What to expect when starting to wear a pump?

"Evon" <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I may have to start using a pump. I asked the endo about
what type of lifestyle changes to expect. He said what
difference does it make, if I tell you need it - you need
it. So could someone fill in the blanks for me?

1. Do you wear it 24/7 - sleep with it?
2. What if you want to swim?
3. If you change activity level does the pump adjust
automatically or do you manually change it? (Desk job
to aerobic activity) Do you still count carbs/sugar or
does the pump adjust accordingly?

You wear it 24/7 and sleep with it. I wear it in a pouch
safety pinned to shorts, some put it under the pillow, some
in pajama pockets. You can disconnect, most infusion sets
have a quick disconnect, for up to an hour with no problem.
You may or may not have to dose for the lost basal insulin
when you reconnect, experience will tell. This takes care of
showering, hot tubbing, swimming, and the like for most.
Several of the pumps are (claim) waterproofness for swimming
long distance. The pump delivers a programmed basal rate
that is adjustable in half or quarter hour increments
depending on the brand, and bolus amounts as requested. It
does not adjust anything automatically since it has no way
to know what you are doing. (Some pumps will adjust
automatically (if the feature is turned on) to account for
insulin remaining from the last injection if you are trying
to correct for a high blood glucose reading.) You have to
decide how much insulin you need for a meal. Counting carbs
is the standard way to do that. Some pumps will allow you to
enter total carbs rather than units of insulin for a bolus
and will divide by a insulin:carbohydrate ratio that you
have entered.

The pump is basically a $5000 syringe. It will deliver much
more accurately than a $0.25 syringe what you tell it to
deliver. By giving you a shot of rapid acting insulin every
few minutes, it will allow you to tailor your basal insulin
in ways that are very difficult or impossible with a long
acting, or combination of long acting, insulins. But it will
only do what you tell it to.

--
-------
Charly Coughran [email hidden]

Sounds like your endo could use a little shaping up. It
makes a difference since you're the one using it and he
should want to help fill in the blanks for you. Too many
doctors with that attitude IMO, but there are many here and
at the classes you'll take who can answer your questions in
detail. Good luck.

--
Cheri
Type 2, no meds for now.

Evon wrote in message ...

Quoted message said:

I may have to start using a pump. I asked the endo about what type of
lifestyle changes to expect. He said what difference does it make, if I

tell

Quoted message said:

you need it - you need it. So could someone fill in the blanks for me?

sounds like a huge disconnect between you and the endo. I'd
consider changing endos, THEN looking into the pros/cons of
using a pump.

I'm a pump user since '96. It RADICALLY altered my
life...for the better. For 18 years I was on MDI and in poor
control due to the dawn phenom. I have nearly halved my
A1c's, I get less stressed by severe hypos, I can sleep
late, exercise on a few minutes notice, eat when I want
instead of following a rigid schedule. My health is better;
some complications resolved themselves.

Yes, you wear the pump 24/7. I wear mine on my waistband
like a pager. BEFORE I got it I was afraid that maybe I
wouldn't like wearing it. The very FIRST day dispelled that
myth! I've never regretted getting my pump (on my 3rd model,
the Minimed 508) for ONE SECOND.

You take it off to shower or swim. It can easily be left off
for approx an hour. Under some circumstances you can stretch
that to and hour and a half or two hours if your bg's remain
stable due to exercise or previous boluses before
disconnecting. The infusion sets don't hurt. I can't feel
where mine is. I change mine every 3 days, sometimes in 2
days. they are expensive but if insurance is paying for all
or most, that's not an issue. What SHOULD be an issue is
your health. if you NEED a pump for better control, then by
all means look into it.

I was super pro-active in getting a pump. I had to drop my
endo of 10+ years in order to get it. He was against pumps
and my health suffered for the delay. Within 6 weeks of
seeing a new endo I received my first pump. Smartest thing I
EVER did was to get a pump.

