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hate my pump

candi-girl

candi-girl

Well-Known Member
Messages
356
Location
UK
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I hate this accu check pump. I was first given one in 2005 and I hated it then so I bought an Animas which I loved and got on with. I was due a new pump and they've landed me with this spirit combo now which is so out of date I feel like i've got back in time.

The remote is in a drawer, don't use it, can't get on with it at all! It's so slow 'talking' to the pump. I haven't time to wait. Animas was much quicker and I like having the calulator ON THE PUMP as I don't carry much out with me so don't want a big fat control to carry round.

It takes AGES to prime. The animas primed quickly. There is no option to fill your cannula like on the animas. I get bubbles I NEVER got bubbles with the animas cartridges. It keeps saying occulsion . I had it disconnected and said occulusion and then keeps saying it.

I am just giving random does of insulin as I need a pump with a calculator on the pump, i just can't get on with it/ I miss my animas. I had it for 4 years and now i feel i've gone back to the dark ages.

Really FED UP. :evil:

stuck with it for 6 years now!
 
Sounds to me like you need a chill pill :)
I can't compare pumps as we have only had the combo for 3 months and it's the only one we have had and we love it. Yes it may be a bit slow but the remote is also the blood monitor as well and you would still need to check your BG whichever pump you have so still need to carry a test kit.
I'm sorry that you didn't get what you wanted but life is so unfair sometimes. A lot of people would give anything for a pump but are on waiting lists so to have one at all is something.
All the best with it.

Harry
 
Hi,

It's unfortunate you don't seem to be getting on with your new pump.

All pumps are different and if you are used to the animas for so long it's not a surprise you've hit a few walls, like the bubbles and occulsion messages.

It must be like learning all over again.

however, if your taking 'random doses' then you bound to be swinging up and down, which could make you HBA1c detiorate. In turn maybe resulting in your diabetes team deciding you no longer benefit from an insuin pump and take it away.

You can bolus from the pump, so you should be able to use it without a calculator. as long as you know your ratios and correction factor, use your phone's calculator to work it out if carrying the remote bothers you?

I don't want to be rude as it must be frustrating being happy with the animas then in return being given something that to you isn't as suitable for your personal needs. But as harry says, there alot of people, inculding children who are on waiting lists for a long time for pumps, or areeven being told they can't have one.

The pump you hate is precious to alot of people, don't get me wrong i understand your frustration. But giving up is not the answer. maybe if you proved you have tried and tried to get along with this pump, they may swap it back for an animas. but giving up and not trying won't be rewarded.

Give it some time and effort, and i'm sure you may learn to live with it and the pains and aches will ease.

I get bubbles with my pump, i have to carry around a bulky remote. my bedroom have more medical cr*p cluttering up the place than i do clothes!! i get occlusion messages at the most awkward times. but i love my combo pump. Because in the long run it's giving me better health and the chance to live just as long as everyone else. It gives me more freedom that Injections. and if mine were swapped for something that was twice the size, or took twice aslong to connect, i'd still take it with open arms because there's no way i'm going back to injections when i've had a taste of what the pump can do, and i've been a pump user for just 2 weeks.
 
Quite honestly, I can see your point in someways, but mine is toward pumping in general. I just wish I didn't have to do it, Think I am just having a blip downer, as at the moment I am struggling with my levels due to the weather being better recently and being a little bit more active outside, and trying to cope with the basal changes necessary.

Then for the first time in 30+years I have my brothers staying with me this weekend, so having more food and drink than I normally would and finding it a bit more of a struggle than I ever did on MDI. But hey, it's a blip, probably because it is the end of winter (hopefully) and just needing to find a regime for more activitys outside. Finding it quite hard going at the moment to be honest, but got to find a way to manage it.
 
I agree with the comments that as the weather is changing, more things done outside etc basal and bolus amounts change a lot. As said before I use a few different profiles and what I found was through the winter I stayed pretty much on my 'not doing very much profile' which delivered a lot more insulin in the day. However now we are moving into better weather I still using this but with a TBR reducing my insulin levels as I am not at the point of using my 'active profile' as I am not doing that much. Personally I do not strive for the perfect flat blood sugar levels - I am happy if my blood move around between 4'ish to 8'ish and yes I do get peaks (got one last night by eating far more than I thought I had) but the beauty of the pump is simply how easy it is to deal with these variances quickly and easily. As said before my life is very changing be it time zones, type of activities being done, stress levels and regrettably bugs / illness due to lots of travel - my pump has made life so much better than the old 4, 5, 6 or 7 injections a day and whilst not perfect is a huge leap forward over what I could ever have dreamt of when I became Diabetic as a very young child. So in conclusion - I find driving for perfection not worth the effort with a varying life but driving for 98% perfection removes the stress and gives a great life.
 
Not going for perfection, just want to beat the hell out of these hypo reading's though to be quite honest....
 
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