Hello everyone,
I hope you are very well.
Recently, my doctor suggested to take me to a pump (in an attempt to control my <2 hypos).
Can I have your advice and suggestions? The ones who use a pump, are you happy with it?
The ones who tried it and went back to the pens, what is it that you didn’t like about the pump?
How did you transition from the pen to the pump?
I am very interested to read your views and your stories.
Thank you
Josephine[/UOTE]
Josephine, I can't work a bike pump despite numerous tutorials by my husband, but I love my pump and of necessity have learned how to use it. Like anything it took a while to get used to changing the cartridge* and batteries but my pump (Roche) like the others comes with a help line 24/7 and UK based.
I am partially sighted and found my first pump tricky to manage e.g. spotting air bubbles in the tubing so got my husband to do it but the 2nd (another Roche) has cartridges* rather than a re usable insert filled from a bottle, so is very easy to change every 3-4 days or so.
I go to a type 1 social group and most of us are on pumps and nobody would change back to pens (range of ages, gender and technical ability !).
My favourite thing about the pump is basal insulin control. I have successfully managed to stop low blood sugars and restore blood glucose to optimal range by temp basal off when a low occurs without having to take any external glucose.
Hi @Bluemarinejosephine, Has your query been answered or do you have any further concerns or questions about insulin pumps , bicycles or anything else??
Hi Josephine,
I have only been on a pump for about 8 months. It's a game changer for me, always struggling with Hyper and Hypo. They are very simple to use even an idiot can use one (I'm living proof). I put it off for years as I didn't like the concept of being tethered like a dog on a leash. It's no big deal, I quickly adapted to it and I'm not aware of it being there unless I want it, ot it wants me (I have CGM attached and if you enable the hypo function for my pump Medtronic 640g it will stop insulin supply and complain when you are too Low. I think every Insulin Dependent person should be put onto a pump and if they don't like it they can go back to playing pin cushions. I'm in Australia and the process maybe different in the UK, but while I went through a few bureaucratic hoops. The pump nurse let me play with a pump (not connected to me, she got me to insert a catheter and had to wear it for 3 days. Went back a few weeks latter I agreed to go ahead, another run through and another catheter. Waited over Christmas, the pump came in I went through everything again and walked out with a pump connected. A number of follow up visits with ever increasing gaps between the visits. When at home I can get the carb count really accurate and it works like magic for most of the time, when out I have a good guess and keep adjusting as required. I have never gone over 20mmol/l since on the pump and rarely over 15mmol/l. On MDI my meter was really friendly and would frequently say HI to me as well as LO. I have never had a really bad Hypo on the pump (It is still quite possible to do so), the great thing is you are only balancing one insulin and it has a life of max 4hrs, which means if something goes wrong it can happen fast. The advantage is, slow release of fast acting is similar to the real process and you only have one insulin (with it's quirks) to deal with instead of 2 and they do conspire to get their friend Mr Hypo to visit all too frequently. I do have one big regret with the pump and that is I didn't do it years ago.
I am probably a bit late to this topic but wanted to add my few cents.
Like others, I was resistant to having something attached to me all the time.
It wasn't until someone very kindly explained the ability to change basal than I started to see the light.
The final decider was when my diabetes team mentioned I could give it back if I didn't like it - I was not making a change forever (unless I wanted to).
The basal change is the best thing. It allows me to
- have different basal rates at different times of the day to manage predictable things like Dawn Phenomenon
- have different basal rates when I am doing different things like when exercising
- quickly change my basal rates. This was particularly helpful when I was ill recently. With injections, I would increase my basal, wait a few days to see if it was enough, increase it again, wait more time, ... by which time, I was feeling better. With the pump, I was able to change the basal and then only wait a couple of hours to see if I had it right.
The bolus options are also useful so I don't need to double dose when I eat fatty meals like pizza.
And, talking of eating, it is, generally, easier to use when eating out.
Unfortunately, there are a couple of downsides for me:
- I am not a very big person and I like to wear tailored, well fitting (not skin-tight lycra) clothes. This means, for most of my outfits, you can see my pump. It is either outside my clothes (like hanging off my belt) or causing a bulge (s much for tailored and well fitting). Sometimes, I attach it to my upper thigh when I wear a skirt or dress. It cannot be seen but bang goes the option to easily dial up a dose when eating out unless I want to yank my dress up in public. I know others have much less problems than I do. I suspect this is a combination of size, dress taste and how much we care about hiding our diabetes.
