Insulin pumps

sugar pie, i can understand your frustration, i've been waiting over 18months to go on DAFNE. Although I don't really need to go now, i've taught myself, and now carb count, figured out my ratios etc. So don't just sit and wait, take control and start doing some of the work.
You could try the book john walsh 'using insulin' I'm part way through reading and it's very good so far.
Also there is an online carb counting course http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/

you will have to show that all this doesn't work for you before getting a pump. a pump isn't a magic answer though, you still have to do alot of hard work. see if you can nail MDI first

Hi, I had a pump for 5 weeks before my consultant pulled me off it because it wasn't helping.
You need to be prepared for a fair amount of work with the pump- working out boluses and Insulin on board.
The best place to look for information is the Insulin pumpers site. The discussion group is very active and if you're really set on a pump then John Davis on Input is the man to talk to. He's a mine of information and knows the NICE info inside out and back to front

Hey, i'm on the pump and have seen real improvement, it's right about the consultant it's his decision not the nurse, i would definately talk to him about it, do a bit of research to find out what it means, you are attached 24/7 and have to do carbohydrate counting it can be be quite hardwork but it pays if you're prepared to do it.

i'm writing to find out who i need to talk to about insulin pumps and to find out if a pump would be good for me, i'v had type 1 for 12 years now and over the past few years my hypo's seem to be getting more and more! especially in the mornings, i dont no if the pump would be the best choice for me but i would really appreciate any advice you could give me on the matter.

I've been diabetic for 34 years (diagnosed really early at 18 months) and been on a pump for the last 2 years. Basically your bllod sugars need to be spot on before it's even an option. The protocol for me getting one was that i needed to monitor and record my bloods, food intake and insulin doses very closely for approximately 6 weeks in order to provide an accurate snapshot of how my blood sugar control was and how my body reacted to insulin doses with the various food types. They need a benchmark from which to start your pump dose so it's really important to get good stable control before they'll even entertain the prospect.

It doesn't stop there...after you get your pump there needs to be extensive monitoring and adjustments needed to make sure everything is working as it should be, and that you basal (background insulin) and bolus (short term insulin) are working as they should be. Have you done much research into pump treatment? There's a new pump being trialed at the moment that combines blood sugar monitoring with insulin infusion (although not through the same infusion set) and keeps an accurate record of sugar levels in relation to insulin doses, pretty much like an artificial pancreas, although the pump doesn't automatically dispense the required insulin doses.

i don't know if that's helped at all, but if i can help any more, or you've got any other questions/queries about pump treatment, if i can help, i'm more than happy to do so

I was offered an insulin pump if I was prepared to pay for it.

£5,000 up front and £1,000 a year in disposables. The pump is programmed to stop after five years and you have to buy a new one.

In the end we didn't go for it.
Why?
painful to insert. I never got used to it. I couldn't bear sticking it in my belly. Could stick it in my fat above my bum but it came out when pulling my knickers up and down. The adhesive never lasted more than 18 hours. If we had got over the insertion problems we may have gone further but the game was a bogey just with the insertions.

Other reasons:
ketoacidosis occurs more frequently
Abcesses and scarring occurs more frequently
We still need to have all the other gear too incase of pump failure
All the stuff you need to have to change the pump looked too much to carry about
you have to wear the pump almost all the time
Very good results on MDI with three sorts of insulin to "mimic" a pump.

You are talking £2,000 a year minimum. To pay that I would need to earn £3,000 a year.

Hi Sarah,

The information was given to me in November 2006 when we were considering a spirit pump. We did the insertion experiments over the Christmas school holidays and by the end of them we had tried all the different types of insertion cannulas and were sure it wasn't a goer.

I know that some people pump very successfully -eventually - but there are downsides to the pump and I am listing some of those downsides which may not be your personal experience but which are the personal experience of other pumpers who eventually abandoned them.

Ketoacidosis can occur overnight if the cannula falls out, gets kinked or the pump malfunctions. There is no residual insulin depot under the skin with a pump which can act as a buffer to prevent ketoacidosis if something goes wrong when you are sleeping. If something happens during the day you have a decent chance of spotting it when you test before the next meal but that won't happen if you are asleep through the night.

There are pros and cons to many aspects of diabetes management. What matters is that the individual gets an informed choice.

There will probably be something new soon. There's stuff on the news about it but i normally don't pay attention much

Hi All,

Just as a matter of interest - there is now an 'introducer' for the Accu -Chek Flexlink infusion set that goes with the Spirit pump. It is similar in a way to the Novopen devise that 'shoots' the needle in as you press a button. The introducer does the work of inserting the needle for you, and you then pull the needle out, leaving a soft plastic cannula in place. Both my girls use this, indeed it was the only way the 6 year old (who was 5 at the time) could be persuaded to try the pump! Although it does occasionally hurt if you hit a nerve, it's no worse than a jab(they tell me!) and at least it only has to be done once every 2 days, instead of 4 times a day on jabs.
Sue