There are a number of factors that should be evaluated by
the endo in determining if you are a good candidate. So far,
you fail, in my opinion. The reason is you have no knowledge
or apparent interest in pumping. You've brought it up here
because the endo mentioned it. That isn't good enough. YOU
are the one who will be wearing it, adjusting it,
understanding basals, boluses, carb counting, FREQUENT blood
sugar testing. You need to be willing to go the extra mile
to read everything about the pump you can lay your hands on.
You need to read the owners manual several times and watch
the instructional tape over and over. It needs to be second
nature to you which buttons to push for which feature.

In other words YOU must want to pump, more than the endo
wants you to pump. It needs to be your burning desire that
you obtain a pump as soon as you've selected the proper one.
Sitting back and being dictated to by your doctor isn't
going to do anyone any good.

I again stress the need for you to be on the same wavelength
as your doc. If the guy you are seeing really just dictates
to you as you have indicated, you should switch docs. Talk
to friends, relatives or another specialist whom you trust,
to give you a referral.

What sort of problems are you having that the endo says
you should go on a pump, anyway? Most successful pumpers
have bugged their docs to go on one, rather than the other
way around.

dave

Evon said:

I may have to start using a pump. I asked the endo about
what type of lifestyle changes to expect. He said what
difference does it make, if I tell you need it - you need
it. So could someone fill in the blanks for me?

1. Do you wear it 24/7 - sleep with it?
2. What if you want to swim?
3. If you change activity level does the pump adjust
automatically or do you manually change it? (Desk job
to aerobic activity) Do you still count carbs/sugar or
does the pump adjust accordingly?

I forgot to answer a couple of your questions.

the pump doesn't know when your activity changes; you need
to be mindful of programming it appropriately for the
situation. There are "temporary" basals you can set for
periods of extra activity or conversely for sick or
sedentary periods; anything out of the norm. You count carbs
and give yourself a bolus based on factors such as current
bg, number of carbs, type of carbs (fast or slow), expected
post meal activity level, etc. You still need to be the
"brains" behind the pump.

dave

Evon said:

I may have to start using a pump. I asked the endo about
what type of lifestyle changes to expect. He said what
difference does it make, if I tell you need it - you need
it. So could someone fill in the blanks for me?

1. Do you wear it 24/7 - sleep with it?
2. What if you want to swim?
3. If you change activity level does the pump adjust
automatically or do you manually change it? (Desk job
to aerobic activity) Do you still count carbs/sugar or
does the pump adjust accordingly?

On Wed, 14 Apr 2004 18:00:04 GMT, "Evon" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I may have to start using a pump. I asked the endo about
what type of lifestyle changes to expect. He said what
difference does it make, if I tell you need it - you need
it. So could someone fill in the blanks for me?

yes, first and foremost, you need a new endo. that [censored] poor
attitude of his does not engender trust or show his
competence.

That being said, pumps are great for type 1s.

Quoted message said:

1. Do you wear it 24/7 - sleep with it?

yes. but you change the set every 3 to 4 days. there is a
quick disconnect that allows you unplug the tubing and plug
it back in so

Quoted message said:

2. What if you want to swim?

see above.

Quoted message said:

3. If you change activity level does the pump adjust
automatically or do you manually change it? (Desk job to
aerobic activity)

you change it manually. AND you pre program it to match your
normal activity level without exercise. some pumps allow you
to program multiple profiles for different activities. you
can also set temporary basal rates for changes in your
routine that you did not program for.

Quoted message said:

Do you still count carbs/sugar or does the pump adjust
accordingly?

yes you count and make the bolus corrections yourself.

There is a pump in development that will hopefully make the
adjusts for you.

goto insulin-pumpers.orginsulin-pumpers.orgOpen ↗ for the best info on all
the various pumps on the market, good pumping tips, support
from other pumpers, and upcoming pump developments,

Mack©® Type 1 since 1975 alt-support-diabetes.orgalt-support-diabetes.orgOpen ↗
insulin-pumpers.orginsulin-pumpers.orgOpen ↗

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