- there is more paraphernalia to carry around. If the pump works fine, you need less stuff. However, if it breaks, you need back up. This happened to me recently and was quiet distressing because I didn't have a back up with me. When this happens during injection, you have no bolus but you probably have some basal on board so have time to sort it out. With a pump, once it stops, you have no insulin of any type.
All that said, for me, the positives out way the negatives and I am still attached after two and a half years.
I am not sure I had an allergic reaction but when I first started pumping, I found the cannula itched so was prescribed SkinTac to use as a barrier. This reduces the itching.Can I ask you please, has any of you had an allergic reaction to the adhesive and what did you do?
The reason I ask is that I use the Freestyle Libre and the skin allergy to the adhesive is horrible... It is impossible for me to use the Freestyle Libre without the Compeed trick (using Compeed as a barrier between the sensor and my skin). In this way, I manage to minimize the skin surface that suffers from the burn that is caused by the adhesive... so... it is a concern for me...
This varies per CCG.Do we get to choose our pump? Or are the hospitals under contract with specific pharmaceutical brands and we are, therefore, limited to a specific pump that is prescribed to us?
The speed is the speed of the fast acting insulin.If my understanding is correct when you make an adjustment, how quickly do you see the result? For example, when you watch a film that is exciting for you and you raise your insulin to counteract your adrenaline that pushes your blood sugar level higher, how quickly do you see your bg level balancing back?
Due to the speed at which our insulin works, we still need to "feed" our insulin when we hypo. Adjusting basal when we actual hypo is too late.So, in the case of a hypo, we don't need to "feed" our insulin, we just reduce the flow?
Very very very rarely.Do they bleed?
I have disabled that function as at least twice a week the pump and sensor fail to communicate for up to an hour. By knowing it's not working I'm just that bit more careful.I’d second the being able to head off a hypo by turning it off - if I’m heading towards 4,
I can't comment about the UK, but in Australia it appears that most Pump educators are aligned with Medtronic, and I would have had to have gone looking to find support for another brand. Call the company of the brand you want and they will send you in the correct direction. It's a shame you can't take a few brands for a test drive first. When people change brands here they are normally comparing 4 year old technology with what they have now which is not a good comparison, I'm not aware of any company that has the same model 4 years latter. The 2 main brands appear to be Insulet Omnipod and Medtronic MiniMed, Omnipod - the pumps is stuck on to you, so no tubing to get tangled and the other is MiniMed with tubing. There are pros and cons with both types of pumps.Hello and thank you for the time that you devoted to giving me your detailed reply.
Please, can I ask you? Do we get to choose our pump? Or are the hospitals under contract with specific pharmaceutical brands and we are, therefore, limited to a specific pump that is prescribed to us?
Thank you
Josephine
Hi @Bluemarinejosephine, Wow, I really must have slept in as even Chowie who also lives in Australia was streets ahead with answering! So the pump has 3 basic functions:Hello, thank you so much for your detailed reply.
You devoted a lot of your time to me for this and I am grateful to you.
So, if I understand correctly, in a very simplified interpretation (like I am a 5-year-old...) we have a continuous flow of insulin through the pump and we adjust the rate as often/when needed.
If my understanding is correct when you make an adjustment, how quickly do you see the result? For example, when you watch a film that is exciting for you and you raise your insulin to counteract your adrenaline that pushes your blood sugar level higher, how quickly do you see your bg level balancing back?
Do they bleed? (I use the Freestyle Libre and, it happened to me on two occasions, that I started to bleed through the sensor... and it was unpleasant and stressful to me because there was a flow of blood coming through the sensor, not just a few drops... Since then, everytime I am about to insert a new sensor, I take a few deep breaths... just in case it happens again...)
I am sure I will come up with more questions... Thank you for your patience.
Josephine
Hello, thank you for your reply.
So, in the case of a hypo, we don't need to "feed" our insulin, we just reduce the flow?
Thank you.
I do hope you decide to stick around here, you are such a polite, gracious and appreciative lady. You have plenty of good company here. The females that have responded to your thread and there are a number more are amazing ladies. I apologise for the guys here, as I can assure you we are no ladies at all...Hello,
I hope you are all very well.
Thank you very much for your replies.
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