Advice needed - what to do at work!

If I was being given the chance of a pump but was worried about the time off I would use my holiday as in the long run the pump should help manage my diabetes.
However T1 is protected by law and you should be entitled to time off for appointments.

Personally I would take my AL, especially given the fact it is a new job and they have been good so far. I know you may be entitled to it all under the Act but you don't want to push it too far right at the start or maybe take 3 days AL and they give you the other two. I would word it to them in a half & half way so they know you are being as flexible as you can.

If I was a working T1 and offered a pump, I would take paid / unpaid annual leave.

@Becca6510 - what training are they planning on putting you through? A week for a pump seems like overkill, as it's normally one 3 hour group appointment for pump start, and the second two weeks later to make sure it's all going well in our area.

tim2000s said:

@Becca6510 - what training are they planning on putting you through? A week for a pump seems like overkill, as it's normally one 3 hour group appointment for pump start, and the second two weeks later to make sure it's all going well in our area.

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That’s pretty much what I had too!

Mel dCP said:

That’s pretty much what I had too!

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Me too.
Unless you include the compulsory DAFNE course?

@Becca6510 I have to agree with @tim2000s.....what the bleeding hell are they doing in the week of training. I recently (February) went on the pump. I had a 3 hour appointment on the first week and given the pump, with saline for a fortnite, then had another 3 hour appointment to give live with insulin, then 2 weeks later a follow up appointment to make sure I was doing ok. I have had a few phone calls off my DSN to make sure I was happy and all is going well

I went onto a pump 18 months ago
Diabetic Nurse appointment 30min
2 weeks latter
Diabetic Nurse Appointment 30min
Dietician specialist in Diabetes 45min
4 weeks latter
Diabetic Nurse appointment 1hr fitted with pump
Job Done
I do however live in Australia

I'd take it as annual leave. A week is a long time and I'd be concerned about what I'd do if I had a serious health event and needed to take more sick leave and then ended up going over the company sickness policy.

Second other commenters in wondering WTH you need a week for though - mine took 2 afternoons over a week.

Blimey. They seem very... thorough! A pod chamge is just the same as sticking the first one on, the control unit guides you through it - it takes a couple of minutes and is very simple. No reason why there would be all that rigmarole, they seem to be turning it into a bit of a three ring circus tbh.

Becca6510 said:

I agree! Did you have to fast and wake up in middle of night when you first started?

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No, but I had a lot of info ready for them so we could set up a pretty good basal programme together.

I got my pump a few months ago and it was worth the wait. The only trainig we had as such was half day followed by a 3 hours session a week later. Then a 2 hour session a month later and final 2 hour session after 3 months

A week does seem excessive

There are plenty good videoas on Youtube if you maybe want to do some background research before you go.

As a compromise could you maybe do a split shift at work, maybe work a weekend, to make time back. If not it may not be ideal but, but taking even some as annual leave as it is soo worth it.

It is however not a walk in the park. There will be lots of adjustments to make to dosages until you get it right. 3 months down the line I am fairly settled but do still keep making minor adjustments fairly regularly

Becca6510 said:

I agree! Did you have to fast and wake up in middle of night when you first started?

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Agree with the comments re the thoroughness/overkill of the week off!
I assume the purpose is to get the basal rate correct hence the need for fasting and checking levels at weird times.
It is great to have the right basal rate and I've worked this out for myself. Recently having a freestyle libre has helped this process so I'd recommend this to help you tweak things going forward.
When I started 7 years ago they erred on the cautious side with regards to insulin amounts (you need less with a pump) and so I did not have to worry about hypos.
The week that is planned is not your normal life routine thus you may find that things will need further tweaking in any case. That said, if you decide to take that week I think it will get you off to a very confident start with the new tech which could arguably result in less time off further down the line.
I constantly feel guilty for taking any time off work for diabetes (and I have an excellent sick record) but then have to remind myself that it is a difficult condition that demands a lot of us as patients so perhaps we should not be afraid to ask for the support we need to make us healthier for the long term.

The first night I used insulin in my pump, I was asked to wake and test every 2 hours. Had to because my basal rate ended up being too high with the improved absorption with the pump. After that, things became normal very quickly.

I guess the reason for the prolonged planning and waking in the middle of the night is to set and test the basal.
If you have a chance for a Libre beforehand, you can use the metrics from this to see your trends. I had recently trialed a CGM so had this data which eased me into the pump better than I have seen with others.
Use a Libre (or CGM) during the start of the pump will also help with tweaking the basal.

However, doing all this during the first week of a pump seems a little risky. I was using Lantus I started the pump. Although it loses its potency within the first 24 hours, I was told (and experienced) that there is a residue of Lantus (and probably other slow acting insulins) in your body for up to 4 days which, obviously, will impact your BG when you first start using fast acting insulin for basal.

Also, if the period of "settling in" with the pump is not your typical week, there is a the risk that you do not account for normal periods which will raise your BG (e.g. if work is always stressful, you will miss this) and reduce your BG (e.g. if you cycle to the office, this will be missing from your set up time). On top of all this is the stress of starting a new pump which, for me, would be exaggerated if I was given the added stress that comes with being told I had to take a week off work - it gives the expectation that this is going to be really really tough.

@Becca6510 if you get the chance, I would encourage you to talk to your diabetes team about your concern regarding taking a week of work and find out if they could reduce the impact on your work ... and life.