A nice, stable Saturday; this thing is good!

[Gary_W]

I've been pumping for just over a week now, and I must say that this little thing is fabulous. I actually had a Saturday that was not plagued with hypos :)

I was able to do those little things that you do (clean out the car, pop to the shops, potter in the garden etc) without having to constantly be at the orange juice.

I think the thing that used to 'get' me was if I do ANYTHING remotely physical after injecting and eating, the insulin goes in at the speed of light and I go hypo an hour after eating. Yesterday, I was able to take my daughter for lunch and I did a combo bolus for the carbs. I tested at hour 2 and was 7.0, and just stayed nice and in range the whole day. The exteneded bolus held up the insulin rush that the after-meal walk would always cause. It was very nice not to have that happen.

I've upped my morning basal as I've been very spikey in the mornings and a basal test a couple of days back showed I was a little low on my AM basal. Yesterday, the spike was gone. Today with a slightly trickier breakfast it's also pretty good, but it's going to take a few more mornings / a few more different breakfasts before I call it fixed.

If you couple this with the very nice fact that I can go to bed as a 6.5 and wake up between 5.5 and 6.0 consistantly then you've got a very happy pumper over here. My fear of being attached to something is gone; I rarely notice its presence. Sleeping with it is no problem, and I sleep a lot sounder in the knowledge that I won't get any nasty surprises in the night. You just feel so much better when you wake up without a severe drop in the night...

It's also nice to know that I can get even better. I've had these benefits after a week, so with time and effort I should certainly be able to cope with most things that diabetes throws my way. It's not a magic bullet by any means and, if you're not willing to put in the effort and learn how insulin works IN YOU, then I would say that a pump will just be an expensive belt clip with a bit of tubing that drives you nuts. If you do put in the time the rewards are worth it.

If anyone out there is reading this that has the opportunity to get a pump but is worryed about the 'lifestyle' side of it, please give it a go. The positives far and away outweigh the negatives IMO.

Gary

[Jan B]

I'm so pleased with your results so far Gary. The pump is an amazing little creation. I am also elated to not have those dreadful Lantus lows. (My sister in law is a nurse practitioner, specializing in cardiology. I'll never forget her looking me straight in the eyes telling me you can't go low from Lantus. Unbelievable.)

It's like a little miracle to be able to fine tune the basal to your body's particular ups and downs and time of day sensitivity. I'm so happy you got the pump and are finding so many good things about it.

[Subby]

Good stuff Gary. Doesn't it feel like magic when you can actually iron basal issues out. I was 15 years MDI so we probably both had a similar reaction of "can it be this easy"? when you first tweak the basal rates... and it works. To be able to cater for hour to hour basal reqs AT ALL is a miracle, next to the sledgehammer tool of long acting...

You've also cottoned on so well to the primary challenge... your inter/reactions to insulin. I'm still learning a lot at the moment myself, after finding out how much the picture changes if I hold myself in a lower range. I suspect you have many improvements to come.

[xMenace]

And when your optho looks at your 6.0 A1C in total disbelief then finds absolutely no damage in your ravaged eyes and shakes his head ... it's better than sex!

My Saturday was very pleasant too. My Sunday so far is just ans nice.

[Coppernob]

Gary, I am so happy for you - I knew you and the pump would get on well. I love my pump - you could say that I am very attached to it!!
Here's wishing you a lifetime of happy pumping. :)

[milfordj]

Gary, I'm loving mine just as much as you though I'm still tweaking to get best settings. I read an interesting article wherein a D specialist talked about how important it is to find "PATTERNS" in treating D. After reading the article I looked back at my BG / Carb Consumption record and noticed that I regularly run high when dancing on Sat nights. That used to be my time to have to consume considerable excarbs and fight lows, but there was definately a pattern. My first test is to see that grits (which most of you may not be familiar with) are actually affecting my BG as they should based on carb count. I gnerally consume the same meal each Sat before dancing, so I'll try the grits (and nothing else -- always accompanied by stuffed salmon) tomorrow night to see the effect without the dancing and stuffed salmon. If that's OK I'll test just the stuffed salmon (for my guessed carb count accuracy). If that also tests OK, then my pattern has told me that I've got to change my insert earlier. I've been changing every Wed and Sun morning and maybe going 4 days from Wed to Sun is too long. Sure is easy to always remember to change based on day of the week as opposed to having to record this add'l info on a calendar, but if that's what it takes, so be it. Anyway, just my way of suggesting that others look carefully for PATTERNS. I'm going to prepare a much better BG / Food / Exercise sheet that will make this much clearer to me. Hopefully I'll catch such problems much earlier in the future. Sorry for the book.

