The Pumpers Thread!

[Adrienne]

Hiya

When we started pumping, I was testing Jessica every two hours all night for a good few nights until the myself and the DSN were happy with nightime basals. I still test at night but not every 2 hours.

Sounds like it is all going well and yep its a whole other language isn't it

 

[tracey w]

can I set my pump for multiple reminders or just one at a time? I have been stting my pump for 2am but not sure if I can set more?

x

have just checked hun, yes if you go into settings>reminders>alarm clock, you an set any time , there are times in there, but you can change easily. ive never had to use them, if i know i need to test at a certain time I will wake up, i know im just weird like that,

 

[lesley1978]

have just checked hun, yes if you go into settings>reminders>alarm clock, you an set any time , there are times in there, but you can change easily. ive never had to use them, if i know i need to test at a certain time I will wake up, i know im just weird like that,

When I go into reminders it only gives me the option of setting it once or everyday! Am I in the right place? press my book button until it says reminder settings?????

 

[tracey w]

When I go into reminders it only gives me the option of setting it once or everyday! Am I in the right place? press my book button until it says reminder settings?????

In reminders ( which is bottom option when meter turns on), you should have option of , bg test reminders, alarm clock, or date reminders,

in alarm clock you can set any number of reminders, hope that helps

 

[tracey w]

In reminders ( which is bottom option when meter turns on), you should have option of , bg test reminders, alarm clock, or date reminders,

in alarm clock you can set any number of reminders, hope that helps

Ok i get it now, its the meter you need to set the alarms, not the pump settings.

 

[<3KaTiE<3]

Hello everyone,
this has been playing on my mind for some time now, but everyone keeps telling me i should get a pump because it will make my life alot easier. but to be honest im scared..one thing is...i know this could sound silly but i hate doing my injection in my stomach it makes me want to be sick so the thought of something constantly being attached to me there doesnt make me feel at ease! and a second thing is, where i work it can be very busy at times and i can imagine someone brushing past me and catchin the pump and i can imaging it being painfull...i cant believe how silly i sound because im 19 and shouldn't be thinking like a child most people my age would just go for it and wouldnt be thinking what im thinking but i cant help it. Also this sounds very very stupid but i cant imagine getting dolled up for night out with this pump attached to me...i do think the pump would be a great idea and could help me be better controled but i dont know what to do. ANY ADVICE????

 

[Adrienne]

Hello everyone,
this has been playing on my mind for some time now, but everyone keeps telling me i should get a pump because it will make my life alot easier. but to be honest im scared..one thing is...i know this could sound silly but i hate doing my injection in my stomach it makes me want to be sick so the thought of something constantly being attached to me there doesnt make me feel at ease! and a second thing is, where i work it can be very busy at times and i can imagine someone brushing past me and catchin the pump and i can imaging it being painfull...i cant believe how silly i sound because im 19 and shouldn't be thinking like a child most people my age would just go for it and wouldnt be thinking what im thinking but i cant help it. Also this sounds very very stupid but i cant imagine getting dolled up for night out with this pump attached to me...i do think the pump would be a great idea and could help me be better controled but i dont know what to do. ANY ADVICE????

Hiya

I have to be quick as I'm supposed to be doing dinner !! Lots of people your age or older don't have the site on the tummy (I know I wouldn't). You can have it on your upper arm and then the pump can be attached to your bra and hang underneath and no-one is the wiser. Or it can be on your upper thigh and then in your pocket or again attached around your thigh. You can even put the site in your bottom and again have the pump where it suits you.

There are loads of possibilities. You need to ask your hospital if you can try one (without insulin) and wear it in different places and see what you think. You will have to adapt what you wear to where you wear the pump. ie if on upper arm then for 2 or three nights you don't wear vest tops or tiny t-shirts, you wear tops with sleeves of some sort. If you wear it on your bottom and need a pocket, wear jeans with a pocket or whatever. It is easy when you get the hang of it but I know the thought must be hard.

Believe me when you realise the freedom you have on a pump you won't care where you put it. You will wonder why you haven't done it years ago !! 🙂

Our DSN has one and she wears it clipped to her bra and I have never noticed. I actually asked her the other day where it was as I was always trying to guess.

 

[Sugarbum]

Hello everyone,
this has been playing on my mind for some time now, but everyone keeps telling me i should get a pump because it will make my life alot easier. but to be honest im scared..one thing is...i know this could sound silly but i hate doing my injection in my stomach it makes me want to be sick so the thought of something constantly being attached to me there doesnt make me feel at ease! and a second thing is, where i work it can be very busy at times and i can imagine someone brushing past me and catchin the pump and i can imaging it being painfull...i cant believe how silly i sound because im 19 and shouldn't be thinking like a child most people my age would just go for it and wouldnt be thinking what im thinking but i cant help it. Also this sounds very very stupid but i cant imagine getting dolled up for night out with this pump attached to me...i do think the pump would be a great idea and could help me be better controled but i dont know what to do. ANY ADVICE????

