Undecided

Hi @abi-tbh

Having a pump means you are managing both insulins with just a quick acting insulin so requires vigilance with control and testing. The pump settings take a while to adjust and you can find that initially your HbA1c might not look that good, but the settings allow for flexibility so can work well with exercise, periods, and other events. My understanding is that you would need to show how well managed you are on multiple daily injections before being considered for a pump.

I am under the same NHS trust as you, from the point that I applied I was rejected once and it took about a year to get a pump, we also don't have a choice with what pump we get, it's a Medtronic 640g, please feel free to PM me with any questions, happy to help

The advantages are many, the disadvantages few going by my own brief (16 months) experience of pumping.

I like the way you can extend the bolus dose to suit the food that you eating, so for difficult meals like those that are high in fat you can use what they call a Dual-Wave Bolus, using this feature you can give some insulin upfront and extend the rest of the dose over many hours, on injections this could mean 2-3 injections depending.

Also like the way you can have many basal rates over a 24 hour period, it gives you much flatter and predicatble bg levels than a once/twice basal injection, plus I like the fact that you can use a TBR (temporary basal rate) in times of illness or when exercising. Downside of pumping is you need to be vigilant and spot any issues that may be developing, so regular bg checking is advisable.

That's just a few ,If you read around the forum you will find many threads just like yours @abi-tbh and members feedback. Good luck.

Advantages that I've found:

being able to fine tune basal according to hour by hour needs
being able to set temp basal rates for exercise or illness
being able to control my Dawn Phenomenon
being able to do more precise boluses eg 3.27 rather than 3 or 4 units
getting a better night's sleep because of smoother sugars
feeling generally better and more 'normal' as my insulin more closely matches my body's needs

Disadvantages:

the possibility of 'dodgy sets' and/or poor absorption at sites

So not many disadvantages for me personally : D People always say about 'having something attached to you' but I hardly notice my pump at all.

Pumping is a fair bit of work though. I think it's important to understand and know your diabetes well before considering one.

abi-tbh said:

My consultant doctor said they'll give me a trial run with a pump for 48 hours with sterile saline to see what it would be like and get a feel for the pump so I might do that


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That would be useful if you're not sure I just went straight on to insulin, but I had spent months making my decision and so was nervous but excited to get my pump on and working.

abi-tbh said:

My consultant doctor said they'll give me a trial run with a pump for 48 hours with sterile saline to see what it would be like and get a feel for the pump so I might do that


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I had a trial run with the 'loan pump' at my clinic, although my trail run I used insulin not saline but that helped massively in making my decision as its a big thing to decide when you've got no idea what you're actually getting yourself into, 2 & a half years later I've never looked back, I love my pump!


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I love my pump! It's been hard work, but I'm very, very happy with it.

Mind you, it's been a massive re-education process - I feel like I've had to unlearn 30 years of experience of managing diabetes with injections and start again from scratch - but oh my goodness me, it's been so, so worth it.

This is not a very objective post, with pros and cons, I'm afraid. Yup there are niggly things with it sometimes, but I have not looked back since starting on my pump last autumn. I have found it life changing. I am beginning to feel like a real person, not a diabetic. And that's massive. I've let my diabetes prevent me from doing all sorts of things over the years - but the pump has given me a new lease of life.

I think it's great that you're looking into the option, @abi-tbh . I'm sure you'll find the right decision for you.

I've been IDD since 1971 - moving to a pump 5 yrs ago was one of the best things I did, the second was adding a CGM but self funded.

I waited a long time because I did not want something hanging off of me all the time, eventually after a few years I gave in and tried it, it took maybe 3 months of effort to get it all working effectively but wow I'd never go back.

here is my advantages and disadvantages

advantages
no more injecting
less hypos and the hypos i do get are gentler
less problems with dawn phenomenon ( have mostly eliminated it)
extended dual wave bolus for high fat meals
precise basal and bolus dosing
loads more flexibility in eating times
bolusing in public on a pump is completely invisible
my wife worries less


disadvantages
it was a bit scary at first turning over my whole life to a machine
harder work ( more testing and reviewing patterns)

it does take a while to get used to pumping and it does feel as though you have to start over in terms of education.

I love my pump
so far 43 years type 1
and the last 8 months on a pump

abi-tbh said:

I've had diabetes for nearly 3 months now and I'm debating on whether or not to get a pump. I've mentioned it to my diabetic team and they said they'll look into it, but I wanted to know the advantages and disadvantages from people who actually use them so I thought I'd take to the forum to ask.


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I am not on a pump, but many have changed over from MDI and have had good results. My diabetes consultant told me a couple of years ago a pump is only as good as the person using it.
Good luck, I'm sure you will receive some very helpful replies.