So I’m a Type 1 Diabetic since 2 years ago when at the age of 32, I was diagnosed with this diease. Just when you think you have enough to handle in your life (work, kids, husband, friends, family), you get one more thing. My thing…breast cancer.
So since there is like zero information on the web concerning diabetes and breast cancer, I will try and post as much information as I can here to help.
I have had one MRI so far and please know that you do have to take off your pump (if you wear one) for that. Right now, I’m curious as to if I can wear the pump during surgery. I’m sure I can, just want to make sure I don’t go to high or low.
So as I begin my journey with breast cancer while controling my diabetes, I’ll make sure to blog here of all the ups and downs.
Hi Melanie! I’m so sorry to hear of your recent diagnosis…
It would be great if you could blog about your experiences and I hope that you will find others who can relate! I will follow your blog and hope that everything goes smoothly!
Melanie, I have had two surgeries in my 18 years as a type 1 - one with pump and one without. The first (in 2001) was an appendectomy and the nursing staff disconnected my pump, later telling me that they didn’t know how to work it. I was in the 300s when I awoke from surgery and had to call my endo to come wrestle it back from them. He made me answer a series of questions to prove to them that I was lucid enough to monitor my own insulin needs while in recovery and they gave it back. That’s what the whole issue came down to. The staff could monitor my BG levels and administer insulin shots in the manner they were trained in, but it was another thing altogether to understand my pump user interface and make the right judgment calls without my help. The next time I had a surgery, which was a minor outpatient thing about two years later, I knew better and discussed it with my surgeon beforehand and got to keep it on.
So, from my experience, it’s going to depend more on how long you’re going to be in recovery and how comfortable your nursing staff is with insulin pumps, I think. Perhaps shots during your recovery period would be better. But discussion beforehand goes a long way. I had just never thought to ask. Is your husband or someone who will be there with you comfortable discussing or monitoring your pumping with nursing staff? Is there some kind of documentation about your basals/ratios/etc. you could make sure they’re provided with?
The community here will be following your story as you triumph over this next big hurdle, Melanie. We’re here for you in every way we can be. hugs
