Hello everyone, I know that if you are lucky enough to be able to get one, taking the step from mdi to pumping can seem daunting, but I just wanted to share my story.
I was diagnosed with t1 when I was 11, and I'm 24 now. I had been on mdi for the majority of that time. My consultant had suggested pumping to me from the age of 16 and I had resisted every time, I didn't like the thought of it, what if I got the tubing caught?! And many other excuses! Any way, a long story short, aged 23, I was really struggling to improve my hba1c, I was getting 9-11%, I was tired all the time, I was getting poorly a lot and the side effects of my blood sugar swinging from high to low constantly were wearing me down.
I felt like my diabetes had won and I admitted defeat (in my eyes) and asked about a pump.
My dn's and consultant worked pretty quickly and as I fitted the criteria and I'd already jumped through most of the hoops, I chose my pump! I had to attend meetings to discuss the principles of pumping and the maths and everything that goes hand in hand with pumping.
I chose the accu chek combo, as a woman I found the appeal of not having to fish out my pump (I keep it in my bra!) to administer insulin the biggest selling point.
Finally the day arrived and I got my pump, I was super nervous and excited all at the same time! An hour later we'd all been given our pumps and we were attached! It was really scary and I found myself not trusting it at first.
I found it hard to start with, the things I had 'got away with' on mdi I just couldn't on the pump, I found I had to be much more accurate with carb counting and testing times, this is in no way a bad thing, I will be the first to admit after admitting defeat I turned into a lazy diabetic and the pump gave me the kick up the bum I needed to get back on track.
I also discovered that my hormones have a huge impact on my blood sugars, something that I'd never noticed for 13 years because I wasn't doing enough structured testing to find out.
I don't have a very consistent routine and every day can be different, my pump fits in so well and I love the fact I don't have to eat before I exercise now!
Anyway 5 months later and I haven't got my line caught on anything, I've only had one minor hitch with my insulin going funky and not working, at my friends wedding! Timing :S
I've done loads of testing, worked out the dawn phenomenon kicks in about 2 or 3 am for me, played around with my basal profile a lot and tweaked my bolus settings a few times, found out what foods take ridiculously long to digest for me (porridge) and how long I need to extend my bolus for with different foods and generally got to grips with it all! I feel very much in control and that diabetes won't win this time
I love my pump and can't imagine life without it now, I'm so thankful that I am lucky enough to have one.
But my biggest news and my greatest achievement so far and my pump needs most of the credit for this, my hba1c has gone from pre pump: 9.3% to 7.4% in 5 months
Hopefully you managed to read all of my rambling to get to the results bit
I hope this helps anyone who is struggling to decide.
Sarah x
Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
I was diagnosed with t1 when I was 11, and I'm 24 now. I had been on mdi for the majority of that time. My consultant had suggested pumping to me from the age of 16 and I had resisted every time, I didn't like the thought of it, what if I got the tubing caught?! And many other excuses! Any way, a long story short, aged 23, I was really struggling to improve my hba1c, I was getting 9-11%, I was tired all the time, I was getting poorly a lot and the side effects of my blood sugar swinging from high to low constantly were wearing me down.
I felt like my diabetes had won and I admitted defeat (in my eyes) and asked about a pump.
My dn's and consultant worked pretty quickly and as I fitted the criteria and I'd already jumped through most of the hoops, I chose my pump! I had to attend meetings to discuss the principles of pumping and the maths and everything that goes hand in hand with pumping.
I chose the accu chek combo, as a woman I found the appeal of not having to fish out my pump (I keep it in my bra!) to administer insulin the biggest selling point.
Finally the day arrived and I got my pump, I was super nervous and excited all at the same time! An hour later we'd all been given our pumps and we were attached! It was really scary and I found myself not trusting it at first.
I found it hard to start with, the things I had 'got away with' on mdi I just couldn't on the pump, I found I had to be much more accurate with carb counting and testing times, this is in no way a bad thing, I will be the first to admit after admitting defeat I turned into a lazy diabetic and the pump gave me the kick up the bum I needed to get back on track.
I also discovered that my hormones have a huge impact on my blood sugars, something that I'd never noticed for 13 years because I wasn't doing enough structured testing to find out.
I don't have a very consistent routine and every day can be different, my pump fits in so well and I love the fact I don't have to eat before I exercise now!
Anyway 5 months later and I haven't got my line caught on anything, I've only had one minor hitch with my insulin going funky and not working, at my friends wedding! Timing :S
I've done loads of testing, worked out the dawn phenomenon kicks in about 2 or 3 am for me, played around with my basal profile a lot and tweaked my bolus settings a few times, found out what foods take ridiculously long to digest for me (porridge) and how long I need to extend my bolus for with different foods and generally got to grips with it all! I feel very much in control and that diabetes won't win this time
I love my pump and can't imagine life without it now, I'm so thankful that I am lucky enough to have one.
But my biggest news and my greatest achievement so far and my pump needs most of the credit for this, my hba1c has gone from pre pump: 9.3% to 7.4% in 5 months
Hopefully you managed to read all of my rambling to get to the results bit
I hope this helps anyone who is struggling to decide.
Sarah x
Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
