And so the cyborg-ification process begins...

Or, how I'm now semi-hooked up to electronic devices to control vital insulin delivery!  There's only saline in the OmniPod on my thigh right now, in order for me to learn properly how to control it, and live with it without knocking it off, and figure out where it poses a problem, etc etc.

I had my first training session on the OmniPod yesterday.  Basically, its a tubeless insulin pump.  One bit, the "Pod" attaches to my body, has a reservoir of insulin, and inserts a cannula into my body.  Every three minutes, it gives me a tiny "hit" of insulin, just like a working pancreas would.  If I'm exercising or doing something strenuous, I tell it, and it reduces the amount of insulin I get per hour.  If its time to eat, I tell it my blood sugar, what I'm eating, and it gives me the required insulin.  Its waterproof, and so far after a day of work, turbokick, salsa and floating around a swimming pool, I haven't managed to dislodge it!

It also beeps at me.  Do you know how disconcerting it is to have your thigh beeping at you??  If I alter insulin delivery, I beep every half hour.  Once I finish bolusing insulin for food, I beep.  If something's wrong, you guessed it, I beep.  If the Pod's about to expire, it whines.

Fortunately, that's where the remote control comes in useful.  There's no buttons on the pod, its all controlled by a small device about the size of a Blackberry which tells it what to do, and tells me what's wrong with the Pod.  Am only pumping saline solution so far, and will be untill this time next Wednesday, at which point I'll start the insulin, and things will get fun.  For starters, no more shots!! \o/