My first time and hopefully last time!

Even though I've had diabetes for so long - I still feel like I am learning new ways of handling my diabetes at times.  Especially since going onto the insulin pump. For example, on the weekend I experienced an interesting scare of high blood sugars - only for a period of 8 hours mind you - but it wasn't something that I'm used to - as I tend to keep my blood sugars pretty stable with or without an insulin pump.

I had changed my infusion set on Saturday - to me - it went in smoothly - I was using the Animas Inset II - which is an all in one automated 90 degree infusion set.  Like I always do - before bedtime - I tested my BG to see how I was doing - as I'd had abit of rhubarb/strawberry pie in the evening and figured I'd maybe not given enough insulin to cover the pie.  Well, I hit the jackpot in reading with 25 mmol/l (450 mg/dl) - and I was trying to figure out how much sugar this pie I'd made contained (damn it tasted really good).  So, a correction bolus of 6 units was needed - the biggest amount of insulin I've ever bolused so far since pumping.  I set the alarm on my pump to go off in a few hours - yes - disrupted sleep - but not having had this type of high in about 10 years sort of freaked me out a bit - as I'm sure it would any diabetic. 

Two o'clock in the morning - half asleep here - yawn - BG is now at 20 mmol/l (360 mg/dl) - something isn't right here I'm thinking - as Manouchka winds herself around my legs thinking it's feeding time (scat cat!).  Time to use the pen needle rather then the pump. I'm starting to worry about stacking my insulin at this point in time - as I've given the amount of insulin I usually use in ONE day.  I figure now things should be back to normal - so set alarm on pump for 3 hours. 

Vibrate, vibrate, vibrate, 3 hours later - it's now nine o'clock - go test my BG - it's at 18 mmol/l (324 mg/dl)!  I'm starting to really get concerned here - I want my morning coffee - but it'll just spike up my BG's - so I have to hold off.  I decide at this point that perhaps the vial of rapid insulin in my pen needle is not working - so change vial - inject again to correct my BG (usually at breakfast I'm reading between 4 mmol/l to 6 mmol/l - 72 mg/dl to 108 mg/dl).  I consult my bible of insulin pumping by John Walsh called Pumping Insulin - and do what I know I should have done earlier - take out the infusion set that I just put in the day before.  So, throw $25 CDN ($21.40 USD) into the garbage and put in another infusion set - tho' I almost felt like going back to MDI at this point in time.  I mean, I know I've been told off by other pumpers when I've said this - but heck - pumping is a LUXURY - if it wasn't we'd all be on one - right?

The results of taking this infusion set out - if you care to take a look it is HERE (it's just my chubby tummy  - site isn't irritated as it appears in photo).  As you can tell - the cannula was never in my body - bent sideways on TOP of the skin - no insulin was being infused (wierd tho' that I wasn't leaking insulin - area was dry).  Urrrhhhh!!!!  The strange thing is - the inserter needle that places the canula into the skin - had come out straight - so either in the factory where the infusion set is produced - the needle had gone poked thru' the side of the cannula. That's the only thing that Mike and I can figure happened with the bend in this one.  For comparison of what the Inset II infusion set looks like when it is in properly - take a gander at this picture. 

Anyway, I'm hoping this doesn't happen to often - as it could get a wee bit expensive along with being annoying and destructive to my health!

NB: Harold - hope you get your BG's sorted out soon - if not - I'll do the 2 hour drive to your house to put in the infusion sets!!