The Sound of Diabetes

I've had an insulin pump for almost 5 years now and although I have not had the same model, as I got a new one 2 years ago, not much has changed. I've always had a clear one, although I've always wanted a purple one. (Random fact: I love, love, love the color purple. But, I realized it was not practical to get a purple pump because what if it is out and I am wearing black, or blue, or orange? It would not go at all, which is why I got clear) Over the course of 5 years, I have always had my pump on vibrate.

When I first got my pump I thought if I had my pump on sound beeps rather than vibrate mode I would draw attention to myself. Therefore, I set it up so it would vibrate and have never changed it. The only time my pump beeps at me is when there is a low battery. I am aware of that noise, especially since it is the only noise that comes from my pump.

As you know, if you have been reading this blog, I"m teacher. Today during my first period class (literature), I heard the pump low battery sound. I was standing in front of the class and checked my pump; however, my battery icon was full. I thought I might be hearing things, so I continued to teach. Then again, 5 minutes later, I heard the same noise. I have a girl that has diabetes in my class, so I wondered if she was beeping for some reason. She is good about testing her blood sugar when need be, so I just let it go, especially since she looked just fine.

A few minutes later the students were watching a short video clip on WWII, when my student with diabetes came up to be and said, "my pump warning is going off. It says I have a low battery." I asked her if she had a spare with her supplies, but she did not. I got one out of my purse for her, along with a coin to undo the battery cap. She couldn't get the batter lip undone, so I did it for her. The new battery was in and no more beeping was heard throughout the day.

Sometimes it is nice to know that someone has the same things you need in case you run out. I am glad I had what my student needed.

Were you ever in a random place and needed something that someone else had?