The Pumpers Thread!

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Hello,
A question for pumpers and mummies & daddies of pumpers - where on your body do you insert your cannulae (or am I being too posh - is it cannuals?). I fire them into what I guess are my "love handles" for want of a better term but I guess that others may be less blessed in this department - and some more - I have lost just over a stone since I started with the pump and have less love handle to use these days!

Same question applies to the CGM sensors for those who use them - and an additional question for those folk - what do you use to supplement the tiny surface area of sticky fabric stuff which they have?

Thank you in anticipation,

Alan
 
Alzibiff said:
Hello,
A question for pumpers and mummies & daddies of pumpers - where on your body do you insert your cannulae (or am I being too posh - is it cannuals?). I fire them into what I guess are my "love handles" for want of a better term but I guess that others may be less blessed in this department - and some more - I have lost just over a stone since I started with the pump and have less love handle to use these days!

Same question applies to the CGM sensors for those who use them - and an additional question for those folk - what do you use to supplement the tiny surface area of sticky fabric stuff which they have?

Thank you in anticipation,

Alan
Click to expand...

Bottom every time. We put sensor on one side and canula on the other. We did try the tummy for the canula but it hurt but Jessica has a massive scar across her tummy so I think it was hitting scar tissue.

The tummy is the most effective place where the insulin works best but these skinny kids have to use their butts.

I have put in sensors into girls aged about 10 to 13 in their tummys. Their choice of course and they have been fine. One girl change to her thigh but you need a bit of meat there.

Some people, women especially use their upper arms for their cannulas so they can carry their pumps around their bra area, maybe you have a top pocket or you can get belts to wear around your arm to keep them in place like the runners do with their ipods.

Hope that has helped.
 
Alex (11) has his sensor on his bottom, and his canula in his tummy. He is very slim - but he doesnt seem to mind it in his tummy. We did initially start on his bottom -but he found it difficult to take off for rugby etc - so moved to tummy. We put it in a circle of about 2" around his belly button.
Remember that if you change sites - your basals may change.:D

Over the sensor and transmitter we put a clear plastic sticky plaster - it stays on for 6 days and is showerproof.🙂Bev
 
I'm debating where I'd put the cannulas. I need to give my damn stomach a bit of a break as due to much insulin abuse my stomach is fairly heavily bruised at the moment and more than a little tender in places. I can't jab into my arms without causing my blood sugars to soar later on. My back side is fine for my levemir but not for much else.
 
hi i was wondering if anybody could give me any advice on gettin a pump?! im 17 and an active dancer at the same time as attemptin to juggle a levels and other courses. very stressful at the moment. im starting to get depressed and my consultant asked if going on a pump would be easier than injecting about 7 times a day, however i dont kno what the consequences would be if my body didnt like it as i have shows in a few weeks. would it cheer me up and make me happy again?
any help would be appreciated.
thanx
lauren
 
Hi Lauren,
Not sure if it will make you 'happy'again! It depends why you are unhappy.

My son started on a pump 2 months ago. He would never go back to injections. But it may not be for you, you have to really want to be on a pump. They are hard work to begin with - but you do get much better control and this has to be good in the long term.

I would advise talking it through with your consultant - i am sure he will put your mind at rest.🙂Bev
 
Tom Hreben said:
I'm debating where I'd put the cannulas. I need to give my damn stomach a bit of a break as due to much insulin abuse my stomach is fairly heavily bruised at the moment and more than a little tender in places. I can't jab into my arms without causing my blood sugars to soar later on. My back side is fine for my levemir but not for much else.
Click to expand...

Hiya Tom

Don't forget that all this bruising and tenderness will go. You will only being using a needle once every 2 or 3 days so your body will get a rest. If you have lots of places that you can rotate the pump even better, your skin will not know whats hit it, or in this case, hasn't hit it. You can use any fatty bit ie tummy, backside, thighs, arms, love handle bits (if you have them 🙂) You will be fine, don't think too deeply about this bit, this is a small problem.

Do you know that I can't wait for you to go on a pump. I see your fb status' of bad days and on here and I know that you are a brilliant candidate for pumping. Its not magic but will change your life so much you will not believe it. It will be hard to begin with and I'm sure you may want to chuck it in the bin but after a very short while you will wonder why you have had all this worrying about it.
 
