Anyone tried the pump but returned to MDIs?

Kazzabon

Well-Known Member
Messages
46
Hi
Can't find anyone on the net reporting a return to injections after trying the pump. Am wondering what percentage of T1 pumpers return to their old pens.......
 

ams162

Well-Known Member
Messages
572
Type of diabetes
Type 1
i know our DSN said they had had one child lately that had decided to return the pump but think it is rare

anna marie
 

phoenix

Expert
Messages
5,671
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
I'm not in the UK. There were 6 on my pump course. At the follow up a year later, one had gone back to MDI ( apparently husband didn't approve :( )
 

SophiaW

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,015
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
That's terrible phoenix, I can't imagine my husband dictating to me that I can't wear a pump if I needed one. Poor woman, she deserves better.

I don't know of anyone going back to MDI (not that I know many diabetics) but our DSN did say that one of her patients (a teenager) went back to MDI because he did a lot of contact sports and found he was having to take the pump off far too ofen. It just didn't suit his lifestyle and so he opted back to injecting.
 

donnellysdogs

Master
Messages
13,233
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Pump
Dislikes
People that can't listen to other people's opinions.
People that can't say sorry.
I would definitely have gone back to MDI if it wasn't for the continued support of one special member from this forum.

I haven't, but I most definitely would have done if it hadn't have been for her support and for the support from fellow members here and from my hubby.

I still wonder about going back, but I am not a quitter, although I have come **** close to it since going on to pump.
 

Kazzabon

Well-Known Member
Messages
46
I must admit, I've been struggling - full blown panic attacks and really hated the bl**dy thing. Living in a non-English speaking country and not having the support network here, finding this forum has been a god-send.

I don't know if the pump is for me as I was very happy with injecting but I will feel like a failure if I give up. However, Trevor the pump has been behaving the last couple of days which has improved my confidence and I have been trying to get back to some semblance of normality. Perhaps if I lived with someone or at least had neighbours closer than 3kms away the transition may have been less scary.

As for husbands not approving........... :shock: :shock:
 

donnellysdogs

Master
Messages
13,233
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
People that can't listen to other people's opinions.
People that can't say sorry.
You will get fantastic support here. I for one felt like that and still do at times, especially when I have missed appointments by HCP's, orders for consumables taking an age and having huge problems when I was on the flexilink plus sets.

Am trying to be more rational now, and thinking what's the worse that can happen? Control is generally better, and I am managing it with help with people that have real experiences.

Like you I do not want to be a quitter. When I was having problems with the flex plus's I had a conversation with a stand in (not my normal DSN) and she told me to go back to MDI, and I told her that I am not a quitter. So, if I got through that and realised that their were problems, then I am good enough and strong enough to manage this new best friend 'Forrest'.

You will manage it, it is a huge change over and a completely different regime to get balanced. Be patient, I was told to give it 6-8 months.

When I can think rationally about my life since going on the pump, I wouldn't like to give it back, BUT when I come across problems I have founf it so difficult to handle. The only thing I really wonder though, is ' Are my levels better because I am testing myslef so much?'-if I had the qty of blood tests on MDI would I have controlled it better? What happens if I lower the amount of testing-do I trust my balance and levels?' Still haven't got the answers...

Still confident that you will find it will be better, just give it time...I see a glass half empty and not half full, so that is why I have struggled with my thoughts regarding 'Forrest'.
 

FatCatAnna

Member
Messages
21
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Hmm, dishonest people that pretty well sums it up in a nutshell!
Hi Kazzabon,

After 40 years of MDI - I decided to give pumping a try - without thinking I would actually buy one of these (very expensive if you do not have coverage from private insurance). I only wanted to try it because a former boyfriend who got diagnosed with T1 at 31 - swore by the pump. I tried out 2 different ones - and then bit the bullet - and now wear one .... BUT .... I do go back to MDI every year for 2-3 months.

I do this in order to not forget how to manage my diabetes with MDI. I am self taught on my pump - it was easy to do - because I had been using my MDI like a poor mans pump in away. I have found with being on the pump I have been re-educated on how to use my insulin properly. I found out on my last pump holiday - that I was giving too much basal - and I hate hypos (who doesn't).

I'm like you though - that I am happy with injecting (32 gauge needle - you don't feel a thing!). Technology has changed so much with what we have at our fingertips for staying in control - who can complain? Hopefully with forums like this - people to talk to - you can hang in to give it a go with pumping.

Wondering - one book that I found really helped me alot with making my pump work for me - and I used this when I was on my "poor mans pump - aka MDI" - if you can find the book "Pumping Insulin" by John Walsh (an American) - it's very helpful. I used this alot due to not having anyone to teach me how to use my pump (my endo was dead set against me going onto the pump believe it or not - but in the end - put his "John Smith" on the form to allow me to purchase the pump). He still is useless to talk to for pump help in adjusting - so I come to forums like this to get help - sad to say. Anyway, maybe there are other books that members can suggest here?
 

ams162

Well-Known Member
Messages
572
Type of diabetes
Type 1
hi

i honestly feel for dylan the pump is the best option we have ever had no its not an easy path but if u stick with it u will feel the benefits soon,having said that if u give it a fair trial and still feel its not for u dont be afraid to hand it back ur not a failure its just not for u, the same things dont suit the same people and there is no shame in that u wont be the only person to have done it as long as u have good control does it matter what u use to get there :D

anna marie
 

Kazzabon

Well-Known Member
Messages
46
Do you know what - this place is brilliant!!!

