).  (and we were late)  She only dropped to 180, but I was happy.  Then, high again.  And today..high.

We've also had this strange frequent beeping that we've totally disregarded.  Until Now.  All of a sudden, I am thinking the two are related.  It's the low beep-high beep-low beep alarm (low battery, low reservoir, backing out of a bolus, accidental button pushing, etc.)  The two are just too coincidental.  She PROMISES she isn't pushing buttons, or leaning on it, anything.  As I hear it, I ask if she pushed anything, and she swears she didn't (we've been doing this for 6.8 years, so she knows exactly what I'm talking about).  I've checked Alarm History-nothing.

So, I call Medtronic (and it always makes me super-emotional..why can't I keep it in check?  Seriously?  It's been years, and it still comes to the surface.).  They are their usual nice, "I understand how frustrating this can be", explain the situation, trouble-shoot, then she gives me two options: keep using the pump and just monitor it, or have a new (albeit refurbished) pump tomorrow morning.  I've done this before.  We've done it at least 6 or 7 times.  They look the same, they feel the same, work the same, (still pink), but it's not like having a new one, that you t-r-u-s-t.

So, I mulled it over (cried silently till I could pull it together under the guise of "thinking"), and decided to take the refurbished pump (after she told me they go through rigorous testing-more than new pumps) (is that possible?) since we are going on vacation next week, and getting one overnighted to your destination (yes, done that too..to Disney) is much scarier.

We just wait now.  And I'm cleaning exploded potato out of my oven in the Waiting.  I could not make this stuff up if I tried.  I have this great baked potato recipe:

1.) Wash potatoes, and poke on all sides with a fork (can't emphasis this one enough!)
2.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
3.) Place potatoes on rack (not baking sheet) and bake for 45 minutes for small 6 oz.  potatoes, and 1.5 hours for big bakers.  *When the yummy smell fills your house, they are ready.
4.) Cut an "X" on the top, and squoosh from the bottom to make the potato kinda pop out.

So...when they smelled all yummy, I went into the kitchen to get them out.  When I walked around the corner, I heard a loud "boom".  I've heard this boom before.  (It was a potato exploding in my microwave.)  Lotsa fun, peeps.  So, I opened the door and there is the evidence all over the wall, top, and bottom of my oven.  I turned off the heat and left the door open (so it wouldn't continue to bake to the walls..I don't love to clean dried potato).  Goodness knows it just wasn't hot enough in my kitchen in July.


Anyway, it's fine.  The oven is three-quarters clean, I'm thankful for the foresight to make six potatoes tonight, and I'm thankful for Medtronic being nice to me.  I can't complain.