Week 4 & all is going great

[teasytux]

Hi fellow pumpers!

This is my 4th week using the Animas 2020 pump after 38/9 years of MDI. It is absolute heaven not having to mess about with pens etc.. A lifetime of blood sugars not behaving themselves, the swings, the stacking and no matter what corrections were applied just continual instability I am really pleased to report to you all that the difference the Animas pump has made is FANTASTIC!!

It is early days and I am still going through the trials and errors but my DSN is really pleased with the results and changes, even after such a short time. I've had no hypo awareness since,,,1991 approx and I've started to get back, although slight, the 'away with the fairies' feeling enabling me to recognize my BG dropping from about the 4.3mmol mark - 3 hypos prevented

I'm riddled with neuropathy (ret/auto/periph) with some seriously serious pain and the BG stability is having a knock on effect, not greatly but even 1% I would appreciate. I successfully had my 2nd combo bolus last night with tea (100% over 3 hours). It is amazing as the gastroperesis is a right nuisance - before I'd typically go low about 1hr30 after eating then have a high 3hrs later with MDI. I eat the same things and quantity so just a fine tune to the combo-bolus in future.

I have carb counted for 4 years and that was the start to better BG control. I recommend anyone and all carb count. I had serious doubts about switching to a pump, safety was my biggest concern. After the courses, speaking to pump users and trawling the Internet for information on pumps, all my doubts were thrown to the trash. They're not right for everyone but if you don't give it a go you'll never know.

I will keep the forum updated to my progress as I'm sure many people find this helpful?

Best Wishes, TeasyTux

 

[ams162]

well done we are also a month in and loving our paradigm veo, there is no way dylan would opt to go back to injections now its a shame everyone isnt offered a pump to enjoy the freedom we feel with it, its made a huge difference to dylans life and by the sounds of it urs too long may it continue in the future

anna marie

 

[noblehead]

Hope your progress continues!

Nigel

 

[LittleSue]

That's great news.
Does it feel really weird not injecting? I reckon I'll constantly feel like I've forgotten to do something.

 

[ebony321]

It's great it's working so well for you good to hear i'm into week 2 and also loving the pump

That's great news.
Does it feel really weird not injecting? I reckon I'll constantly feel like I've forgotten to do something.

In a way it doesn't to me as your bolousing with the pump so you are doing something with meals. It was my night time background insulin i found strange not taking, like you say forgetting to do something, but you also end up doing checks throughout the day to make sure your not running low on insulin in your pump, and that your connected properly, and no leaks etc. So its like swapping one ritual for another, just less jabbing :lol:

 

[iHs]

I also have the same opinion as ebony. Instead of getting out an insulin pen to deliver insulin, you get out your pump to deliver it. Sometimes it can take a pump longer to deliver insulin (via the bolus wizard menu ) whereas on a pen, you just dial up the units and inject.

A pump demands more bg tests being done than on MDI so do make sure that your GP is ok with prescribing about 300 strips per month. There will be many days when you find yourself testing about 10 times or more but then on some other days you'll find yourself only needing to test 6.

Will it always give you good control???? ..............Well if pump is working all ok with infusion set then your control will be better but every now and again, bg levels fluctuate, sometimes for no obvious reason and you have a few days with raised or lower bg levels and then you have to muck about altering the settings on the pump, and just as your bg levels get ok again, you then have to alter the pump settings back to how they were before.

 

[LittleSue]

A pump demands more bg tests being done than on MDI so do make sure that your GP is ok with prescribing about 300 strips per month. There will be many days when you find yourself testing about 10 times or more but then on some other days you'll find yourself only needing to test 6
<snip>
every now and again, bg levels fluctuate, sometimes for no obvious reason and you have a few days with raised or lower bg levels and then you have to muck about altering the settings on the pump, and just as your bg levels get ok again, you then have to alter the pump settings back to how they were before.

tbh that pretty much happens now! I get 200/month at present, usually no problem getting extra as a one-off. Even once when they'd just issued the monthly repeat slip to the chemist, they still gave me extra when I said otherwise I'd be starting next month's allowance early with nothing in reserve. Just depends who takes the request, my own GP is fine but some other jobsworth can be difficult. When the time comes I'll see my own doc to ensure the message gets through about extra strips, still needing penfill cartridges for emergencies etc.

I planning on the basis everything will seem strange and take longer for a while and I'll be tired due to highs/lows/night tests. It did with DAFNE, having to think about what I wanted to eat, ratio, correction etc rather than just jab and eat the same every day. 4 years on though it seems like 2nd nature.

 

[spideog]

That's great news.
Does it feel really weird not injecting? I reckon I'll constantly feel like I've forgotten to do something.

I've certainly been feeling like I'm meant to be doing something at 10:30 am and pm every day this week when I'd have been doing the basals until last Sunday. Have had to hide my pens to be sure that I don't go and use them by accident.