What Do I Need To Know?

[gobbly2100]

Hey all,

I am looking at getting sorted on a pump but really want to know all the things I am going to need or want to know and things to look out for or whatever. like what is good and what is bad., do I need to be careful which one I get, are they annoying, that kinda stuff.

I really badly wanna hear from people about your pumps so I really appreciate any replies here.

Thank you!

[mortis505]

I love my pump, MM522. Its about the size of a pager, and now that I'm using the 43 inch tubing, I don't have any issues about laying it beside me while I sleep, or restroom issues. My numbers are great, but it did take some tweaking to get there.

[shabbie6247]

i use the accu-check spirit (http://www.disetronic-usa.com/dstrnc_us/rewrite/content/en_US/3.2:20/article/DCM_general_article_273.htm)(i think im the only one here that actually uses accu-check lol ;) )

its simple but effective. function-wise its like MDI but delivered in a pump, you do all the workings-out yourself as there are no fancy wizards to calculate insulin on board etc.

i got mine courtesy of the nhs and there was only a choice of one. i would have chosen a minimed or animas but i happy enough with the spirit.

down side with this one is its run-time of only 6 years, after that it just wont work any more.

[xMenace]

Been following your posts for some time Gobbly. I think the biggest problem you'll face is changing your midset. You've been using that mix for some time and it is totally different than pumping. With pumping there's a complete, or nearly complete, separation of basal and bolus insulins, and that need to feed your mix will be gone. You may run into troubles with estimating your rates until you've used it awhile. You'll need to be patient for several months and prepare for unexpected hypos.

While it's constantly attached, it's not really annoying. Well sometimes it is a bit like when you are dressing and the tubing gets tangled in your undies and belt -- don't ask. I don't get urges to rip it out. The flexibility it provides more than makes up for any annoyances. It's very easy to un-plug when you don't want it on: exercise, sex, bathing, or whatever.

The potential to improve your control is only potential if you don't buy into it fully. Once you decide, attack it like you did your mix.

I don't know if there are any bad pumps. I am not an expert on all the features.

[Funnygrl]

Gobbly, if you're on pre-mix now and you want to pump, I totally recommend changing to something like Lantus and Novolog for a few months before pumping.

[Lloyd]

I think you need to be good at counting carbohydrates, using seperate basal and bolus insulins will help you hone those skills, and I think you need to be the kind of person who does not panic when things don't go right, but rather stops to think about what the problem is, and what can I do to fix it.

-Lloyd