Approved and Applied
Wednesday, July 21, 2010 at 10:12AM When I was sitting in the airport in Orange County getting ready to board the plane, unknowingly beginning the worst trip I have ever taken, I received a phone call.
“Hello,” I answered.
“Hello Mr. Simons?”
“Um, Simmons, yes this is George Simmons.”
“Oh Mr. Simmons. This is [insert the first name you think of] from Medtronic and I wanted to let you know that you were approved for the upgrade on your insulin pump.”
“Great! That is great news. I am just about to board a plane [the plane ride from Hades] so I just have a few minutes,” I did not want to miss my chance for my carry on to have a spot in the overhead.
“No problem, I just wanted to make sure we can go ahead with the processing and make sure it was a go with you.”
“Yes! Let’s do it!”
So after a few other things like payment plans and all that, I was off the phone and on the plane happy my day [soon to be ruined] had started off so well.
Skip ahead to Monday afternoon. On Monday I met with my pump trainer to get all set up on the Revel. It was cool since she was the one who got me started on my first pump and on the CGMS. We felt like old friends, not to mention she is a type 1 with 17 years under her belt. Needless to say, our training sessions are always filled with lots of “I know what you mean” and “I hate that too!”
We got the pump all hooked up with my setting and went through some of the new features. Granted most of them did not change much but some of the stuff is cool.
They have some Predictive Alerts that tell you when it looks like you are going to go out of range either high or low. Kind of a cool feature. Also, more info which I love with 3, 6, 12, and 24 hour graphs of your CGM. Very cool too. Not that I would use it but I like that you can dose a smaller amount of insulin for basals, down to .025 units per hour. This is good for real sensitive people. I like that.
All and all I am just thankful that insurance paid for most of the pump and that I am not covered under warranty again. Sure I am locked in for 4 more years but honestly, now that I have figured out how to insert my CGM for the best readings, I am quite happy with it.
Still no name for it though. I don’t think I am gonna name this one. It was hard saying goodbye to Master P although he did try to take me with him when he died remember?
Bah, who knows? If you have any good ideas for a name let me know. Maybe I will name it. Heck it’s with me all the time and at least when I yell at it I can call it something.
Reader Comments (8)
Awesome, SuperG!
You can name it Katana... like the Ninja sword! You use your "sword" (pump) to fight the D-battle!
("Although shorter swords and daggers were used, the katana was probably the ninja's weapon of choice, and was sometimes carried on the back."- Wikipedia)
Cool! I'd love to upgrade to the Veo, just for the extra CGM graphs and predictive alerts. Although I've been using the 722 for almost 4 years, I've only had my current pump just short of two, so I've got a bit of a wait :-( I'd be interested to hear how you get on with it and how you find those predictive alerts.
I have yet to name my pump, too. I named my first pump (good ol' Charlene), but I haven't named any of my subsequent pump buddies. I'm not sure why - I should have a name so when it screws up, I can holler at it, too!
Cheeky...for always talking back.
I am also starting to get in the process of getting the Revel :) I am hoping my insurance covers it as well.
I think it's super cool to name your pump. I think the name has to come to you though. It'll seem more cool. Just my opinion.
Let me know how the revel pump goes. I hope it all works out for you. :)
Glad to hear that the process was pretty simple, and that you're up and running with it. Must feel good knowing you have warranty coverage again. Peace of mind is pretty important!
Just started on the Revel on Sunday. I get trained on the CGMS tomorrow morning. I like it, but definitely miss the higher bolus max of my Cozmo.
Yay for the pump upgrade. I hope you love the Revel as much as I do. The predictive alerts have helped me catch many a low when I'm dropping too fast for the CGM to keep up. I love seeing my active insulin when ever I want to. I love being able to set a different' high/low alarm threshold at night. I even find myself using the Capture Event feature all the time - even though when I first saw it I thought I would never use it.