which needs most confidence/gives most confidence -mdi or pump?

[curlygirl]

Hi,

I would be interested to know what people think about whether mdi or pumping needs the most confidence to deal with? and also, on the flip side, which one gives the most confidence to be able to cope with and manage diabetes?

I know this is subjective, but it'd be good to know what people feel on this and the reasons why.

Thanks for your time in reading this.

Curlygirl

 

[Miss_Melissa]

Hiya,

I've been on my pump 3 years and it's definitely made me much more confident and able to control my diabetes (particularly in regards to exercise).
When I was on MDI I never felt properly sure what I was doing 😱

I'm not sure which requires the most confidence. Changing to a brand new way of administering insulin via the pump means learning new skills which is difficult, but it just becomes second nature after a while.
I think it's a lot more difficult on MDI. Particularly if you don't have a BG meter which calculates the dosage.

 

[HOBIE]

Hi Curly girl. I love my pump, Have been T1 for a long time & think I have had the lot in my time. If I was going to do something energetic, 10mile on my peddle bike I would push a few buttons & reduce basal time & %. You can not do that on Mdi 😎

 

[Amberzak]

I'm on multiple injections and I'm desperate to get onto the pump. I feel like being on the pump will give me more confidence in doing more exercise for example.

 

[trophywench]

Well as long as your skill set is well understood, ie dafne - you'll have no trouble with the bolussing and correcting cos you are already doing that. Although extended and multi-wave are different, they are easy cos you've wished you'd had them so many times in the past. So they are a pleasure to use IFYSWIM. But the different delivery of basal insulin is so very different it's weird to begin with, after being diabetic so long before pumping I had difficulty for a few months recognising what I needed to do to get it right.

I mean it was never exactly right on MDI but by then I had an instinctive understanding of what you change and of course that's not the same and you have to get your head round it.

But once you do get your head round it - you should have better control for more of the time, which is reflected in your A1c - which is the holy grail in avoiding complications.

But let's face it, neither is exactly 'easy' if you want to do it properly, is it ? The whole caboodle is a steep learning curve and you never stop !

 

[Sally71]

I wouldn't know how to cope with illness and exercise etc without a pump!

But I seem to spend my whole life tweaking things, it never stays still - I guess that's the same whichever regime you are on though.

 

[HOBIE]

That's being Diabetic isn't it Sally. Its pretty hard at times & a pump makes it a LITTLE bit easier. We all need a rest at times 😉

 

[Redkite]

Hi,

I would be interested to know what people think about whether mdi or pumping needs the most confidence to deal with? and also, on the flip side, which one gives the most confidence to be able to cope with and manage diabetes?

I know this is subjective, but it'd be good to know what people feel on this and the reasons why.

Thanks for your time in reading this.

Curlygirl

As a parent, the pump gave me the confidence that at last we had a tool which gave my son the chance of a normal life, avoiding complications as he grows older. It is currently the best approximation to a healthy pancreas. MDI was terrible for him, and I have no confidence in that whatsoever.

My son was 7 when he got his first pump, and he was quickly confident in its use, and for myself I could have confidence in the pump's programming and block function (so buttons couldn't be accidentally pressed in the rough and tumble of the playground).

The school could be confident that my son was giving himself insulin via the pump in the dining hall without any risk of a needlestick injury to anyone else (on injections he had to be segregated).

So...pumps are easy technology to use, and much more flexible for managing diabetes optimally.

Where I lack confidence is in relation to other medical professionals - ordinary GPs and hospital staff have rarely encountered insulin pumps, and this is a cause for anxiety if my son should need to be admitted to hospital.

 

[curlygirl]

Thanks to the people who have so far posted replies - your time is appreciated.

It is interesting to get perspectives from those on mdi and on pumps. It sounds as though not many people on the pump would go back to mdi.

It was good to hear of the 'block' function as that is something that i had been concerned about - accidentally overdosing by rolling on the pump at night etc!

I am trying to consider whether i would like to apply for a pump or whether the lack of confidence i feel about injecting would prevent me from feeling comfortable and 'safe' with it (if i was approved for one of course).

