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Pump start

Jeannie87

Well-Known Member
Messages
84
Location
Central Scotland
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Starting a new pump tomorrow (first time ever) morning at the hospital. This will be my second training morning - first one was ten days ago when we were taught basics and sent home with pump and all the accessories in order to get used to wearing it etc. Tomorrow we go “live” with insulin on board for first time. Problem is I wrote notes down on how to prepare for tomorrow (I’m on Levemir and NovoRapid Pens) my notes now confuse me! We were told to leave off the basal before Monday but on reading my notes I can’t figure out if I leave off the basal tonight or just tomorrow morning. Anyone help me with this? There was so much info to take in that day my notes reflect my confusion! We will be connecting up mid morning tomorrow so I know I’m not supposed to have any basal on board then just can’t recall which time is my last basal dose!! I normally take the Levemir at 6 am and 6pm if this is any help !
 

Hi there, I am not on a pump, so tagging @helensaramay and @Mel dCP..
Good luck
 
if you dont take the 6pm night before and 6am morning of pump clinic you will definitely have no long acting Levemir on board as you will have 28 hours with no lev taken -- if that makes sense

when i switched to a pump i was on lantus and did not take my evening dose the night before starting to pump
 
Thanks for the tag @Robinredbreast.
Like @himtoo I was on Lantus before I started pumping and did not take my evening dose... but I only had one dose a day, unlike Levemir.
@Jeannie87 have you looked at the Levemir profile graphs to check how long it last? (Sorry, I am on my phone so not easy to check)
Good luck in the next chapter of your type 1 journey.
 
 
I thought I had replied .....goodness having one of those days! Thank you so much for your reply and yes, it makes sense what you said, and also makes my notes clearer! You are a life saver!
 
Thank you! It's starting to make sense now. It was pretty full on information wise last time at the clinic but these replies have so helped me.
 
Jeannie87 said:
Thank you! It's starting to make sense now. It was pretty full on information wise last time at the clinic but these replies have so helped me.
Click to expand...
I'm so looking forward to tomorrow and beginning my new journey, after nearly 50 years of injections - although it is a steep learning curve I'm determined to succeed x
 
Ooh, how exciting! I was on Tresiba when I made the switch, so missed thenlrevious day’s dose altogether. I understand Levemir is quite a quick acting basal, so I’d definitely skip the Monday morning dose and maybe just take half this evening and correct with your bolus insulin. That’s what I’d do. Otherwise you’ll start the day very high... I’d also suggest checking at 10pm, 2am and 6am and correcting.
 
Thank you xx
 
I was using Levemir & missed the morning dose before starting the pump. However my appointment was at 2:00pm so perhaps you need to miss both, or possibly something like a half dose the evening before? Whatever you do I'm sure your trainer will be able adjust for it. I found the first couple of days a bit tricky but definitely well worth it. Do you have a Freestyle Libre or Dexcom? Mine made the move to a pump much easier.
 
Jeannie87 said:
I thought I had replied .....goodness having one of those days! Thank you so much for your reply and yes, it makes sense what you said, and also makes my notes clearer! You are a life saver!
Click to expand...
good luck on your pump start tomorrow... just a tiny hint of caution --- it took me about 6 weeks to get all my settings right for me in my pump... lots of basal rate testing .. and in the first few days a lot of tears ( i was ready to throw it in the bin after 3 days because my BG's were high and i have been t1d so long i had trust issues with a gadget controlling my entire existence )

but i love it and would never go back if i can help it
 
Hello @Jeannie87 I was really keen to start the pump but didn’t realise it would take me a good month to get ratios finely tuned like @himtoo so I did have moments of doubt, so stick with and try not to get disillusioned, it’s changed my control completely and I couldn’t do without it now - good luck and let us know how you get on - ‘Pumping insulin’ by John Walsh is a good read to help you.
 
In contrast, my move to a pump was a breeze... I just needed one change to the basal rate and away I went. I guess it all depends on how well the clinic set it up. So, don't be put off!
 
Thank you for thinking about me. I’ve been diabetic type 1 for almost 50 years and although I tried very very hard with the pump, there were way way too many issues with it. Maybe I’ve been diabetic too long and too set in my ways to change. I absolutely hated being attached to it, by the time I had insulin on board in the pump I had worn it for over 3 weeks and for the first time in my life I was aware every single moment , every single hour, every single day - that I was a diabetic and had something wrong with me! Whereas with the insulin pens once I had done my pen injections I forgot about Diabetes (well obviously not totally forgot but I felt like a normal person!) Please don’t get me wrong I’m full of admiration for anyone who loves their pump and copes with it - but I felt almost disabled wearing it. I also had more occlusions with the pump which concerned the Clinic staff - and when I told them my decision to stop they actually agreed with me - that I was better off with MDI. I have a Freestyle Libre which I’ve been using for nearly 2 years. My HBAc1 a month ago was 48. Which my consultant said was almost beyond excellent. He also said once he knew I was trialling the pump he felt I wouldn’t get any better results but to give it a try. I’m not one who easily gives up but it wasn’t for me. Maybe I’ve just had diabetes such a long long time - the pump was a step too far. I’m glad I tried it but also am happy to be back on the pens! It’s kinda “if it’s not broke don’t fix it” really.
 
Sorry you didn't get along with the pump. I have been type 1 for 48 years and went on the pump in February. In my case it has been the best decision ever. My last A1C was 43. We are all very different and what is good for one isnt always good for the other. Glad you gave it a try and sorry it didnt work out for you
 
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