Hi Katie,

Welcome to the forum! and the pump thread!

Its really good that you are considering it. How long have you been injecting for? I have a pump which I wear mostly clipped to the middle of my bra and sometimes in Mp3 music pouches off my waistband. It will rarely (I cant even think of a time!) get knocked or in the way. For work I wear a radio on my waist, torch, knife and keys off my belt and I can assure you the insulin pump does NOT get in the way! I honestly can say I dont feel unfeminine with it and actually I have learned to love it, and even accessorizing it with skins and pouches etc! There is a lot of work and a long period of adjustment but pumping can be enjoyable and definately worth the effort that you need to put in.

I would suggest googling medtronic, animas, roche and seeing what these pumps look like and what they do- some do different things to others. Give it some thought, and get on the case! Get an appointment with the DSN and take it from there. Good luck!

 

[lesley1978]

In reminders ( which is bottom option when meter turns on), you should have option of , bg test reminders, alarm clock, or date reminders,

in alarm clock you can set any number of reminders, hope that helps

I'm not on the meter yet so I think that is why I couldn't find it. Anyway, never mind, sorted now. have upped my basel between 12.00am and 7.00am to 0.5 from 0.4.

lesley x

 

[Mand]

Returned from a great holiday!

Hello everyone! Have missed you all lots! But we have had a great holiday in Cornwall!

I will write an account later today when i get five mins between unpacking and wash loads!!!!

I have read all your posts so i am up-to-date on how you all are. Too many events to comment on indiviudally so i will just say that i send you all hugs for the lows/bad days and a thumbs up for all the good days/events. So good to read all your posts and to know how you all are.

Until later................... Mand 🙂

 

[Sugarbum]

Glad you are back safely and refreshed! Hope the weather was good!

Will catch up with you guys later too, I am having 4 friends round for a roastie tomorrow and I need to clean, cook and shop in preparation!!!

Nice to have you back Mand! xxxx

 

[bev]

Hi all,

This morning we have had ANOTHER split tubing! In the same place as the last one - right near the part that screws into the reservoir. So we had another morning of high's......😱

Anyone else had this? We use quick sets.🙂Bev

 

[Sugarbum]

Hi all,

This morning we have had ANOTHER split tubing! In the same place as the last one - right near the part that screws into the reservoir. So we had another morning of high's......😱

Anyone else had this? We use quick sets.🙂Bev

Bev is this the same batch number? If so, I would call medtronic and get a replacement box.

I also use the quickset, not had this problem although the tube will always mark exactly there as thats where I commonly bend it, but never split. I think Adrienne said she had this problem? But probably happening again this quickly isnt good.

Id be on the blower to HQ. Hope you guys are ok.

xx

 

[Freddie99]

Hello all,

Long time since I've set foot in here. It seems that my girlfriend knows someone on a pump. I'm going to get her to put me in touch with them to get some first hand information about living with one. Hopefully it'll happen soon.
My appointment at the pump clinic is drawing ever nearer and my excitement is growing.

Tom

 

[Mand]

A good holiday!

Hi everyone

Well, we had a great week in Cornwall. Weather was good and our accommodation was first class. The rest of the family, inc my son, climbed into their wet suits and went body boarding in the sea each day. I shopped and found nice little cafes to sip cappacinos (cant spell!) to pass the couple of hours they in the water each day.

My son loved it! He would have stayed in longer each time! We checked his blood before he got into the water and then topped him up with some extra food and had no problems at all! He detached his pump for the time he was in the sea and all went well. My husband wore a waterproof pouch round his neck containing a couple of sugar sweets as back up.

All parents are happy to see their kids enjoying themselves and living life to the full but somehow i feel an extra swell of pride and happiness since his diagnosis. I am just so pleased that he does not allow his diabetes to stop him doing anything.

I also enjoyed spending some quality time with him. He now at that age where he always has his own plans and so busy so it was nice to spend time with him (even got a few cuddles, but Sssshhhhh, I didn't tell you that! 😉).

The week before our holiday he played (bass guitar) with his band at a couple of music events. My little rock star! Again, so proud of him.

So, on the whole his blood sugars were good on the hol. A couple of highs (Pizza - say no more!) and a couple of lows but only 3.8 ish so quickly and easily dealt with.

I have some thought about bolus wizard now that we are using it but i will post seperately about that.

Mand xx

 

[Mand]

Bolus wizard

Hi everyone

We started using bolus wizard two weeks ago and i am in two minds. I love how it calcs the insulin and correction etc. (especially helpful on holiday!). But i unsure about the 'active insulin' bit. We have ours set on a starting point of 4 hours. We often find that bolus wizard does not want to give enough insulin for carbs or enough correction due to active insulin but i do not understand how my son will avoid running too high as a consequence because overall he needs enough insulin to cover carbs and enough to correct so i not happy when bolus wizard reduces it! I understand that it is trying to prevent a hypo but surely my son needs the total insulin at the end of the day??

