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No more pumping for now.

Something that springs to mind following this discussion relating to issues with sets relates to kids. If most kids are now being put on pumps, what will happen to them in 15 years time?
 
tim2000s said:
Something that springs to mind following this discussion relating to issues with sets relates to kids. If most kids are now being put on pumps, what will happen to them in 15 years time?
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Hopefully there will be once-a-week smart insulin by then :)
 
Totally agree..tim2000s.

I heard from Accuchek today.. My comments regarding people having breaks and also them contacting and researching effects with longer term pumpers have been fed up the chain.
One thing Accuchek do well is to listen..

Actually that will be something I miss about pump.. I will miss the Accuchek people that have given me so much help n suport in past 5 years.

At the moment I'm not even thinking of it as a holiday. I'm thinking that it is going to be a permanent change.
 
donnellysdogs said:
Totally agree..tim2000s.

I heard from Accuchek today.. My comments regarding people having breaks and also them contacting and researching effects with longer term pumpers have been fed up the chain.
One thing Accuchek do well is to listen..

Actually that will be something I miss about pump.. I will miss the Accuchek people that have given me so much help n suport in past 5 years.

At the moment I'm not even thinking of it as a holiday. I'm thinking that it is going to be a permanent change.
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On the cannula front yesterday at the hospital my Diabetic Nurse on the combo has the same probs as you he's super slim and muscular he gets problems leaning against things and bending with the 6-8mm Rapids "feels a stabbing pain" he says it's his biggest bug bare with the pump I told him to get in touch with Accu check to tell them and his diabetic team he said he would so let's hope so.

Is there anymore I could do to help your cause another letter or something it's strange when you know someone is using the same medical equipment as you is having severe problems not with the functions but the build of it, I agree there should be research into long term effects of use of a pump fortunately I'm still in the happy bunny mode after 15 years of one I just know what I was like pre-pump but there are some issues I have but smal ones.

Let me know if I can help.
 
Personally pumping was a great learning curve.

It was when I started taking my diabetes really seriously, did the DAFNE, read Bernstein and Think Like A Pancreas, started following forums online and become much more focused on tight control.

Do I think it's solely the pump that improved my HBA1c? I thought it was originally, but being rational I think it's all the knowledge I gained whilst starting the pump that tightened my control.

Of course, the pump has its benefits, I love the temporary basal feature and not having to remember injections.

But as Donnellysdogs dog highlights, even after 4 years I'm still very much aware of constantly being attached to something, I've had high ketones a few times due to blocked cannula, or I've disconnected myself during the night when half asleep etc. Ripping sets out on door handles etc. Every time I go through airport security I have issues and am padded down, the pump is swabbed and so on.

Having to carry a bloody man bag everywhere with spare infusion set, insulin pen for any DKA issue, batteries etc.

Beach holidays can be a pain on a pump, sand in the pump, salt water in the pump. Keeping the pump cool. Not massive issues, but irritating nonetheless.

I do really enjoy my mid-week set change over, I'll take a 1U bolus, remove everything, have a nice long bath and really enjoy being as naked as the day I was born ha.

Two novopen echos, an accuchek nano and a tube of glucose tabs in the pocket is alluring haha.
 
I can totally understand where you are coming from on this one.

I am only a couple weeks into my pump and its more of pain then i thought.
I dislike the chord, I
dislike having to carry this thing around with me whenever i wake up at night for the bathroom,
i dislike having 'trouble' taking my own pants off, or using the washroom with pants down lol
I dislike having a constant feeling of the infusion set stuck to my butt, and the dexcom stuck to my side.
I dislike sitting down/rolling over/leaning on something and feeling that piece of plastic where my body used to be and have to change positions..

I can totally see why someone would leave the pump, it CAN be handled with injections if you have no issues with injecting frequently (which i do not).

I however, think staying on a dexcom would be worth this trouble.

The dexcom acts more like a road map, where the pump is the car. If you have car and a poor map you wont be very well off. But if you have the map and a poor car at least you will get to where you are going.

Best of luck!

Maybe look into a libre? I would think that would handle all of the IOB issues (my abbot Insulinx does my IOB and my carb counting very well)
 
Been offered a libre.. But refused it. Had too much trouble with the freestyle navigator.

