Anyone gone back to injections from pumping? Can you share experiences please!

Status
Not open for further replies.
R

Ridingtherollercoaster

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1.5 LADA
Hi there

I’ve been using medtronic 640g for a few years and recently using Libre 2 sensor. Problem I find is that I hate the burden of changing and I frequently hit blood vessels and get sore sites. I am not good with pain, I suffer with anxiety around making decisions with my diabetes and worry about getting it wrong or not being able to cope with a mistake I might make. I have other painful bowel condition which makes my tolerance a bit lower for pain I think. I’ve had my fair share of pain tbh living with it daily in other ways. Thing is, injections are burdensome in that I used to have to do 5 a day and then extra with snacks. Thinking of going back to jnjections and using dexcom as heard it’s superior to Libre 2 - Libre 2 frequently inaccurate for me, usually about 2mmol reading lower than what it actually is on bloods so I often switch the low glucose alarm off . Any thoughts (be kind! And productive 🙂. Thank you.
 
Hello,
it sounds as if you have hit the wall. :(
Quite a few do take a pump break so there's no issues or worries if you want to do that. You need to do what is best for you.
Have you tried different cannulas? Like you I find the medtronic (moronic) cannulas appalling and have often felt like slinging the pump into outer space.
Dexcom has it's ups and downs and for me personally I find it can be way out when bloods are sitting at 5 mine would keep screaming at me I'm going to be 3.1 in less than 20 mins. This drives me round the bend.
 
I found Libre inaccurate until I found a way to calibrate it to me. I came to the conclusion that I am different to the Factory Man they use for factory calibration.
I was so far out and not even consistently - one reading would be higher and then the next would be lower.
Then I found the unofficial apps such as Glimp and xDrip use a different algorithm which uses finger prick calibration.
 
You certainly aret alone. There are those who find they need to take a break, and others for whom pumping just doesn’t ‘fit’ after a while.

Diabetes can be exhausting, relentless, and overwhelming at times, and using an insulin pump can be very hard when cannulas are playing up.

Of course MDI is no walk in the park either! I had a few days between pumps when one failed a while back, and was reminded of how many compromises and workarounds I needed on injections compare to the adjustments I can make on my pump.

I do know people who have permanently switched back - mostly because of cannula / site reliability issues. At the end of the day there is no ‘perfect’ Diabetes toolkit - just the tech and insulins that are right for you at the moment.

Good luck with your decision. And perhaps try a short break by switching to your backup pens, rather than making a permanent change?
 
Hi all, thank you so much for your responses. I certainly will think about a pump break and will assess how injections work with me vs. pump prior to making a permanent decision. Likewise with dexcom and apps. You guys are awesome x
 
I’m currently having a pump break @Ridingtherollercoaster It’s fine. You start off on conservative estimates of the basal insulin you need, and adjust slowly if needed. This is my second or third pump break. If you’re taking your first one you’ll have less feel for what insulin you need so do give it a while. You might also prefer to do two pump breaks just to be sure. My second pump break was a lot easier than my first.
 
The only pump breaks I have had were enforced ones because of a broken pump.
My advice would be to set an alarm at basal time. I struggled to remember after so long having it automated.
And take your long acting insulin as soon as you come off the pump (so that will be the time you will need to continue to take it during your break) because you will have none on board.
 
Ridingtherollercoaster said:
Hi all, thank you so much for your responses. I certainly will think about a pump break and will assess how injections work with me vs. pump prior to making a permanent decision. Likewise with dexcom and apps. You guys are awesome x
Click to expand...
The decision that you make now over a pump break does not necessarily need to be permanent.

If that is what you feel you need now can you identify why you are feeling like that. If you then do the switch back to injections see if that addresses the issues. The switch may raise other issues, but as we all juggle the different aspects of managing our Diabetes, we just have to decide on what suits us at any particular time. As others have said it is worth giving any change some time to settle in.

let us know how you get on.
 
Ridingtherollercoaster said:
Hi all, thank you so much for your responses. I certainly will think about a pump break and will assess how injections work with me vs. pump prior to making a permanent decision. Likewise with dexcom and apps. You guys are awesome x
Click to expand...

Think about the pros and cons of each @Ridingtherollercoaster My first pump break made me glad to get back on my pump, but my second and third I’ve been fine. It’s all to do with getting your basal insulin right (both type and timings). If your control is ok then you can properly judge each method fairly.

There’s nothing stopping you taking a regular pump break eg a friend takes one over the Summer hols. You can also use your pump in various different ways, depending on what your main issues with it are. Finally, remember some pumps are better than others and some cannulas are most certainly better than others! The ’wrong’ pump is torture.
 
Last edited:
I’m on a break at the moment, it’s actually been really smooth, but I suspect because I was on MDI for 10 years. My issue is with sites and cannula’s, but as my pump is an Omnipod I don’t have any flexibility and my “team” wouldn’t allow me to swap pumps without gathering more evidence for the CCG. I wasn’t prepared to go back to what was exhausting me and causing risk, so the pump is currently sat in a draw for 4 years I guess. Very long holiday!
 
Hi all, I haven’t gone back to a break yet. I have made other decisions that have helped. Mainly that I have to avoid painful sites even if that means using the same site more often than I’d like to. I have to live in the moment rather than letting my head run away with me. I also think the medtronic issues with getting the cannulas for Mio advance are terrible.

I’ve thought about some pros and cons of different pumps, as some have suggested, I like being on the pump, but I need something simple to insert so that it doesn’t feel like a chore with many steps. I like being able to disconnect so the medtronic system seems ok for me but curious to hear about omnipod user experiences, eg if you are going really low what do you do? And in terms of swimming and a day out on the beach? The Mio advance suited me due to simplicity.

Have started mindfulness practice with my pump and it’s been good to try to think about the here and now and not in 5 hours or days. That way I go with the flow more. I had the same issue with injections so I don’t know if that will be right for me. The summer pump break sounds good because I do get concerned about being in the heat on a pump and having to change the consumables more often.

You guys have been so helpful in having somewhere to mull things over. Still deciding, will keep you posted. Ps another thing I’ve done is to try to think of ways of pain management techniques and sorting out my bowel pain issues - after all, I am a whole person not just a person with diabetes….. thanks again.
 
In terms of what to do with a patch pump, like Omnipod when levels are going low, you suspend the basal which has the same affect as disconnecting a tubey pump.
And, when swimming, the pump remains attached. I find my basal suspension is best before exercise rather than during so, for me, the suspension works better than disconnection. It does mean, when swimming, it is hard to hide your diabetes.
If you want a day on the beach, you can leave the pump attached or remove it and use MDI for a day or two. I considered this when leaving my tubes behind and realised I was concerning myself when a problem which occurred once or twice a year (and less when there is a pandemic). I felt I should consider the benefits the other 363 days more.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top