Pumping and hypo awareness

[Lorraine hunt]

hi, I have only been using my animas pump about 4/5 weeks now, and going well, one thing I have noticed is I seem to have lost a lot of my hypo awareness, has anyone else experienced this since being on pump? Am looking into self funding the CGM, if anyone using the CGM on animas I hear that the sensors can with care last longer than a week, what is the longest anyone has had out of the sensors etc.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

For me the reverse was true. By managing to avoid lots of the little dips below 4 I was getting (as well as many of the lower ones) I actually found the pump improved my awareness over the course of the first year or two. It didn't happen straight away though as I was very much still 'finding my feet' at your stage with quite erratic levels, and it wasn't until towards the end of the first year that I have done enough tweaking and experimentation to really start to see the benefits the pump has offered me since.

Dexcom (the sensors that work with Animas) have a reputation for being the most re-startable sensors. Reading what others have said in the past it seems 2 weeks is very common, and some people get sensors to run for 3 weeks or even longer.

Some people find accuracy issues emerge after having had them in for longer periods and limit to 14 days to get better data, but as with everything you'd just have to see how it worked for you as this doesn't seem to be the case for everyone.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

hi, I have only been using my animas pump about 4/5 weeks now, and going well, one thing I have noticed is I seem to have lost a lot of my hypo awareness, has anyone else experienced this since being on pump? Am looking into self funding the CGM, if anyone using the CGM on animas I hear that the sensors can with care last longer than a week, what is the longest anyone has had out of the sensors etc.

Longest for me was 47 days 🙂

 

[Lorraine hunt]

How on earth did you manage 47 days over 7, that's brilliant

 

[trophywench]

I'm sure Sue will explain properly, but basically I believe you 'fool' the CGM into thinking that the existing sensor is a brand new one, by 'telling' it that it is a different one, every time the thing tells you it needs replacing!

(A bonus what you can do sometimes - just by following up the thought 'I wonder what would happen if I did' whatever, and doing it! I mean as the CGM doesn't have the potential to eg deliver a lethal overdose of insulin - I expect it's far less scary to 'play' with the buttons on one than it is a pump esp when you first have one!)

 

[Pumper_Sue]

How on earth did you manage 47 days over 7, that's brilliant

What you need to do is invest in some skin tac, (animas sells it) and some hydrofilm. The idea being that you make sure you stick down the sensor tape well with the tac making sure the tac does not come in contact with the actual sensor. So coat the underside of the tape instead of your skin apply the sensor then coat the top of the tape and surrounding skin then apply the film. Use a pair of nail scissors to cut the film to fit around the transmitter. size of film is 6cm x 7cm. You need 2 pieces one for each end.Keeping the transmitter and sensor as dry as possible helps no end.
Once the 7 days of life are up and the sensor stops just restart it as you would a new sensor.