I don't worry about pricking fingers. I'm hoping can get settled reasonably quickly back on MDI. Its a bigger relief than I ever thought it would be. I've always been so pump orientated that I never dreamt I could be so relaxed about going back to mdi.
 
Just a note on peeps who are slimmer / have commented disliking being able to feel infusion sets... Have you all been offered/tried different ones...?

I am still in my saline start up week and was given the silhouette and the quick sets to try... The quick set was horrible on me; it stung for ages after I'd put it in, and I was regularly aware of it niggling, plus caught it on clothes... The silhouettes however (so far) feel a dream -- though considerably scarier looking needle length wise, I can't feel it once in *at all* no matter if I'm directly pushing into it or not, plus it's flatter so I don't catch it... Just thought it was worth a mention; also found this on infusion sets worth a read; http://www.diabeteseducator.org/exp...ch/12-30-11-AADE_Insulin_WhitePaper_Print.pdf
 
Yep, tried all of them..... Even the angled ones don't go in to right layer of subcutaneous fat with me....cause me just as many probs.

I think it is more difficult for persons with muscle instead of fat....

When I wasn't gardening for my living a few years back now I did have more fat. It is muscle now. Thats why I feel I have probs. I don't want fat. Why would I? I'm really happy with my body and there's not many people that can say that!!
 
I have noticed so far that some locations are much worse then others.. So I have already found 1 or 2 places that are 'last resort' material haha
 
I read this post last night and it made me think... I always say I love my pump because of how much better my control has become but I don't think I'd thought about how it makes me feel...

It can be a pain the back side - not literally for me as I use my stomach :D - it can mess up n make me high coz I've got a dodgy cannula etc, finding somewhere to put it if I'm going out in a little dress and have to cram it in my bra resulting in me having 'square boob' - could use the body band I've got which is amazing but the bloomin remote is rubbish so would still need to fish out pump, but I LOVE my pump I really do...

I could not think of anything worse than going back to MDI, yeah maybe I've become more educated since getting a pump so it's not that alone that has made my control better but we are a team me n ***** and a pretty good one! :)
 
@Mrsass -- *****... Hahaha!! I've been thinking of my new pumps name...

And I've got a belt too (from Hid-In) and it's bloody wonderful; I'm SOOOOO glad I got it before I got my pump, otherwise where to wear my pump would be totally stressing me out! Know what you mean about the wizard being on the pump but my remote seems quite good and I also don't mind nipping to the loo if I really want to use the wizard and I've got the pump tucked away somewhere not easy to fish out at the table, cos I used to nip to the loo to give injections anyway... I know it super early days so it's easy for me to say, and I can see certain things will bug me a bit (at the end of the day who wants to be attached to some object 24/7??) but I think the benefits are going to overshadow that for me and don't think I'd give up my pump easily.... :-)
 
@artemis yeah my belt is a Hid-In one, is fantastic! I just wish my pump remote was better, I don't feel confidant enough to trust it.. I could go to the loo as you said but I never used to when I was on MDI coz I'm a stubborn begger and didn't see why I should haha

My work colleagues and family have now got quite used to me pulling a pump from my bra when I'm about to eat.. Lol

I wouldn't give my pump up it would have to be taken from me while I kicked and screamed lol
 
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donnellysdogs said:
Yep, tried all of them..... Even the angled ones don't go in to right layer of subcutaneous fat with me....cause me just as many probs.

I think it is more difficult for persons with muscle instead of fat....

When I wasn't gardening for my living a few years back now I did have more fat. It is muscle now. Thats why I feel I have probs. I don't want fat. Why would I? I'm really happy with my body and there's not many people that can say that!!
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Unfortunately that's a bad side of pumps. Ive started few weeks ago with no cannulas problems, but I do have a bit of fat. Cant imagine sticking needle anywhere with no fatty layer. Ive tried upper tummy or sides when I was injecting and it was very painful.
Hope it will all work for you. I do believe its possible to get good control on MDI. In our last meet up, Ive met few members of this forum doing great without pumps.
 
Thankyou.
I was one that had large swings MDI. So I do know I have a huge mountain to climb.

To explain how my body has toned since going back to my garden working and why it is such an issue now...My legs at the top used to be the same as hubby..21.5 inches...but they had flab compared to hubbies... We measured them last weekend and the flab (which wasn't really excessive as I was size 10) is toned again and now 18.5" of muscle.

