Tried out the Guardian RT
I’ve wanted to post for about a week now, but, alas, a week has passed and I’m just now harnessing the ambition to post…!!
Dr. C finally gave me the green light for a pump – YAHOO!!! So the next day I called the MiniMed and set up a meeting.
I met with the MiniMed Sales rep last Thursday to get more info about the 522 Pump and to try out a Guardian RT. The sales rep has been in contact with me since February, when I first decided I wanted to pump. I appreciate his patience as my doctor has trailed me along for the past four months, being vague and obtuse about why I can’t get a pump NOW!!!
We met at a restaurant around lunchtime, and I was running late as usual. I arrive at 1:03 and find him waiting in the lobby. Note – this is the first time meeting him in person, so I’m looking around for a middle aged, balding guy with glasses…. Much to my surprise, I find a 30+ stallion with an incredible smile. I should have just signed up for a MiniMed right there – I didn’t stand a chance. In all seriousness, though, the (Antonio Bandares’s twin) rep was very informative and gave a great speal about the advantages and future advancements of MiniMed. He brought along a Guardian RT so that I could get an idea what the continue glucose monitoring would be like, a feature which is going to be available with the 522 Pump. After some explanations about how to insert the sensor using the fancy doohickey, I was in the bathroom, injecting myself with a sensor. Mind you, this was my first doohickey “injection” experience since I’m still a 4+ shot a day girl. Well, I figured it out and soon found myself attached to the Guardian RT. The only downside was that I had to wait two hours before it would start giving me any readings, but I found that the two hours went pretty quickly, and then I had readings out the wazoo!!!
I wore the Guardian for three days, and I feel I learned quite a lot in three days!!! I’ll try to be brief, since your interest is probably waning already:
1. I go QUITE FREAKING HIGH right after breakfast. I may start at 105, but I don’t chill there for long before I’m up in the nether regions of 250+. OUCH
2. I stay remarkably steady overnight and throughout exercise. Both good signs, I think.
3. The Guardian is not 100% accurate. I’d give it maybe a 75% accuracy. I liked that it gave me an idea of how I trended throughout the day, overall.
4. I do not need to eat extra carbs at lunch to sustain me throughout my 4PM exercise. If I eat extra carbs at lunch, I go – once again – QUITE FREAKING HIGH and only drop about 50 points throughout my exercise. I guess my body is used to the exercise I’ve been doing.
5. Stress makes my bs rise steadily. This I already assumed, but now I have some definitive proof. Shitty for me, though, because I seem to be stressed out all the time lately.
I hated to give the Guardian back. The sensor died after exactly three days and I was in Wal-Mart with my fiancé when it gave its final beep. I looked down at the monitor, saw the message for a new sensor, and looked at my fiancé with a crestfallen look. He laughed at me for a good minute while I tried to “suck it up” (he’s trademark response anytime I start to look teary eyed). In a small voice I explained, “But I miss it already!” to which he replied, “so buy the damn stuff so that you can get that with the pump!” He’s all heart, let me tell you. I need someone like that, though, because if left to my own devices, I’d turn teary eyed at pretty much everything. I thought it was part of my charm, but he’s slowly convincing me otherwise.
I called the MiniMed rep to give him the green light for the pump, so hopefully I’ll make some progress and finally join the ranks of the blogging pumpers in the near future. I’ll keep you posted… you know… a week after it happens, when I finally get the ambition to write…!!!
Dr. C finally gave me the green light for a pump – YAHOO!!! So the next day I called the MiniMed and set up a meeting.
I met with the MiniMed Sales rep last Thursday to get more info about the 522 Pump and to try out a Guardian RT. The sales rep has been in contact with me since February, when I first decided I wanted to pump. I appreciate his patience as my doctor has trailed me along for the past four months, being vague and obtuse about why I can’t get a pump NOW!!!
We met at a restaurant around lunchtime, and I was running late as usual. I arrive at 1:03 and find him waiting in the lobby. Note – this is the first time meeting him in person, so I’m looking around for a middle aged, balding guy with glasses…. Much to my surprise, I find a 30+ stallion with an incredible smile. I should have just signed up for a MiniMed right there – I didn’t stand a chance. In all seriousness, though, the (Antonio Bandares’s twin) rep was very informative and gave a great speal about the advantages and future advancements of MiniMed. He brought along a Guardian RT so that I could get an idea what the continue glucose monitoring would be like, a feature which is going to be available with the 522 Pump. After some explanations about how to insert the sensor using the fancy doohickey, I was in the bathroom, injecting myself with a sensor. Mind you, this was my first doohickey “injection” experience since I’m still a 4+ shot a day girl. Well, I figured it out and soon found myself attached to the Guardian RT. The only downside was that I had to wait two hours before it would start giving me any readings, but I found that the two hours went pretty quickly, and then I had readings out the wazoo!!!
I wore the Guardian for three days, and I feel I learned quite a lot in three days!!! I’ll try to be brief, since your interest is probably waning already:
1. I go QUITE FREAKING HIGH right after breakfast. I may start at 105, but I don’t chill there for long before I’m up in the nether regions of 250+. OUCH
2. I stay remarkably steady overnight and throughout exercise. Both good signs, I think.
3. The Guardian is not 100% accurate. I’d give it maybe a 75% accuracy. I liked that it gave me an idea of how I trended throughout the day, overall.
4. I do not need to eat extra carbs at lunch to sustain me throughout my 4PM exercise. If I eat extra carbs at lunch, I go – once again – QUITE FREAKING HIGH and only drop about 50 points throughout my exercise. I guess my body is used to the exercise I’ve been doing.
5. Stress makes my bs rise steadily. This I already assumed, but now I have some definitive proof. Shitty for me, though, because I seem to be stressed out all the time lately.
I hated to give the Guardian back. The sensor died after exactly three days and I was in Wal-Mart with my fiancé when it gave its final beep. I looked down at the monitor, saw the message for a new sensor, and looked at my fiancé with a crestfallen look. He laughed at me for a good minute while I tried to “suck it up” (he’s trademark response anytime I start to look teary eyed). In a small voice I explained, “But I miss it already!” to which he replied, “so buy the damn stuff so that you can get that with the pump!” He’s all heart, let me tell you. I need someone like that, though, because if left to my own devices, I’d turn teary eyed at pretty much everything. I thought it was part of my charm, but he’s slowly convincing me otherwise.
I called the MiniMed rep to give him the green light for the pump, so hopefully I’ll make some progress and finally join the ranks of the blogging pumpers in the near future. I’ll keep you posted… you know… a week after it happens, when I finally get the ambition to write…!!!
posted by LaLa at 9:51 AM
3 Comments:
Sounds like a very fun experience to get to try the Guardian RT - now it will be hard to live without it! Clever sales strategy - I mean besides being all good looking and stuff... :-)
It will be fun to read about when you actually get the pump - we're all looking forward to it!
Any questions or anything just throw them up on the blog and we'll all come rushing to your rescue.
All the best!
Antonio Banderas's twin?
Good lord, woman!
How were you able concentrate on his "speal"?
Seriously though, good luck as you make the transition to pumping!
Scott - I can't tell you how anxious I am to start pumping! I've been reading other bloggers who use a pump, and I've developed some serious pump envy!!! haha
I'm sure I'll be plaguing everyone with questions once I start! Thanks for your support!!! :)
Sandra - it was rough, let me tell you...!! haha I'm really hopeful that I'll be able to get better control with the pump. From everything I've read on the blogs, it is definitely possible to achieve good control on a pump while also having a life!!! :) Thanks for the good luck wishes!!! :)
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