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I’m on a pump but thinking about going back to injections

M

Melpop7989

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 1
I’m currently on a insulin pump but my bloods sugars have been running really high I have tired making adjustments but I have had the worst control ever since going on a pump the best control I got was when I was first put on it.im now considering going back to injections as would like better control of my sugar levels if anyone had experienced this or has any tips or what i should do it would be really appreciated x
 
Hello. My son went onto the pump in June and he’s had some awful highs. So much so that he’s on 75% attendance at school. But we are persevering. It seems like we are constantly making adjustments to both basal and bolus. We also changed cannula which has so far helped. I’ve been re-reading think like a pancreas, and the book is finally making more sense now I’ve got more experience. Diagnosis Nov 2016. We’ve also self funded the libre, which has transformed the changes we make. For example, at breakfast and lunchtime today his BG was within range. But in between we can see he’s still have lost breakfast spikes, so we increased his breakfast ratio again.
We were back at our consultant today. I’d told my son a week ago that he had a week to decide if he wanted to go back on injections, and he said he wanted to persevere.
 
I have been in an insulin pump for 4 years and I can say that it is by no means any easier... if anything it's harder. If one thing such as basal or bolus dosages are incorrect then this will show in your BG results, I have recently had to readjust both my basal and bolus dosages as I started having many hypos throughout the day :/. What I suggest is stick with it and see a specialist to try and sort it out... also could you be coming down with illness? Could your cannula be blocked or expired? Have you checked for air bubbles in the tubing etc? Hope this sorta helps... I understand your frustrations
 
Thank you for your reply I have a appointment with my consultant on the 15th so I will speak to her about the freestyle libre and see if she think it would help me
I hope you get on well and you sons BG stops spiking soon
 
 
Thank you for your reply I will speak to my consultant and see what she suggested my BG has never being fully stable since I went on a pump
 
I think you just have to consider whether the current basal insulins on the market will meet your needs and whether there are features of the pump that you can't replicate on MDI that are important to you. I decided to try MDI this year after constant absorption/site issues I was having after 11 years pumping. It's nice to be free of the tubing and worry about sites going bad, but MDI has as many challenges as pumping does. I would not say any of the basal insulins on the market, including Tresiba, are as good as a pump when it is working properly. In fact, while a bad site can be a nuisance, at least it can be replaced right away. If a shot of basal insulin doesn't absorb well you will run high for the whole day or longer.
 
Melpop7989 said:
Thank you for your reply I will speak to my consultant and see what she suggested my BG has never being fully stable since I went on a pump
Click to expand...
Hopefully you'll get it sorted out... I love the pump It gives so much more freedom and better control as my bloods were always 2 (or below) :/ when injecting... so much better now good luck!
 
Sorry to hear of these issues, please get 'pumping insulin' as its the best read available to further explain pump use and identify any potential issues.

Please also try some basal testing too, even using a pump vs MDI you need to check the basal rates have been set correctly.

Personally I would prefer to never go back to MDI unless I had severe infusion site issues as the micro management of control using a pump has meant better control and an improved HbA1c, however I do feel your pain but would explore all options first before deciding to go back.
 
@Melpop7989 - if you follow the guidance provided here it may help you to get your basal levels to a better place, and then you can readdress what's going on with your bolus dosing.
 
How long have you been on a pump for? I found when I went on one years ago, it took a few months of tweaking to completely get my basal rates right and things finally settled down.
 
I am stuck on injections so that is cool isn’t it?
 

I would have gone back to injections if that was me.
 
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