I’ve Met Someone Else

When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes back in early ’20, I was briefly introduced to the insulin pen (insulin injection device) from the comfort of my hospital bed and I knew from that moment on that we were going to spend a lot of time together. Or at least so I thought… Turns out that my newly appointed pen pal was disposable… Not at my will (because you can’t quit taking insulin as a Type 1 Diabetic!) but rather when I had finished injecting all of the units of insulin it held, I could simply toss it in the bin and replace it with its identical twin pen number 2, 3, 4, 5…..101. My bond with the pen was a pleasant one and we soon grew comfortable in each other’s company. Occasionally the pen would decide to have a go at me and deliver an injection in a tad painful way but I would always have to come back for more. Our relationship was complex and I have to fess up and say that I was the needy and dependent one of the pair. I will admit that although things seemed fine at the time, the thought of another plagued my mind.

This was an insulin pump. It wasn’t any old insulin pump however. This one didn’t require a belt strip to be worn externally at all times. This one didn’t have any tubing or wires connected to a cannula, secured under the skin to deliver insulin.  This one didn’t need to be taken off for water-based activities, like showering (I do this on the daily you know). This one didn’t need its cannula replacing every 2-3 days at a different infusion site on the body. This was tubeless, wearable and waterproof Pod which provided up to 72 hours of non-stop insulin delivery, combined with a touch screen and Bluetooth-enabled personal diabetes manger (PDM) handheld device. Behold: the Omnipod!

On the 14^th of December my usual 4-injection-a-day routine came to a stop and I became a wearer of the Omnipod after receiving training via zoom from the Australian HQ. I was very lucky to have gotten this pump and to have been trained in this type of way. Cannot emphasise how happy and grateful I am. So many people have helped in monumental ways along the way to get project “Antonia and the pod” moving and now it is in full swing. Definitely some more blogs to come as everyday I’m learning something new about the pod and myself.

Blood glucose upon publishing: 9.4mmol/L

Ps wishing you a very merry christmas!!