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Insulin Pump

  • Thread starter Thread starter nicbarnett
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nicbarnett

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Hi all,

I have an appointment wwith my DSN on Monday to chat about having an Insulin pump - she doesn't think I care enough about my diabeties to use one to its full advantage.

For those of you who have pumps could you please let me know the pros and cons of daily living with this - thank you xx
 
Hi

Cons:
Permanently attached.
A lot more attention to detail needed.
Must be able to carb count.
Must be able to have the confidence and understanding longterm to change settings etc without bothering nurses.
Must fulfil NICE guidelines in UK to get one.

Pro's
Better levels
Able to give insulin for food easier if the pump has a fully functional remote control.
 
You will have to prove that you care enough about your diabetes and want to get the best from a pump should your consultant give you the go ahead, pumps are an expensive piece of kit and take a lot of hard work and commitment to get the benefit from them and you can never be complacent when attached to one, but that said they are well worth it and the pro's far outweigh the con's, two of the biggest pro's for myself was not having to inject multiple times a day and having the ability to fine-tune the basal rate so it gives a full 24 hour coverage whilst holding bg levels steady.

Good luck and hope you manage to convince your consultant that a pump is the best way forward for you.
 
For me the Pros were a greatly reduced number of hypos; being able to adapt my basal rates hour by hour; being able to reduce my basal rate for exercise; not being tied by an injection schedule; feeling more normal than I had done since I was first diagnosed.

The Cons are having to watch your site is working properly when you change it; having to organise a new pump when yours gets to the end of it's life. I know technically it's the hospital that does this, but once mine failed to do so early enough and I got in a major panic.

There are far more Pros than Cons, in my opinion, but please be aware you have to WORK to make the pump work for you. It's not a magic answer that'll sort out your diabetes for you. You have to be knowledgeable, confident and dedicated to get the best from it.
 
Thanks guys for your answers, I'd better do some online research between now and Monday xx
 
The main pros for me are,much more stable, good control, Insulin onboard information, no long acting insulin, small incremental changes for accurate basal and bolus doses, protection of already damaged injection sites due to only needing a new cannula every 3rd day, Temporary basal rates which are great for unexpected events/illness, fewer hypos which are less prolonged, less circulating insulin which makes me feel much safer as I have no hypo awareness, integrated CGM.

Cons are uncertainty sometimes over what is causing my blood glucose to rise, worry over whether my cannula is working properly, how rapidly things can go wrong without any long acting insulin to give cover,

For me the pros definitely outweigh the cons but you do need to be ever vigilant and make sure everything is set up and working correctly.

I hope your appointment is useful for you.
 
My OH has read that if you are using a pump you no longer need the long term injection, can someone clarify this please
 
A pump only uses quick acting insulin eg Humalog as both basal and bolus so you no longer use long acting insulin such as Lantus. This is why you need to be extra vigilant as if there is interruption to the quick acting insulin from cannula problems you are left with no other insulin in you and levels can rise very quickly.
 
I've only been on my pump for a little over 3 weeks, but just some initial thoughts;

Pros
Very convenient method of delivering insulin.
Bolus wizard feature (gives dosage suggestion based on correction and/or active insulin and works it all out for you).
Ability to temporary increase of reduce basal rates whenever needed.

Cons
Found it very fiddly to wear with certain clothes.
BENT CANNULAS!! Had it happen after only my fourth set change and now it's always a worry.
Takes a lot of mental energy and dedication to figure out settings.

After three weeks my BG levels are no different to MDI but I'm still in the learning stage.
 
Are there any android apps like this that you know of as I don't have an iPhone? X
 
nicbarnett said:
Hi all,
I have an appointment wwith my DSN on Monday to chat about having an Insulin pump - she doesn't think I care enough about my diabeties to use one to its full advantage.
Click to expand...
She's challenging you to show her that you will be committed, learn, work hard, and overcome challenges and frustrations. It's not your knowledge she will be testing but your attitude. Focus on that and you should do well. But there's no point faking it. You actually do need to bring those qualities to using a pump, or it won't work for you.
 
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