'Say hello to my little friend...'

You may have guessed it based on previous posts stocked full of movie quotes.. but in case it escaped your attention before: Yes, I'm a Movie Buff.

Love a good flick. Love quoting them. Classics like Caddyshack, Breakfast Club, Godfather Trilogy, Back to the Future Trilogy, and Scent of a Woman. All greats. Really, anything with Al Pacino in it is a necessary movie to own in my world. Gangster Pacino is especially liked, in roles such as Michael Corleone, Carlito, and you got it.... Tony Montana.

Pacino illustrates the point of this current post:

"Say hello to my little friend..."

Yep, that's from Scarface. The Movie. Classic role. Good stuff. Violent, but good. Gave new life to words such as, "cockroach."

Of course, Scarface has become the name of my Paradigm pump. Without a cool name like Master P or Elvis or anything smooth like that, I've now dubbed it: Tony P (Paradigm) a/k/a. Scarface.

You can see why this is from the photo, I'd venture to say. Just couldn't pass it up, with the Tony P having a scar across his face. Not sure how it happened - stray doorknob. Rough play with the dog. Walked into a wall. Seatbelt buckle scrape. Corner of desk chair at work. Endless number of possibilities, stretching through the life we've led together. For several months.

Though I've been pumping for about 9 years now, Scarface is far from my first insulin-feeding device. We've been together since mid-2009, after my switch back to Minimed after a two-year run on the Cozmo. I'd foolishly abandoned MM a couple years earlier, looking for something that I just wasn't able to find in Deltec. Unhappiness. So, when the chance came to transition again, I leaped at it. Went back to the original.

Love my Minimed, and you can see we've been through a lot together in the past several months. Even has a scar across the face to prove it. But, it pumps on. Tony P has given me freedom and flexibility, as is the primary job duty for any insulin pump. There have been Highs. There's been Lows. Yes, there's even been blood. And anger-full moments when I've wanted to rip Tony P from my body and toss him against a wall. But overall, through it all, he's pumped well. I commend him for that. As a result, I've done everything in my power to prevent Scarface from falling victim to gravity and ending up swimming face down in any body of water.

Despite our history, our paths may soon be parting if the battery life has anything to say. See, Tony P has been gobbling up battery juice uncontrollably lately and I fear that he's nearing the end. Sad. But true. I understand that Animas has some type of "cosmetic policy" that allows a one-time change for appearances without any actual issue being a problem. Minimed doesn't have that, so this battery may be something that warrants a newer, younger version. There may be no other way than to retire him. Oh well. We'll see.

Regardless of how and when the final scene arrives, know this: Tony P will meet it with class. After all, his motto reflects how we've lived together: "The World Is Yours!"

Well said, Tony P. Well said.

Here endeth the lesson.

Comments

Amy said…
like the post...like it alot. Great job. Sometimes, I too feel like scarface...then back to reality!
Anonymous said…
Poor pump! I hope they give you a new one if the battery doesn't shape up. Batteries are expensive!!
I believe Minimed will replace your Pump if it is mal functioning- for free. Give them a call.
Anonymous said…
Molly: Thanks for the comment! Yes, Minimed will replace it for free if it's not working properly... Have had that in the past a couple times, and am leaning toward that on this one as it does seem to be eating up battery life too quickly. In instant case and typically, they go through the rounds to check and make sure everything that might be "routine" stuff isn't happening before they make decision to send a new one as replacement. I'd tried new battery cap they sent, but battery still doesn't seem to be lasting long enough - so looks like replacement is the way to go. Oh well. Bye, bye, Scarface!

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