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another back to mdi

mrman

mrman

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,419
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Not posted for a while, so hi all. After reading @spikers post a while back I was already thinking of going back to mdi so, finally did and what a relief its been, no more cartridge filling, bubble problems, cannula insertion, battery changes, re programming hourly basal rates, wondering if cannula bent, and the list could go on. Eventually got prescription for pens sorted (another story). Did think it would take a while but, after 3 days back , (just over a week ago), readings all normal, if not slightly better. All in all , after 2ish years pumping thinking id never go back to mdi, eventually, it just got too mentally draining to the point I at least needed a break, but could be a permanent one.
 
Hi and welcome back Brett.

Such a shame it didn't work out, having a break will give you time to reflect on things and come to a long-term decision. Best wishes.
 
I really don't think I could deal with a pump, seems like more can go wrong than with MDI. Hope you are settling into MDI again @brett :)
 
Thanks teacher, there is more that could go wrong on a pump, but, for some the pros outweigh the cons, and, fortunately, mdi going much better than last time with a bit of extra planning and understanding.
 
hi brett
appt for pump next month with consultant

weird because for years i was anti pump -- like why fix it if it is not broken -- this was from an MDI point of view
will be interesting to read further replies on your thread
 
don't want to hijack this topic so just a brief reply--

i have had impaired hypo awareness the last few years and my A1c's all below 6% so consultant has recommended me for pump to hopefully smooth and lessen the lows
 
I know another diabetic who has decided to come off her pump too..........

I personally just couldn't even think about coming off it.......

I think, and some people may disagree, that a lot of people have been put on the pump without first being at the stage where they are ready.......

being ready for me means, being on MDI and attended DAFNE or similar, being able to show evidence of blood sugar readings, basal testing, tests to see how long your insulin lasts, sensitivity tests etc...

doing all of the above would be classed as trying to carefully and thoughtfully manage the diabetes to the fullest of you and your teams ability which is one of the criteria of getting a pump.........

we all know that countrywide meeting the NICE criteria is loosely followed, and why not, but I genuinely don't think some people are ready as they should already be knee deep in it all for a good while before even being considered........

this is not directed at you @brett as it seems to be an operational issue for you as opposed to the actual blood sugar control.........:)

are there any pumpers who could share their readiness upon beginning on their pump?
 
I am not on a pump, been on MDI for 26 years, but still have up's and downs and I have my diabetes clinic appointment on Wednesday.
Good luck with the injections, I hope it continues to work well and is more settled than the pump, it goes to show that a pump isn't the best for every user.
 
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novorapidboi26 said:
I know another diabetic who has decided to come off her pump too..........

I personally just couldn't even think about coming off it.......

I think, and some people may disagree, that a lot of people have been put on the pump without first being at the stage where they are ready.......

being ready for me means, being on MDI and attended DAFNE or similar, being able to show evidence of blood sugar readings, basal testing, tests to see how long your insulin lasts, sensitivity tests etc...

doing all of the above would be classed as trying to carefully and thoughtfully manage the diabetes to the fullest of you and your teams ability which is one of the criteria of getting a pump.........

we all know that countrywide meeting the NICE criteria is loosely followed, and why not, but I genuinely don't think some people are ready as they should already be knee deep in it all for a good while before even being considered........

this is not directed at you @brett as it seems to be an operational issue for you as opposed to the actual blood sugar control.........:)

are there any pumpers who could share their readiness upon beginning on their pump?
Click to expand...

I am currently on a pump “holiday” although my situation is slightly different. I felt completely ready to go on to the pump and had attended all the relevant courses and having been diabetic for 32 years was aware of how the condition needs to be looked after. The reason for me going on the pump was that my Hba1C was 38 and I have impaired hypo awareness as well as being physically very active so it was decided I could gain hypo awareness back (the rep on my induction guaranteed I would have it back within 3 weeks) as well as being able to regulate insulin does for my periods of activity and the fact I tend to “graze” when eating.
However I only lasted about 7 weeks and have had such a nightmare with it that I have come off. The problem with me is not the actual operation of the pump but the complete failure of the cannulas and also struggling with back up support.
To start with I fought an ongoing battle to just get the insulin in the correct bottle. Due to admin **** ups between my GP and hospital (none of which anyone really seemed to take seriously) I had to refill my old insulin bottle using Flexpens before filling my pump cartridge because my GP was refusing to change my prescription despite it being the same insulin. The problem I found with this (after having appalling control for over a week) is that the insulin tends to foam and even when you put the cartridge in the pump without bubbles they tend to then form inside afterwards drastically compromising delivery.
Added to this are the ongoing cannula issues. I have discussed this on the pump forum but the first type of cannulas simply do not work properly for me. I was given a box of different types which I have found more effective however I have still had 2 complete failures when my sugars ended up in twenties in the middle of the night resulting in a complete change of set at 4am in the morning. I also find they irritate me and can leave painful lumps under the skin. I have now run out of these and despite ordering a new set over a week ago (I have to order mine through my DSN and they then get processed by the hospital pharmacy and then to Animas who promise next day delivery but that hasn’t happened) they still haven’t arrived.
When I came off the pump just over a week ago my 30 day average according to my meter was over 12 and there were also numerous ones in the high teens and low twenties as well. I was getting frustrated and upset and simply lost faith very quickly in the pump.
I am going to persevere when my new cannulas finally arrive again and have had lots of good advice (from this forum) about ways to deal with these issues.
But it does seem that quite a few people are now not really finsing these as effective as previously thought.
 
