Getting pump on Tuesday!

[cathplum]

I've been waiting over 3 years. Got an email late yesterday afternoon from DSN - got appointment on Tuesday 2pm to get the pump - medtronic.

What preparation would you suggestion?
What knowledge does my partner need to know?
Any advice re driving the first time?
What were your challenges in the first week?

Thanks for support.
Cath

 

[Northerner]

I can't help with the questions Cath, just wanted to wish you all the best! 🙂 Finally! 🙂

 

[grovesy]

Congratulation.
Can't help either, am sure someone will be along to do so.

 

[pottersusan]

It's hard to remember..

Keep testing so you know what's going on.
You are at the beginning of a steep learning curve, but stick with it - it's worth it.
Don't be afraid of it.
Keep a record of all your settings (and keep it up to date!)

 

[Northerner]

Hopefully, you have lots of supplies set up for the disposables, like canulas etc., plus back up pens and insulin for emergencies 🙂

 

[HOBIE]

Well done Cath ! Take a note book & pen on Tues & wright notes down. The pump takes a few weeks to sort it out to you. They are so adaptable for the individual. Pls keep asking 😎

 

[LorraineP]

Hello Cathplum and congrats on getting your pump! I expected to get my pump at the first appointment but it wasn't the case. My first appointment was to prepare me so I was a bit disappointed to go home without a pump. I didn't have long to wait though for a follow up appointment with the pump specialist who handed over the goods.

At the start I had lots of hypos until I tweaked the settings downwards so be careful when driving. On the pump I take much less insulin than I did on MDI so hypos were a bit of a problem at the start. It makes checking BG before and throughout driving even more important! The Freestyle Libre is particularly useful when driving so if you don't have one already I recommend getting one.

Other challenges I found was getting used to this foreign object attached to me permanently. For a while I felt I wasn't in control but I soon got over that and I quickly got used to the pump. I now love it because it goes a long way towards treating my erratic BG results. It's not the perfect solution but it's much better than MDI.

Because the pump is much more accurate I was told to start counting carbs for most vegetables. This was another challenge because it felt like there were no "freebies" anymore so that frustrated me at the start. However, I soon got used to it and now I find I can't afford to ignore the carbs in vegetables or salads like I used to.

I'll be honest, I wanted to give my pump back after the first week. I wished I had other pump users to talk to because I had so many silly questions when I got home and my diabetic team were too busy to help. However now I'm glad I stuck with it, I now feel in control of the pump and I'm getting better BG results. It's great for treating dawn phenomenon which gives you a good start to the day and a fighting chance of keeping BG in range throughout the day.

I hope you have a more positive experience than I had at the start but if not you will soon get used to the pump and feel as in control as you did on MDI. You're in the right place to ask questions. Good luck!

 

[grovesy]

Hello Cathplum and congrats on getting your pump! I expected to get my pump at the first appointment but it wasn't the case. My first appointment was to prepare me so I was a bit disappointed to go home without a pump. I didn't have long to wait though for a follow up appointment with the pump specialist who handed over the goods.

At the start I had lots of hypos until I tweaked the settings downwards so be careful when driving. On the pump I take much less insulin than I did on MDI so hypos were a bit of a problem at the start. It makes checking BG before and throughout driving even more important! The Freestyle Libre is particularly useful when driving so if you don't have one already I recommend getting one


Other challenges I found was getting used to this foreign object attached to me permanently. For a while I felt I wasn't in control but I soon got over that and I quickly got used to the pump. I now love it because it goes a long way towards treating my erratic BG results. It's not the perfect solution but it's much better than MDI.

Because the pump is much more accurate I was told to start counting carbs for most vegetables. This was another challenge because it felt like there were no "freebies" anymore so that frustrated me at the start. However, I soon got used to it and now I find I can't afford to ignore the carbs in vegetables or salads like I used to.

I'll be honest, I wanted to give my pump back after the first week. I wished I had other pump users to talk to because I had so many silly questions when I got home and my diabetic team were too busy to help. However now I'm glad I stuck with it, I now feel in control of the pump and I'm getting better BG results. It's great for treating dawn phenomenon which gives you a good start to the day and a fighting chance of keeping BG in range throughout the day.

I hope you have a more positive experience than I had at the start but if not you will soon get used to the pump and feel as in control as you did on MDI. You're in the right place to ask questions. Good luck!

I word of caution the DVLA do not recognise the Libre for testing when driving yet.

 

[grainger]

Hey

I've had my pump now for a couple of weeks. My first appointment I did go home with a pump but used saline for nearly a week - this allowed me to get used to the various different settings, iron out some set issues (unfortunately I'm one of those people where I'm now on my 3rd set type) and also just get used to wearing it etc. Even though I wasn't expecting to have to do this for almost a week I actually became really grateful for it.

I've been given a manual that's a bit like a DAFNE guide that I have found really helpful and since starting I'm working closely with my diabetes team uploading my data every 2 days and they are helping me make the tweaks. I don't know if this is because I was pregnant when I started.

I would ask as many questions as you can at the beginning - there's nothing stupid I've found and your team will want this to help you so will be happy to answer anything I'm sure.