This is the only comparison I have as I've never measured my body. I used to whinge how my legs flabbed on chairs compared to hubby...

So this is how I have gone to muscle.. My bum would be the same... My arms have always been muscly..

I will not stop my gardening for the sake of cannulas. I'm toned and fit.

I was always told that diabetes lives with you... Not the other way round... So now it is time that MDI can be tried again.. It may not work.. Who knows??

But a change is as good as a rest...
 
donnellysdogs said:
Thankyou.
I was one that had large swings MDI. So I do know I have a huge mountain to climb.

To explain how my body has toned since going back to my garden working and why it is such an issue now...My legs at the top used to be the same as hubby..21.5 inches...but they had flab compared to hubbies... We measured them last weekend and the flab (which wasn't really excessive as I was size 10) is toned again and now 18.5" of muscle.

This is the only comparison I have as I've never measured my body. I used to whinge how my legs flabbed on chairs compared to hubby...

So this is how I have gone to muscle.. My bum would be the same... My arms have always been muscly..

I will not stop my gardening for the sake of cannulas. I'm toned and fit.

I was always told that diabetes lives with you... Not the other way round... So now it is time that MDI can be tried again.. It may not work.. Who knows??

But a change is as good as a rest...
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Ive just measured my legs to compare. Oh dear:eek: Im off to do some gardening this afternoon!
There is nothing wrong to be fit and toned. I suppose it also makes you feel good, which is very important. Hopefully different insulin will work better. When I changed from lantus to split Humilin I I noticed improvement
 
Mrsass said:
It can be a pain the back side - not literally for me as I use my stomach :D - it can mess up n make me high coz I've got a dodgy cannula etc, finding somewhere to put it if I'm going out in a little dress and have to cram it in my bra resulting in me having 'square boob' - could use the body band I've got which is amazing but the bloomin remote is rubbish so would still need to fish out pump, but I LOVE my pump I really do...
Click to expand...

Square boob! Arg! :mad:;) Must admit I'm finding it massively awkward to wear with my 'outdoor' clothes. Fine when I'm in the house wearing baggy t-shirts/night-shirts and baggy slouch pants but all my proper clothes are tight fitting and as I'm very slender the pump sticks out like a sore thumb.

I always wear black boot-cut pants for work and going out, but I'm very particular about leg length. The only good ones that fit me nicely that I have about six pairs of, don't have pockets (an older pair that look a bit tatty now do have pockets and I slip the pump in my pocket and it's actually ok) but clipped onto my waist band it just looks like bizarre square growth coming out of my stomach. Same if I strap into around my thigh.

Then there's 'square boob', plus it digs into me too much in that area and is really uncomfortable. I've had it strapped around my arm, which isn't bad at all, but I was at a dance class the other night and when I lifted me arm up, the tubing was dragging too much and I was worried my dance partner would accidentally catch it, so I ended up strapping it just beneath my knee. It was nice and hidden (as my pants flare out a bit at the knee) but it kept flapping about when dancing and I was so aware of it the whole time and kept checking to make sure it wasn't going to fall off, etc.

Yeah, fiddly, thus far in terms of wearing.
 
@victry77 I can sometimes disguise the square boob depending on what I'm wearing, if I've got the clip on my pump clipping it in the middle of my bra at the front is quite hidden in most clothes, that's the only time i use the clip I prefer my pump without it as it's less bulky and just try to tuck it places, trousers/skirt, bra.. I know someone that puts hers in her pants... But I don't feel too keen on that idea! Lol
 
I'm not considering a pump holiday because I don't like the pump. I LOVE it and I'm devastated to be in this position. After 4.5 years of pumping, all in areas I never injected before and very careful rotation, my sites are starting to fail. The areas are tired and absorption is effected. I am starting to have to change basal for each site. If I continue to pump in these areas I face doing irreversible damage and will be unable to pump.

So I am trying to be brave and face this head on so that I can continue to pump. I hate MDI. I'm needle phobic, injections really hurt, being brittle diabetic my control fluctuates hugely and mdi could never keep up, the list of issues I face on mdi is endless. I would never choose to have a pump holiday if I had a choice.
 
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