Thank you all SO MUCH - I feel like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Being able to come on here and 'talk' to people who have been there done that has altered my outlook on Trevor .........well okay, I admit it, at the moment I don't hate him - today it's just a mild dislike :eek:

@ Fatcatanna - I did buy the book you mentioned and I agree he takes the mystery out of pumping and sets out step by step instructions. A pump holiday sounds good too as I may be off to Australia for a month/6 weeks at the end of the year and can't really afford to buy another ticket for all the pump accessories I'd need to take :lol:

Off to change my set now and then I plan to sit out in the glorious sunshine and chillax ........... 27 degrees expected here today........ :D
 

ams162

Well-Known Member
Messages
572
Type of diabetes
Type 1
glad ur feeling abit better about it all, i agree i love this site and the people on it :D

anna marie
 

sugar2

Well-Known Member
Messages
833
Don't tell him..but if my husband suggested I get rid of my pump, I might be very tempted to get rid of him instead! Fortunately for me, I love my pump, and so does my hubby, as he appreciates the fact that I don't have many dibilitating hypos any more.

Trevor....why? It is as good a name as any, I just wondered ifthere was a atory behind the name?
 

copepod

Well-Known Member
Messages
735
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Two days ago, had an interesting encounter with a man 20 years younger than me, in the disused guard room of a missile area on an RAF base, being used as registration for an orienteering race. He'd read an account I'd written about completing a mountain marathon (MM), then traced me through East Anglian orienteering results and photo on an adventure racing website. He's been using a pump for 3 months, and having done a MM on MDI, was seeking advice about doing another MM with a pump. However, when minimising weight is vital, as you're carrying tent, stove, food, sleeping bag, any clothing not being worn etc. Non essentials for 1 night camping aren't taken eg no toiletries, not even a cut down toothbrush; sheets of bubble wrap instead of a sleeping mat; no spare shoes, so replace wet socks with dry spares at overnight camp, then plastic bags on feet, then back into wet shoes etc, having to carry back up pens might mean he continues to use MDI for MMs. For shorter orienteering races, there's possibly an advantage, although I didn't have to carry my pen round the course, while he had to carry his pump; we each had a plastic bag of jelly babies in our pocket for the run.

For me, lots of time spent kayak touring, staffing adventure race checkpoints or transitions, sometimes miles from road and for days and nights on end , etc, make a pump less suitable than MDI - "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"
 

SophiaW

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,015
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
If injections work well for you, then stick with it, why would anyone want to change what is working for them. For us, injections simply didn't work. We had terrible trouble with basals overnight and early morning. No matter what we tried just didn't seem to work out. We spent 5 years of trying different insulins in an attempt to get something that would work well but nothing did the job. It's not that we weren't testing a lot, on average Jess has always tested about 8 times a day. Since going on the pump, because it works so well for us, she can now test less often than before pumping - on average 4 or 5 times a day. We can all sleep through the night without waking to treat hypos. The pump has been easy and compared to injections we get near perfect control. Still get the odd hypo and occasional high but nothing like the swings we used to experience with injecting. If injections work for you then great and I say stick with it, but if they don't work for you then pumping is definitely something to consider.
 

Fraancescaa

Newbie
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1
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I don't like being judged when people don't know me:/
Heey, I'm 14years old,.
I was put on to the pump about 3 months ago now,
and I wouldn't ever go back, its helped me so much, I know this doesn't answer your question but if you or someone you know are going back to injections only do it if it'd going to benefit you, :)
best of luck with your choice!
 
Messages
4
When I got my pump, I was so happy because it was the first technological 'THING' I had...
So I just wanted it to work.. And it did.
But I still go back to MDI if I need or feel like.. If I go to tropical vacations swimming a lot or just don't feel like showing off my pump...
I don't know about you, but I never wanted to show that I was diabetic in public... For that I wish I were a boy and probably less complicated... :wink:

The two solutions always stays complimentary and necessary...
 

Kazzabon

Well-Known Member
Messages
46
Well, it's been a while and I don't have the panic attacks anymore but am still not 100% with the pump. The Omnipod isn't out here until later in the year (The French healthcare system is arguing about funding) but I am going to ask to be transfered to that if I possibly can as most of my dislikes are about being attached by a line and having to hoik it out everytime I need to bolus etc.

I was planning to return to MDIs for a short stay at the beach but when I did.........can't believe I'm about to say this but...........I missed my pump :shock: However, it has been misbehaving the last week and it may get fed to the dog if it doesn't stop!!

I have to return to MDIs later this month as I am having my hand treated and it will be out of action for a week or so I'll go on Levimir and Humalog during that time.