New pumper!!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Marianne Simpson

Marianne Simpson

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
I've just started using my insulin pump today! Wow im very impressed I've a lot to learn but so far it seems very impressive. What a sophisticated piece of equipment. Just hoping I don't catch the tubing in my sleep and pull the cannula out! good bg levels so far hope it continues x
 
Good luck with it Marianne.
 
That is good news Marianne. It is amazing how sticky the cannulas are, and if you find the tubing does pull a bit you may find that there are longer lengths available. As you say there are a lot of facilities available on the pumps but it is good to just get used to having it first. Enjoy it.
 
Thanks very much, im very excited about it! ☺
 
Marianne Simpson said:
I've just started using my insulin pump today! Wow im very impressed I've a lot to learn but so far it seems very impressive. What a sophisticated piece of equipment. Just hoping I don't catch the tubing in my sleep and pull the cannula out! good bg levels so far hope it continues x
Click to expand...
Welcome to the world of pumping.
Be warned be very warned your blood sugars will go T8T's up big time within a week and you will wonder what has happened. So once your basal insulin is out of your system get on and basal test to minimise the highs and lows until you have the correct basal pattern for your body needs. Have fun 😉 The initial set up of basals is the pits as far as pumping is concerned after that things improve no end.

So your cannula doesn't pull out put a bit of tape over the tubing it will take the pull and not the cannula.
 
Best of luck with your pump - they're a great bit of kit and go a long way to helping out with my erratic blood sugars and hypos
 
trophywench said:
What sort did you have Marianne?
Click to expand...
Im on the accu check insight by Roche. Like pumper sue says I'm having a nightmare with it so far! Love not having to inject but I've had 5 hypos in 48 hours and one very high reading. I've adjusted my basal profile but I think I'll have to adjust again. I'm sure I will get there after I get my basal rate sorted out and get my head around the pump is early days ☺
 
Hi. You'll love the pump.

I can't wear medical tape. I'm allergic to it. But I've only had the cannula pull out twice. Once when my husband was laying on the pump and I rolled over, and another time when my friends dog was jumping up at me and got tangled in the tubing.
 
Hi Marianne

As you have realised the correct basal rates are the basis of everything else. It takes time as ideally you need a fasting test to enable you to change the rates over the 24 hours. When I last tried to do a full basal rate test it took me quite a few days to complete as there were so many reasons why I had to abandon the tests. Just keep at it and work it out step by step.

Accucheck provide a very useful pad of sheets for basal rate testing with advice on how to do the test in blocks of time and how to adjust your rates in response to the readings you get. I use these each time and find the reminders about how to prepare for the test and when to abandon. I just phoned them and it arrived in the post with the usual speed of their responses.
 
Hi again I'm having a really bad day today with the pump. Changed cannula and was then 4.3 so I set tbr down 20% as already on the lowest profile basal rate. Was at work this morning, had a club biscuit, then it went up to 9.1 then 10.8, then I took mum out for a meal this aft so it was guess work, I cancelled the temp basal as I'd finished working, then I've been around the 20 mark I've increased the profile up again. And taken correction advised by the pump not really working so I've injected 3 units gonna retest again I changed cannula too to see if that made a difference. I'm due on my monthly so I think that could be making a difference I'm really frustrated not sure whether to forget pump for now and just inject until I can speak to my DSN on Mon
 
Dont take your pump off. Best advice I can give is increase your basal by tbr by another (eg)10%. Give each increase in tbr at least 6 hours to take effect (thats how long I leave myself). If you are due on soon, you will likely need a certain amount more-I can need up to 30%more and used to need 70% extra! Keep testing, correct when the pump tells you but no more (or you risk stacking) and if you're worried about it being the cannula, do the correction suggested by syringe. If you rise further, correct and raise tbr. If you stop rising but dont come down, correct. If you start to come down, hold off doing anything else for a good few hours (except test) to allow things to stabilise.
Above all, try not to panic!
 
Thanks for your advise Annette, I've just tested a few times and I'm down to 11 but I think that could be v the injection and maybe the other corrections from the pump are also kicking in. Stacking? Does that mean an accumulation of insulin? Also this correction by syringe? Does this mean doing an air shot with the pump? Sorry to if I sound stupid is all very new to me? I will do a 10% tbr as you advise, much appreciated Annette thanks again ☺
 
Stacking is when you correct, then correct again, and maybe again - all the insulin stacks up and will lead to possible hypos later in the day.
By correction by syringe I meant giving insulin manually - with an insulin pen or a syringe - as opposed to giving it via the pump.
Now you're lower, stop correcting - suggest you test every hour or so for a few hours (put an alarm on) in case you've overdone it, you dont want to go hypo.
Good luck - it does get easier as you get used to them, honest. 🙂
 
Hi Marianne

When things are going haywire for me, my DSN suggested do the correction dose with an insulin pen. That way you know that it has gone in (so long as you still remembered to prime the pen!! I forgot last time) and that gives you a bit of time to then sort out what is happening calmly rather than panicking (or is that just me).

Then make checks on the pump system.
Is insulin coming down the tubing: disconnect at the cannula and try priming the line. Is insulin getting through
If so you might want to change the cannula (and remember to prime the new cannula)
If it is not getting through you need to change the tubing

Another thing I have found is that if I am very high then my insulin resistance increases so I actually need a bigger dose to do the correction. If you do increase it keep checking BG though as Annette said there is a danger of stacking insulin, but your combo takes that into account when it calculates the correction.

Above all don't panic, and keep that pump going. It is a lot of adjustments at the start and can be frustrating at that stage, but it will be well worth it in the end.
 
Thank you both for the advice, im feeling happier now it's coming down like you both say I'll keep testing hourly as I really don't want to go hypo, I will give my DSN a ring on Monday, in the mean time I will follow the godd advice you have both given, ☺
 
Really appreciate all the good advice I have received on this thread it is a big help and thankfully I have been more settled overnight and today due to constant testing and and adjustment of tbr, so a huge thank you, it's hard not to panic when readings are so high especially when you don't feel familiar with the equipment, and you aren't able to speak to the DSN with it being the weekend so glad I joined this forum ☺x
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top