There are over 10,500 followers on the Medtronic 670g support page on Facebook which I am a member of. It’s a private group where people discuss the 670g system. Their technical issues with the device as well as challenges with being T1 in general.
Now that the page has so many members, there are a ton of repeat questions clogging up my newsfeed, in addition to some unnecessary complaining, horrid grammar (T1 does not discriminate), and some exceptionally stupid questions. I know, I know – but there are no stupid questions!
This is true, but also true is the fact that people have zero resourcefulness and are also very lazy. You have a manual, you have google. Try that first. That said, it is a support page and it is meant to be a place where people can feel supported, and can talk to other people, as opposed to read a manual, and that is nice. For me, it’s interesting to have access to people who are experiencing what I am because I’ve never had that in all my 20 years as a T1. Fortunately I didn’t NEED it, but it is nice to have now. And I have learned a ton from the group about how to work with the pump and sensor.
Sometimes when I post a question, it gets answered, but often, because there are so many people, my question gets buried among the stupid questions and no one responds. Not the end of the world.
My favorite though is when someone posts something like “My cat chewed through my insulin pump tubing! WHAT DO I DO?!” This reminds me of the story I heard years ago about some teenager who fell into a ditch and got stuck in there, and rather than calling 911, or you know, her PARENTS, she posted about it on Facebook.
Make good choices. Use your brain. Remove the tubing, replace it, and replace the cat too.
“My toddler won’t stop touching my pump! What do I do?” Be a parent and tell them to STOP TOUCHING THE VERY IMPORTANT MEDICAL DEVICE THAT KEEPS YOU ALIVE.
It’s not rocket science. (Also, I’m awesome at parenting cause I don’t have one)
Then there’s this – People are super excited to share the fact that they’ve received this “award” in the mail from their pharma company. This puzzles me. I feel like the reward for surviving with T1 is, well, still being alive. I do not feel like this is something I deserve a medal for.
If I get one, I’m mailing it right back to them because I don’t need extra crap in my house nor do I care to dump it in a landfill.
And also I prefer silver.
All this said, I have also learned that everyone copes with their conditions, T1 or otherwise, differently. One woman posted about how she was diagnosed as a kid and her mom never bothered to learn about the disease, and once she turned 15 the mom stopped coming with her to the doctor. Others deal with illnesses in addition to this one and that’s just unfair. Everyone’s support system, experience, intelligence level, problem solving skills, and coping abilities are different.
One of my coping strategies is, apparently, being a Negative Nelly about some things.
BEAN'S BABBLETORIUM 