Can anyone help me understand it better?

Bev - I am so alarmed to read about your split cannula problem!! The pump itself is so complex but it seems that most of our problems are due to the sets!! We had a blood filled one on holiday so changed it to be on the safe side. All was ok.

Mand 🙂

 

[Sugarbum]

Hi everyone

We started using bolus wizard two weeks ago and i am in two minds. I love how it calcs the insulin and correction etc. (especially helpful on holiday!). But i unsure about the 'active insulin' bit. We have ours set on a starting point of 4 hours. We often find that bolus wizard does not want to give enough insulin for carbs or enough correction due to active insulin but i do not understand how my son will avoid running too high as a consequence because overall he needs enough insulin to cover carbs and enough to correct so i not happy when bolus wizard reduces it! I understand that it is trying to prevent a hypo but surely my son needs the total insulin at the end of the day??

Can anyone help me understand it better?

Bev - I am so alarmed to read about your split cannula problem!! The pump itself is so complex but it seems that most of our problems are due to the sets!! We had a blood filled one on holiday so changed it to be on the safe side. All was ok.

Mand 🙂

Oh Mand, your holiday sounds an absolute tonic! A lovely read, I am very jelous! Great that the numbers werent bad either. It is so nice to take a break and from the diabetes as well and let it not have the limelight it demands most of the time...

I have given your bolus wizzard thoughts some thoughts myself whilst I am watching 'strictly' (then X Factor Patricia!) and making the Christmas sherry triffle recipe from SWEET magazine (abit early? I know! Its for my dinner party tomorrow!).....

....I am just wondering if you have your ratio times set as tightly as you might require them? have you got them programmed differently for different times? I like bolus wizzard, but I dont love it. Makes me lazy. When it does everything for you and calculates your corrections you dont necessarilly notice how much you correct- whats-his-chops-Walsh from the pumping insulin book says you shouldnt be correcting over 8% of you TDD and I am always trying to keep a third eye on that. With regards to the active insulin, I am set on 4hours as well- I dont know how to test that action more specifically, its a shame. Of course as well, sometimes due to activity it trails off quicker and I find it hard to look at it as a rough estimate of whats left- I want it factually! On the cozmo, the wizzard function tells you not to bolus sometimes due to this which I think would be interesting.

As I am getting more confident with my basal in the pump I am finding I dont like the wizzard so much. Like with MDI I know what amount I want to take most of the time and I dont have much interest in reviewing the amount of carbs summarised in my dialy totals anymore- I know roughly what my carb intake is. I understand what you say about your son surely needing the total insulin at the end of the day, but I think this is just a safety net just incase the maths goes wrong, or to make it a litter quicker and easier in some cases but it might just turn out not to be useful at all for you. If I am right (please correct me if not) I think Bev and A dont use it at all? Im slowly moving away from it myself. Id be interested to know how it pans out for you both.

Oh dear Zoe out of Strictly. Im watching 2 channels at once and making trifle. How big is a table spoon? Is that different to a desert spoon? Ive poured the sherry in and had a swing or 3. Strong innit? 😉

 

[bev]

Hi Lou and Mand and all,

We do use bolus wizard - and up to now find its very useful. But we very often override the pump and make our own decisions. At the moment the active insulin is set at 5 or 6 hours (cant remember which now) but i do think we need to change this as we are finding that we dont go with what the pump is telling us. I think it comes into its own when A is on his own at school or whatever - he doesnt have to think. But - saying that - he often questions what the wizard is telling him and will make good decisions about not folllowing what it says - he is getting better than me now!🙂

Lou - your hysterical - I dont think you realise how funny you are?

Whats-his-chops Walsh - that made me laugh out loud as its the sort of thing I say - but I am not trying to be funny - I just get my words wrong all the time!🙂

I hope you enjoy your dinner party tomorrow and stop drinking the sherry...😉Bev x

 

[Sugarbum]

Hi Lou and Mand and all,


I hope you enjoy your dinner party tomorrow and stop drinking the sherry...😉Bev x

I never bought sherry before- proper grown up isnt it?! It said 2 table spoons (per person?) but as I had to invest in the bottle....well, you can guess the rest!

Sweet magazine said whisk in "Quark" WTF? I phoned my mother from tesco's, I dont think we do "Quark" in Brixton. I dont like fake food!

Sorry i got the ref wrong on the bolus wizz, I thought it was you! Goodness knows?!

What did you decide to do re the set splitters?

xx

 

[bev]

Lou,

I hate sherry - bad memories!😱

Quark - isnt this a sort of granola type jobby? Sounds far too healthy - just add choccy and cream!

Going to ring medtronic on monday re the tubing etc - dont think they can do anything - but want them to at least know there is a possible problem.🙂

17 year old is waiting for vodka jellies to set in freezer - do you know how long they take?😛Bev x