Lozza said:
hi i was wondering if anybody could give me any advice on gettin a pump?! im 17 and an active dancer at the same time as attemptin to juggle a levels and other courses. very stressful at the moment. im starting to get depressed and my consultant asked if going on a pump would be easier than injecting about 7 times a day, however i dont kno what the consequences would be if my body didnt like it as i have shows in a few weeks. would it cheer me up and make me happy again?
any help would be appreciated.
thanx
lauren
Click to expand...

Hiya Lauren

As for cheering you up and making you happy again, it is not magic so no-one can guarantee that for you. As Bev said what is making you unhappy? It is a specific thing or just diabetes, which is totally understandable.

I am a true advocator for pumps. I believe they will enhance all people with diabetes' lives without a shadow of doubt. I know what pumps are capable of. I know that if you want that life that seems 'normal' then the pump is the closest thing to allow you to have that. You have the freedom, it gives you the freedom. People will argue that MDI (4 or more injections) gives them freedom, it probably does but I have seen all types of regimes from those damned mixes, to MDI and now pumping. Nothing comes close to pumping and I think I can probably guarantee that those on this forum who know pump will not give their pumps back.

It is great for sports, in your case dance as you have more control over the insulin you are giving yourself and you make it work for you.

I know many people, mainly children, on pumps. I can say that only three have swapped back to MDI and these were all teenagers about the age of 13 to 15.

If you have any questions at all about pumps, ask away and I will be truthful.
 
sensors

Hello can anyone tell me how they managed to get there blood sugar sensors. I am on a Paradigm 522, and was told you could not get the sensors on the NHS due to the cost. I was told they where about ?1500 pounds and the strips for them where to expensive
 
Bezza said:
Hello can anyone tell me how they managed to get there blood sugar sensors. I am on a Paradigm 522, and was told you could not get the sensors on the NHS due to the cost. I was told they where about ?1500 pounds and the strips for them where to expensive
Click to expand...

Hiya

Sorry but you have been told wrong. You can get them on NHS. They are ?40 each and no idea what strips you are talking about sorry.

With all Paradigm pumps there is the option of purchasing the transmitter at a cost of ?400. If you purchase it separate from a pump then it is ?750. You get a box of so many sensors with that purchase I believe. The transmitter is a one off price. The sensors are ?40 each. They have gone down from ?60 !! The sensors when working with the 522 last 3 days, you then 'trick' the pump and get another 3 days out of the same sensor whilst leaving it in you. With the VEO you get an automatic 6 days with the same sensor.

It is harder to get funding for the sensors but most people I know who have wanted sensors will get them. The consultant has to write to your PCT requesting extra funding for them stating that it will be a real bonus to your overall control. You could start by asking for one or two sensors per month. Once you have the hang of them you can then ask the PCT for full time funding if that is what you want.

The two main kiddies teams in the UK now automatically get the transmitter with each new pump and a few sensor and automatically ask and get funding for a few sensors per month plus the consumables from the PCT. They say it is part and parcel of pumping and in my view, it is.

I would go back to your team and tell them you have done some research and this is what you have found out.

Talk to Bev, she has totally changed the minds of her son's whole team single handedly about pumps and sensors and she did exactly what I have suggested for you and it worked.

We would never be without sensors now, especially overnight.

Good luck.
 
Following on from my previous post.........

Replacement Veo pump did not arrive yesterday as it should have done! I phoned Medtronic to say i had been waiting in all day for it but it had not arrived. They were very apologetic and said the shipment was stuck in Holland! It will now not arrive here until Monday so they are sending me an older version pump (due to arrive this afternoon) to use until Monday. What a pain!

My son returned to school today as he is better from his cold. Blood sugars still too high though so still having to monitor closely. Oh when will all this end?!

Exhausted Mand x x
 
Mand - really sorry to hear this. Medtronic do themselves no favours do they?😱Bev
 
Oh Mand, Mand, EXHAUSTED Mand!

Oh no, Im so sorry. When I was waiting in for my replacement pump few weeks back I was on tenterhooks until it came and I was phoning medtonic at 3pm wanting to know it WAS actually coming I had such a horrid feeling it wasnt.....I am so sorry yours didnt come. ITs so damn frustrating waiting in for there delivery 'day' (8am-6pm if I remember correctly?). What a disapointment.

I have to say I was abit suprised to hear you are only on a temp pump till monday? Doing all those settings and adjustments twice! Everything in the wizz and the basal patterns...and its a right nark as the replacement will work in 0.5 and not 0.25. No wonder you are knackered- I hope the set up has gone ok tonight.

How has your son taken to the changes?

How is everyone? I didnt get on here last night I was out on the razmatazz, on a school night! Good lord.

