Son starts pump monday

[Kkazibabes]

My son (5) Xander starts the pump on Monday, he had it fitted yesterday with just Saline so he got the feel of what it was like, which I have to say he really took to.

What is NOW worrying me is the basal setup, I know on the pump you can have quite a few different units at different times all programmed in and this we are going to find difficult as Xander's Diabetes is erratic anyway. Is there any advice on an easy way to set this up???

Sorry I am rubbish at explaining, so I hope you got what I was trying to say. :?

 

[ZACNEMMA]

Hi

Good luck with the pump-I can't wait till my son Zac starts pumping.
From my knowledge I believe that your nurse will work out what his basal will be based on how much long acting insulin he is taking now. I hope it all goes well for you and your son. What pump is he going to be using?

Emma x

 

[SophiaW]

Good luck on Monday. Let us know how you get on

 

[jopar]

Different clinics have a slight different protocol to setting the pump basal up..

But they will use the last couple of days off TDD of insulin, crunch it through there formula, which is roughly looking at 50% basal and 50% basal, then they will either look at your data and try to make an informed guess to a good starting point, or just split the dose evenly over the 24 hours..

It will take a day or so for the old background insulin to truely filter out the body and not have an effect on BG, which can alter data slightly being collected..

It can be a rocky road to get up and running, but don't be put off it is well worth it all...

 

[josie38]

Hi,

When my basal was worked out it was units of insulin needed over 24 - 30% divide by2 and divide by24.My dsn worked mine out for me as a starting point.


Your soins maybe different but once he has it on you may notice patterns to his BG results which may enable to adjust his basal rates accordingly.

Hope everything goes well with it.

Josie

 

[Kkazibabes]

Thanks everyone.

The past few days have been very emotional and stressful. I've changed a set already, but had to do it twice as the 1st time I forgot to fill the tube and cannula. My son (Xander, 5 years old) had a hypo this morning, so the nurse came to the house and adjusted Xander's basal rate. Ive been to the hospital twice this week, but thankfully the nurse is coming out again tomorrow to do a set change with me.

The good thing about the pump is, after the glucose meter sends the BG to the pump and you programme in the carbs then the pump works out how much insulin to give him, not just based on the food intake, but takes into consideration Xander's BG, if it needs to do a correction (be it + or -) and if there is still any active insulin, so it's that precise.

One thing I do find though is every time Xander wants to eat I check his BG, then weigh what im giving him to eat, then work out how many carbs, then wait til he eats it (if he doesnt eat it all then I have to work out what he did eat) then programme the carbs into the pump. Phew!!!!!

It can only get easier :? I hope.

 

[SophiaW]

I'm sure in a few weeks you'll be a whizz at this and it won't seem so daunting. Anything new is always difficult to get to grips with in the early days. Which pump did you go with?

 

[Aki]

Hi

My daughter has been on a pump for a year now. At first it was very daunting because you have all the information about diabtes and then you have to learn about the pump as well. Changing sets at first i found a little scary but very soon it became almost habit. Even changing the basal rates are easy. I know now from looking at the last couple of days BG reading at different times of the day i can see where there are problems either BG too high or too low. So after speaking to the team that looks after my daughter we change the basal rates or i do after they tell me.

It just gets easier with practise.