Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pump?

Re: Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pum

Hi HannahsMum,
To help you understand pumping and making things easier all round if you haven't already done so invest in the book called Pumping insulin by John Walsh.
It sounds to me as if you have had very little help. Which is a dreadful shame for both you and your daughter.
2 weeks for everything to settle!! Someone was being very misleading in telling you that. Bare minimum is aprox 6 weeks and some people it can be 6 months before a correct basal pattern is sorted.

Cavilon. you do not need to heat it up no idea where that nurse got that idea from.
All you do is spray it on and wait until almost dry (few secs) and pop cannula in. Skin tac is like super glue so that's worth looking at as well.
I always make sure I put a strip of Mefix tape across the cannula as well saves it being yanked out.

Bruising.. This sounds like the wrong type of cannula was being used for your daughter.
There are loads of pump cases on the market, so well worth doing a google search for the most suitable.

Glad to see things are a lot more stable now for you and hope things continue to be good.

Pumping is a lot of hard work and I think it's a bit of a shock to the system for many people when they realise how much is involved.

Re: Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pum

The only other thing I would add.. is that a pump is a lot of work.. from what I have read more work than MDI for a lot of people.. you certainly need to understand carb counting and how your body works (and frankly if you understand that you should already have reasonable control)... pumps are not magic bullets that make diabetes instantly better without doing anything.. more they are a different way of managing your diabetes one that requires a level of knowledge and commitment to ensure that it succeeds..

For me the point of the pump was that it got rid of the 10+ injections a day I was taking.. its more convenient for the travel that I do.. (never fun to inject your insulin when your squeezed on a train!).. and it also allows self funding of the CGM which will cut down a lot of the testing that I currently do.. it is already improving my 'quality of life' for want of a better phrase.. but I doubt it will have much influence on my control.

Re: Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pum

I have been on an Insulin pump now for 1 week following 15 years of multiple daily injections.

The Pump so far however would be my choice.

The positives of the pump is the fine tuning you can use to avoid HYPOs which you simply can't with MDI. It stops you making stupid mistakes like correcting too early or miscalculating your insulin and if you love excersise you will love a pump!

The negative is the risk of it stopping working - you need to learn to love your tester. The first time I changed the canular i must have done something wrong as went from 6.2 to 29.5 in the matter of a few hours. But resolved it by changing the canular.

Canulars are painless and having the pump attached is not an issue for me but I can imagine for kids it might be or women wanting to wear dresses etc.

My diabetic unit were very positive to find anything that worked for me and always had my interests at the heart of the decision. My HBa1C prior to pumping was just below 7 but qualified on the basis of doing multiple injections throughout the day ( on average 6 ) and doing huge amounts of driving and working a flexible shift pattern. I also love cycling and squash which I have to admit were difficult with hypos occuring up to 3 hours after excersise.

I can see benefits for both but for me so far its the pump. When I went on injections aged 10 i felt massively unlucky, when I went on to the pump aged 26 I felt very lucky!

Re: Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pum

I have had particularly uncontrollable sugar levels since being diagnosed. Together with my consultant we have tried a lot if different things to grasp control but still having problems, my levels resulted in a broken arm and serious concussion a few months ago and so have been told that if I have not been able to find control by march next year, I will be referred to a pump. I've read nothing but positive about pumps so I hope it will help me. I am looking forwould to a new lease of life and hopefully I will find that with a pump.

Re: Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pum

cjbossy said:

I have had particularly uncontrollable sugar levels since being diagnosed. Together with my consultant we have tried a lot if different things to grasp control but still having problems, my levels resulted in a broken arm and serious concussion a few months ago and so have been told that if I have not been able to find control by march next year, I will be referred to a pump. I've read nothing but positive about pumps so I hope it will help me. I am looking forwould to a new lease of life and hopefully I will find that with a pump.

Click to expand...

Why have you got to wait so long for the pump?
If you carb count and know how to adjust your insulin etc and have tried all the different insulin's then you should not be having to wait for a pump.

Re: Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pum

Injections!
I like the rapid effect, tiny thin needles and a jab that takes 5 seconds to draw up and inject
Glucose meters and insulin pump technology seems to be 10years behind mobile phone technology and everything else. If they made the pump smaller and less intrusive id give it a go. LCD screens are sooo 80's!

Re: Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pum

LCD screens are sooo 80's!

Click to expand...

What are you talking about? E.g. the new iPhone has a LCD display - Apple's "Retina" display is just technobabble

I like the rapid effect, tiny thin needles and a jab that takes 5 seconds to draw up and inject

Click to expand...

Pump bolus is just a quick acting and easy to administer, so I don't see how this is an argument *for* injections.

Personally, I think pump is a useful option to have, but unless there is a specific reason you need it for (e.g. variable basal rate or very small insulin doses) it's probably not worth the hassle.

Re: Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pum

My diabetic doctor has just asked me if I would like to be put onto a pump instead of having multiple injections a day.everything I've read here has been positive towards the pump. Especially the loosing weight mension. How long do you keep the needle in for and how does it monitor your blood glucose.

Re: Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pum

MonoJono said:

Injections!
I like the rapid effect, tiny thin needles and a jab that takes 5 seconds to draw up and inject
Glucose meters and insulin pump technology seems to be 10years behind mobile phone technology and everything else. If they made the pump smaller and less intrusive id give it a go. LCD screens are sooo 80's!

Click to expand...

