Insulin pump,for or against.

[katie]

Oi Bev, don't go twisting my words into pro-pumping 😉 😛

 

[Adrienne]

If I couldn't manage acceptable control on MDI (and I appreciate I'm lucky I can, or perhaps it's because I work quite hard at it) and had to use a pump, it really would curtail my activities.

Nope sorry completely disagree. It would not involve lots of button fiddling. It is very hard to explain and get non users to completely understand. You would not have a large lump of plastic stuck to you, you would place it in such a position that it would not worry you. There are all sorts of places for it to be positioned. One of my friend's sons plays rugby with the pump on and that is a real contact sport, another swims constantly with pump in situ !

You can get the most fantastic waterproof pouches, that you can even press buttons though so wouldn't need to keep getting it out. It would be much more convenient than having to get a pen out alot and injecting yourself.

Your fingers would still be scratched up with or without injections or pump.

I think until it has been tried that you would have no way of knowing if it would hinder you or not, I can understand that you think it would. I, on the other hand have (albeit secondhand as it is on my daughter) extensive knowledge of the pump and I have every confidence that doing something like you have done a pump would be fine. I think if any of our resident pumpers were going to partake in something like this I think you would have to fight them hard to remove their pump as they would know how it would benefit them.

However as your diabetes is good then there would be no need for you to change your regime at all.

🙂

 

[bev]

Oi Bev, don't go twisting my words into pro-pumping 😉 😛

He he - why Katie - are you thinking about a pump?Bev

 

[Adrienne]

Oi Bev, don't go twisting my words into pro-pumping 😉 😛

Hahaha I don't think Bev meant to twist it. I actually read both your posts to mean the same anyway 😉

I do agree though and I'm not saying this about Copepod necessarily.

There are people on the cwd list who have this great control but don't carb count, don't have hypos or hypers and the rest of us just think, how the hell is this possible as we work our butts off trying to get a small semblance of control.

It just boils down to luck of the draw really and how your body is made up. For some people, although they do work hard, the same as some of the rest of us, their HbA1c will always be better because overall they have better numbers and I think that this is down to a bit of luck in as much as their diabetes behaves itself.

Don't get me wrong luck is not normally a word I would associate with diabetes and it is all pants but I think you get my drift, well hope you do. 🙂

 

[katie]

He he - why Katie - are you thinking about a pump?Bev

No thanks! Not yet anyway. Although if my HbA1c goes down again next appoinment i'm going to remind the consultant that it took ALOT of hard work to get it down so don't think that means I don't deserve a pump if I want one in future, thankyouplease 😉

Hahaha I don't think Bev meant to twist it. I actually read both your posts to mean the same anyway 😉

I do agree though and I'm not saying this about Copepod necessarily.

There are people on the cwd list who have this great control but don't carb count, don't have hypos or hypers and the rest of us just think, how the hell is this possible as we work our butts off trying to get a small semblance of control.

It just boils down to luck of the draw really and how your body is made up. For some people, although they do work hard, the same as some of the rest of us, their HbA1c will always be better because overall they have better numbers and I think that this is down to a bit of luck in as much as their diabetes behaves itself.

Don't get me wrong luck is not normally a word I would associate with diabetes and it is all pants but I think you get my drift, well hope you do. 🙂

Just joking, I don't think Bev was twisting my words.

I certainly do get your drift. When I was first diagnosed I was ike 'woo, this Diabetes thing is a breeze!' my HbA1c was 6.5% without hardly trying. Then I realised it was the honeymoon period and it's been a b*tch ever since. I basically come on here as much as possible to keep me thinking about Diabetes - otherwise I kinda forget and let things go a bit.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I love that the pumpers are so passionate about their therapy. Many I guess have had to fight pretty hard to get hold of a pump.

Very interesting to hear such strong views expressed pro-mdi. Pumping is so much the cutting edge choice that it's easy to feel that everyone is a pump wannabe these days.

For what it's worth Copepod, I read a blog article by a crazily active mountain-climbing T1 who was returning to MDI from pumping as he found his pump was too much bother in the wild. (OK, OK not that it would be for everyone pumpers!)

I thought the point about being able to change basals at any time was a very good one. Having said that though, with all your insulin eggs in one basket, a kinked cannula/duff infusion site could send you into hyper meltdown halfway up a cliff.

I love too that pumpers are being honest about the amount of work and care required to pump effectively.

What is clear to me from this discussion is that they are both far from perfect systems (though pumping may just have the edge). Each have very particular pros and cons, and that we need to find the one that works best for us at whatever period of life we find ourselves.

 

[Freddie99]

Hi Folks,

For what it's worth, I wouldn't look back from when I got hold of Gunther and plugged in. Yes, the sad bugger has named his pump. I'm nineteen too so that doesn't bode well! It doesn't get in my way fortunately, it spends most of the time hidden in one of my trouser pockets and I just forget that it's there. There are no two ways about it but it does require alot of work. However, once the work is done, that's normally you set ofr a fair old while. I haven't had to change too much really bar my over night basals which have rocketed from a measly one unit an hour when I started to a whopping one point three units an hour.
For the increased risks of DKA and the rest the rewards, at least for me, more than justify the use of my pump as well, it's lovely and I wouldn't want anything else.
As with just about everything, you get out exactly what you put in. Pumping does require alot of effort and knowledge but once you've got that it works damn well.

