Tragically my Dad died on Saturday 22 December of a heart attack. I am absolutely devastated and dont know how we will ever get over it. He was was the most amazing and fantastic, Dad, Grandad and Husband and will be missed by us greatly. I am due to go on the pump on 16 Jan but not sure whether I should go ahead with this or to put it on hold. I dont know if I can deal with it right now. I am so very very sad.
I am so sorry to hear of the death of your dad. Please try to keep your good memories.
Verity, my heart goes out to you. I am so sorry that you have lost your dad. I hope that he did not have to suffer at all (at least the lack of suffering is a little bit of comfort when you lose someone suddenly).
I will pray for you and your decision about the pump. The pump has helped me tremendously with keeping my A1C’s down and controlling my bg’s in general, and because it is so beneficial, I would imagine your dad (or any loving/caring parent) would say, “go for it!” But, if you don’t believe you can devote the attention to learning about it, then it might be best to put it off. On the other hand, it might be good to stay occupied and busy with it at this time. I know it is a really personal decision.
You are in my prayers.
Verity:
I am sorry to hear about your dad. I can tell by reading your words that you guys loved him very much and he was a really great guy!
If I may share my experience with diabetes after the passing of my dad (Jan. 2005), what I found was that it was very hard to maintain my numbers in control. I had a really rough time controlling my emotions (had ups and downs) and ended up going in for counseling. This is all part of the grief process and you need to give yourself the time for it, not repress it. I was still not on the pump: I was only doing Lantus and Novolog shots at the time.
Now, as for how his passing relates to the pump, it’s a tough call: the pump should help you controlling your BGs, however it does not work on auto-pilot. You still have to test, enter numbers, etc., i.e. it requires involvement on your part. And the coming months, understandably, you may be forgetful about things due to the sadness over the loss of your dad, plus the stress associated with it, is also bound to throw a wrench into the whole process.
My recommendation would be to hold off a bit on getting on the pump, if you are comfortable with doing shots for a few more weeks. Of course, if postponing it after Jan. 16 means you have to wait six months or a year, I am not sure if that would be the best decision.
Like Katie before me said, this is indeed a very personal decision.
You will be in our thoughts, Verity.
Condolence… I know how hard it is to lose someone soooo close to you… My dad passed away 10 years ago but it seems like yesterday he was still here… his memories is still vivid on my mind… And will hold on to it forever… his memories kept me going… I know my dad would not want me to be sad… I know, your dad would love you to be ok even if he’s with the Lord now…