Slave to Diabetes

D sucks. It sucks in lots of ways. It sucks when you are trying to play raquetball but your blood sugar won't cooperate. It sucks when it spikes like crazy in the night prompting many sleep-interrupting trips to the bathroom. It sucks when you watch kids and adults alike stare at the CGM on your child's arm.

Diabetes impacts us all in so many ways that it's almost impossible to list them all here. One of the indisputable facts of life with diabetes is that I will always be a slave to group health insurance. Don't get me wrong, I am not necessarily an anti-insurance company type, and the coverage I have now is great. But the simple fact remains that I will never be able to go out on my own and open up my own restaurant, or become an author, or a world traveler. None of those things offer a reasonable chance at group health insurance. In other words, I will always be somebody else's bitch.

I also wonder what will happen one day should I need to re-enter the job market. There may come a day that my 8 year stint in the car wash industry will come to an end. What do I do at interviews? Should I stash my pump? Tuck it away inside my pocket? I have a very strong feeling that even a company that makes its money selling products to diabetics would hesitate before bringing on a type 1 with a type 1 child. I honestly can't say I would really blame them.

Myself and two other guys are making a strong run at purchasing the three car washes that I currently manage for a living. They have the money, and I have the experience. I insisted on a group health plan, and I can only imagine what our rate quotes are going to be when they find out there are two type 1 diabetics in a group of maybe ten people. One thing I do know about insurance companies, they are going to make their money one way or another.

If I seem unusually cynical, there's a really good reason for it. Trust me.

The Name Game

I've been fascinated by the array of options given to me to name my pump. I was kind of leaning toward Atlas, but when I look at my little device clinging to my belt "Atlas" just didn't seem quite right. Therefore I went out on my own and came up with a name for my pump.

Achilles.

I think it's appropriate don't you? Achilles was a powerful warrior that was suceptible to wounds in his heel. Now I may not be a powerful warrior, but I can be quickly taken down by a wound to my pancreas.

Since I decided my wife wouldn't really appreciate it being named "Angelina," I chose something that she would probably like. Thanks to all that entered the contest! No pens for you!

What's in a Name?

Yesterday Kerri was showing off where she hid her pump inside her wedding dress on her wedding day. I left a comment that finding her pump was like playing "Where's Waldo?" Long story short, her pump is now named Waldo and Michelle posted a hilarious picture of Kerri's newly named pump. I suppose that sort of makes me Waldo's Godfather. If Kerri were Jewish, I guess I would have to hold it during its Bris.

That brings me to this. How many of you name your pumps? Emma likes to call her pump "pumpie." No points for originality there, but what can you do, she's only 3. I seem to recall there being a thread at CWD about naming pumps. I have made the offhand comment that I named my pump "Angelina." I don't know that my wife would appreciate that too much, so it can't really be named that. I suppose I could name it after a pet, or a celebrity, or a sports hero. My pets' names are Eclair and Genevieve, and I don't want to offend one or the other. I really don't know. It's kind of a big decision to name your pump. It's sort of like your pet rock or that awesome pen you stole from the UPS store 6 months ago, except that losing the pen won't kill you or cost you $6,000.

Therefore I am throwing open the doors to anyone that wants to name my pump. The best suggestion wins a pen from the UPS store.

A List of Reasons Why I am Stupid

Bear in mind that this list is not all-inclusive. Feel free to add additional reasons in the comments section.

1. I'm afraid a shark will eat me in swimming pools.
2. Until a year ago, I didn't know where hay came from.
3. I speak before I think sometimes.
4. I turn down the radio if I am low on gas or lost.
5. I went through THREE sensors on Emma before Amy reminded me, via telephone, that you can't put IV prep on before you do a sensor.

That last one is the big one.