Omg

[AJLang]

I hadnt heard anything about my insulin pump application......then just got a phone call - I start on the pump next Tuesday!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe it

 

[Pumper_Sue]

I hadnt heard anything about my insulin pump application......then just got a phone call - I start on the pump next Tuesday!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe it

Fantastic Amanda, so pleased for you.
So come on spill the beans which pump are you having?

 

[AJLang]

Thank you Sue🙂. I haven't got a clue what pump it is but at the DAFNE course they mentioned the Accuchek with the remote control so I'm guessing that it is that one. All I know for certain is that I am to go to the R&D department at 930 next Tuesday and spend the day there and that I will be put straight onto the pump. She said about reducing my Levemir the night before but didn't say anything about the Tuesday morning levemir....I guess that I won't have that I've also received a phone call from my GP -the pump is being funded for 12months.....I think that my consultant has said that longer funding is subject to me halving my hypos from two a day to one a day within the first year on the pump.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Thank you Sue🙂. I haven't got a clue what pump it is but at the DAFNE course they mentioned the Accuchek with the remote control so I'm guessing that it is that one. All I know for certain is that I am to go to the R&D department at 930 next Tuesday and spend the day there and that I will be put straight onto the pump. She said about reducing my Levemir the night before but didn't say anything about the Tuesday morning levemir....I guess that I won't have that I've also received a phone call from my GP -the pump is being funded for 12months.....I think that my consultant has said that longer funding is subject to me halving my hypos from two a day to one a day within the first year on the pump.

As long as you show you are doing all you can and your quality of life has improved they wont take it away from you. After all they won't want to chuck a pump after a year when it's got a 4 year warranty on it.

You are quite right no levemir in the morning as the new basal on the pump will soon kick in. Make sure you have plenty of quick acting glucose in stock whilst you are fine tunning your pump as a few hypos will prob be on the cards.
There is an on line tutorial for the combo pump so perhaps google it and see what you can find.

Buy yourself the book pumping insulin as well. Not to sure if it's back on amazon yet, if not google it and see if you can get it from another source. It will be your Bible 🙂

 

[AJLang]

Thank you Sue🙂 we're thinking alike. I've already spoken to the GP surgery this morning to order glucose gel, my glucose pen is in the fridge and I have a bag full of jelly babies. I'm taking no chances. I've also got one sensor left for my CGM so I'm going to use that next week - especially because things may be more complicated because of the gastroparesis. I've also downloaded pumping insulin onto my kindle. I know it will be hard work but I can't believe how excited I am

 

[Phil65]

Thank you Sue🙂. I haven't got a clue what pump it is but at the DAFNE course they mentioned the Accuchek with the remote control so I'm guessing that it is that one. All I know for certain is that I am to go to the R&D department at 930 next Tuesday and spend the day there and that I will be put straight onto the pump. She said about reducing my Levemir the night before but didn't say anything about the Tuesday morning levemir....I guess that I won't have that I've also received a phone call from my GP -the pump is being funded for 12months.....I think that my consultant has said that longer funding is subject to me halving my hypos from two a day to one a day within the first year on the pump.

....fantastic news! Sounds like you are getting the same pump as mine 🙂

 

[Northerner]

Brilliant news Amanda, and not long to go too! 🙂

 

[trophywench]

Fantastic Amanda!

You may wish to ring the actual bit of the hosp and ask em if they are providing lunch! - we were asked to not have last night's basal and just firefight GENTLY prior to arriving at hosp and take a packed lunch and one cartridge of fast-acting with us (to fill our cartridge) on the day.

In the morning we got the pumps and were talked through them, then she worked out starting basals for each of us and we filled a cartridge and set the pumps up with the basals and our own carb ratios, plus standard amounts for exercise and so forth (which you can tweak as many times as yopu need to once you get going) - then she checked our carb calculations for our respective lunches and oversaw our first bolus and correction cos by this time we all needed one of them!

And then made us all a cup of coffee or whatever we wanted and just left us to it for an hour to eat lunch and rummage in the boxes.

The boxes for the Roche are huge Amanda - like cardboard filing cabinets with lots of drawers, so do take a large-ish carrier bag with you!

After lunch, gave us each a letter for GP to change scrips to vials instead of cartridges etc and also talked us through the Roche pump order form, it's a small card one with 'your' items ticked to act as an aide memoire and sat with us as we each talked to Roche on phone and ordered our first supplies. We were just given about 3 cannulas, and one extra reservoir from the hosp.

That was good because it gets you used to what they ask you and what you need to tell them.

Then you come home and have to find somewhere to stash it all - I have one drawer of a 1 metre chest of drawers.

Then we all tested our BG and were let out, with a 24hr mobile number to ring DSN - WHEN we needed to! (she keeps a specific one for pumpers)

Have a lovely time!

