What time is your appointment tomorrow? I would like to pray during that time if you like.
Oh, thank you so much!! I think I misspoke- it’s Wednesday at 2::00 pm.
I truly believe God has been at work in my life, especially the cancer. I was diagnosed with stage 4b metastic lung cancer about 15 months ago. It was in my right lung, lymph nodes in neck,shoulder blade and brain. Now I have a tiny spot in my brain, a tiny spot in my lung and NOTHING in my shoulder blade or lymph nodes! My oncologist looked at my PET scan and MRI and said, “I think we’re looking at a miracle!”.
God is good!!!
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He certainly is! I will put the time on my calendar.
@boothompson, that’s really incredible news! I’m very happy for you. Thanks for sharing. I believe in miracles.
Miracles happen every day!! So grateful that God is with me!
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It’s almost that time! 
Let us know how it goes.
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Well. I pretty much just got more of the same yackety yack. She said a lot of nothing, as usual. Said my pump doesn’t correct me when I go high because I fake carbs! I didn’t do that until recently- because it wasn’t correcting me. Arrgghh.
Said the pump settings are okay. I told her the highs are unacceptable- I don’t even dare to drive now because of them. Got nowhere.
She tried to talk me out of going to the endo in October! Said SHE is an endo! I said “Really? Aren’t you a nurse practioner?” She admitted she is but added "I’m the endo department for this hospital ". Big whoop.
I told her I want to go back to injections. She wasn’t for it but I insisted. Not sure when/if I will but I wanted her to know I’m serious about not liking how things are going.
Long story short - I got no answers.
BUT - my A1c is 6.3. 'Course it was only 7.4 to start with but hey, I’ll take what I can get!!
Thank you so much to all of you for your prayers, advice and support!! And for letting me vent!! Greatly appreciated!!
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Wow. Just wow. When I read your first post, I did some googling in an attemp to find what patients can do when their doctor/medical professional won’t listen to them. Every article I read suggested writing notes so you don’t forget what you want to cover, and taking notes about what was covered - suggesting that the patient is the one at fault. If they’re was anything about filing a formal complaint somewhere (which admittedly might be overkill in at least some instances) I didn’t see it.
I do hope your oncologist is able to find some on else for you sooner than the fall.
I don’t know much about cancer treatments so I hope you will bear with me in what I hope is not an incorrect analogy, but - I understand those treatments are done in a medical setting. And you are having marvelous results thanks to that. Diabetes on the other hand relies primarily on what we do on our own on a day to day basis. We get initial pump settings or dosing instructions from our doctor, and work with them to make adjustments until we find the ones that work best . Those need to be tweaked as well from time to time, and initially that will be done on doctor’s advice but eventually patients can adjust on their own if they wish to do so. Patients on injections also learn to adjust those. Now that might take longer than the 6 months or so you’ve been on a pump but it is something to look forward to down the road.
I do understand and appreciate the time and financial aspect of what I am about to suggest again, but I do encourage you to contact Joslin. Yes, it is some hours away but you might find it a worthwhile investment of both time and gas money.
Joslin might look at your settings at your first in-person visit and recommend some setting changes then and there. As those need to be adjusted they could do it by phone. If I was having issues between visits I called my endo and they made me recommendations - no need to come into the office for that. Please at least give them a call and explain your situation - they might be able to make something happen for you, at least until you can see someone else in your area. The reduction of headaches and getting rid of those extremes (most of them anyway) might be worth it.
Hi @boothompson. Haven’t seen you since you reported in your visit so I’m just checking in to see how you’re doing. I hope you’re just taking a breather and relaxing. Hope your treatments are going well!
Taking a breath, deciding my next step.
I’ve been trying not to relive the appointment I had with her but it’s not working!
The pump data she downloaded said I change my reservoir and infusion set every 9 days - that’s not true - I change it every 7 days! No explanation from her.
She told me my glucose goes up because I don’t drink enough water - told her I drink about a gallon a day - well, I drink too much water!!
