I'm Pumping!!!!!!

[Deb S]

Well, my pump arrived a few weeks ago and this morning the trainer spent a couple hours with me showing me how it works. Then, before she left, I filled my first reservoir, inserted the infusion set, etc., etc. and was off and pumping before lunch!

So far, my BG readings have been pretty good for the first day pumping (or at least that's what the nurse/trainer says):

168 2 hrs. after lunch
136 2 hrs. after a snack of some strawberries
105 2 hrs. after dinner
107 2 hrs. after the dinner reading

I ate a banana because the trainer wants my BG at 120 when I go to bed.

I'm sure I'll be back with questions for all of you so please bear with me. For now I'm so excited!!!

Deb

[poodlebone]

Congratulations!! What pump did you get? My numbers were all over the place when I first started pumping. It was frustrating at times and sometimes I wanted to throw the pump against the wall, but eventually things smoothed out.

How was your BG when you woke up this morning? I know that bananas send my BG through the roof and if I ate one without bolusing, I'd wake up really high. Evbentually, when you get your basal rates set correctly you shouldn't have to worry about snacking before bed unless you actually feel like having a snack. You can always set a temporary basal rate if your BG is a little lower than you'd like, but not an actual low.

[SGT Shoutmore]

Deb,

Good on you! You've taken a HUGE step in OWNING your diabetes.

Just so you do not fall into disappointment, pumping insulin is an ART and not an exact science as our bodies are different and act different at different times. As you strive to achieve tighter control, you will need some basal testing to fine tune your rates, and you will need multiple rates as your body's demand for insulin changes through the day and night. You will over time come very close to perfecting those rates, and of course, your needs will change with seasonal changes too.

The best part is that your pump is ready for that. Smart pumps literally wait for you to program these rates and profiles to handle your insulin needs. You will learn to use more and more features of your pump as time goes, the freedom the pump provides is excellent. It sure was a life changer for me, and for the better.

Be prepared to ask LOTS of questions here as you see fit, no question is too simple or complex, there are lots of pumpers here that will help you along. Of course, you knew that already ;) You're here!

[Deb S]

Thanks Liz and Dennis!

I got the MM/722 because of the larger reservoir. My TDD of insulin with the MDI averaged about 230-240 units a day. What's amazing to me is that in the last 30 hours I've only used 132 units.

I know there's a period of tweaking the doses and that can take several weeks or a month sometimes and I'm prepared for that.

FYI - Here are my BG readings since yesterday:

10:30 pm: 107 - ate a banana
11:30 pm: 154 - went to bed
3:00 am: 109
7:15 am: 122 - upon waking
8:15 am: 145 (just before breakfast. Must have been the dawn phenom because I didn't eat anything between getting up and 8:15)
10:15 am: 154
11:45 am: 117 - ate lunch
1:45 pm: 149
3:00 pm: 105 - ate an 18 carb snack (took bolus to cover the carbs)
4:10 pm: 110
5:00 pm: 83 - ate a 12 carb snack
6:00 pm: 94 - ate dinner

At 8:00 I'll call the nurse/trainer with these numbers and she'll give me adjustments to make.

I welcome any comments.

I'm lovin' this pumping.

Deb

[Gordonm]

Do not rely on only the educater to adjust your settings. Learn what works for you and apply it. Take their guidance but only you have the control over this. I can't stand to hear people say I'm waiting for my Dr. to change my settings. You are your own Dr. 99% of the time. Yes take their advice and learn from them but it is you who knows you best.

My Dr. every time I see him makes a comment on my 60% basal and 40% bolus average. He says this is wrong and you need to get closer to 50/50. Why I ask. My A1Cs are good and I show him my CGMS and he just shakes his head. If I took his advice I would be eating constantly to keep up with the insulin. I have had very few 50/50 days and they are when I have eaten way to much.

Congrats on the pump. It is a wonderful tool in the management of diabetes. It has changed my life for the better.

[gettingby]

Start up day felt like Christmas, didn't it?!?!?!

Glad you got the pump and it looks like things are going well. Don't be disappointed if you suffer setbacks. They do happen but you can always work them out. Good luck and welcome to the collective.:D

[Patient254]

Deb - Do you suffer from DP or have your bg #s been out of control? Seems like something drastic seems to be going on for a T2 to get a pump. I'm really interested in how you were able to get a pump, if you don't mind sharing. Congratulations on this exciting new tool in controlling your diabetes!

[Deb S]

Patient254,

I think there are quite a few Type 2s on pumps. I don't mind sharing my story with people so here goes:

I was diagnosed with T2 about 13-14 years ago (age 33) and for many years I controlled it mainly with metformin, diet and some exercise (should have exercised a lot more).

About 2 years ago (age 45) my blood glucose readings started to creep up. I kept taking the metformin and my doc added Starlix. Used that for a few months and we realized it wasn't working. Doc then wanted me to try Actos or Avandia. I had read about some of the side effects of these two drugs and told doc I didn't want to take either one of them. I suggested Januvia and she agreed. Six months later it wasn't working either. Moved on to Byetta and took it for 10 months. The only thing it did was make me nauseaus the entire ten months and to this day, I can't stand the smell of scrambled eggs!

In December my A1C was 9.8. We decided to stop the Byetta and start Levemir (long-acting insulin). Two weeks later we added Novolog before each meal. In January 2009, we increased the Levemir dose and split it into two injections per day (one in the morning and one at bedtime). At this point I was taking a minimum of 5 injections a day. My total daily dose of insulin was about 230-240 units a day.

The insulin was definitely working. Three weeks ago my A1C was 7.5 (before the pump).

In early April I went to a "diabetes fair" at a local hopsital and collected some info about pumps. After reading that information I realized that a pump was what I wanted. Made an appointment with an endo for a few days later. Got lucky in that that endo is very "pro-pump" and she approved it the following week. Insurance approved the pump the next day and a week after that the pump arrived at my door. Last Friday, the pump nurse/trainer came to my house and got me pumping.

I say 'God bless all the diabetics who did multiple daily injections for years'. I did them for 4 months and it drove me nuts. I wasn't enjoying life like I wanted to and I blamed it on the injections. Just two days using the pump and I already feel like a new person. I went out to dinner Friday evening and using the pump to bolus was like a new world for me.

I'm still pretty new to the whole insulin part of diabetes but I feel better both physically and mentally. My average daily dose of insulin for Friday and yesterday was 85 units/day. What a big difference from 230 units/day!

Sorry this became so long.

Deb

[Subby]

I really like that you realised you'd like a pump, and then just went about getting one. That seems such a hard thing for many people, just to make up their mind for themselves. I can understand how that can indeed be tricky for many reasons - but this is really a great example of identifying outcomes you would like, and simply going about getting them.

Don't apologise - thank you for sharing your story so generously! Great stuff.

[w5wjp]

T2 on pumps are becoming fairly common. I suspect it is because of the high insulin resistance we can develop.

For example, for each meal I would have to take at least two shots from a pen because they can only deliver....50?? units at a time, sometimes I would need 3 shots. One insertion every 2-3 days is a whole lot better and I ended up with better control.

[kgm0612]

Welcome to the "Pumper's Club" Deb!

It took me a good 4-6 weeks to get all the "kinks" out...... changing basal rates, insulin to carb ratios, etc. So don't get discouraged the next several weeks if you do have some high readings.

Karen