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Should I return to injections???

catsforever

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
I have had my insulin pump for two and a half years now and it has made my life slightly easier. The pump made my life a bit less embarrassing as being a teenage girl made me conscious about doing my injections when I was at school. The pump just allows me to quickly enter what I need before returning without anyone noticing. After two and a half years though, I am seeing that at stages of GCSEs it's all too much work right now. I don't have time to monitor and do food diaries and the glucose levels still are not at a constant good rate. I cannot make my own modifications yet so it is not as free as injections and I am thinking of returning to injections to establish more control. If you have experiences with both the insulin pump and injections, please leave your comments so I can make an informed decision of what will be best!
Thanks
 
Personally I think you will struggle on injections after being on a pump. Why haven't you sorted your basals yet? Why the heck do you need to do a food diary, carbs are eaten and the info goes into the pump for bolus, can't see what else is needed. Blood sugar testing again that's in the pump and all you need to do is spend a couple of mins writing the results in a blood sugar diary at the end of the day. As to making your own modifications, again why not with discussion with your parents. You see a problem make a note and say Mum/ Dad can you advise me please. again takes a couple of mins.
I also doubt you will be given another pump if you give it back.
Bottom line though is it's your choice.
 
You could consider returning to injections
just for temporary measure until all your GCSE's are over ?

Understand it possibly being too much on your pump with the points
you make and refer with regards to the GCSE's work load .

Talk it all over with your parents GP or your DSN too .

Once all work load , study , exams are over .
Return to your pump with more freedom mode .

Less stress possibly ?
Only you know what is really best for you .
 
Thanks. I dont see why I need to do food diaries either but when i go to see my nurse which is frequently, I have to write everything I have eaten, the basal at that moment, and how much insulin it gave me along with the ratio and exact time. Only my nurse can change the basal and when she does it she either puts too much or too little. Thanks for the pointers though. I will take them into consideration!
Tjanks
 
Thanks. I think that might be a good idea but I hope I will get the pump returned once the work load is over!!
Thanks once again!!
 
I am shocked that you think only the nurse can change your basals. Who ever told you that? The user ie you can change the basals. Your nurse sounds like a control freak. Learn to use your pump and the world is your oyster. If you stop using your pump then your account will be closed so you wont be able to get any more supplies. As a matter of interest what pump do you have?
Here's a useful link for you as well http://diatribe.org/issues/26/thinking-like-a-pancreas Oh and by the way all the info your nurse is expecting you to write down is stored in the pump all she has to do is download it. So be ever so polite and tell her so the next time you see her. In fact save her the job and download it yourself and take it in to her.
 
I agree with CarbsRok. You need to take control of your own diabetes asap. What are you going to do if this DSN leaves the clinic and the next one expects you to be ok on pump? I have been diabetic since age 4 and my parents always encouraged independence. I was injecting myself aged 7 and managing my own levels by 12.

Have you read the book pumping insulin by John Walsh? This would help you a lot. Also we are all here to help you on this forum. I have had so much support and guidance from the wonderful people on here. Let us help you get on track and get the most out of your pump
 
You should not need a nurse to change anything on a pump after a few weeks of going on to it.

Agree with the two posters above, totally.

A pump is about self management. No wonder you feel that you can't cope with it and wanting to go back to injections.

I see why your nurse wants you to log things down like food etc... But if you are doing that then you should be able to make the choices to look at the log book and change things for yourself.....

What pump are you using?
 
CarbsRok... Some hospitals like mine don't have the ability to download pumps and they don't want to do it as they believe that a patient should be logging and monitoring their exercise, food etc.. It helps the DSN and the patient to easily see that actually that hypo was due to this exercise etc.

My hospital will never download my pump....
 
This may be the case but the pump user has the ability to download the data to their own computer and print it off.
 
I agree totally..but if you're like me and only use iphone or ipad I don't think I can download accuchek pump to these??

It was only to say that some hospitals do still insist upon log books. Totally agree that this nurse is being a control freak. If on accuchek pump, it makes me wonder whether they have left the OP on a basic menu, not advanced.. I know of another hospital that did this to another person on this forum...

It going to make a young patient cheesed off with having to go back to hospital to have things changed....
 
Err I wouldn't know how to turn on an ipad or iPhone lol.
I agree about recording blood sugar and if an odd/unexplained number then comment on it, but otherwise nothing else is recorded.Can the user not change the basic menu themselves to advanced? This is easily done with the Animas.
 
Yes, it easily done on accuchek pump, but if the user hasn't been made aware of it then they don't know any different!!

I think nurse is over controlling unless the OP (sorry to say this) hasn't got the enthusiasm themself to want to put the time in that it initially takes to set up.

I think my pump amendments nowadays are less than a minute a fortnight as an average.
However initially and especially when I had that useless Navigator CGM I was too anal about analysing and spent ages everyday looking at everything.

Blood tests etc and bolus's need to be the basics of a pump user, moreso I think than when I was mdi...
 
I think your all looking at this with very adult points of view however much I agree with what your both saying.

Pediatric diabetes services are another world. you think drs speak down to you in adult services? You haven't seen anything. Controlling? Absolutely.

I was spoon fed and not allowed to make any changes at all by myself until I was 18 which i assume is what also happening to the OP.

Catsforever are you ready to make your own changes? understand your doing GCSEs but with a little help and work you can sort this because next it'll be a levels and then Uni and big wide world. If you switch back to MDI its just going to make like so much harder! stick with it and listen to the guys here. engage your brain. after all its Maths revision!
 
Catsforever needs with her parents to sit down and read the pump manual and learn to use the pump. It's only a fantastic tool if used properly, the nurse obviously has no idea, knowledge is power.
 
De
CarbsRok said:
Catsforever needs with her parents to sit down and read the pump manual and learn to use the pump. It's only a fantastic tool if used properly, the nurse obviously has no idea, knowledge is power.
Click to expand...

Depends if her parents support her or the Nurse Carbs. Bit of assumption there really. Not everyone is as enlightened as us. not saying they arent - just saying we cant assume.

Shocking yes but true. I wasn't allowed a pump (this was 10+ years ago) and any insulin changes had to be run passed my nurse. I wasn't taught to carb count (i learned myself though trial and error) dafne isn't available to under 16/17 cant remember which.

To add insult to injury my mum is a nurse (psyc) so basically whatever the diabetic said must be true eveen when I was blamed of not doing insulin/ testing/ eating sweets. its the only answer after all.
 
Excellent...
Are you happy at knowing how to set your basals?
Are you happy with doing some basal testing?
Are you happy that you can do extra tests and change things like bolus ratio's if needed?

You have the support of knowledgeable people here. People that have managed their pump successfully.... All here to help if you need help...
 
Thanks for all of your support. I had an appointment with my nurae today and told her that maybe the reason things wern't improving was because she wasn't letting me be independent with the pump and also said that I wanted to he avle to make my own changes. At first she really didn't want to but I told her being diabetic for 10 years, I know what alterations my body needs and it will work out so I have made the changes and I will see how it goes.
Thanks for all your help!
 
 
Fantastic news and good for you Just remember to change your basal between 1 and 2 hours before you need it to take effect.
 
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