I feel so proud of Ivy; those intraosseous cannula attempts (when they drilled into her shin bone) haven't really held her back at all! She had been making steady progress before she was diagnosed and the consultant said it would be months before she could properly stand and support her weight again, never mind walk, and look at her now, tottering around laughing at this new found skill. It must be so fun to all of a sudden see the world from a whole new perspective and height..and what height, she is so tall!
Her first official steps were taken in the garden, 6 of them took her from a flower pot to myself, the weather has been gorgeous for the past week; so warm and sunny, I love being outside with her, she loves the fresh air, the wind on her face, it always seems to calm her down when she is hyperglycaemic and distressed. It's a shame we live in Manchester, officially one of the wettest places in the UK which (until she can wear her wellies!!) prevent us from going out sometimes.
A hugely massive step forward this week has been the pump! After running high for over a month, the consultant decided that we needed to try a new tactic to try and rein in her erratic numbers and the Accu chek Roche Combo was the chosen pump. We chose it mostly because it is a bluetooth set up, once Ivy has the cannula fitted, the pump will sit snug against her back and we won't have to touch it to deliver her insulin! She can carry on playing and not even notice that we have done anything, we just program her carbs:insulin ratios, type in the number of carbs she will be eating, confirm confirm confirm and deliver. Done. Just like that! The consultant has assured us that it will make things better for Ivy and inevitably for us too, but it will give us 10 more things to think about. In my opinion though, getting my brain to think about a few more things, in exchange for my little lady feeling better is a tiny price to pay!
The biggest news of this blog entry is that as I type, I am wearing this pump!! Just using saline rather than insulin may I add.. Our specialist nurse thought it would be a good idea for both Sam and I to wear the pump for a couple of weeks and get used to it and really get our heads around the technical side of things before Ivy goes live at the end of the month. In a few days we will introduce her to the pump, starting with the noise that is made when the cannula is fired; she will wear some without a needle. She will also get used to wearing the pump, carrying it around, neatly tucked away in her babygro.
I was so nervous about today, I was gripped with this fear that we were doing the wrong thing and that it wouldn't be the right route for Ivy but after spending time with the pump nurse and using this little lifesaving machine this evening, I can already see that we won't look back. My T1 friend said some people wear their heart on their sleeve and she wears her pancreas on her hip...Ivy's will be gently nestled above that peachy little bottom, without an injection in sight!
Me wearing the pump!