[FatCatAnna]

Glad to see you are feeling the same way I have been feeling since going on the pump after 40 years of MDI. I feel like a NoRmAl human now with my external pump - and like you - don't even notice it much anymore. Like you - I sleep much better at night - not experiencing hypos with the Lantus (was working it out - but then the pump came along).

Keep up the good work Gary. My pump is the best birthday pressie I ever bought for myself (this is how I justified purchasing the pump - since I could have bought a nice motorcycle - but already own two - so didn't need another one <lol> ... yet).

A.

[JJM335]

Gary:

Great to hear that things are going so well.

However, I feel that it is my duty to remind you that as a UK pumper you are connected to a potentially hazardous machine,and to remind you to ensure that you follow to the letter the following regulations as set out in Sections A to D subsections 42-103 of the UK Insulin Pump (licencing) Act.

1. Ensure that you complete your 12 page Health and Safety Assessment. This can be carried out online. Submission must be accompanied by a non-refundable fee of £100



2. If you are planning to travel on a public highway, you must obtain the appropriate tax disc for your pump (to minimize the carbon footprint, the fee varies with TDD - consult your V5 registration document for details). Note you should display the tax disc in a clearly visible place within 10 cm of your infusion site.

3. When operating your pump you must display the appropriate warning notice. This comprises a flashing amber sign bearing the words "DANGER - PUMP - KEEP CLEAR!!" Note also that you should sound the appropriate Klaxon warning when closer than 400 metres from a School Zone.

Remember, for the sake of the environment, please recycle your insulin and dispose of any used infusion sets responsibly.

[JJM335]

I should have added, does your carb database include fish and chips, kebabs, pint of Old Peculiar and a packet of pork scratchings?

Joel

[Janlaton]

Gosh, congratulations. I still wish I could put my type 2 pills in a pump and have them come into my system all day long. Any one out there got a way to do that yet?

[Gary_W]

Thanks for all the good tidings, folks :)

I've been doing a spot of basal testing today as my afternoons seem to dip a little. Indeed, I had to cut it short as by 3.30 I was dipping my toe into the water of a hypo. At least it's told me to throttle it back a bit prior to that and I'll see if that sorts my problem. My evenings seem to be bang on and my morning BG today was 0.2mmol different to my bedtime one... When you consider a meter isn't even that accurate, I'll call my overnight problems that Lantus used to aid and abet 'cured'. Tempting fate....

Joel - regarding those kind of items in the food database. The answer is 'yes' as I've programmed it myself. The US version of the database would doubtles have things like corn dogs and grits in it. And I thank you for the risk assesment; I'll keep that in mind should I leave the house (which is surely inadvisable for the likes of us?)

Gary

[SGT Shoutmore]

Good on ya Gary!

I've been pumping now for just over one month and I have seen great control. I did have one stay in the hospital for a cellulitis infection last week, and the hospital staff and on sfatt endo were most accomodating to me as a pumper and literally stayed out of my way as far as pumping, in fact, MANY came by to see what my insulin pump looked like and what it did. The on Staff endo was very pleased with my BG numbers and made two visits to check up on me, outside of that, they didn't even do finger sticks on me, they just asked me what my BG was for their charts.

The control I have is phenominal, I just had an a1c and am awaiting the results, I know it won't be spot on as it is not 3 months of pumping, but it will be a good indicator of what to expect in the future.

I am pleased for you, Gary, that you too are experiencing the success so many here seem to share with insulin pumping as I have and now you. Why ANY diabetic would want to keep on with MDI is beyond me.