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Accepted for a pump but which one

Kelsie

Well-Known Member
Messages
144
Apologies if this has been asked a billion times! I have been accepted for a pump as a result of my intermittent hypo unawareness and random high readings despite a v active lifestyle resulting in me feeling v unwell. I have been given three options of pump: cellnova, Roche or something else beginning with a M (long word!). Any advise or recommendations? I currently have the new Roche accu check glucose meter which is brill for the carb counting/insulin advise etc so I'm swaying towards the Roche pump but am open to advise from others! Thanks in advance
 
Great news that you've been accepted for a pump, don't know a great deal about the options available but the Omnipod always looks good to me as it's tube-free.
 
Cellnovo is almost tube free (about 3-4") and is the latest technology, all wireless handset etc, disposable reservoir and rechargable battery. Many of the others have been around a while now.

has a built in activity detector (accelerometer I guess), but not compatible with CGM yet. My choice when I came to it was either Cellnovo or the new Roche pump, but that's not out until next year so I went for the CellNovo
 
Thanks elydave..... I've just done some googling of the cellnovo and it looks really impressive, my DSN said that he's got a meeting with a cellnovo rep on Friday so will feedback to me then. I'm assuming you can attach it anywhere as normal with other pumps and not just the arm as shown in their video?
 
Can't offer you any advice on choosing from those, but just wanted to say YAY!!!! for you.
 
For me the key decision is whether you want a good remote, CGM capability (in the ~4 years you will keep this pump), or ease of wearing. The pros and cons of different pumps seem to break down along those lines.
 
I would certainly recommend the Omnipod, since switching from Medtronic to the Omnipod my sugar levels have been near perfect, there are no tubes to worry about since it operates by wifi and it's so easy to use.
 
Just my opinion...for a first pump, I would get the one your nurse/main contact person is most familiar with, because they will be very important for the first 6 months
 
To me I would wait for the new Roche pump... It has a great remote control which is far better than their current one for their combo pump. The combo meter had the equivalent of your expert meter, but it would tell the pump what to deliver via blue tooth connections).

The programming on the new pump for basal settings is fantastic.. Every 15 mins which no other pump compares to this.

Doses of basal can be done in 0.01 and 0.02 increments.. No other pump compares to this either.

Downside is that the cartridges will be smaller, but they are going to be preloaded in the near future....Which will be fantastic...currently accuchek pumps and cartridges are more susceptible to air bubbles but once the preloaded cartridges are available this should eliminate alot of airbubble probs.

Accuchek as far as I am concerned are superior with their advice and care and listening. Their training manuals are excellent as well. I know that a gentleman from accuchek actually flew out to Ireland to assist one pump user with problems....they make customer service a priority.

They haven't got cgm capability at the moment. They have concentrated on the mechanisms of the pump to get a patient to better their blood fine tuning with things like 15 min basal deluvery rather than other pumps that have less capability to fine tune the basals which is very important..

I apologise that I sound like I have shares in Roche or work for them.. I don't. I was a person that said I could never love my pump a few years back on this forum... But I do... And I am very, very pleased with the care from the Accuchek team. I can't fault them. I do love my pump and have been waiting since August for the new one to become available. Again accuchek were fantastic there, at giving a new pump over to carry through till the updated one came out. They didn't have to as the pump was still working...

I haven't tried other pumps because the remote control on accucheks lets me live my life fully without having to remove pump to bolus or make changes. I am rare that I wear pump on my arm under my clothes, so if I didn't have my fully functional remote I would jiggered...
 

Just an unrelated question about basal delivery and I'm sorry if this is a very stupid question- you say that you can change the basal rate every 15 minutes which in theory sounds great. I haven't started on my pump yet so don't have any experience as of it, but from reading think like a pancreas he suggests not changing basals too often as your body has a natural peak/trough only twice a day, plus due to small volumes of insulin infused it takes a couple of hours for a change in basal to have an effect?
Do a lot of people have many different basal rates through an average day?
I will be getting an animas vibe and through readiNg your praise of Roche and various threads about animas infusion sets and the most recent battery failings I'm a little concerned about my pump choice!!
Thanks
 
Accuchek currently have 24 one hourly settings. Each and everyone of mine is set different for each hour as I have huge DP if not and only being able to set up a 2 hour rate would not combat it so efficiently.. For me.

Sometimes if I finish my gardening work and test say at 3.30 and do a test my level will be 5.0. By the time I have had a chat with customer, pre drive home say at 3.45pm I will do another test. My levels change up in 15 mins of talking.... It will allow me to fine tune more to stop the raising in those 15 mins...this is just an example of how I hope I will be able to fine tune my levels. If you eat at the same time each day you would also be able to increase the basal for the 30 mins which your levels go up prior to the bolus kicking in.. Again fine tuning, but for me it will be wonderful.

The artificial pancreas systems that are being trialled do not work on 2 hourly or one hourly basal rates being set..as the current pumps do they are effectively fine tuning the insulin delivery to more efficiency which is what the new pump from Accuchek will give.

I think personally that Accuchek fine tuning capacity will make a difference to me. Previously for DP because my insulin requirements were for more than 1 unit an hour you could only increment by 0.05 now it will be 0.02 increments which again for me will allow even better fine tuning.

It's all up to individuals, some won't get jumps from 0.45 an hour to 1.05 for when they get up in mornings and then currently I progress hourly upward until my physical work clicks in.. Then I drop hugely....

People are all individual. Some people have over 2 units an hour going in.. Some have 0.2 to 0.7 for example.

You won't know how much you will be needing now or what your peaks and troughs will be. There are ways to guestimate what levels you will be set up on.. Mine was a dead flate rate for 24 hours initially and every hour needed tweaking, which is why I am glad I had the roche pump and why I will wait for their new one.
 
Don't be concerned.. Pumps are excellent no matter what one you have. They all have good and bad points about them....

Accucheks downside is no cgm capability....

Don't forget many pump users don't come on this forum so these are just a few from thousands of peoples opinions....
 
Going back to peaks and troughs... For basal rates... I have a sendentaey get up at 4am and thats my first peak. If I then get stressed doing computer work for my PPG otlr my accounts sutting down then my levels go up. I go out about 7.30 ish, but this again changes with the darker mornings etc. i start my physical work somewhere between 8 and 9am and then my requirents drop. More so for every hour that I work physically...
I work physically until about 5pm, but some of that is driving, hoovering, diy etc so then my basals change again because the work isn't so radical. Then they gradually climb towards bed if I'm computering.. Then pre 3am they start to reduce....

I'm just one example and this is just a rough guide.... As to how my levels change.

People with less activity and more sat at desks and calmly watching tv may have less requirents to change their basals than me....

We are all different...
 
Wow you are very knowledgable and in tune with your diabetes! Thank you very much for your advice! I hope that I too will become as in tune with my body as you are and am counting down the days until I can stop injecting myself 5 times a day and push my pump buttons instead! Hopefully then I'll see a reduced hba1c and less swinging from low to high.
In my line of work stress levels can vary greatly from day to day and physical activity also varies greatly- from what you are describing i hope that multiple basal rate changes will work as well for me!
Thank you again for the insight- very helpful
 
Don't worry @nikkid. There are some challenges with any pump but the great majority of pump users overcome them and think it is well worth it.
 
Thank you everyone I'm looking forward to not having to inject at least 5 times a day too!
 
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