Tom

 

[HelenM]

I had very low HbA1cs with MDI but the pump has given me better control.
My levels were too low (normally about 5.1%, once 4.9%).
The problem was I need basal insulin for normal activities but almost none for exercise so as soon as I did any exercise my levels plummeted.
I tried to follow normal advice and start with higher levels by eating or lowering the mealtime insulin before exercise but whatever the level I started on, twenty minutes of running or walking uphill (we have a lot of hills here!) and I would be hypo.
In fact if I started from a higher level I felt worse so I would start exercise in the 4s or 5s because it didn't seem to make any difference, I'd still have to feed myself with dextrose, cereal bars every 20-30min.
I wasn't prepared to give up doing these things, I ran, backpacked, cycled and skied. Not surprisingly I began to lose my hypo awareness. There were several occasions when it could have been dangerous and my OH was becoming concerned. It was scary for him when we were backpacking on the Aubrac, miles from anywhere and I sat down in a ditch with a level of 2.2 mmol or when I suddenly stopped on a bike ride with a reading of 'lo'.
Fortunately my French doc is allowed to prescibe a pump for too many hypos even if the Hb A1c is well within targets.
With the pump I can now do all these things with a reduced basal, so now far fewer hypos and a return of hypo awareness .
I think I have the rare distinction for being glad to have a higher HbA1c on the pump than on MDI 🙂

 

[Adrienne]

Fortunately my French doc is allowed to prescibe a pump for too many hypos even if the Hb A1c is well within targets.

Hi

Do you know I think many people don't realise that any UK doctor can prescribe a pump if there are too many hypos. One of the criteria is that MDI isn't working ie too many hypos or indeed hypers. You came under that criteria re the hypos and it doesn't matter if your HbA1c is under 8.5 %

Above 8.5 % is another criteria in the NICE guidelines for over 12's (inc adults) but that is just one criteria. If your HbA1c is below 8.5% you just have to fit another criteria so don't let your consultant tell you there is only the one criteria of 'above 8.5%' that is rubbish and Helen has just proved that.

 

[Copepod]

For what it's worth Copepod, I read a blog article by a crazily active mountain-climbing T1 who was returning to MDI from pumping as he found his pump was too much bother in the wild. (OK, OK not that it would be for everyone pumpers!)

I thought the point about being able to change basals at any time was a very good one. Having said that though, with all your insulin eggs in one basket, a kinked cannula/duff infusion site could send you into hyper meltdown halfway up a cliff.

I love too that pumpers are being honest about the amount of work and care required to pump effectively.

What is clear to me from this discussion is that they are both far from perfect systems (though pumping may just have the edge). Each have very particular pros and cons, and that we need to find the one that works best for us at whatever period of life we find ourselves.

The only time I've seen an insulin pump in action, it was attached to a Mountains for Active Diabetics member, when we were both changing into posh clothes for a DUK award ceremony - she seemed to be having lots of bother fitting it inside her dress.

I also worry about the "having all insulin eggs in one basket" aspect - that would have been disastrous in my recent 48 hours (very) wild camping staffing an abseil section of 4 day & night adventure race.

I'm sure pumps are right for the people who have them (and their parent), but I wouldn't want to be forced to have one, and am very appreciative that my situation (whether luck / genetics / self management) means I find MDI more suitable.

 

[Adrienne]

The only time I've seen an insulin pump in action, it was attached to a Mountains for Active Diabetics member, when we were both changing into posh clothes for a DUK award ceremony - she seemed to be having lots of bother fitting it inside her dress.

I also worry about the "having all insulin eggs in one basket" aspect - that would have been disastrous in my recent 48 hours (very) wild camping staffing an abseil section of 4 day & night adventure race.

I'm sure pumps are right for the people who have them (and their parent), but I wouldn't want to be forced to have one, and am very appreciative that my situation (whether luck / genetics / self management) means I find MDI more suitable.

I do think you are right Copepod. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. You are doing great so absolutely no need to change a thing.

The only reason I replied to yours in the beginning was that you were very negative about why a pump wouldn't work for you because of x y and z which I appreciate. However I didn't want someone else coming along and reading that it would be no good for that sort of thing. Someone else who does what you do could have awful control and a pump would hugely benefit them on an exercise of that nature. I just felt I needed to put that out there.

 

[Caroline Wilson]

Hiya everyone,i have been referred to go on a pump and cant decide if i want to or not.I would like the people who are using a pump to say if they are better now they are pumping or were they better controlled before pumping,and any advice on pumping would be helpful.I dont see DSN until 13 sep and she is going to give me all the literature then,said it was no good giving it to me unless we knew for definate i had been referred.Thanks.

Have a look at the pumping message board for a general idea of what it's all about. I know many folks thnk their pumps are great. Good luck