She also made rude comments about the endo that I have my October appointment with. By that point I was getting ready to leave and was so done with her.
I think my glucose will be better when I don’t have to deal with her anymore, LOL.
I did get her to change my prescription for test strips and lancets. She originally wrote it for me to test twice a day so that’s all my insurance would pay for. This pump has asked for a blood glucose check up to 9 times in one day! Now if the pharmacy could just get them in stock…
Quite honestly I feel better having got that appointment behind me - maybe my glucose will straighten out 
Thank you for your concern- I truly appreciate it!!!
I don’t have Medtronic’s pump but the 9 fingersticks per day and the mismatch in how often you change your sets makes me wonder if the pump is defective. Have you ever contacted tech support about those issues? If a pump is defective the company will replace it under warranty, although of course tech support will need to do a deep dive first.
I don’t know about Medtronic but most pumps recommend changing the infusion set every 3 days. I’ve worn them for 7 but the shorter time is recommended to reduce the risk of infection and prevent scar tissue from forming: the latter will interfere with absorption of insulin so it may not flow smoothly, and it could in fact cause delivery to stop if it’s bad enough.
What is the manufacturer’s recommendation? Your doctor can write a new prescription to cover the increased need.
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I have the Medtronic Extended Wear infusion set- every 7 days. I keep an eye on it, watching for possible infection- so far THAT hasn’t happened!
I intend to call Medtronic on Monday- we have our grandson for the weekend! I’m hoping they aren’t going to read from a script like they do when I call about failed sensors. That frustrates me so much.
I can’t believe I agreed to this pump without my usual research until the cows come home attitude!! I normally go soo overboard researching things, LOL. Oh well, live and learn I guess.
Have fun with your grandson! All the best on Monday.
Thanks! He’s 13 going on 30!! But he’s a great kid. Lives to hunt and fish - has had his lifetime license since he was 4!!
So…I’ve spoken with Medtronic three times. First two regarding the pump and all of it’s discrepancies, no real answers- they read from a darn script. The second time was tech support and they wanted me to upload to them - I can’t because my phone isn’t compatible with their app. They could send me a gizmo for my computer and/or laptop - I don’t have either. Sigh.
The third time I talked to them was yesterday - had to change my sensor. I had FIVE failures just trying to get the sensor loaded into the inserter! All from the same box/lot. The woman I spoke with barely questioned me about it. Got an idea they had a “bad batch”.
Anyway - nothing new, just waiting for October!!
Thanks for checking in - it’s been a while.
SMH. Are you going to go back on shots in the meantime? I’m assuming you have a dedicated receiver or can see your numbers on your phone?
BTW - Reddit has some lovely discussions about medical devices - someone on that site may have some success in a similar situation.
Unfortunately the only receiver I have is my pump. My phone is an old android and I can’t download an app for InPen or any others.
My cancer treatments are running us into the ground financially and I can’t afford a new anything! LOL
I’ll get through this because I have to!! Thanks so much for your support!! I’m going to check out that other site!!
! As I recall though you’re not in love with your sensors. You could always go back to fingersticks.
Hi @boothompson . Haven’t heard from you in a while so I wanted to check in to see how you’re doing. Are you holding steady as you wait for your appointment? I hope things are going well.
Hi,
I’ve been trying not to obsess so much about this pump! Not much has changed.
My October appointment has been canceled- the doctor is leaving the practice! Back to square one!
June 27th was 6 months I’ve had this pump. As of that date I have had 31 (yes, thirty-one!) sensor failures! Either they didn’t last 7 days (average 4) or I wasn’t even able to use them because they wouldn’t come out of the inserter or the plastic cover wouldn’t come off.
I have a call in to Medtronic to see if they will just take this thing back. My insurance will pay for Libre 3 and a reader.
There is still no rhyme nor reason to my glucose and how the pump handles it. I truly believe it is defective.
Life goes on!
Thank you for reaching out to me!!