 

[ch1ps]

I hadnt heard anything about my insulin pump application......then just got a phone call - I start on the pump next Tuesday!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe it

Excellent news 🙂

 

[novorapidboi26]

So what actually happened from when you asked about it till now.......

I have to be seen by each member of the pump team, nurses, dieticians, consultants, then they sit down on a monthly interval to talk about the possible pumpers......and who gets what........

 

[AJLang]

Thank you everyone. Trophywench that is really helpful information, thank you

 

[AJLang]

So what actually happened from when you asked about it till now.......

Hi Novorapidboi. I think that mine was a little easier because of the gastroparesis causing lots of hypos. My gastroparesis diabetic consultant wrote to my diabetic consultant recommending a pump because of the gastroparesis. He agreed but first I had to complete DAFNE. At the end of DAFNE another consultant spoke to me and put in the application, this was at the end of September. I then got the phone call today. However It nearly wasn't that straightforward with one DSN saying that the consultant wouldn't be able to do the application until I saw him at my annual review next March! Fortunately another DSN pushed things forward for me.

 

[trophywench]

I should add Amanda, we weren't let loose with the meter till we'd got the pump cracked. This was quite good actually as it turned out becaus emy meter went haywire not long after I'd first got it and because of logistics I couldn't get a new one quickly, so had to spend a month's touring holiday with a separate meter and using El Pumpo manually. That part wasn't Roche's fault and they and my 24 hour even at weekends, DSN were brill. So if I hadn't been completely comfy just with the pump I might have struggled as I'd not had it for 2 months by then.

Who else gets texts from their DSN asking, 'Did you catch the ferry OK?' LOL

Next holiday last July-ish - which she knew we were bang in the middle of at the time - we were sitting in a pavement cafe in the South of France when I received a text from her out of the blue saying 'Are you absolutely certain you don't need anything desperately urgently you need me to bring out to you?'

Unfortunately I had a mouthful of coffee as I read that and some poor Jean-Claude or Didier at the next table was v. lucky it missed him.

Laugh a minute this D lark, even after 40 years, innit?

We were both crying.

Back with my sensible hat on, Roche reckoned it might have been because I was ramming a strip in to turn the meter on (as per normal) rather than using the on/off switch. Apparently, that's important so if it is that pump, be forewarned. Anyway they were gonna send if off back to Switzerland for tests but I've never heard any more since.

And in case you were wondering what would happen if two people with the combo were sitting next to each other and one took a bolus with the remote, how would the Bluetooth know to send the instructions to the right pump? - they are specifically and individually matched - so you have to tell the meter the serial number of your pump and tell it to 'match' then you tell the pump the no of the meter and ditto. So I can't give anyone else a sneaky jab.

 

[trophywench]

Blimey. My consultant asked me last Feb, cos my A1c had crept up again - I said I thought so, he caled DSN in and we discussed it - she confirming I was capable carb-counting, adjusting etc wise, LOL

So DSN made appt for me to have a dry run (pump for a week, nothing in it! -tell it readings and boluses etc manually) and went back following week with mega detailed diary and pump download to see what IT said to see if the truth agreed with my records LOL - whereupon I said Yes please and should have got it end March but got it April as other DSN was off sick and Lynda hadn't got time while she was off to do both their jobs AND spend a day with new pumpers - and that was that. Of course it was that DSN and that consultant who'd done my carb-counting training anyway and that was 2 years previous.

Amanda, make absolutely certain you can see the screens adequately and esp the insulin going up the tubing when you prime it - I have trouble meself sometimes if the light isn't quite in the right place - esp if it's very sunny!

 

[pgcity]

Congratulations. I am sure it will help

 

[AJLang]

Amanda, make absolutely certain you can see the screens adequately and esp the insulin going up the tubing when you prime it - I have trouble meself sometimes if the light isn't quite in the right place - esp if it's very sunny![/QUOTE]

Thanks for all of the info and for the warning. Must admit that because of my eye problems I'm a little worried about being able to read the screen. I'm hoping that it is an AccuChek and that the remote control will have a similar screen to my AccuChek Mobile because I can read that without any problems unless it is very sunny.

I've already managed to read the first five chapters of Pumping Insulin on my Kindle - so far nothing near as scary as I thought it might be but I know that there are still a lot of chapters to read!

 

[Catwoman76]

Wow Amanda, thats wonderful news. I wish you every success with your pump Fantastic.

With all my very best wishes.

 

[AJLang]

Thank you Sheena🙂 Apologies to those of you on insulin and not on pumps but after 41 years of injections I'm starting a countdown to the number of days until I won't need an insulin injections - it's like an advent calendar but even better I so hope that the pump will help with the gastroparesis and the fluctuating BGs - in my little dream world I'm even wondering if the improved control that the pump will hopefully give me might improve the gastroaresis.........I'm going to go and daydream now🙂