Running on empty

As of late diabetes has faded to the background. Not that it's any less work, but things have been going smoothly blood-sugar-wise. I've finally gotten out of whatever funk I was in for several months.

Earlier today I realized my pump was running low and, when I went to get more insulin, found that there was none in the fridge. Filling prescriptions is another of those diabetes tasks that must get done, but in my focusing less on diabetes, I had somehow forgotten.

Thankfully, I do have insulin in my backup pen. I ordered some from the pharmacy only to find they didn't have any in stock and wouldn't get any until tomorrow. And it gave me pause to think of what might happen if now, tonight, there were some major disaster that left me cut off from supplies. With less than a week's worth of insuiln (assuming I didn't run high), it would be cutting it closer than I like.

It makes me feel very dependent. It's astonishing to think sometimes of how a little handheld computer has kept me alive for the past year and a half. Without it, I would probably last mere days. And the insulin I depend on is available only with modern technology. Humbling, really.

I will fill my pump with half the insulin from the pen tonight (I don't like to have absolutely no backup so keep some in the pen), and will pick up my refill tomorrow. But I think from now on I will try to keep at least several extra cartridges of insulin around at a time, and try to order before I find my "insulin drawer" empty.