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Well b****r me

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A

Abi

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
I had an HbA1c recently
it was 53 ( 7 in "old money")
I've been off my pump and back on MDI for 3 months
I just got fed up of being attached, suspected poor absorption- control never spectacular on it
Lowest I've been on the pump is 7.1%
I was using a different meter last time I had HbA1c checked- September- it was around 57 ( 7.4%)
I think the old meter was reading too low. Since being off the pump less hypos although with the newer meter I feel "hypo" in the 4s- hardly any below 4 readings. I use mylifepura which is suppsed to be one of the more accurate meters at lower readings. I treat readings< 5 with something small if I'm not about to have a meal
I suspect that erratic absorption, not much fat etc was responsible for control being as it was on the pump- plus inaccuracy of meter. Perhaps also down to me being less "dedicated" than some pumpers or MDIers. Probably could have done better if averaging 8 checks per day rather than 5-6 and giving small correction boluses in between meals, leaving a gap between bolusing for carbs and eating ( or lower carbing)
 
Why did they take you off the pump?
 
It was my choice. I developped a dislike of being attached to it. People generally don;t get taken off a pump against their wishes unless there is a strong clinical reason such as not being responsible on it/ not monitoring adequately etc etc
 
Good to hear your HbA1c has improved Abi, and well done for taking the decision that many people would be afraid to make once they were on the pump. I have heard of a few people who have gone back to MDI because for one reason or another they didn't feel suited to the pump - probably only a small percentage but as you might expect given that we are all different! 🙂

I hope the improvement in levels continues 🙂
 
Wow it's good to hear your doing so well off pump 🙂 ! I myself am questioning my absorption etc these days ( i am also a skinny one lol ) and am developing a lot of scar tissue( not because i dont rotate and use other areas) , that and i am truly fed up with being attached. I have been thinking very hard about coming off the pump too. Thank you for posting how you are doing off pump. Did your care team help you with transition back to jabs? figuring out basal etc? I don't post here very often but do hover in the background. It's really nice to hear about the other side as you don't see many people coming off the pump :D. and well done on a fab hba1
 
I found exactly the same when I started using the Combo Abi - my old One Touch meter almost always read quite a bit lower than the Accu-Chek offering - I was HIGHLY suspicious of it to begin with. And then decided I'd have to trust it if I wanted to use the remote and the bolus wizard and stuff and my A1c miraculously dropped from over 8 to 6.5 inside the first 3 months of pumping.

I honestly dunno how much of it WAS/is the pump and how much was the meter?

But I haven't any Levemir left now so I can't easily find that out, and do I want to anyway? LOL

However, I would be interested to know how you settled on your dosage of basal when you reverted? - did you add the 30% back on, or what?
 
After reading this, i am tempted to have a go at living life without being attached to the friggin thing. Might giv it a 3 month trial after my next check up.🙂
 
megga said:
After reading this, i am tempted to have a go at living life without being attached to the friggin thing. Might giv it a 3 month trial after my next check up.🙂
Click to expand...

Thats what i call mine too lol 😛 Interestingly i spoke to DSN about coming off the pump yesterday , she told me it's a hell of a lot more common than people realise. and that she has had quite a few of her patients come off the pump and do perfectly well on MDI. I see mine like a ball and chain and constant reminder. After speaking to dsn yesterday i have come off the pump too :D so far not too bad. she told me to do morning tests ( would do anyway ) and if not in normal range by day 3( on a starting basal dose of what your 24h pump dose is ) , to up 2 units of long acting ... and so on , so thats what im doing. I have been wanting to come off the pump now for over a year and this isn't a snap decision. when i spoke to DSN she said why did i feel like i wanted to come off.... i expressed my hate of the thing among other reasons ..but it made me think. I think when you want a pump you only get one side of the story. and you fight for something you really have no clue about till you start using it , you can read other peoples experiences with it and understand how it works but you don't know if its going to suit you till you actually have one. Everyone is different, after all same drugs...just different method of delivery. i felt for a long time it would be irresponsible to come off the pump. That's not the case. I haven't given up on the diabetes , i just choose to control it in a way that suits me. i write this because i really believe people need to see both sides to make an informed decision. I am not a pump hater and i know in many situations its a necessary thing. sorry i waffled on a bit 😱
 
Bex, I think you are absolutely right in what you say, and I hope that you can get good control on MDI and a greater feeling of freedom 🙂

I think that half the problem is that people - especially adults - in this country have such a battle to get a pump that it makes it that much more of a decision to decide that it's not for you, at least for a while - many people just enjoy a break from it. 🙂
 
Well I think if you CAN achieve equally good control on MDI then actually - what IS the point?

My problem was, I couldn't because there isn't a basal insulin so far that matches my body's need for insulin. And as I've got older and had D for longer, I feel that the chances of dire complications are much more likely just because of that too, so feel I ought to do whatever I can to minimise iffy BGs so I can actually, continue to enjoy my life for as long as possible unhampered by failing whatever caused by my own lack of attention to D..... I know I could get anything NOT caused by D but Hey! - I'm giving myself a far better chance of fighting off whatever it is if my D control is as good as it can be (usually), aren't I ?
 
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