Preparation wise - find something you want to wear in bed that you can clip your pump too (although i've heard some people sleep next to theirs, I personally wriggle too much). Be prepared for some 3am testing while you get your basal right.
Partner wise - I've found my hubby and I are both learning together. It's a real learning curve again.
Driving wise - I've not done anything long distant yet but I've not had any issues. Check before you drive, keep treatments on you and I've basically worked in the same way I did when on MDI.
Challenges - when something goes wrong that you are not expecting and you don't immediately know how to sort it (I had a set fail and the shock for me is quite how quickly your blood sugar can rise), I'd also say that whereas before when I had a hypo I knew exactly what to do, how my body would react and could easily think how much insulin I had in me etc. With a pump I'm more wary, especially if i have a late evening hypo but I think this is just a learning curve again.

Will say this though - I am glad I made the change. Not injecting is lovely. Yes it's still hard at the moment and there's a lot of thinking involved but I can see how the benefits will be great. It's a big positive change for me - I hope it will be for you too.

Good luck x

 

[Flower]

Congratulations on starting your pump Cath 🙂

Find out what you need to do with your long acting insulin on the night before you start using insulin through the pump as you usually reduce it - I started using a pump in 1999 so my memory is a bit vague now!

The Medtronic customer help line is excellent and they will help you out with whatever questions or issues you are having.

My insulin requirements dropped by about a third compared to MDI once I had got all the basal settings right so expect to do loads of testing and tweaking once you get going. It is quite a change insulin wise without any long acting insulin floating around and as a result you do need to keep your eye on bg levels as if there is an interruption to insulin delivery things can go wrong quickly. For that reason I always carry a spare cannula and reservoir around in my bag and keep a vial of insulin with just a small amount in it that I take if I'm out all day.

You do soon get used to living with your pump and sometimes I have to check where mine is clipped which is something I never thought would happen🙂

I wish you well with the switch over, I wouldn't give mine back and hope things go smoothly for you 🙂

 

[HOBIE]

I've been waiting over 3 years. Got an email late yesterday afternoon from DSN - got appointment on Tuesday 2pm to get the pump - medtronic.

What preparation would you suggestion?
What knowledge does my partner need to know?
Any advice re driving the first time?
What were your challenges in the first week?

Thanks for support.
Cath

I know its early days but how are you doing ? 🙂

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hope your switchover is going well @cathplum 🙂

 

[SB2015]

How are you getting on Cathplum?

Don't be surprised if it seems like a lot of work at the start. It is important to get the basal rates sorted and that takes time as you generally need less insulin that when on MDI. There are a variety of cannulas for each pump and don't worry if you don't get on with the first type.

As Grainger said if a problem arises it can be a bit daunting. For me I wrote out a simple checklist to go through, which has been very useful whilst I am panicking with extremely high readings after a blockage. I always have my old pens filled and available as a back up, and was told to use that to correct a very high reading, and then to sort out the problem with the pump. This helped as I knew my injected insulin would be doing its job and I have time to work logically through to check cannula, tubing, cartridge and pump.

I now don't really notice the pump or cannula, and at night it just stays with me, with long enough tubing to let me roll over. My husband has sometimes rolled onto it and 'ouched' but it does not cause a problem.

I found the books Pumping Insulin and Think Like A Pancreas were very useful references.

I hope it is going well and do ask any questions you want.

 

[HOBIE]

Hey

I've had my pump now for a couple of weeks. My first appointment I did go home with a pump but used saline for nearly a week - this allowed me to get used to the various different settings, iron out some set issues (unfortunately I'm one of those people where I'm now on my 3rd set type) and also just get used to wearing it etc. Even though I wasn't expecting to have to do this for almost a week I actually became really grateful for it.

I've been given a manual that's a bit like a DAFNE guide that I have found really helpful and since starting I'm working closely with my diabetes team uploading my data every 2 days and they are helping me make the tweaks. I don't know if this is because I was pregnant when I started.

I would ask as many questions as you can at the beginning - there's nothing stupid I've found and your team will want this to help you so will be happy to answer anything I'm sure.

Preparation wise - find something you want to wear in bed that you can clip your pump too (although i've heard some people sleep next to theirs, I personally wriggle too much). Be prepared for some 3am testing while you get your basal right.
Partner wise - I've found my hubby and I are both learning together. It's a real learning curve again.
Driving wise - I've not done anything long distant yet but I've not had any issues. Check before you drive, keep treatments on you and I've basically worked in the same way I did when on MDI.
Challenges - when something goes wrong that you are not expecting and you don't immediately know how to sort it (I had a set fail and the shock for me is quite how quickly your blood sugar can rise), I'd also say that whereas before when I had a hypo I knew exactly what to do, how my body would react and could easily think how much insulin I had in me etc. With a pump I'm more wary, especially if i have a late evening hypo but I think this is just a learning curve again.

Will say this though - I am glad I made the change. Not injecting is lovely. Yes it's still hard at the moment and there's a lot of thinking involved but I can see how the benefits will be great. It's a big positive change for me - I hope it will be for you too.

Good luck x

Well put Grainger