Blue Monday: Go, Lil Pumpy

Since November is Diabetes Awareness Month and today is Blue Monday, I thought I would share some photos of the blue device in my bra that helps me control my blood sugar: my insulin pump. In real life, my pump does not have a name (I REFUSE TO GIVE IT ONE) but today it will be known as Lil Pumpy because A) it gives me a title for this entry and B) it made Kellie laugh last time I used it.

I've had type 1 diabetes for over 30 years, and after giving myself daily insulin injections for most of that time, I decided to go on an insulin pump about a year ago.

Meet Lil Pumpy. Notice how he/she/it is blue. Perfect for Blue Monday.



I put the pump on a hankie with blue flowers on but it was so sheer, you can see the pink gingham sheet underneath it.

The pump continually gives me very small amounts of insulin and that keeps my blood sugar on an even level. When it's time to eat, I can set the pump to deliver an extra dose of insulin to cover the amount of carbohydrates in my food, which is kind of how a pancreas works in a person without diabetes.

Usually, I wear the pump inside my bra, but I didn't want to show off my cleavage today so I clipped it to the pocket of my jeans.



See the tubing coming out of the pump? At the opposite end of that is a super thin needle that I insert under my skin (usually in my stomach but there are other places I can put it) using this springloaded gizmo I have. I can barely feel it going in.

I disconnect the pump when I take a shower but other than that, it's attached to me all the time. Something I'm still not totally used to, but it's not all that bad. I'm really pretty happy with my pump and wish I hadn't waited so long to get one. It has changed how I care for my diabetes because it makes it so convenient to take insulin. There's no longer the hassle of filling up syringes and finding a place to shoot up. (It's never happened to me but I've always heard stories from other diabetics about taking a shot in a public restroom and being accused of doing drugs.) Nowadays, I just push a few buttons and easily get my insulin.

When I was ready to take these pictures, I went looking for some more blue items to add. Let's pretend Lil Pumpy enjoys wearing a miniature sombrero while working hard to keep my blood sugar under control. Go, Lil Pumpito!



Be sure to see who else is joining Blue Monday hosted by Smiling Sally.

Blue Monday -- Button Jars

I've haven't done Blue Monday for awhile and really wanted to share the blue thing in my bra but then I remembered that November is Diabetes Awareness Month so I'm going to wait until then to post pictures of that. (Don't worry -- I'll keep them G-rated.) So, instead, here are the two vintage Ball mason jars that I keep my buttons in. I wish the blue in the jars showed darker in the picture. I swear they really are a pretty shade of blue!





They look a little bluer in this one. Both jars came from a flea market or antique shop (I can't remember which it was). I just wish the buttons were as vintage as the jars.



Thanks, Sally, for hosting Blue Monday! For links to other participating bloggers, visit Smiling Sally.

Blue Monday -- Dog Planter

Sally over at SmilingSally is hosting Blue Monday where you post something blue to your blog. I was going to post my animal planters this week anyway so today I'll share the only blue one. (You can click on the picture to see a larger version.)



Last month, and I don't know the exact date, made it thirty years since I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I spent over a week in the hospital back then, watching films and reading books and pamphlets about the disease, learning how to give myself insulin injections and how to follow a diet that excluded all of my favorite things: cookies, donuts, candy, regular soda, maple syrup, bubble gum and chocolate. A family that we knew because my sister and I went to school with the daughters and our moms were friends, sent me this doggie planter while I was in the hospital. It came with a small palm in it, which died years later because someone forgot to consistently water it. If you look close, you can see where I glued the dog back together after it broke when I knocked it off a shelf once.

I've held on to this planter over the years because I love dogs and after the palm died, it was good for storing pens and pencils. But sometimes I look at it and it hits me how long I've had diabetes. I honestly thought I'd live about ten years with the disease and that would be it. (Which makes you wonder just what was in those pamphlets I read while I was in the hospital!) Knowing that I've had diabetes for two thirds of my life now just amazes me and I'm glad I still have this little blue doggie planter to remind me of that.

You can see who else is joining in on Blue Monday here.

(For Connie, Randi, MaryAnn, Neil and Mrs. Hart.)