Night time basal rate change.. the 2 hour waiting game...

Well, tonight is one of those nights.... the fist night after the changing of a night time basal rate... and it is 11:40pm and my son is 97 with .20 units on board.... seems simple.. kiss him goodnite and off to bed... well not quite..

I have an obsession.. as do many other pancreas parents... to protect my son from night time lows when possible... and well... this is a number that may be heading that way.. but not worth waking him up for a nite cap of milk... so I wait. My waiting game, gives me about 2 hours of ... well waiting, and wasting time. I suppose I should be enjoying this time, it is mine after all.. the house is quiet, everyone is asleep... but me... waiting, I am waiting. Before May 9th of this year, and since my son's diagnosis a year ago, I waited every nite... but then I waited for three hours, every three hours, and as I mentioned in an earlier post, the great endo nurse changed the ratios and now the pod/pump is doing more of the work than me... but when we make a change.. tonight it being a combo of a basal rate range, and a Correction factor change, and a really active late evening in the yard with friends and neighbors... I wait. Again.

I hope that those growth hormones that on any other nite, keep me up to bolus him, kick in and keep him hovering in the 'safe' zone.. because of ALL nites, earlier today, I took off his CGM and gave him the day off. For those who don't have one, or are not too familiar... it will vibrate to wake him and if that does not work, it will beep to wake me.. at a high or low out of range. Talk about piece of mind... well tonight, this mind.. has not much peace!

All I think about is imagining what is going on in that little body of his, and how will I one day figure it all out to pass the torch on to him, so he can sleep, with piece of mind, and not worry... and respond to his own needs in the nite.

So, as I wait... I write, and I wish you all a peaceful sleep tonight, and a bright sunny day tomorrow, with no night wakings, and sweet dreams (but not too sweet - we don't want to wake with a high ;) (cheesy I know, but seriously, who thought of that... 'sweet dreams'!?!? well tonight, as my precious son sleeps I wish him sweet dreams of about 6 carbs to keep him safe, and dreaming of a sunny day tomorrow.)

A Loop hole in getting a CGM approved!!! Try it :)

Well, I really am thankful to have good insurance that has covered , my son's supplies to date. They don't always right off the bat, but they do eventually.

I had a little help from a few key people before submitting my claim for my son's Dexcom CGM.. Here is the important key points to remember:

CGM's are new and may have caps (Such as $80 for users life in reimbursement) but as diabetics we have more of an unlimited resource for "Durable Medical Equipment (DME)" (Specifically over $399) (This is what I learned from the fine print) Sowwhen you file= remember= APPLY FOR COVERAGE WITH COOPERATION FROM YOUR ENDO FOR COVERAGE FOR YOUR DME (They will know the CODE for this) and the sensors should be claimed under the same diabetic injectables supplies that your pump sets or needles would be covered under.

Work as a team, and I know that Dexcom will work with you to get the approval.. we are still waiting, but have not had denials so far, and are waiting to get approval. We filed for reimbursement in May of this year... They have 45 days supposedly... but we have our fingers crossed, and I hope that the "check is in the mail!" so to speak! :)

If you need further info or specific codes because you don't have a saavy provider, please comment or email me, and I would be happy to provide these, I just don' have them on hand as I blog tonight :)

The CGM has been amazing for awareness for us all, and really has helped with allowing us to see trends most importantly...knowing that he is going up or down from even a great number, helps us to 'keep him in range' with foresight and insight.. rather than constantly reacting and having him bounce up and down like a ball in a box!

Good luck - and may the force be with you!

Your blog is like chicken soup for the soul!

I have to give kudo's to those other bloggers who I don't personally know, but that I feel really connected to. I love reading about your morning scenario.. about your daily routine, about the 'things' that happen during your daily (And nightly) lives and how diabetes entwines itself into it. We have the same morning scenarios, same big questions, same feelings and emotions.

I love your writing, and your antecdotes.. and truly sometimes your posts help me to explain things to my loved ones and friends - things I could not articulate myself.

Thank you, and keep on blogging :) I love every word of it :)