Friday, April 13, 2007

Exciting news, tidbits, and a query

First - the news. I got my new pump!!!!! And even though all of the manuals and other things from Animas say I should not go ahead with pumping on insulin without official pump training – I couldn’t help myself.

My initial review: there are definitely a few more steps to accomplish some things compared with the Cozmo – but the screen is AMAZING, the food database is probably one of the coolest diabetes gizmos I’ve ever seen, and I love that mine was set to play the Mexican Hate Dance Song (I kid you not) as an alarm when I first got it.

More to come regarding the new gadget… Later.

Tidbits: This weekend should be fun. Although I have to work tomorrow, I’m hoping to get in some time in the yard in the morning. We’ve got a huge yard in our new home – and this will be our first spring and summer there – so I’ll be fixing up the flower boxes, using the rider mower that Bob’s granddad left us to mow our expansive lawn, and painting the farmyard style fence and the front porch over the next few weeks. I’d love to get started tomorrow – I guess we’ll see. On Sunday, Bob and I are going to Westerly, RI and Stonington, CT to just hang around. There’s water, some cool historical sites, and a restaurant he wants to check out there. Mostly, I’ll just enjoy the hour ride there with good music and great conversation and a hopefully sunny day with one of my best friends.

Finally - a confession - and the query... I’ll admit it, sometimes I wish I had a new face. I look in the mirror and realize I hate the size of my nose, and the set of my eyes, and my big horsey-looking teeth. I flash back often to when I was ten and saved about 5 weeks worth of allowance so that I could go to the drugstore and buy some Porcelana Skin Cream to get rid of my freckles. Even now, I’ve not abandoned the idea of some miracle substance being discovered that might rid my face of my sun spots.

This confession to tell you a bit about a woman I work with. She is helping us out with an auction for an event we’re doing this summer. She is frighteningly determined to obtain one item in particular for the auction. She wants to get a plastic surgeon to donate surgery. She told me the other night that she already has her heart set on being the winning bidder for this prize she’s securing. For an instant my mind blinked a “she’s out of her mind…” message… Then I realized, if I were in a similar financial position, maybe I’d not be that different. If I could afford to have my nostrils reshaped, my teeth veneered, the lines around my eyes ironed out – I just might do it…

So here’s the question I have for you – would you have plastic surgery? Is it a definite “yes” or “no” for you – would you absolutely love it or never even consider it? Or would you give it some thought - real thought - if you were in a position to afford it?

Consider this more useless data for my imaginary think-tank.

17 comments:

If not a mother... said...

Never would consider it. (Maybe would do braces, though.)

Christine said...

As you are one of the first people I know using the 2020- a query for you. On the 1250 when you use the bolus calculator it will make a recommendation, but the actual bolus amount defaults to 0.00 units instead of the recommended bolus. Does the 2020 do this?

Vivian said...

Nope, no plastic surgery for me, for two main reasons. #1 I hate that the world seems to be in a constant race to look like a barbie doll, the same barbie doll as everyone else. #2 We look like our people. I personally would never want my children to have surgery someday to get rid of the nose from PaPa or the freckles from great grandma, etc. I like looking into the face of someone and recognizing similar features, there is a comfort of belonging.
Ok, you probably think I am nuts now so I will hush. ;)

Johnboy said...

Congrats on the new pump, N! Hope you have a great time just hanging out together.

I remember not liking my curly hair as a kid. I went out and bought some greasy stuff to try to make it straight. At the same time, other people with straight hair were out getting perms. i finally just accepted it as me. No, I wouldn't do the surgery. I agree with a lot of what Viv said and don't really thing she's crazy at all. ;)

Nicole P said...

Yes. It's annoying that it defaults like that, Megan. I'm going to call Animas and give them feedback.

Vivian - Actually what you've said makes sense. When it really came down to it - I probably wouldn't do it. But I am one of those people who would think about it - I think.

I love what you say regarding the history in my face. That's such a nice and refreshing perspective. The next time I look in my mirror and see the whispers of my now gone nana and papa - I'll certainly think of this. :)

JB - Yay new pump! It's so awesome. I too was the natural curly kid in the garden of perms as I was growing up. I tooo wanted straight hair... Weird, I guess. You know. Somedays, I feel very much at home in this body and love it lots - and others, well, I'd like to change everything...

I do think Viv is a little crazy, but not because she said what she said... ;)

Penny Ratzlaff said...

Nicole,

Riley's pump (an Animas) was set to play Fer Elise as his alarm when he got it. (And, I've never changed it)

And, no plastic surgery for me. As a nurse, I see too many things go wrong in surgery. Too many infections after surgery. Plus, the risk of throwing a deadly blood clot after surgery. Nope, only medically neccesary surgeries for me.

Chrissie in Belgium said...

