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What Will I Need?

TIGERLILY1991

Active Member
Messages
40
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi all!

I'm being started on an insulin pump a week tomorrow at 29 weeks pregnant - I know I'm likely to need a belt as all my maternity trousers are over bump ones and don't have proper waistbands, but what else am I likely to need?

I'm getting the Tandem T Slim and am already using Dexcom.

Also, what do you carry round in your Diabetes Kit on a daily basis? Do you keep spare pens with you at all times just in case - and it so, just bolus or basal too? I'm worried about the pens going to waste after 28 days, especially when you hear about Type 1 Americans who cannot afford Insulin

Any advice will be greatly appreciated, my Diabetes has completely taken over my life, especially during this pregnancy so I'm hopeful this pump is going to be life-changing.
 
Hi @TIGERLILY1991

Best wishes for the pregnancy and pump. I've been pumping for good number of years, I take a spare cannula if out all day but not a pen. If away for few days I'll take a pens too but keep them in a cool pack so they stay useable longer.
 
Hi @TIGERLILY1991,
You can clip your pump to your bra or to the waistband of your underwear, it doesn't necessarily have to go on your waistband, I'm not pregnant but I find pump belts quite uncomfortable personally. I'm sure some are better than others though. This video is quite handy for showing you places you can put your pump I also take a cannula if I'm going to be out for the day and pens if I'm away for a few days.
Good luck
 
Regarding carrying pens with you, I only bother if I am out overnight. Otherwise, I will carry a syringe and can siphon off insulin my pump if it fails.
 
Thank you all! Do you find the cannulas fail regularly or its more of an exception?
 
I use a Medtronic pump so the cannulas are different to the ones you'll be using, but I usually find cannulas fail fairly infrequently, however today mine failed and the previous one did as well that's unusual for me and typically maybe two or three times a year I'll get a dodgy cannula
 
TIGERLILY1991 said:
Thank you all! Do you find the cannulas fail regularly or its more of an exception?
Click to expand...

In 10 years I've possibly pulled out one or two when away from home, plus maybe two in the house, so its an exception not the norm. As for failures, I've never had one fail, a few times I've not fitted them correctly and had bent cannula which is normally seen within say 15 mins as BG's rise.
 
TIGERLILY1991 said:
Thank you all! Do you find the cannulas fail regularly or its more of an exception?
Click to expand...

It depends on the cannula set, with teflon sets they were a nightmare for me as they would kink and so I wasn't getting insulin delivery, I now use a steel set and rarely get a failure, only from pulling out the tubing accidentally and where the adhesive anchor had come loose but that's only happened twice in the last 12 months. Sadly there's not much you can do with insulin that has expired, the bin is the best place for this, but make sure they keep your insulin on your prescription as my GP will review my prescription each year and take off items I hardly use so have to then re-request these items to be added to my prescription.
 

Thank you. I'm getting a steel cannula as my DSN recommended it so it doesn't kink during pregnancy.

I'm a prison officer (currently not prisoner facing due to pregnancy) but I'm worried about it getting ripped put when I'm back at work! Does it hurt, especially being a steel cannula when they get caught/ ripped out?
 
It's unlikely to get pulled out, depending on where you site your set it's best to tuck any excess tubing under your trousers, I use the shortest tubing available for this reason, there is also an adhesive anchor on the set so if it got caught it would be secured by this anchor, in the highly unlikely event it did get pulled out it doesn't hurt much so try not to fixate on this.
 

No I'd be surprised if you even notice it until your BG's start to rise.
 
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