So, I'm thinking about a pump...

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Freddie99

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Type 1
Hello all,

This is really a set of questions for the pumpers here. Basically what I want to know is what they're like to live with and how they make things easier and what needs to be done to work well with one. One very precise one, if I were to get a pump I'd want the Minimed Veo as it has the CGM facility, would I have a decent amount of access to that?

Thank you 🙂

Tom
 
Woo hoo, I knew you would finally get to wanting a pump or at least contemplating one.

You will need to hear from an adult I would think about living with a pump.

My daughter's DSN (one of the best in the UK and looked up to by other DSN's) has a pump. I had to ask her the other day where it was kept as no-one can ever see it and she wears tight skirts and tops etc so she manages to keep it out of the way. She uses the clip that comes with it but clips it inside her waistband as there is less bulge then if you wear tighter clothes. She also has sensors but no idea where they are and I wasn't about to ask 🙂

Jessica, my daughter, keeps her free in the bed with her, and she is a right wriggler and we've never had problems.

I know you are local to me for your uni but is that where you are from and where your team is? If your consultant says you fit the criteria of the NICE guidelines then the PCT HAS to fund a pump. It used to be and some teams are living in the past a bit that you got the sensors and transmitter as an added bonus to the pump but only if the PCT agreed it. However what a few of the good hospitals are now doing is ordering a starter kit which includes your pump, a transmitter and a couple of sensors and the patients gets the whole lot. Now whether you then have to beg the PCT (or rather the consultant does) for more sensors or whether you can continue to have two a month I'm not sure. But you would be halfway there having the transmitter. They are ?400 a pop (with the pump and ?750 sold separately to a pump).

So if you were a bit further down the line and your consultant is ordering you a pump make sure you tell him/her that you would like the transmitter and a couple of sensors please with it. You have every right to ask and every right to get them.

Good luck and ask anything you want.
 
Thanks for the insight into getting one Adrienne. I know the new DSN at my hospital is on a pump. Sadly I missed the part of the carb counting course where he spoke about his pump and life with it. I might get an appointment with him to talk about it. I'd definitely want the sensor as an option to take when I need it rather than having to go to the hospital to get it.

Tom
 
Tom Hreben said:
Thanks for the insight into getting one Adrienne. I know the new DSN at my hospital is on a pump. Sadly I missed the part of the carb counting course where he spoke about his pump and life with it. I might get an appointment with him to talk about it. I'd definitely want the sensor as an option to take when I need it rather than having to go to the hospital to get it.

Tom
Click to expand...

Great idea Tom. If your DSN is pumping and knows his stuff then he is the one to talk to. It would be even better if he were on sensors as he would then know the benefits and back that one for you.
 
Tom!

I am pleased to hear this as pumping is worth a try for anyone who is interested! I am abit of a convert I must confess....

You might also find that with everything going on your move (and was it uni?) that being on the pump really helps you. For the first time in years I am getting a gradual control on my numbers and I definately have better concentration than ever before...

I use the nedtronic veo that you are interested in. I expect yu have visited the medtronic website already and had a good root through. Can I make a recommendation? Contact te customer services through the website and ask them for the brochure for Veo. Medtronic will send you a whole folder which includes the Veo info (obviously!), cannula types and Carelink (the online information downloading facility for you and your team to log in and review your stats) and most importantly given your question- a letter informing you of the costs of setting up for the sensors and on-going maintenance.

2-3 months ago when I got mine the set cost was ?450 when purchased with the pump, then the cost of sensores which equated at the time to approximately ?6 a day. These costs would be covered by me if I went ahead as I am not covered by the PCT funding for this. My DSN has told me that if I were pregnant I may be able to then claim for them (not relivant to you! I am just trying to give you an example). The politics of funding is not something I most up to date with, this is of course something you will need to take up with your team.

I started pumping in a group of 4 and there was one fella in this group. He was a fireman and when we met again in the one month review clinic, he clearly took to it very well. Wore it on his belt and no-one gives it a second glance as it just looks like a phone or pager. I wear mine mostly in my bra, but I am not suggesting you develop an interest in wearing womens underwear 😉

When you can I would get an appointment and get them to discuss it properly with you. You will need to be clear on the funding issues from the outset if you are hell-bent on sensors. I have spoken at length with my DSN about sensors and decided against it for myself. They are a lot of hard work and you may be suprised what you find out. however, I wouldnt knock it until Ive tried it, so good luck!

