Starting pumping

[cally]

I am getting my pump in september and am really looking forward to it.
One thing that is worrying me though is having to wear it all the time.. Also how long did people take off work when they were first connected up. Will a week be long enough?

 

[bonerp]

Eh take time off work??? About 3 hours for the appointment at the hospital when I first used it!!

I just chuck it in my pocket and in trousers and jeans cut a small hole in the top of the pocket to feed it through.

Ladies can get all sorts of extras like bra pockets and thigh pockets. For everyone else you can use belts and holsters or clip on pouches like mobile phone cases.

Sleeping took about 15 mins to get used to have it lying loose next to me.

When you shower take it off.

When I go swimming I always take it off and the cannula at the pool then fit another once I get home and dose up a bit to cover what i've missed.

For the first month I tested quite a lot, Like every 2/3 hours and I wanted to know what was going on. Keep clear records. My Spirit pump and BG meters all hook up to my pda which Roche provided so I can see trends etc at any time. Keep spares at work - saves you carrying loads of bits around. Always carry some glucose tabs - things wont be the same as before! Be prepared to get up during the night to basal test - worth doing!

Dont stress about it - its easy peasy and is so much easier dosing up than having to sneak off to filthy loos to inject!!!

Paul

 

[Nellie]

When I go swimming I always take it off and the cannula at the pool then fit another once I get home and dose up a bit to cover what i've missed.

You don't need to do this,. The Cozmo and (I think) Animas pumps claim to be waterproof and some people wear them whilst swimming, however because there was a problem with some Cozmos in the water (and an EU safety warning) my health authority (who pay for the pump) says not to. I don't know what the NHS advice is.
However the cannula comes with a little cover cap that you can insert before swimming. Take your pump off, suspend it and then put it back on after swimming. At the moment I'm doing this about 3 times a day!

When you first go on the pump you may find a reduced insulin need so its imperative that the first few nights you are prepared to test your levels as you may be going too low. (my original lantus dose was 16 units per day I'm now only using an average of about 11 units basal)

Eh take time off work??? About 3 hours for the appointment at the hospital when I first used it!!

This was completely different the other side of the channel. Pre pump the educator came to my house 3 times, first to choose the pump, (she left two different ones to play with) then to demonstrate the various insertion sets and I was tested to show I'd learned what to do. Starting on the pump took place during a three day hospital in patient course with 5 other people . A full program of info about the pump, carb counting, meals together with the dietician and a couple of long hilly walks to learn how to adjust for exercise. You were woken for testing at 3am each night. Actually it was a quite profligate use of resources, at one session there were 5 patients, 3 doctors, 2 nurses and a dietician.

 

[cally]

Hi and thank you for your replies.
I did wonder about swimming so am glad to hear its not too much of a problem to disconnect for a while.

I do think I will need to take some time off work as I have a very physically demanding job and spend a lot of time driving.
I will need to give the pump my full attention for a few days at least and I won't be able to do that while I'm working. It might be different if I had a more sedentary job.

Cally

 

[diabetesmum]

Just a note about being in the water for any length of time - my daughters have both found that the adhesive can start to come loose and we have sometimes had to change the cannula after swimming or a long bath.

 

[bonerp]

Hi and thank you for your replies.
I did wonder about swimming so am glad to hear its not too much of a problem to disconnect for a while.

I do think I will need to take some time off work as I have a very physically demanding job and spend a lot of time driving.
I will need to give the pump my full attention for a few days at least and I won't be able to do that while I'm working. It might be different if I had a more sedentary job.

Cally

Cally the driving yes I would be a bit worried about but you will just need to test your bs on a reg bases. If you you take time off work and do very little you will be in exactly the same position when you go back to work as you will need to adjust your basals again.
You I suspect would need a weekend basal and a work basal.
You won't get everything sorted in a couple of days though it can take up to 6 weeks to sort it all out.
Just make sure you have plenty of glucose with you at all times.
Most clinics will have you running a bit higher than normal to start with so no chance of a hypo anyway

I agree with Sarah, just run high for a few days and concentrate on blocks of the day at a time, ie breakfast til lunch, lunch till dinner etc.

Also if you have a demanding job and the weekend is chilled, you'll need 2 basal profiles. One lower for the working week and one maybe 20% higher for the weekends.

Alternatively you could set a temporary basal rate of 20% less for example, over the working day period. You'd just have to remember to set it every day. However I suppose its just the ssame as setting a different profile in that you need to remember to do it.

I'm suprised pumps dont offer separate 5 day and 2 day profiles that switch over at the end of fridays and back again mondays! My central heating does!
Paul

 

[Nellie]

adhesive can start to come loose and we have sometimes had to change the cannula after swimming or a long bath.

I forgot about this, i now use Tegaderm underneath and that seems to help a lot.

 

[miss e j]

It's great to see all the positive responses about starting pumping, but remember everyone is different. You may need some time off. I took 2 days off and it wasn't enough and had to take more. This was mainly because my training was very brief and poor quality, and because of cannula problems, which 6 weeks in, I still haven't resolved. That plus I was fighting off a cold, and suffering hormonal insulin resistance...The timing couldn't have been worse! I am getting there, though.

The other issue I was not prepared for was the emotional impact. Going on the pump brought back the trauma of my diagnosis (which was extremely traumatic). That plus living alone, without support, and a lot of fear - I felt I had to learn to fly a plane from scratch, while flying it. Thank god for the 24 hour helpline!

My advice would be: be nice to yourself, get as much support as you can, and don't beat yourself up if getting your doses right is tough - it will be - or if you find it hard, or emotionally draining. You may have an easy ride, and find your initial basals work well and your first type of cannula is the one for you - but we are all different!

Having said all this, on a good day my BGs are amazing, and I know it'll all be worth while in the end. I haven't once considered going back to MDI.

Good luck!

Emily

 

[cally]

Hi all

Well I have my pump I took two weeks off work which was just about enough. I wouldn't have been able to cope with the record keeping,testing and just being able to think about how to deal with situations while at work. I generally have a pretty good sickness record so didn't feel too guilty.

The pump is great but there certainly is a lot to learn. I have a medtronic 522 and already forget I am wearing it most of the time. I think the hardest thing is to get out of the type of mindset you have when having 5 injections a day, as its a whole different ballgame!!

Cally

 

[Stuboy]

hey,

Were you offered a selection of pumps? If so what were your options and how did you come to a dicision on the paradigm?

Good to here you're doing welll with the pump!

Cheers

 

[cally]

Hi
There are several reasons really,
I already know someone who uses a Medtronic pump and gets on well with it.
It seemed to be the one that the nurses who trained me were most familiar with.
I did have some concerns about its not being waterproof, but it seems that none of the pumps have been proven to be totally waterproof. I think I will be buying a waterproof case for mine for activities like sailing and taking it off for swimming. I have already bashed it on things a few times accidentally and it seems to be quite tough!

There didn't seem to be any pressure to choose a particular pump.
Cally