Translated by Flor Menedez Alvarez, RN, CDE fmenen@arrakis.es
Ms. Alvarez is
the diabetes educator at:
CLINICA DIABETOLOGICA
Corrida, 23 - 33206 GIJON
Principado de Asturias - SPAIN www.clinidiabet.com
My name is Carlota and I have had diabetes since I was 5 years old, I will soon turn twelve and I think I'm doing pretty well.
In the beginning when I was just a little girl I stayed most of the time at the school and with my parents so injecting insulin at meal times was not a problem.
As I got older, this became a burden because I would sometimes like to stay overnight at a friends house but was dependent on my parents to calculate my insulin doses and help me with my injections.
Recently in spite of doing almost everything right my BG readings were often high especially before breakfast (my doctor calls it dawn phenomenon) and I also have some problems identifying my lows.
This last April I went to my regular follow up visit with my doctor and he spoke to my parents about the possibility to make things better by using an insulin pump.
After this visit we started to talk about insulin pump therapy at home and I decide to try it out if my parents would help.
Three month later at our next visit to my doctor we said yes and they us many things during the pump initiation course. 3 weeks later I started to wear the pump and soon my BG readings were back to normal. The insulin pump is a device that provides you with insulin continuously through a catheter and a needle but I do not remember that I wear it sometimes and I don't even remember that I have diabetes and I must confess that sometimes I forget my insulin bolus before eating.
Now I don't need to inject my insulin before meals, all I need to do is to push a button, my parents are very happy and so am I.
Now I just do 3 BG readings a day and I remember the days before the pump when I have to suffer 4 and 5 finger pricks everyday. It is fabulous!
Carlota
Pola de Lena-Asturias-Spain