Endo Follow-Up & Pump Demo

Zane had his regular follow-up appointment with his Endocronologist today at Children's and it went really well. As you may have read in an earlier post, Zane is no longer in the honeymoon phase of his Type 1 diagnosis and with coming out of the honeymoon and trying to adjust his insulin doses just right we ran into quite a few high blood sugars over the last two months, so I was really worried about what his A1C would be. At his last appointment his A1C was a glorious 6.9, an absolutely fabulous #! I knew this one wouldn't be as good, but I was hoping it wouldn't be too bad and thankfully it wasn't too terrible! His current A1C is 7.9! I wasn't thrilled about that number at first as I really do take that number personally (since Josh and I are the ones who manage of diabetes), but then his doc explained that it was a good # and that it is well within the range that they want a kiddo his age to be in, so it made me feel a tad bit better! Also a good nurse friend of mine at work who happens to be a diabetes educator explained to me that that is only a 30 point difference in his average of blood sugars from his last score and with the huge highs we saw here and there a 30 point difference in the average really isn't bad at all! Of course I am going to make it my personal mission to get that number back down to the very low 7's and that may be a little ambitious seeing as how we really are still learning, but I am going to do my best!

At Zane's appointment I asked about doing an Omnipod demo just to see if Zane could handle the bulkiness of it and to see what he thought about having it strapped to him 24/7. The nurse asked Zane where he wanted it and he proudly said "my arm, so everyone can see it", haha! He is very proud of it and has asked me all day today if he can show whoever it is we are with at the time! One thing we like about this pump aside from the fact its wireless (huge bonus to me) is that its 100% waterproof, most pumps you have to disconnect before getting in the bath or pool. Of course all of the other pumps out there are wonderful as well and just like the Omnipod they have pros and cons too. We are a ways off from actually getting a pump if we decide to do it, but at least we are taking the small step in the right direction. Insurance coverage for these puppies is not the greatest out there. Don't get me wrong...our insurance (and I've asked around and it seems to be the norm w/all insurance companies) covers 80% which sounds good in theory. This pump would cost us around $60/mo which isn't terrible, but we already spend almost $60 a month in co-pays on his insulin and test strips as is, so the additional $60 is a lot to take in! A pump is a luxury and not a necessity, so we'll see how the little guy likes it and go from there!

I'm so proud of Zane and how well he has taken on this new part of his life and I know that in the years to come there will be times where he may rebel and have some personal issues with it, but I really do hope that he always stays proud of who he is and proud of what is his life. Josh and I are doing the best we can to pave the road for him and we pray to God that he follows it! I've said this before and I'll say it again...this diagnosis is life defining, but it does not define who he is...he is still Zane!

Zane loves all of the crazy things around Children's:


Getting his "arm-hug":


This kid is growing like a weed!
Weight: 40.9 lbs (90th %)
Height: 3'5" (80th%)

Entertaining himself:


Out to Red Robin (his choice of course) for lunch after his appointment:


Landon was there too:


Showing off his "pump" as he's calling it:


Sporting it in the bathtub: