• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Insight pump backup

Eglinton71

Active Member
Messages
38
Location
Northampton
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
I have just switched over to the insight pump from the Combo. Previously I used the novo rapid pen fills to fill the pump cartridge and in my pen for emergencies. I am now using the pre filled carts which of course won't fit my pen. My options now seem to be to order both the Insight carts and the pen fills with the pen fills being almost totally wasted or go back to syringes which I can fill from the Insight carts.

I'd be interested to know what are other Insight pump users doing.

Chris
 
I have just switched over to the insight pump from the Combo. Previously I used the novo rapid pen fills to fill the pump cartridge and in my pen for emergencies. I am now using the pre filled carts which of course won't fit my pen. My options now seem to be to order both the Insight carts and the pen fills with the pen fills being almost totally wasted or go back to syringes which I can fill from the Insight carts.

I'd be interested to know what are other Insight pump users doing.

Chris
Why not have a vial of insulin? this way you can use syringes for emergency use and the vial can be used with the combo pump cartridge if you still have the combo for a back up.
As a matter of interest why don't you self fill the insight as there is an option for this?
 
Thanks CarbsRok

My Combo was returned as it had problems. The accu-chek rep made no mention of the self filling option and gave the pre filled carts as one of the major advantages of the insight. Given that you have to change the carts more frequently I can see that pre filled is easier but it has it's downside.

I suspect the most cost effective solution is to just use the Insight carts and a syringe as an alternate delivery device.
 
I keep syringes around the house to shoot from vials and a mouldering supply of old penfil cartridges that I don't really trust. Occasionally I waste the public's money by ordering a new pack of Novorapid pen cartridges. Which then go out of date unused.
 
Hi I started on my pump Friday and the rep told me that they recalled the self fill cartridges as they were leaking causing the piston to become sticky and then problems with the pump. he thought they were not going to 're release them and only do prefilled but wasn't sure
 
Hi I started on my pump Friday and the rep told me that they recalled the self fill cartridges as they were leaking causing the piston to become sticky and then problems with the pump. he thought they were not going to 're release them and only do prefilled but wasn't sure
If that's the case the market for the pump is very limited as not everyone uses novorapid.
 
Hi I started on my pump Friday and the rep told me that they recalled the self fill cartridges as they were leaking causing the piston to become sticky and then problems with the pump. he thought they were not going to 're release them and only do prefilled but wasn't sure

That is pretty much what I was told.

I only keep injections that I can squirt 5 hourly if necessary.

Accuchek are fantastic and any problems with a pump failure are treated as a top priority.

I have had accuchek pumps for 4.5 years. I have had 2 exchanges for faulty pumps in that time but have never needed to go back to pens. To be honest I wouldn't have a clue what doseage to use going back to a basal pen now.....

On the two recalls I have had they took the pumps back as faulty.. But still managing to work.. (Combo pumps).

They are a fantastic company and at the 1st hint if something being wrong with a pump or handset will replace...

Currently my battery compartment cover is a pain to get out. I think they wil belooking at this problem if more users were to experience the same and report it as a problem. The lick to keep the cover in is not easy to unlick and get the battery out.. However this is only a technicality and nuisance not a fault to stop the machine working.

I use just a disposable syringe from my pump novorapid incase of failure and just inject every 5 hours. I've never been in dire straits with Accuchek. There is always some one at the end of the phone 24/7/365.

I think I've only corrected by syringe twice in 4.5 years too. You come to learn if it is a set failure or a basal or bolus error.

The one thing you will always need to check if using pens as back up is that you keep a check on the expiry date of the insulin in the fridge. Thats why I just rely on the cartidges of novorapid from my pumps.

I don't have anything on repeat script except my insulin. If I need needles then I just ask GP for them. I have had this pack of spare syringes for 12 years, way before my pump -and still have 8 left!!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I always keep a refilled Pen cartridge in a pen in my bag just incase I get a bit low on the insulin in the pump cartridge or incase bg levels go wonky and I need to deliver some insulin to get bg down and havent got the time needed to find out what has caused the problem. I tend to have 20u in the pen cartridge and use it up every month by doing a bolus by pen. Better to be prepared and not need to, than need to and not be prepared.
 
As I'm in the process of changing pumps I've not had to do a thing the DSN gave me a script for a couple of boxes of a long and short acting pre filled disposable syringes and I've got my ancient pen with a stock of 3ml cartridges just in case of pump malfunction but this has happened twice in 15 years ands never really affected me whist out.
 
Just thought I wouldn't have a clue using long acting insulin after pumping for so long.
 
Just thought I wouldn't have a clue using long acting insulin after pumping for so long.
If you had a pump failure wouldn't you manage on short acting insulin every 4 hours until you got a replacement failure? I think that's what I would do. Unless it was going to be many days wait.
 
If you had a pump failure wouldn't you manage on short acting insulin every 4 hours until you got a replacement failure? I think that's what I would do. Unless it was going to be many days wait.
Hi spiker yeas I probably would thinking about it, much safer and easier
 
You just have to set your alarm clock during the night!!!
 
Hi piker, that's exactly what the dn suggested. It would take a few days for the long acting insulin to even out and that's if you knew the correct dose to administer. Much simpler to rely on 4 hourly doses of fast acting insulin.

I agree with other's comments about the excellent customer service at Roche.
 
Just thought I wouldn't have a clue using long acting insulin after pumping for so long.


Your pump will have a record of your basal usage, I would just use that and knock off 10 - 20% and see how it went.
 
In my case pre pump I was on 26 units of Glargine as a basal dose. On the pump My basal is 13 units. I'm not sure you can use the pump basal rate to determine the dose for a long acting insulin. That's why I believe it would take several days to establish the correct dose. I suspect the way to deal with it would depend on how long you will be without a pump.
 
Back
Top