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Pump v. Injection

L4ne.Willi4mson

Member
Messages
15
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. I've been type 1 for a little over a year now. When I was first diagnosed I was able to get it under control with diet and exercise and was able to honeymoon for about 3 months. Now I am out of the honeymoon phase I do insulin everyday. I have my endocrinologist saying I don't need the pump. Injection is just fine. However I have another doctor (for pain management) telling me to get on the pump. Now I know a pump delivers insulin if needed. But that's all I know. So what I'm really asking is what does the pump do (in simple to terms). And which one is better. Thank you so much.
 
Type insulin pump into YouTube and you'll get lots of vidoes with people sharing their experiences good and bad

Some doctors are really pushy about pumps but at the end of the day it's your decision, there's pros and cons to it like there is MDI
 
What sort of insulin regime are you in now @L4ne.Willi4mson ?

The pump is a subcutaneous continuous insulin infusion system (yeah that's why everyone call them pumps instead). They work by delivering a continuous drip feed of fast acting insulin (this drip feed is your basal rate and can be bespoke tailored to match your basal requirements hour by hour) and then you also bolus off the pump and the pump bolus can more accurately match your insulin to carb ratio by delivering insulin in very small increments (as low as 0.025 units for some pumps).

Whether a pump or MDI is better is really an individual decision, completely depends on your life and your management.
 
Right now I do 17 units of lantus every morning. And 1 unit of novolog per every 4 carbs I eat.
 
My biggest thing is I'm still high. Unfortunately it's not uncommon for me to jump to the 200 after a meal. And for some unknown reason I go to bed with "normal" blood sugar but wake up high.
 
L4ne.Willi4mson said:
My biggest thing is I'm still high. Unfortunately it's not uncommon for me to jump to the 200 after a meal. And for some unknown reason I go to bed with "normal" blood sugar but wake up high.
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have you spoken to your care team about this and have they recommended any changes to your insulin requirements ??

the first cornerstone of getting bg's in range is to look at basal testing. link here https://mysugr.com/basal-rate-testing/
you could have a look at the link and give your care team nurse a ring on Monday to discuss.
 
H I have not spoken to them yet. I have an appointment with them on the 2nd. But I will definitely give them a ring and look at the website. Thank you.
 


Hey,

I have been a type one for 11 years now, always on injections, and I am now on my way to a pump, they provide such better control, as far as I can see ! I guess I will let you know.
But I want one because I struggle to balance everything in life,and it just gives that little bit extra support in terms of keeping levels down and under control!

xx
 
I found that with a pump, I experienced far more severe hypo episodes than I did with injections, however it's personal preference. I'd say try it out, if you don't like it you can always switch back to injecting
 
verisimilitude said:
I found that with a pump, I experienced far more severe hypo episodes than I did with injections, however it's personal preference. I'd say try it out, if you don't like it you can always switch back to injecting
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Why do. You think that was? I've not heard that about pumps before (but as you say, it's all very personal/individual) just curious if you have any thoughts on why? Did you resolve it and stay on the pump?
 
Personally I have found hypos to be far less severe whilst on the pump, much milder and easier to recover quicker - the benefits of managing your insulin requirements are also much easier, once your started it is just the odd tweak here and there and easier to identify patterns to change insulin requirements - the positives far outweigh the negatives
 
The main differences and benefits for myself being on a pump is the hourly basal rates. With the once sometimes twice a day basal injection the profile of it did not match my needs. I am now able to accurately match my hourly basal needs as the pump delivers a different amount of insulin over the course of an hour. This prevents hypos/hypers when not eating and no need to adjust bolus insulin to compensate for injected basal insulin being out of sync. Also the other benefit I had was during exercise when injecting was very prone to hypos but now pumping can adjust back round and bolus insulin according to activity.
 
catapillar said:
Why do. You think that was? I've not heard that about pumps before (but as you say, it's all very personal/individual) just curious if you have any thoughts on why? Did you resolve it and stay on the pump?
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I think it was the fact that I may still have been in the honeymoon period but honestly I have no clue haha. I never stayed on the pump, I resorted back to injecting because I feel like I have more control over my doses.
 
verisimilitude said:
I think it was the fact that I may still have been in the honeymoon period but honestly I have no clue haha. I never stayed on the pump, I resorted back to injecting because I feel like I have more control over my doses.
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hi
hope you don't mind me asking, how long were you on a pump? I am on MDI at the moment though I am soon going onto a pump after 50 years of injecting.( yippeeeee )
 
I have less hypos on my pump. The pump allows such precise doses that hypos are less likely.

I've used a pump for 12 years and am confident adjusting my basal and my ratios to avoid highs and lows. A pump sadly isn't a magic answer. It still needs input to make sure the insulin doses are correct.
 
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