I Got a New Pump!

Hey guys!

So as you may know (or not; you may not have seen the post that I mentioned this in, so), my pump screen as well as my meter screen weren't working right (they were fading out all the time and I could barely see the screens in a well-lit room or outside), so I finally got over my anxiety and called Animas Tech Support to get a replacement pump. And I can honestly say there is a huge improvement compared to my old one.

The biggest difference as far as I can see if definitely the screens. I can actually see them now!

The first one is the new one, and the other is my old one. Both set with the exact same settings.

The one on the left is the old one, the one on the right is the new one. Both with the exact same settings.

Other than that, my new pump is exactly identical to my old one. Animas was very quick to have it delivered to me (took two days I think), and included return envelopes to send the old pump and meter back to them. So far, I haven't encountered any real issues with the pump, and it's looking good for now. 

I know, this post is pretty short, but I really don't have much else to say about it, so until next time guys! 

- Serena <3 

One Touch Ping pump by Animas Review

Hey everyone!

So, today I decided that I wanted to give my opinion on my insulin pump; the One Touch Ping by Animas.

I've had this pump for three years now; it's the first pump I ever had. My pump is black, and I use the corresponding glucose meter as well. So in this review, I will be touching on the pros and cons of the pump and meter themselves, customer service from Animas, and my overall opinion/final review of the machine.

Pros: 
- Waterproof
I'm not 100% sure about other pumps, but I know for sure that Animas's pumps are completely waterproof. That's an awesome feature to have especially in the summer time for beaches or pools. I haven't actually gotten it wet in the last three years since having it, but it's a relief to know that if I go to the beach, I can leave my pump on.

- The connection between the pump and the meter
I love that I can use my glucose meter to control my pump instead of always having to punch everything in on the pump itself. It's really great for when I'm wearing a dress or a skirt or if I just have the pump hidden away somewhere.

- The fact that it isn't a *pen* needle
Okay, this one applies to pretty much every pump on the market; the site change every 2-3 days (depending on your sites) VS the injections 4 times a day. That's a pretty sweet deal if you ask me.

Cons *These issues only apply to my old pump, because I did get it replaced at the end (I will be writing a post about that later), but I still feel the need to bring these up because I'm still not sure what caused these issues to begin with.* :
- The screens suck
If you plan on being outside 75% of the time, I really don't recommend this pump; you can't see the screen properly while in any well-lit area (like outside or in a well-lit room for example). No matter if you change the battery or modify the brightness settings, you just can't see a thing (and let's face it, that's pretty dangerous).

- Insulin delivery
This one kind of ties in with the screen issue, but I've noticed that while the pump is delivering insulin (especially larger amounts), the screen tends to fade (almost like it's going into 'sleep' mode or something) which, in my opinion, is a bit concerning because I use the glucose meter a lot to control my pump and then I end up uncertain if my full dose has been delivered or not, and when I press a button on the meter, if it wasn't done, it cancels the delivery.

- Diasend
Alright, so with this pump, you upload the data from the pump onto your computer with Diasend. I know I've personally had some trouble detecting my pump, and there have been times where I've had to try to upload the data several times due to it not working. I'm not sure how it works with other pumps, or what software they use, but I do know this one can be a pain in the neck sometimes.

Customer Service
So, for this part of my review, I will discuss how they handle customer service in terms of both ordering supplies and tech support. Let's start with ordering supplies. Now, I've never been the one to actually call to order the supplies (it's always been my mom who did that), but I know for a fact that they are typically very good at what they do and they usually have it shipped out and at your door in a few days. Now, as far as tech support, I have to say they are amazing. They are open 24/7 (literally, I called them at like 4:30 am once!) and they are amazing. They ask you follow-up questions after you explain to them what the problem is and they are very knowledgeable about their products (obviously).
Also, as you'll hear all about in my next post, I actually had to get my pump replaced, and they did it very quickly and efficiently! Both my new pump and meter were sent to me two days after I called them. They even include envelopes so you can send the old pump and meter back to them.

Overall Opinion and Final Thoughts on the Product
Personally, I find this pump okay, but far from amazing. I'm not a huge fan of it personally, and I do plan on changing it in a couple years once I'm able to. (probably going to switch to the Omnipod actually.), Although it does the job at the end of the day; I just don't feel like this pump suits me very well, and that's all there is to it.

So that's all for now. Keep in mind, this is all just my opinion, and you can take it any way you want to. Also, I'm not being paid by Animas to review this pump nor was I given this pump for free to review, I just wanted to voice my opinion on it and share it with you all. Until next time!

- Serena <3

A word of Introduction

Hello everyone and welcome to my personal blog "The Secret Life of a Type 1 Diabetic"!

I created this blog with the sole purpose of recording my personal growth/experiences while living with Type 1 Diabetes, and maybe even help others who are facing the same problems as I.

So, as a bit of an introduction, allow me to tell you about myself:

My name is Serena, I'm 18 years old and I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes ten years ago in January 2006; I was 7 going on 8 years old in a couple months. When I started out, I was on the injections ('Pen needles' I believe they're called) and I used them up until March/April 2013 when I got an insulin pump.

I had the NovoPen Junior and the Lantus Solostar pens

I currently have the black One Touch Ping pump

It's been a long and trying journey attempting to manage my diabetes, but I personally feel that all things happen for a reason and I was given this challenge to help me learn something (I'm still trying to figure out exactly what the lesson is!). At the end of the day, no matter how difficult I may feel it's getting, I need to try and remember what I just wrote.

So, this blog's main focus is living with Type 1 Diabetes and all the extra stuff that comes with it (i.e: stress, depression, blood tests, doctor's appointments, etc...). I do have some specific posts planned, but I'm not sure when I'll get around to writing/posting them; I'll do my best to make my posts frequent enough though!

That was all I really had to say in this post, so until next time everyone!

- Serena <3