No idea where you got your info from,
needles/cannula are as small and smaller than the pen needles. (obviously depends which set you use)
Pumps are smaller than a pager. How much smaller do you want them, obvioulsy taking into account your fantastic eye sight to be able to see the screen :roll:

Please point me in the direction of a mobile phone that delivers insulin :lol:

Re: Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pum

glenmoray said:

My diabetic doctor has just asked me if I would like to be put onto a pump instead of having multiple injections a day.everything I've read here has been positive towards the pump. Especially the loosing weight mension. How long do you keep the needle in for and how does it monitor your blood glucose.

Click to expand...

Hiya,
the cannula stays in for either 2 or 3 days. This depends on the type of cannula used.
The pump doesn't measure your blood sugar. You need to do that yourself then tell the pump what it is. Some pumps have a handset which doubles as a blood glucose monitor so this talks to the pump and works your dosage out for you for corrections and meal boluses.

Re: Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pum

How long do you keep the needle in for and how does it monitor your blood glucose

Click to expand...

If you use a teflon cannula then about a second. There is an introducer needle that you use to insert a very thin teflon tube. This remains in place for 2-3 days. There are metal cannulas which are very thin steel needles that stay in place for a similar amount of time. http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/a ... n_set/all/
Pumps don't monitor your blood glucose levels, that's up to you with finger pricks.
There are continuous monitors (CGM) but these still need frequent calibration with a blood glucose monitor. One pump, the medtronic veo can be set to stop insulin delivery if glucose levels on a continuous monitor drops too low. Very few people are able to get funding for continuous monitors and they are very expensive to run.

Re: Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pum

I hate the idea of injections totally freak me out, hate them!

Re: Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pum

catmiaow111 said:

I hate the idea of injections totally freak me out, hate them!

Click to expand...

What a stupid comment to make on a type 1 board :thumbdown:
Just for your information there are very few people that actually like injections.............. but funny thing is having type 1 diabetes gives us no choice.
No sorry we do have a choice live or die as that's what injecting insulin means to people with type 1 diabetes.

Re: Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pum

Love your post Carbsrok
Call me crazy but since I was diagnosed 23 years ago, injecting myself has always been the least bothersome thing about having diabetes. I can honestly say I enjoyed injecting from the start and would much prefer to inject than take tablets or capsules which I've always had a phobia about. Pricking my finger up to 8 times a day is much more of a pain .
While I understand that kids may not like the idea of injecting, the reality is far less scary or painful due to the teeny-tiny needles we are lucky enough to have these days. Parents may unconsciously pass on their own fears to children with regard to injecting. Over the years the most common reaction I get when I tell people of diabetes is " UUGH do you have to inject yourself?".
In answer to the OPs original question; I've tried to imagine being attached to a pump, and the hassle of it and it completely turns me off. Also, if I became detached from the pump due to an accident for example, would I be in danger of hyperglycaemia & DKA quicker than were I on my current insulin regime with my basal being in my bloodstream for a longer period of time?
Also did I read right?, that people use Teflon cannulas?? My Dad warned me of the dangers of Du Pont's Teflon coatings years ago, & it fell on deaf ears. Turns out he was talking a lot of sense, & I personally I wouldn't touch it with a barge-pole.
Each to their own, & I'm happy & controlled on my porcine insulin 5 times a day
Jus

Re: Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pum

You are correct janabelle... pumps deliver a rapid insulin only so you only really have insulin on board for a maximum of say 4 - 5 hours and only 2 hours at peak efficiency.

Call me sad but I go everywhere with my diabetics lunch box! is always in my works bag or in the bedroom at home.. I have my normal 'pens' in case of a pump failure of inset problem.. spare pump stuff (insets, res, etc...), dextrose, needles (just in case!), insulin, tape, etc... everything I might need in an emergency.. Managing diabetes isn't just about managing blood glucose its also ensuring that you manage risk.. I am sure a lot of people get in serious trouble because something unexpected happens rather than they just have terrible control..

Re: Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pum

That's definately NOT sad Pneu,
It's good that you're forward thinking and organised & got a big bag I went to an evening wedding reception on Saturday & had to decant my prickers, insulin, meter & test-strips into a very dinky Jasper Conran bag. Trouble was I couldn't fit my purse in, and my husband had to look after the glucose tablets!
It always amuses me that whenever there's a type-1 diabetic character on telly, they don't appear to carry any kit on them.
Jus

Re: Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pum

I don't think I have seen a sensible portail of type I on tele or in a film!

Going to work and the like isn't so bad as I have my laptop carrier.. although social do's I tend to fill up the other 1/2's handbag

Re: Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pum

janabelle said:

Each to their own, & I'm happy & controlled on my porcine insulin 5 times a day

Click to expand...

Great to see you posting again Justine :thumbup:

Personally I do think the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to insulin pumps and you rarely hear from anyone who regrets making the switch-over.

Re: Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pum

Unfortunayely GPs will be in charge of funding from April and mine does not approve of the pump. I do not detect hypos until my BS is below 1.9mmol/l but he just thinks I should take less insulin.

1. Having a consultant and care team in your area qualified to care for people on a pump, may be one barrier against anyone having one.

2. Having a GP that is willing to give up bonus payments and power into the hands of a consultant is another. I personally believe the problem is that, if I am placed in the care of a consultant who is qualified to look after patients on pumps, then my GP will no longer get the bonus payment for doing the famous 9 tests that are supposed to eliminate all our problems. My GP appears to believe that if the 9 tests are all within normal limits, there is no need for discussion or help with any problems experienced, a total Wally.

Re: Would you prefer to be on insulin injections or on a pum

My son is the T1, but after 2 years of injections since dx, he is now pumping with the Medtronic Minimed 528. He's been pumping now for 6 months and in those 6 months his a1c went from 7.5% to 6.3%. I'd say we are really happy since he's been pumping and are not looking back to injections right now.