Going on a pump tomorrow. Help with basal rates please

[sw11bloke]

I am starting on the Omnipod tomorrow.
Was wondering how to fine tune the hourly basal rates.
Anyone have any advice and tips?

Also do any pump users take weekend breaks off their pump?

Any single guys on a pump? If so, how do you deal with those situations where you meet somebody and or if you end up in bed? Is the patch a problem? Does it put any partners off?

Thanks

 

[mrman]

Alot of testing and recording initially starting on a pump. Your team should work out a starting point for your hourly rates. After that down to you and would suggest waiting at least 3 days after starting on the pump before trying out basal fasting to get hourly rates fine tuned. This is because you want to make sure your current long acting insulin is all out of your system. Can take a few days to completely clear out of you.
Weekend breaks sounds great,but no lol. Again due to your pump doing your basal. you can go a few hours at the most without it as a rule for excercise, bathing etc. if you were to go longer than that you would have to top up with qa boluses via the pen.
Not single so can't comment on that one but shouldn't be a problem

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[sw11bloke]

Thanks Brett. I have heard of some diabetics who use a pump mon to fri and then use injections on the weekends (mainly single young people)

 

[Engineer88]

why the hell would you give up a pump for injections? you must be mad!

 

[LaughingHyena]

I have to say I left the set up to the pump team at the hospital. I took in details of all my current basal doses, carb ratios etc. I was also asked for an average of how many units I tend to take in a day. From that the pump team worked out some starting rates for the pump.

I have heard of several people who take "pump holidays" for a week or two, usually it seems to have been when people are going on holiday and want to be in and out of the pool or other activities where you'd probably want to be disconnected from the pump for more than an hour.

I can't see that it would work to stop pumping every weekend though. I've been told to allow a few days for the Levimir to be completely out of my system before I can fine tune the pump settings. Doing that every weekend would not make either pumping or MDI easy to deal with. I'd also say I doubt I would have got pump funding if I'd said I was only going to use it part time, they did need to see that people were committed to pumping.

Is there something you want to do at the weekends where a pump would be tricky? maybe there are some other solutions.