Nicole - I wouldn't THINK of having plastic surgery. You are who you are and it is not the exterior that is important. Look at a person's eyes; they reveal a lot more. Look how a person moves his/her body - this says so much. MAYBE even listen to what comes out of a person's mouth. You cannot trust everything that comes out but if you pay attention you can usually decide if perhaps truth is being expressed. My Mom dyed her hair from when she was in her twenties because that is when it started turning gray. I always thought that was stupid. Finally when she was I think 78 did she agree that this WAS stupid. Colored hair no longer fit her face! You cannot change one little portion of your body. It is the whole that speaks.

I am happy for you and your new pump. Does it help you with proteins, or only carbs? I have so much trouble with proteins and my carbs digest slowly b/c I usually pick such carbs and if you add a little fat that extends the time period even more. Maybe I just am so UNTRUSTING in everything. So how exactly does the food index work? Like do you pick a big banana and it says the carb count? Or do you have to have the weight of the banana. What about the fact that a really ripe banana has more carbs than an unripe one..... These teeny little things definitely mess up calculations so to feel good and to avoid all the weighing of food I just eat the same breakfast and lunch every day. I have my set dinners which I know how to handle. I LOVE what I eat for lunch and breakfst - peanutbutter sandwiches! I chose to do this so I am not grumpy! And I feel better this way! I just wonder if I really could keep a good balance and eat different things if I had such information available in my pump?! It would be cool if it worked. But maybe not b/c who wants to think about food every second? You eat to live, not live to eat!

Nicole P said...

I should probably make it clear that I am not considering plastic surgery - not only because of the cost... But if money were not a factor, I do believe I'd be inclined to think about it... Of course, if diabetes were also not a factor and the possibility of death by infection or other go wrong I'd also be inclined to think of it...

Maybe I put the question wrong... Hasn't anyone out there EVER thought about changing the way they look in a drastic, noticeable kind of way?

Thanks all for your pump congrats... I'm so excited!

Penny - I'm leaving the hat dance... I love it. I feel like someone at the pump company new I would appreciate it... :)

Chrissie - the new pump has a list of foods - you go in and choose what you're going to eat. Mind you - they are all the basics - I think there are 500 in all. There are even some restaurant/fast foods in their - you can make a meal of up to 8. The serving size, amount of carbs, protein, fiber and fat in the food is listed; you need to tell it how many servings you'll be eating. It makes a suggestion - I believe based sheerly on the carbs - you have to make the decision about the "type" of bolus to give. It is really neat - and my after meals bloodsugars have been very good... So I guess we'll see :)....

Chrissie in Belgium said...

I must say the food info sounds interesting. The thing is that since I got my pump I feel so much better, mayber simply b/c I had been wrecking my body for so many years before. This phenomenol improvement in how I feel is SO important to me that I don't want to loose it, and that is why I WANT to keep my D under good control. I think b/c the body slowly gets use to high bg values you slowly forget how a body SHOULD feel! Anyhow your new pump's food base sounds really use-able. Keep us informed. Unfortunately here in Belgium you do not really pick your pump type, you get the one used by your hospital, but you can pick your hospital. There are very few pumpers in Belgium - less than 1000 so very lttle is available to us. We are not of interest from an economic point of view! Interesting what you saw with eye color and D. Gosh, I am kind of weird again having green eyes!

Shannon said...

I wouldn't get anything done to my face, but definitely to my tummy. A nice little tuck should do it.

Unknown said...

I don't think I'd get plastic surgery, but if money wasn't a problem I might consider getting laser treatments for acne scars or having all the hair on my legs lasered off.

But as for anything related to cutting or tucking or tightening, no thanks. Just watching it on TV creeps me out!

Nicole P said...

Hannah - I will be sending your new serter today or tomorrow. Sorry for the delay - I keep forgetting! :) N

justme said...

i have had one surgery. i don't think any other has seriously crossed my mind - but then financially it cannot cross my mind! but a little flattening may have creeped in. my previous surgery (nearly 12 years ago now)was a breast reduction, and i have absolutely no regrets about it.

Major Bedhead said...

I'd consider it. Not to change my face, but five pregnancies have definitely taken a toll on my body. That said, if I did have the money, I could probably think of about 8 gazillion things I'd rather do with it.

Sasha said...

I would never consider it, unless of course there was a real need (after some terrible accident or something). It'd just wouldn't be me. I wouldn't recognise myself and that would feel very weird and unnatural. I wouldn't lie, there're a couple of things that I would have changed about my appearance, but I'd rather be me.

Bernard said...

I wouldn't do plastic surgery. When I look at my face I see all the imperfections and things that could be different.

However my wonderful wife loves me just as I am - so why change.

Also, if I were to change, what would I want to look like? And then, what will stop me from looking in the mirror a few years after surgery and say, oh no I should have done xyz. I think I'll stick with what God gave me.

Lyrehca said...

Cant believe Shannon and I are in the minority, but if money wasn;t an issue and I could be guaranteed of no problems, I'd suck the fat out of my stomach in an instant.