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Due to start pump therapy.... five days to go!

Jubblyjo1601

Well-Known Member
Hello all,

I have been a T1 for almost 22 years, diagnosed at 7 years old. I am due to start on an insulin pump on Tuesday after a couple of years of wanting one. I can't quite believe it's finally happening! I am hoping this will be the tool I've needed for a long time to finally get my sugar levels stable. My latest Hba1c is 62 mmol which, believe it or not, is the best reading I have had in years! I also suffer from Dawn Phenomenon. I am hoping that once established on the pump, I can start thinking about having a family.

I am getting the Medtronic Minimed 640g. Does anyone have any advice for a pump newbie? I have a couple of friends who have different pumps (Animas and Accucheck) and they said it has changed their lives for the better. The nerves are starting to kick in a little now that I am only days away!

Any advice will be much appreciated and rewarded with virtual hugs!

Thanks in advance,

Jo
 
Hi Jo
that is great news !! really pleased for you.

my advice is to keep in constant contact with your DSN -
over the first few weeks as she will be assisting with rate changes and reviewing settings.
I spoke with my nurse 2 times a week for the first 4 weeks -- long phone calls reviewing all BG results.

( i am thrilled with my 6 months on my pump ) an omnipod !
 
Jubblyjo1601 said:
Any advice will be much appreciated!
Click to expand...
Hi there, congratulations and good luck in advance! I got my pump a couple of months ago and it has been life changing. I wouldn't go back to MDI for anything!
Personally, I bought the book "Pumping Insulin" (5th ed.) and read a large chunk before hand as it gave me quite a few things to think about before getting the pump. Whilst by no means a pre-requisite, pairing the pump with continuous or flash Glucose Monitoring is absolutely amazing and well worth consideration, if at all possible.
I was up to 6 or 7 injections per day, and still can't believe I haven't had a single injection since starting!
 
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Hi Jo good luck,
do buy the book pumping insulin by John Walsh it can be found on Amazon. Oh and take a pen and note pad when you go for the pump setting up.
 
Thanks so much! Hugs for all!

Did it feel weird at first having something 'on you' the whole time? I know it's a silly concern to have, it just crossed my mind!

xx
 
I am definitely going to have a look for this book now. Fortunately I work just down the corridor from my Diabetes Team so I am feeling quite comfortable in the knowledge that help is very much at hand should I need it. And available on here from my lovely fellow diabetics! I love this forum
 
Good luck Jo I have no doubt at all that you will love it!

I got mine just over 2 years ago and cannot imagine life without it, I won't lie, there can be days when you want to throw it out the **** window but those days are extremely rare!

I'm with Medtronic and their customer services are spot on if you ever have problems and can't speak to your diabetes team!

It is very odd at first, personally I felt like i shouldn't move around too much as I imagined I had some kind of giant needle inside of me so didn't dare bend over lol you get used to it in no time.

make sure the cannula's are suited to you, some people get given a few to try, I didn't and was just given the most popular but mine kinked constantly which ended up in some very high bg readings - hence the wanting to throw it out the window - so ended up changing to the sure t steel cannula's rather than the plastic, but all problems can be solved so don't worry
 
Jubblyjo1601 said:
I have a couple of friends who have different pumps (Animas and Accucheck) and they said it has changed their lives for the better.
Click to expand...

Well I can concur with your friends there @Jubblyjo1601

I've been using a pump for the last 14 months and would be reluctant to go back to MDI, you may here that pumps are hard work and this is true to some extent, but from my own experience they are hard work to begin with when you trying to get work out basal rates and such but once you've been on one for a while they are pretty straight forward enough.

I'd go along with the recommended reading of Pumping Insulin, it's a great book but there's also some good information and advice on insulin pumps in the book Think Like a Pancreas.

Good luck and hope it all goes well, keep the thread updated on your progress.
 
Jubblyjo1601 said:
Thanks so much! Hugs for all!

Did it feel weird at first having something 'on you' the whole time? I know it's a silly concern to have, it just crossed my mind!

xx
Click to expand...
I had been on injections for about 42 years before starting to pump and after half a day I kept checking to make sure the pump was still there.
Do invest in the book though as it's invaluable as your nurses aren't on call 24/7 365 days of the year.
 
Hi Jo,
The book is a must for anyone with a pump. I have problems with the Dawn Phenomenon also (usually getting a HbA1c of 80mmol) within a few months of being on the pump I was down to 50mmol.
Get the over night basal sorted and you'll be laughing.
Within a few months you'll wonder how you ever coped without it!
 
Jubblyjo1601 said:
Thanks so much! Hugs for all!

Did it feel weird at first having something 'on you' the whole time? I know it's a silly concern to have, it just crossed my mind!

xx
Click to expand...
Hi @Jubblyjo1601 - that's great news. I thought it would be weird having it attached to me but only had it 2 weeks & it's been fine. I'm really pleased with it. I have the Accu Chek Insight. Hope all goes well
 
Thank you so much to everyone for your comments! Was anyone given an 'pre pump' advice? Like do I still carry on as normal on Tuesday morning with injecting my levemir etc? Hoping to catch the Nurse at some point today to check too, but not always possible. x
 
I was sent a preparation pack of "things to bring" on the day ... ketostix, bg testing kit, insulin for filling the pump etc. It depends if you split your basal. If you don't then the standard advice is to take 50% of the dose on the evening before the pump start. If you split, then take normal dose the evening before, then do not take any on the morning HOWEVER please take advice from your DN, as only they can know what the course of action should be!
 

Thanks so much! I've sent her an email. Hopefully I will get a reply by Tuesday.....
 

Good advice from @paulliljeros above

I had two pre-pump session before the actual starting day, was told to be prepared to stay the whole day but I was only there just over 3 hours and came away around lunch-time with a fully functional pump.

A little bit of advice, if you have any questions or concerns now then write them all down so that on Tuesday you won't forget to mention them, but whatever you do don't come away unless your happy and confident that you can manage on your own. Good luck.
 
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