How much choice do you get when pumping?

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Twitchy

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hello everyone...

I am due (fingers crossed!) to start on a pump in a month or so...having looked at a few threads here it's clear there are different pumps, insertion sets, etc... I haven't really been told a lot (nothing new to a year ago when I was first scheduled), and I was wondering what to expect. At the moment all I know is that it will be a group start (4 of us) & we'll be there for most of the day. Not even sure whether to bring lunch, so will stash emergency snacks in case! 😛.

Did everyone else get asked to bring their partner along to make sure they remember the bits you don't? Did you get any choice as to insertion set etc, or is it that you get what you get?

Thanks for any advice / tips in advance! 🙂
 
Hi,

Do you mean that you havent even been told which pump you are on? Thats insaine!

xx
 
A year ago I was told i was getting an Accu-chek combo...not sure if that's still the case though... certainly haven't been asked about any 'options'! Really hope this won't be another reason for yet another delay - I want to get DP cracked!!! 🙂
 
Gosh, thats quite a while!

Im afraid I am on the medtronic so not best suited to say about the accu-chek combo (Shelley and Sam use them) but I had lots of choice on the day about set sizes etc and lots of information on everything, I remember it being a really great day.

We had been given the choice before hand about colours, when we went in the room all the stuff was layed out on the table for us, it was like christmas! There was a lot of bumph, so an extra bag was a good tip off by my nurse for the day.

Do you have your DSNs email? Could you drop her a line to confirm with ehr what exactly you are getting, then at least you can breeze the website and make youself familiar with their products available to you.

All the best x
 
I will try & give her a call! 🙂

The year thing was just that the day before I was due to start on a pump I had a positive preg test - I was late & over the week previously I'd had 3 negative test results, but because the joining instructions said to lay off half the dose the night before & have no background that morning, I thought I'd better give them a call & check - and I was told emphatically no way was I going to get a pump now, as if the pregnancy went wrong I'd sue! 😱 (Obviously I come across as a really nice person...!!). Anyway, throughout the pregnancy the possibility of a pump 'next trimester' was dangled in front of me like a carrot (or so it felt!!) but never materialised (never mind, baby & mum survived!). I asked about a pump again at my '6 wk' check by the diabetic team at the maternity hospital & was told to ask when I saw my normal doc at the 4 month post birth appt, so I asked again at the start of July, and it seems it's around a 2 month waiting list from when the doc says yes...good job I 'don't do full term' or I'd be waiting even longer hehe!

Thanks for the tip about the bag. Still not getting my hopes up that it will actually happen this time to be honest, but I guess it's sod's law if I don't ask all these questions it really will happen & I'll struggle!
 
No worries!

That explains the year thing! I thought that seemed more than torturous!

It will definately be worth checking- you never know how things may have developed at your clinic and they might be more options. When I originally went for mine therewas no other option besides metronic, then by the time it was eventually my turn there was the medtronic and the animas...

Have you heard of the book "Insulin Pump Therapy Demystified" by Gabrielle kaplan mayer? You can get it on Amazon and its a great pre-pumping read. Its american, so a few words or phrases out of check, but I really enjoyed it. Its not too heavy r time consumming- about a centimetre thick. Definately recommend!
 
Hiya

I use the combo and it's great! Am just going into my third week with it and even though I'm having a bit of a time with it at the moment (basals etc!) and want to introduce the lovely Florence to a brick wall, I certainly wouldn't look back :D

Good luck with your pump start!
 
new pump

hi,

I have been on a accu-chek combo coming up for a year now and it has been great. My induction was at the LRI, my dsn had given me a memory stick full of imformation about the pump before the day so was a little ahead than the others, but we all got the same imformation pack. Some people did bring partners/parents with them.We were supplied with lunch which we then used our new pumps to calculate our bolus depending on the cp intake, a very good exercise.We were all done by mid afternoon, we did have a choice on infusion sets depending on your lifestlye. Overall it was a very enjoyable introduction to using a pump.

Hope all goes well.

WB90
 
Thanks for the replies! The Combo sounds good - I did some routling around & found the leaflet I had from last year, so I must give the dsn a call & check it's still that pump on offer (hopefully!)... Almost starting to believe in this enough to get excited now...

Sugarbum, thanks for the tip about the book - it sounded familiar, hence my routle around & I found I'd bought & read a copy last year! :D Obviously stashed it away when told 'no pump' and forgot all about it! (in my defence, not had much sleep since then!)

Thanks again everyone! 🙂
 
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