L x
 
Right everyone,

I've asked for some information from Medtronic and I've downloaded something about the Veo. Porobably the brochure for it.

As for developing an interest in wearing womens underwear, well, let's say that my main preoccupation will be how to take it off women for the next few years lol.

Tom
 
Hi Tom

I agree that you need to be getting feedback from adults who wear pumps really but here are some things that my son and myself feel are better with the pump, it case it helps you:

Pressing buttons when bolusing instead of having needles.
Insulin always with you.
Easier and quicker to correct high's.
Better control day to day of blood sugar levels.

As a parent, i have found other advantages but they would not be appropriate to you so i won't list them.

He has had no problems sleeping with it. Sometimes he lets it be free in bed next to him, other times he clips it to his pj's.

We would give the pump a huge thumbs up!

Good luck if you decide to go ahead.

Mand 🙂
 
can't answer any questions, but just wanted to say good luck with the pump
 
i echo what caroline says , all the best with it Tom x
 
Thanks for all of the advice, it's deeply appreciated. I've asked for the information pack from Medtronic, so now it's just a case of sitting around waiting for that to arrive in the post.
 
Hi there, I was going to post a similar question today, so I'll join in this thread. It's interesting to read everyone's replies so far. I've got a friend who I think meets the NICE criteria, and I was going to suggest a pump to her as she struggles to get good control.

A few other questions:
What do people do when swimming? I've seen some pumps are waterproof, can you swim with them, or do you disconnect for a while? If you do swim with it I guess it's pretty visible, does that bother anyone?

How robust are they? My friend's a special needs teacher and so sometimes her job is quite physical.

If you don't have a large cleavage, where's the best place for a lady to keep a pump??
 
My son detaches his pump when swimming so he is just left with the cannula in his tummy. The cannula does not need to show if you insert it within your swim wear covered area. 🙂
 
What do people do when swimming? I've seen some pumps are waterproof, can you swim with them, or do you disconnect for a while? If you do swim with it I guess it's pretty visible, does that bother anyone?

I swim every day in the summer so when I was first choosing my pump getting a waterproof one was an important consideration.Then I was told that the authorities here (France) had decreed that no pumps were to be worn whilst swimiing. The reason is that small unoticeable cracks in the case can let water in and damage the pump. This is what apparently caused medtronic to stop advertising their pump as waterproof, but there have been similar incidents with other makes (I saw a European safety letter sent out about the problem with the Cozmo, don't know how many incidents have been with the Animas).
Now I've found it wasn't important anyway. I couldn't imagine swimming with it. It would be a nuisance needing a belt or something to support it. I just take it off and cap the cannula. I find that my levels go down in the water so I wouldn't need it on anyway.

How robust are they? My friend's a special needs teacher and so sometimes her job is quite physical.
They seem quite strong, you can get a variety of cases which protect them. I have read that people with very physical jobs likepolicemen in the US manage OK. It might be better to keep it on the inside of clothing and dangling tubing could get caught either on furniture or by a child so perhaps might be better taped down

If you don't have a large cleavage, where's the best place for a lady to keep a pump??
Mostly I wear mine at my waist. I don't wear many dresses. With one,not too tight dress, wearing it in my bra works, with the other it shows and looks most odd. I haven't really worked out a permanent answer. (I have used the waistband of my pants but not a brilliant solution). Some people buy special holsters/garters for the thigh.If you did that regularly it would be better to have a pump with a remote control
 
Hi Tom and Pigeon

Can't really add more here except to say that we are COMPLETE converts to the pump. The flexibility of control is fantastic etc, and my understanding from my son and others is that the occasional inconvenience of it physically is far outweighed by what it makes possible in terms of control and quality of life.

For the ladies esp, I have heard that some teens switch back to MDI for the summer months, in order to facilitate bikini wearing!

Like others here, my son always removes his pump when swimming, as he tends to go low anyway in water. However, we are going to purchase an aquapak for when playing around water and on the beach, etc...

We're also going to get a Frio pump pouch eventually, for hot weather.

Re sensors and things, we are lucky enough to have funding whenever the system here is up for downloading etc...Confess that sensors are very much on our minds for our son when he goes to uni, five years from now. I think you're wise Tom to really be thinking about all this -- again, I think that the physical inconvenience of them is a bit greater than the pump (some will disagree with this?), but the trade-off for the kind of lifestyle you may want is probably worth it. AND getting good numbers...

Anyway, good luck with it all. Read the pump thread for the minutiae of it all!

Best.
 
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