I know I can’t be the only one who is wondering where on earth 2014 went.  I seriously feel like it just began!  It wasn’t a great year for me but it wasn’t a completely horrible one either.  I still have much to be thankful for and look forward to in the new year.

One thing I am NOT looking forward to is a decrease in my health insurance benefits.  Beginning on January 1st, my coverage will no longer be 100% and I will also have a deductible for the very first time in my 16 year career.  While this may seem like the norm to many, and I am completely aware of that, it is a big change for me.  With that in mind, I made a decision a couple of months ago to change insulin pumps.  I was using the OmniPod for over two and a half years.  I loved it.  Had few issues and really loved being tubeless.  However, the cost for my insurance for a 3 month supply of pods is well over $1,000 more than traditional infusion sets for a tubed pump.  In trying to budget medical expenses and cut where I can, I decided to forgo my OmniPod for a tubed insulin pump.  I have an Animas Ping that is still under warranty but I don’t love it (it is the pump I used before switching to the pods).  I was using it for a few weeks and disliking the average 180 units of insulin per reservoir, the scrolling,  the battery changing and associated rewind and priming necessary with each change.  Since I was always interested in the Tandem t:slim, I decided to take the plunge.  It was an investment I decided to make out of my own pocket and since I couldn’t get a trial with one, I took comfort in their 30 day return policy.  However it has been about 2 months since I began using it and couldn’t be happier with it!

I set it up myself (and I do not suggest every person doing this) and it literally took about 10 minutes.  The priming takes a bit longer compared to other pumps but that is not a deal breaker for me.  I knew the touch screen was going to make operating it easier but I didn’t realize just how much.  I wasn’t sure how I was going to like having to charge it.  But this battery lasts forever!  And charges really quickly!  Other electronic device makers should take note!  I was using Apidra when I first started with the t:slim with no apparent issues.  However my insurance decided to change that for me as well and stop covering it beginning January 1st.  I asked my CDE for a sample of Novolog (the only short acting insulin my insurance will now cover) to see if it worked well for me.  It does so I switched that too.  All in all it’s been a good transition and I actually don’t miss my OmniPod as much as I thought I would.

My last endocrinologist appointment went ok.  It was rather short lived since she was called out for a consultation with another doctor but she did say I was easy 🙂  My A1c is stable and the rest of my blood and urine work were all normal, thankfully.  I have an appointment for some bladder test that may reveal another complication but more on that next month.  My last retina specialist appointment went well and showed no evidence of macular edema or subretinal fluid which was music to my ears!  That means my retinopathy has been stable for over 3 years thanks to Lucentis.

December 24th marked 33 years of T1D for me.  It’s hard to believe that much time has gone by but it came with very mixed emotions.  Over the past few years I’ve had a few things start to turn up which get me down from time to time but overall I’m still doing well and am very grateful for that.  And that is what I need to concentrate on.  To keep it that way 🙂

I want to wish all of my readers and friends very happy holidays.  I wish you all a healthy and happy new year.