It's time to begin my journey with pump therapy. The first experience is with pump representatives, Accu-Chek, Animas and Medtronic. So far I have spent time with Animas and Accu-Chek. It has been interesting to say the least and I am happy to share my experiences with everyone on my blog.
Going through this journey almost reminds me of when I was first diagnosed. Right now all the equipment looks foreign to me just like the way the insulin pens and meters did a year ago. As the sales representatives go through the motions of selling their pump - at times my mind wanders back to that very day I was diagnosed.
My background knowledge now is kicking in but all this new knowledge is filling my mind! It seems like it will take me forever to learn how to work the insulin pump, but I know that once they hand it over to me I will have no problems. It's crazy that after spending only five days in the hospital I was able to manage my diabetes all on my own (with a little help from others around me.)
My first representative that I met was Animas and it was awesome. I was a little apprehensive at first because I was warned about how pushing they can be but it actually was not bad at all. She was a very nice saleswoman who I had met before at a George Canyon event. She insisted that because I got to meet George twice and I won an iPod from Animas - I was meant to have their insulin pump!
Today we had a representative from Accu-Chek come. He was a nice guy; however, I am unsure whether or not I like their "product" that is not allowed to be spoken of yet. He showed me the pump they have now - which is what I would start on, but promised something better was coming out. To me, I rather know straight up what I was getting and not just hoping that this 'mystery' pump will be the best for me and my diabetes.
As of now Animas is in the lead - but I still have Medtronic coming on Monday. I know a lot of people with Medtronic's insulin pump; however, I will not let that have a bias on my choice. I really have began to realize just how important this process is and that it is not going to be an easy journey but I am looking forward to at least trying it out.
It is very interesting listening to non-diabetics talk about diabetes like it is their job - oh right it is their job. Even though they talk about how bad lows and highs are they may never know what it is really like so at times their descriptions and ideas are funny to hear. The Animas representative was very helpful because she has two daughters with diabetes - that really helped with making the whole experience personal not just math like Accu-Chek did. When you ask your math teacher why you need to know standard deviation because you will never use it - well if you are looking for an insulin pump down the road and Accu-Chek is selling you their product then you will need to know standard deviation!
I am looking forward to making my final choice and sharing it with all of my friends and family. I know that it is going to be an important choice and that this entire journey will give me lots and lots of writing material to share.
Kayla
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