Im sorry if i end up on a bit of a rant but I am feeling so down with everything Since going on the pump in August I have now gained a stone in weight and am the heaviest i have been in my life. I have spoken to diabetes nurses and although they understand i need to loose it they havent been able to provide me with the guidance i need. I am due to be a bridesmaid at my best friends wedding this year and i am dreading getting in the dress! Since gaining weight it has made me lack control as i know it is the insulin that has caused this, my sugar levels are now running at an average of 15 through out the day and understandably I am now feeling constantly tired and bad tempered which makes me awful company. I feel that i am loosing all control and although the complications scare me to death I am struggling to find the energy to to do anything about it and know where to start to turn things around. I know people will judge for being irresponsible with my control but I am hoping someone out there will understand and maybe be able to provide some help to get back on track.
If you were given a pump because your control was poor before (like mine was), then initially you will gain weight. This is because previously you were peeing out a lot of what you were eating. If you had better control than me, then you may be putting on weight because your basal is too high (making you hungrier, for example). The way to achieve the weight loss you want without losing control of your blood sugar is twofold. First, as the others say, get a really good basal rate - one which keeps your bloods steady between meal, not declining (I did love that declining thing at first but it does make you hungry between meals and makes you need to eat fairly randomly so you won't be able to lose weight). Second, work out how to exercise WITHOUT "feeding the insulin". For me this is the great news about my pump. Initially I put on about four kilos because my control was better but once I worked out how to decrease both bolus and basal rates so I could exercise without having to add carbs, I lost seven kilos. I am still planning to lose more. You need to look at the boards on exercise and pumping and buy Pumping Insulin by John Walsh, and Think Like a Pancreas.
If you look at the boards here, most of the stuff about exercise is written by (very nice) chaps, but they are not trying to lose weight so they often talk about adding carbs when they exercise. But what they say is helpful. You need to learn how much to adjust your basal and bolus for different types of exercise. It took me a few months to really get it right, but all that time I was exercising and my blood sugars were at least better than before, if not perfect.
You can do it. Don't give up. Your pump is much better than injections for this.