It does sound like an awful lot of hassle and I'd be terrified it would stop working in the night or that something would go wrong (largely unfounded, I know). I guess I'm a control freak. I don't really understand why anyone would choose to have a pump if maintaining tight control and achieving good HbA1c results on MDI - but I fully appreciate it's a personal decision and that for most pump users it definitely does help their control,
 
I fill the reservoir of my pump straight from Flexpens. Instead of drawing the insulin into the reservoir by pulling the plunger on the reservoir back, you push it in by dialing up the units on the pen and pushing down on the pen plunger. There is no need for any insulin bottle as intermediary. I also leave the pens to warm up to room temperature for several hours first, and then fill the reservoir slowly. If you whoosh the insulin into it, you get champagne.

I love my pump!
 
pinewood said:
I don't really understand why anyone would choose to have a pump if maintaining tight control and achieving good HbA1c results on MDI
Click to expand...

One reason U can think of is that you will use less insulin when pumping than you do when injecting due the absorption efficiency being much higher on the pump......

but if your control is good and your happy, then a pump wouldn't even be on your mind or your teams......
 
I've been on my pump for a little over two months and if anything is going to make me come off it, it will be due to the insertion sets.

I think I can achieve excellent levels on a pump, but I'm plagued by insertion problems. The cannulas just don't seem to want to get on with me. I switched to new ones which I'm hoping will be better, but even within the first three days of using them, I have experienced some issues.

At least with MDI, you know for a fact your insulin has gone in. So high levels can be attributed to other factors that can be addressed. With these cannulas, you HOPE your insulin is going in.

Also, my DSN gave me the impression that set fails will only tend to happen when you change set and that's why a 2hr post- set change BG test is needed is needed. As I've now found out they can (and in my case, DO) occur at any time. Luckily, I haven't had one fail overnight... yet!

So, I'm determined to give my pump 6 months. I'll feel sad if I decide to come off it, because I know how great it could be.
 
what pumps are you using...........

in my 2 years i have not had any issue with my medtronic quick set cannula........
 
novorapidboi26 said:
what pumps are you using...........

in my 2 years i have not had any issue with my medtronic quick set cannula........
Click to expand...
I'm using Animas Vibe .I started off with Inset II's and they were just awful, they barely worked for me and were hugely unpredictable. Of course at the time I thought it was me not using the pump properly but gradually started to realise it was the cannulas. I'm not saying they are awful for everyone but for me they just don't work. I am now using Inset 30's which are angled at a 30 degree angle and these are better but I have still had 2 complete failures (both overnight) as well as the irritation and soreness that I didn't have with the smaller Inset II's.

After discussing with other forum people it seems that lean or muscular people can struggle and I am certainly very lean. I am going to get kitted up again this week and take a deep breath and start over again. I just had to take some time out from the whole thing.
 
victry77 said:
I've been on my pump for a little over two months and if anything is going to make me come off it, it will be due to the insertion sets.

I think I can achieve excellent levels on a pump, but I'm plagued by insertion problems. The cannulas just don't seem to want to get on with me. I switched to new ones which I'm hoping will be better, but even within the first three days of using them, I have experienced some issues.

At least with MDI, you know for a fact your insulin has gone in. So high levels can be attributed to other factors that can be addressed. With these cannulas, you HOPE your insulin is going in.

Also, my DSN gave me the impression that set fails will only tend to happen when you change set and that's why a 2hr post- set change BG test is needed is needed. As I've now found out they can (and in my case, DO) occur at any time. Luckily, I haven't had one fail overnight... yet!

So, I'm determined to give my pump 6 months. I'll feel sad if I decide to come off it, because I know how great it could be.
Click to expand...
Yes my feelings exactly, I have lost a lot of trust in actually getting the insulin into my body and with that level of mistrust then it is hard to feel comfortable using the pumps.
 
novorapidboi26 said:
you should try a medtronic version if you can...........

have you tried insertion in to your buttocks?
Click to expand...
I don't have a choice, depending where you live you may or may not get to choose which pump you have. It is a bit of a postcode lottery I believe.

I only tried it in my backside once (tries not to giggle) but found it was awkward for removing the plastic connector when dressing and going to the loo etc as will as the initial insertion part as I couldn't see what I was doing. I am going to persevere though and will try all options as I really would like to get it to work and give it a fair shot.
 
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