Your opinions please!

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bev

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Hi all,
I have asked on the childrens forum if there are any 'pitfalls' to having a pump rather than MDI.
As adults, could you please tell me your good and bad points of having a pump? I really want Alex to be able to make an informed decision about a pump - i really want him to have one - but of course its his decision and i will be letting him see your replies! Many thanks. :D Bev
 
Whatever you decide, good luck with it. From experience, if the kids feel they have some control they take to things more quickly than if you say you have to do it this way or you have got to have this.
 
possible drawbacks(though I wouldn't give mine up)
aesthetic ie pinpricks at various stages of healing . The look of the catheter and tubing might for some be a problem for some during adolescence (depends on individual confidence I would think). Think about days on the beach.
Need to be prepared to change site or have alternative delivery system always available.... non delivery always seems to happen at awkward times!
Can have problems with adhesive not sticking in hot weather. I tried to get over this with tegaderm but found I was allergic to it.
If he's very thin he might have more difficulty finding suitable sites. I've got plenty of padding on tummy and hips and have no problems there but have found it uncomfortable to insert in places with less fat.
I really feel guilty about the amount of waste generated by pumping (depends how 'green' he is!)


For me the best thing is the ability to reduce my basal at will.
A couple of weeks ago went on a bike ride and forgot to alter basal. After about an hour my BG plumeted to 1.9mmol. This is what used to happen regularly on MDI.
The following week I went out for an all day trip on the bike, cut basal to 45% : for me thats only 0.2 units per hour. I bolused normally for my picnic and had BG levels of between 4 and 6 all day.
 
I am not on a pump. But I have been told that because you do not take long acting insulin, you are more likely to get really high and get ketones very fast if the pump malfunctions or you keep it off for too long. I am terrified of ketones and that is why I have not gone for a pump.
 
Lizzie said:
I am not on a pump. But I have been told that because you do not take long acting insulin, you are more likely to get really high and get ketones very fast if the pump malfunctions or you keep it off for too long. I am terrified of ketones and that is why I have not gone for a pump.
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Oh dear Lizzie, I'm sorry you have been told that, it is total and utter rubbish. With a pump (and it is hard work I won't lie) it is easier to control just using quick acting (mostly novorapid but humalog is used as well occasionally). Please do not let this rubbish put you off a pump. It is easier to control the highs with a pump. For example my daughter was high for hours yesterday and with a pump there is a facility of turning the basal amount up higher for a timed period. You can set it at anything ie 25% higher, 50 % higher 52 % higher or even 200% higher so you are getting double the basal rate. If you are ill then generally the levels are higher so not only can you control it with correction bolus's (extra spurts of insulin) you can set this basal facility to run for hours at 200% (and more but that's too complicated to explain if you don't have a pump).

I would urge you to look into it again, take a look at www.input.me.uk It is run by John Davis who pumps himself and he helps people who wants pumps or who are interested in pumps. Him and his team are great and really know what pumping is about.

In local hospitals or GPs etc they do not know enough about pumps to give proper views. They hear things which are negative and go on that and end up giving out false info like you have heard.

Take care
 
Adrienne said:
Oh dear Lizzie, I'm sorry you have been told that, it is total and utter rubbish. With a pump (and it is hard work I won't lie) it is easier to control just using quick acting (mostly novorapid but humalog is used as well occasionally). Please do not let this rubbish put you off a pump. It is easier to control the highs with a pump. For example my daughter was high for hours yesterday and with a pump there is a facility of turning the basal amount up higher for a timed period. You can set it at anything ie 25% higher, 50 % higher 52 % higher or even 200% higher so you are getting double the basal rate. If you are ill then generally the levels are higher so not only can you control it with correction bolus's (extra spurts of insulin) you can set this basal facility to run for hours at 200% (and more but that's too complicated to explain if you don't have a pump).

I would urge you to look into it again, take a look at www.input.me.uk It is run by John Davis who pumps himself and he helps people who wants pumps or who are interested in pumps. Him and his team are great and really know what pumping is about.

In local hospitals or GPs etc they do not know enough about pumps to give proper views. They hear things which are negative and go on that and end up giving out false info like you have heard.

Take care
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Thanks for your reply Adrienne. It is very helpful.

What would happen if for whatever reason the electronics of the pump failed and you could not get the insulin in? Thats what I meant. I realise there are a lot of up sides to a pump but for me I would always be worried I think. Yes you can control the dosage of insulin better with a pump. But you are dependent on the pump functioning correctly to give the dose. What safety procedures are there in that situation and what would happen to the person? Thats what I was told - that if the pump malfunctioned and you could not get insulin in, you would get ketones faster than you would on MDI due to not having long acting insulin. Is that false?
 
Lizzie said:
Thanks for your reply Adrienne. It is very helpful.

What would happen if for whatever reason the electronics of the pump failed and you could not get the insulin in? Thats what I meant. I realise there are a lot of up sides to a pump but for me I would always be worried I think. Yes you can control the dosage of insulin better with a pump. But you are dependent on the pump functioning correctly to give the dose. What safety procedures are there in that situation and what would happen to the person? Thats what I was told - that if the pump malfunctioned and you could not get insulin in, you would get ketones faster than you would on MDI due to not having long acting insulin. Is that false?
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Hi Lizzie

Pumps do not malfunction alot. I know lots and lots and lots of children on pumps and most of them have never had a malfunctioning pump. They are changed every 5 years anyway (or can be). The Spirit (Roche) has a hiccup at the moment however, the buttons get stuck and the few children I know on those, two of them are on their 3rd pumps, however this has been rectified and a new pump is due out imminently but Spirit are the most popular pumps. The pump companies tell you, you can get a replacement within 24 hours and this is true. In the meantime you revert back immediately to MDI for that 24 hour period, it really is no problem just a pain in the backside. My daughter's pump broke but that was not a pump fault, it was hospital error. We walked into an MRI room (the MRI was not happening at that time), we removed the pump and left it outside the room but just from those 2 minutes being in the MRI room the pump went haywire. We reverted back to injections immediately and had a replacement sent within 24 hours, it wasn't the same colour pump which is important to a child so they ordered and sent a purple one out the next week, again it was no hassle.

If you go away then as well as taking pump stuff you do have to take all injection stuff as well just to be on the safe side, so your suitcase is fuller but pumping still makes it all worth it.

Ask any question you want and I'll do my best to answer. If I can't then I'll know a man (or woman) who can.
 
Whoops made a mistake........

I wrote '.....but Spirit are the most popular pumps'. Sorry this is wrong, I meant it is NOT the most popular pump. :confused:
 
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