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Bubbsbuddy

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Type 1
Hi, I am new here but have been type1 for 36 years. I am married with 2 adult sons and I work in my own retail business. I joined because this past year I have started to appreciate support from fellow type 1 people as I have embraced new technology and love to hear the experience of others. I hope to offer and receive support from people who understand the unique set of difficulties being diabetic can bring and the positives too.So hello it's lovely to meet you.
 
Welcome to the forum @Bubbsbuddy

It is great to have your experience on here. I have become aware of the different tech option from others on here and valued the opportunity to share experiences with others on here, to draw on other’s expertise. I first learnt of the Libre in here, and had support in accessing pump therapy. I am now using the Medtronic 780G, a closed loop system which makes adjustments to my basal insulin every 5 min in response to my sensor readings.

What tech are you now using. Have w are you finding using your system.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. 🙂
 
SB2015 said:
Welcome to the forum @Bubbsbuddy

It is great to have your experience on here. I have become aware of the different tech option from others on here and valued the opportunity to share experiences with others on here, to draw on other’s expertise. I first learnt of the Libre in here, and had support in accessing pump therapy. I am now using the Medtronic 780G, a closed loop system which makes adjustments to my basal insulin every 5 min in response to my sensor readings.

What tech are you now using. Have w are you finding using your system.
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Thankyou for the reply. I now use a libre 2 device and unbelievably started using pens, yes I really was stubborn and stuck in my ways using vials and syringes. Since changing my hba1c has improved massively the last result being 5.6! I am still MDI but using the pen and small needles means I do even small corrections when the libre alerts me to rising levels. I am not currently keen on changing to a pump because my brain tells me that will take away my own control and I have difficulty with that. I would love to hear positive experiences of pumps.
 
The majority of pumps only deliver the Basal insulin automatically (some newer ones do work in tandem with their specific CGMs, but none hand in hand with Libre) but we still have to deliver boluses and corrections 'manually'.

The difference in the Basal dose is that instead of chucking it all in via one or two jabs each day - it is dripped in every few minutes and it's more than possible to have a different rate every hour, which you tell the pump to do based on your 24 hours Basal requirement. So you do a few 24 hr basal tests and work out when you need more, or less. It's never 'attach it and ignore it for ever' as need for insulin varies - when you're British and then spend a fortnight bronzing yourself on a gorgeous Greek beach, your need for insulin reduces, same as it does when you take a more or different exercise. Hormone surges create havoc as does being ill, having an accident, having something stressful occur and shedloads of other things.
 
trophywench said:
The majority of pumps only deliver the Basal insulin automatically (some newer ones do work in tandem with their specific CGMs, but none hand in hand with Libre) but we still have to deliver boluses and corrections 'manually'.

The difference in the Basal dose is that instead of chucking it all in via one or two jabs each day - it is dripped in every few minutes and it's more than possible to have a different rate every hour, which you tell the pump to do based on your 24 hours Basal requirement. So you do a few 24 hr basal tests and work out when you need more, or less. It's never 'attach it and ignore it for ever' as need for insulin varies - when you're British and then spend a fortnight bronzing yourself on a gorgeous Greek beach, your need for insulin reduces, same as it does when you take a more or different exercise. Hormone surges create havoc as does being ill, having an accident, having something stressful occur and shedloads of other things.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that, I admit that would almost certainly help me as I can have some pretty nasty lows overnight. My diabetes nurse changed me to levemir 6 months ago of which I give 14units am and 4.5 to 5 units pm, this has helped but I still have more lows than highs. The alarm has helped as it wakes me before I dip too low but the thought of uninterrupted sleep is a dream. Who qualifies for pumps in UK? It was mentioned when I was having dawn phenomenon highs in the morning but that has settled now so no more has been said.
 
What time do you jab the night time Levemir and what time does the BG start to drop?
 
Bubbsbuddy said:
Thanks for that, I admit that would almost certainly help me as I can have some pretty nasty lows overnight. My diabetes nurse changed me to levemir 6 months ago of which I give 14units am and 4.5 to 5 units pm, this has helped but I still have more lows than highs. The alarm has helped as it wakes me before I dip too low but the thought of uninterrupted sleep is a dream. Who qualifies for pumps in UK? It was mentioned when I was having dawn phenomenon highs in the morning but that has settled now so no more has been said.
Click to expand...
It was the night hypos and lack of flexibility in basal insulin that drove me to splitting Levemir, and then onto a pump. The adjustment of my basal hour by hour knocked the head on virtually all night time hypos, and also being able to turn it down for a period of time during the day gave me back the flexibility I wanted.

As @trophywench says you still get involved at meal times and still need to make decisions about the reductions in basal insulin. I felt that I had far more control with the pump than I ever did in MDI. The switch to the pump and then accessing the Libre were both game changers for me.
 
trophywench said:
What time do you jab the night time Levemir and what time does the BG start to drop?
Click to expand...
I inject at 8.45pm and the drop is usually around midnight 1am, sometimes around 3am but usually my liver kicks in and helps me out of that one. It's not every night though, I am also menopausal and think erratic hormones are not helping!
 
Bubbsbuddy said:
Hi, I am new here but have been type1 for 36 years. I am married with 2 adult sons and I work in my own retail business. I joined because this past year I have started to appreciate support from fellow type 1 people as I have embraced new technology and love to hear the experience of others. I hope to offer and receive support from people who understand the unique set of difficulties being diabetic can bring and the positives too.So hello it's lovely to meet you.
Click to expand...
Exactly the reason I joined the forum. When I was first diagnosed in 1989 I got invited along to a BBQ locally and met lots of other diabetics and parents of kids with diabetes. It was all a bit overwhelming just a few days after diagnosis but people were really friendly and helpful. I was given my first blood glucose meter (just slightly smaller than a house brick) by a couple whose teenage daughter had diabetes and had a spare. I saw my first insulin pen at that BBQ and within a year was on a MDI pen system myself. It is something that I've never really replicated in my life since and that was 30 years ago so I wanted to try and get involved in something similar. Oh and we didn't have the internet...imagine that!
 
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Hi Bubbsbuddy, welcome to the site.

Just popping in to say. We have a wealth of information on the site and I’m sure your experience will be helpful for the rest of the community.

Let us know if there’s anything we can help with.
 
Welcome to the forum @Bubbsbuddy

Well done for embracing tech and trying some new approaches to your diabetes management. Plus adding the ’tech’ of online peer support, of course!

I switched to pump therapy 10 years ago this November, and I’m currently on my third pump. Each has had its own foibles and frustrations, but all have been extremely helpful in supporting my self-management, and have been getting slightly better with each upgrade.

My results, if assessed by ’Time in Range’ have been improving too.
 
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