New pumper!

[Fergie1985]

Hi all, I have today started on my pump with insulin (we done a week using saline to get use to the pump) so far so good! Was wondering what people had trouble with when 1st pumping? Just so I can keep an eye out! Xx

 

[azure]

What pump do you have @Fergie1985 ?

I didn't really have any problems. The hardest thing I found was the first couple of cannula changes. They made me nervous in case I messed them up.

 

[paulliljeros]

Hi @Fergie1985 I can't say I had any real problems when I started. My DSN was brilliant, I had read "Pumping Insulin", "Sugar Surfing" and "Think Like a Pancreas" and had CGM, and spent 3 months previously micro-dosing on MDI, so was quite confident about the concepts. Do you have any doubts or questions to start with, or are you just curious? Do you have CGM? I think it would have been a very different story, and much more difficult, if I hadn't, TBH.

 

[Fergie1985]

Hi @azure and @paulliljeros I am on Medtronic minime 640! I'm really excited about it to be honest, my pump treatment team have been fab, I was just wondering if anyone had had problems so that I could kind of look out for them warning signs. Yes, I'm doing CGM which I find I'm more keen to do being on the pump. X

 

[azure]

I suppose the most important thing is to watch out for highs. Occasionally you may get a 'bad' set and that needs to be sorted quickly.

And yes, pumps are exciting!

 

[himtoo]

Hi @Fergie1985
Yay You for getting started on a pump !!

getting all my basal settings totally sorted took about 4-6 weeks and I suppose I got impatient at times wanting it all to be sorted immediately.

 

[Deleted Account]

As @azure says, a bad set is the worst problem and that does not happen very often.
The key thing is to be aware. When I change my set, I always make sure I have a new one close to me for the next few hours and make a note to check my BG two hours after the set change to catch any problems as soon as possible.
This has led to a couple of quick cannula changes in the car but as I don't have to change the cartridge, it is quick.

 

[Fergie1985]

Yeah I have woke up this morning very high! (20.3) but have corrected so will check in an hour that it's coming down. I think my basal at night will need to be increased but will go through that in more depth with my DN. I'm LOVING not injecting already, so know any complications I might have I know il persevere as I do NOT want to go back to injecting! X

 

[himtoo]

Yeah I have woke up this morning very high! (20.3) but have corrected so will check in an hour that it's coming down. I think my basal at night will need to be increased but will go through that in more depth with my DN. I'm LOVING not injecting already, so know any complications I might have I know il persevere as I do NOT want to go back to injecting! X

my DN was really thorough and we spoke on the phone every other day for the first 2 weeks -- and I kept records so that we could go over every BG test, food, and exercise , and we reviewed settings , and I did loads of basal testing at different times of day --

 

[paulliljeros]

For me understanding hypos, and the effects they have on BGs over the following 24 hrs was a bit of a learning curve. It is so easy to correct highs, that it was a gut reaction to do it as soon as I saw I was high. It took a few over-corrections to realise when they were rebounds so now have learnt to reduce corrections in these instances.

 

[Claire007]

I've recently started pumping too. Having the libre alongside the pump has been invaluable and I've almost got my basal rate cracked now. I think it's just patience you need at first, when you've set yourself up for a basal rate test but you can't because your BG is too out of target and you have to correct is a pain but I guess that's the same as MDI.

Go slowly, tweak one thing at a time, my consultant told me her friend who is a surgeon took 3 months to sort it out so if it took a clever bod like that 3 months well, I'm doing ok! And I'm sure you will too.
Having a supportive DSN and this forum really helps. Good luck

I also found the official YouTube videos helpful when I first changed my cannula and infusion set. (I'm on a different pump to you though)

 

[Fergie1985]

I know it's not gona happen over night, it will take time! I'm writing all my results down aswell as food/carbs so I can look for patterns. I'm lucky that I have a good diabetes team and they are very supportive. All us new pumpers will have fun on this new journey! Xx

 

[noblehead]

Was wondering what people had trouble with when 1st pumping? Just so I can keep an eye out! Xx

Hi @Fergie1985 and great news that your enjoying pumping insulin

I think everything has been covered, just be sure to carry spare sets and back-up pens when your out & about for the day.

Not sure if the same can said for everyone who have stared on a pump, but I found most of the problems & mistakes were made in the first few weeks and I've had very few since, so if things do take a turn for the worse don't despair.

 

[Fergie1985]

@noblehead
Yeah I think the 1st few weeks will be the hardest just because of the big change! Yes, I was told to make sure I have it all with me when out and about so I'm prepped for that! Glad to see everyone is really positive about pumping! Xx

 

[Julian_Hands]

Ive just kept the cupboards stocked with Lucozade during my first week as I started to get a few lows during the first couple of days, my Total Daily Dosage has now reduced by more than 20% and nearly 30%, just keep doing the checks and react immediately to the trends. I set my Insight Pump to provide a reminder every 2 hours during the evenings in order to check the Basal rates overnight, thankfully I didn't have to many concerns but have tweaked a little to suit.
I also have done quite a lot of analysis on my Carb Ratio and Insulin Sensitivity, which Ive also had to reduce on the pump from the MDI settings I had worked with. The Bolus for me was key and I also now want to start looking more into Extended Boluses based on the trends I'm getting.
As many people will say on the forum, carb counting is crucial and the better understanding you have with the carbs then the easier the pump will be.

 

[noblehead]

Yeah I think the 1st few weeks will be the hardest just because of the big change!

Absolutely.

See the book mentioned earlier (Pumping Insulin), it's often referred to as the pumpers bible and for good reasons too, it's a great read and very easy to understand and will help you get the most from of your pump, it's a book that you can refer back to time & time again.

 

[Sponge12]

What pump do you have @Fergie1985 ?

I didn't really have any problems. The hardest thing I found was the first couple of cannula changes. They made me nervous in case I messed them up.

I found cannula changes hard. Too . Also changing basal settings. But you do get help with that.

 

[kellyxo]

I started MM640g on 31.1.17 It has been revolutionary, I love it so much. blood sugars were fantastically stable in a good range, no hypos either on the first day. The second day, my blood sugars were a little bit unstable, not too much though... When it came to the cannula changing, I got a bit worked up, but the more you do it the better you get at it, just like injections Each person varies and my blood sugars didn't really react negatively to the big change, but as I said, each person varies. I would never go on MDI again if I could help it

 

[jemmaedias]

Hi Fergie - I started my 640 on Tuesday. Snap! Loving the injection free life already.