Anyway, a few more things to consider from this info now so thanks.

Curlygirl

 

[Flower]

Hi curlygirl

Using a pump has made my life a lot safer. I am more confident about being able to react to situations and cope better with hypos. My pump has given me more options to try and get good control eg temporary basal rates, different types of bolus delivery and the ability to suspend all insulin delivery if things are going wrong.

It is up to what you are happy using and the best way you can achieve good control. I was very worried about starting to use a pump and have now used one for over 12 years. When my pump broke last year I had the same feeling of dread at the prospect of going back to MDI because I hadn't used that method for years.

If you apply and receive funding there is no harm in trying a pump to see how you get on, it might make the world of difference or if not you always have the option to return to MDI.

 

[Aoife]

It was good to hear of the 'block' function as that is something that i had been concerned about - accidentally overdosing by rolling on the pump at night etc!

Curlygirl

I have only been on a pump for 2 weeks but it would be near impossible to bolus accidentally due to a sequence of buttons that need to be pressed so you can knock that one off your list! I have yet to use the lock feature as I worry more about not being able to unlock it!

 

[trophywench]

It's equally impossible with all makes of pump.

 

[PattiEvans]

It was good to hear of the 'block' function as that is something that i had been concerned about - accidentally overdosing by rolling on the pump at night etc!

I was going to say the same as Aoife and Trophy, it won't happen by accident. Apart from not being able to accidentally recreate the sequence of button presses, the buttons are recessed rather than proud (on Accu-Chek pumps anyway). I find I have to push them quite hard.

I was quite confident on MDI but I had put a lot of work into understanding it. At first I wasn't confident at all on the pump, but as others have said, it falls into place quite quickly and becomes 2nd nature. It's so easy to live more normally e.g. I would never eat an ice cream when out because I'd have to inject for it, but it's so easy on the pump because it does the calculations for you and you don't have to get a pen out and inject, you just push a button or two.

 

[Sally71]

I would also add that if you're out and about with a pump you can just sit and do your bolus anywhere and nobody will bat an eyelid, it looks like you are just fiddling with your phone or pager etc. Whereas we've all heard the stories of people being thrown out of pubs and restaurants for getting insulin pens out!

Also, kids' parties are a nightmare as they tend to be all carbs, carbs, carbs and of course kids want to go back for lots of helpings. I used to try to carb count everything properly and do several boluses, but no matter how hard I tried daughter would shoot up to 20-ish and stay there for several hours. But with a pump you can do tricks like a temp increased basal for a few hours afterwards, or just enter a large number of carbs on a 50/50 multiwave bolus over 3-4 hours and that seems to cope with it - you can't do that with pens!

I mention this because it would also work for adults in any situation where you have a buffet, e.g.weddings, on holiday etc, and would like to stick two fingers up to the diabetes fairy and just for once enjoy eating whatever you like

 

[heasandford]

the wonderful thing about the pump is the effect of the basal insulin. After testing overnight a few times (a bit of a pain, but definitely worth it), I get almost a straight line of BGs at night, and can wake up nearly the same as I went to bed. This NEVER happened with mdi.

I agree with everyone else about theirs too, it's not perfect (food gets in the way!) but it has many more options of control to use

 

[curlygirl]

Thanks for your replies. They have given me things to think about.

I know it sounds silly in a way to worry about things like accidentally pressing buttons and giving an overdose of insulin when i know that there are very young children who use pumps and therefore it must be safe for them to fiddle with the pump without endangering themselves. It is still reassuring to read that the scenario of rolling on buttons etc is really not likely though.

I know some people trust implicitly in technology, but i am somewhat hesitant, and not very confident in myself either, hence my original question, so your answers have been very useful and much appreciated.

Thanks

Curlygirl

 

[Sally71]

Glad to be of help Curlygirl!

I was reluctant to get the pump too, my mum has been on MDI for 47 years and has always been happy enough like that; I'm so glad I let my husband talk me into getting the pump though, once we had it it took less than a day to realise that it was going to be much better, and my daughter's HbA1cs are way better than Mum's now!