I tested my sugar this afternoon 2 hours after eating and I was 21.6!!!!! OMG! I had a slice of lemon cake in a cafe at lunchtime in work, no wonder I was so thirsty! I was worried I had been the victim of the worlds biggest and most evil air bubble, but got down with a correction. I went 2u over what the wizz recommended, I needed to get down fast being at work. And I wasnt convinced with its recommendation. I wont be having that again! All was fine in the end, 6.7 after I had marched home up the hill. Phew.

So I will be off the thread for a few days- Im off on my jollies ha ha! 5 days in wet and windy gale force winds and rain- Weymouth in a caravan!!! CLASSY! Im packing my waterproofs to make sure I get to the pub in one piece. Im actually really looking forward to it!

Mand- thinking of you (hope you get some rest this weekend?), Bev great news about Alex's run and result- I think that will be such a fantatstic confidence booster, Patricia- I actually believe you might be working hard?! Adrienne and Jess Im sure you have something lovely planned. Have a good weekend everyone, lots of love lou xxxx
 
Ha! On my knees Lou -- so much so that I'm asking myself if I *really* want that glass of wine downstairs at this conference -- or am I going to bed?!

Tom and Lauren: so much to think about. I really hope it all becomes clearer soon. Adrienne has given great advice I think.

Mand: you poor,poor things! OMG you MUST be absolutely shattered. Such a stress, and so much work. Thinking of you. How is your son holding up in himself?

Bev, feel I haven't said hello in ages. How is A doing?

Wanting sensors...too shattered to do anything about it I'm sure until December. But we are now thinking that one offs are not what we want, which we could get anywhere. We have the funding for senors from our PCT which came along with the pump...BUT our local team have been appallingly slow in gtting things organised. This makes us wonder if the whole pump thing would have been like this...perhaps. Thank god we pushed for elsewhere.

Sigh.

Land of many hypos this week was solved by the discovery this morning that we were still on the weekend pattern. Argh! That explains it completely. Had one yesterday in a maths test and feels it affected performance. Wrote a note to this effect and told teacher and invigilator.

Sigh again. Tom, how were your GCSEs and A levels handled with T1?

Everything gone haywire at home: ill daughter, dead car headlights and no food in the house. How could all this happen in 24 hours?!

Sigh thrice.
 
You own section!

Hi guys, you've got your own section now, so feel free to start as many or as few threads as you want! I think, for new members, it will be easier for them to ask questions or search for information. Don't neglect the other forums though - we love to see you there too!🙂
 
its such great news you got this pumping section now it will come in very handy as Northe says

hope you all had good weekends with your children ?
 
Update

Hi everyone.

How are you all?

We took delivery of the loaned 722 on Friday and set it up with the basics (ie my son's basal pattern) but made the decision not to swap him over to it as his current veo pump had stopped throwing up the error for now and seemed to be working ok for now. Knowing we would be taking delivery of an updated veo on the Monday we decided to keep using his current veo and only to swap to the loaned 722 if his veo thew up the error again which it didnt during the weekend. This was to save us from doing two pump swaps.

Well i am happy to say that yesterday we took delivery of the replacement veo which i am assured has the updated software on. After school yesterday we got him up and running on it. We have set up his basal pattern and also programmed bolus wizard. We are going to add other functions slowly and one at a time over the coming weeks so that if one was to cause a problem we would know which one. Of course, we have been assured that as it has the updated software then all facilities can be used as the problems have been sorted out but i still feel a little nervous.

I was also happy to see that the replacement veo is the same colour as his original (black). Maybe a small detail to some but to a 13 year old boy - very important!! 😉

We are still night testing for now as his blood sugars seemed to have gone a bit wonky despite having recovered from his cold. Also we not sure that the original pump was delivering insulin properley due to the motor error it kept throwng up so i feel we need to keep a close eye on him whilst everything settles back down.

Anyway, on and up from today, we hope!

I have moved status from 'exhausted' to just 'tired' which is good news!

Sorry for the essay!

Hugs to you all.

Mand xx 🙂
 
Hiya Mand

It sounds like it is going well. You can see on the VEO which software it is. Another friend of mine had a new VEO with updated software and she compared it and it certainly a different software version. I am guessing it could be on the info screen ie pressing the back button and scrolling down. You could compare the two.

The colour is so very important to kids. Jessica wanted a pink one but the 522 isn't in pink so purple it is then and we use skins as well.
 
hi gals jsut wanted to ask is Lou ok not seen her on for abit x
 
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