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Insulin pumps for adults

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niamh

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi all,
I just wanted to get some feedback from other users of pumps as to how they find them and what are the advantages over basal bolus and the disadvantages. I'm using basal bolus with novorapid and lantus at the moment and am not too bad at controlling my sugars but I'm still getting quite a few hypos about 3 a week and quite a few high readings over 10 about 4 a week. I was wondering if a pump would give me better control but there dosen't seem to be many adults using them in Ireland.How do people find them for nighttime use? Is it ackward for sleeping and sex?!! How exactly do they work? How do you use them when taking part in sport-I'm trying to run at the moment?
Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!!
 
Pumps and Adults

Hi
i have had my pump since nov 08. i have found sleeping a bit strange at first i had to remember it was attached but after a week soon got used to it.
My husband and i have been trying for a baby and this is my reason for going on the pump due to complications previously. you can disconnect for upto 1 hour so only your canula setting is left in, we have not found it intrusive at all, my hubby calls me boinic sometimes but this is his pet name for me as well as Chucky after having a serious hypo last year where i needed assistance.
good luck if you go for it.
tsp
 
Ive been on the pump since feb.

Bf was really worried at start that he would pull the cannula out during the night but they are seriously sticky and you'd have to really yank then to dislodge it! As for "other night time activities" as tracey said just disconnet if its a problem, i dont always bother as we've both kind of got used to it 😛. only thing id say is make sure you rememebr to reconnect before falling asleep!

Ive recently starting excercising and i either clip in to my bra or my waistband as usual. To be honest once youve got used to wearign one all day it doesnt make a great deal of difference if your excercising or not. Youll find comfortable places to wear it for anything. (Also some pumps are waterproof so swimming isnt a problem either).

Ive only been on it since feb and already, even with all the setting up, trial and error stuff my hba1c has come down from 8.7 to 7.8 in the first 3 months. And i feel heaps better genearlly now that im not swinging massively high and low all the time.
 
niamh said:
Hi all,
I just wanted to get some feedback from other users of pumps as to how they find them and what are the advantages over basal bolus and the disadvantages. I'm using basal bolus with novorapid and lantus at the moment and am not too bad at controlling my sugars but I'm still getting quite a few hypos about 3 a week and quite a few high readings over 10 about 4 a week. I was wondering if a pump would give me better control but there dosen't seem to be many adults using them in Ireland.How do people find them for nighttime use? Is it ackward for sleeping and sex?!! How exactly do they work? How do you use them when taking part in sport-I'm trying to run at the moment?
Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!!
Click to expand...

Hi

I have been on a pump since Jan 08 and I was very wary of going on to it. I was worried of how I would sleep with it, what my kids would be like with it due to the tubing, how people would react to seeing the canula and how to approach sex with it.

However, all of these worries were unfounded. Within 48 hours of wearing it I pretty much forgot I had it on. I have twice now nearly got in the shower in the morning and forgotten to take it off. Part of this is due to having bought a pump belt rather then using the clip case that it came with. You wear the belt against the skin all the time so it is fairly confortable and unobtrusive.

My children never got themselves tangled up in the tubing and now they just use it as a step when climbing up me. I am just grateful that it is a fairly robust unit lol.

With regards to people seeing it, other then the odd look by small children no one seems interested in the canula when I have no top on. The only comments made are normally by my students when it bleeps to remind me to do a blood test. Every time a new group find out I am diabetic and on a pump I have to explain all about it and we have some really good discussions on diabetes and what it means.

With regards to sex, my partner and I started by taking it off, but that did lead to the problem mentioned by Viki of falling asleep before putting it back on. Now we are both used to it and it tends to stay on. I just move the belt round to that the pump is out of the way.

I must admit that having been on 5 - 7 injections a day and never really having good control I really love the pump and the fact that it is only 1 needle every other day. My control is now much better although I now need to find something that can stop me getting lazy in between hospital appointments lol.

Good luck

Andy
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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