Subby
10-30-2009, 08:45 AM
I've been working at trying the untethered regemin, which is to take a basal insulin and use the pump for boluses, corrections, and for me a little basal support a few hours a day I need it.
My reason is that I seem to feel sick with 24 hour novorapid in my system, a recent pump holiday showed I felt better when it was not constant (taking Levemir as a basal instead).
The levemir has been hard to pin down, and to be honest I don't know whether the better control I've now struck on over the past few days will hold, but it gives me an insight into the option many people who find that long acting can work quite well for them in basal control, have.
I used to think this approach was a bit silly or half baked, but am finding it very good in a number of ways when it comes to the practical experience.
1. If your set goes screwy, your basal is not screwed up nearly as much. You learn it's not working from a poor pp, and while that's a pain I would find it not nearly as bad as having no insulin in my system.
2. I still really appreciate (and really need) the pump for boluses. Injections just don't work well for me, even if I keep them small. I use dual and square boluses all the time to really good effect. A slow release correction works far better for me than an instant shot. In essence, for me at least the pump is still very much appreciated, it does not feel unnecessary.
3. I can take off my pump for bed. I wouldn't say that having the pump on is a huge problem for me, however I have really appreciated this as a change, and it feels completely natural to put it on in the morning when I wake. It gives me a natural break from the pump which I have enjoyed.
Just thought I'd mention that for those finding technical difficulties getting them down with the pump. This could be one way to have the security of long acting, and to get a little more breathing space between the pump and dependency.
I actually rarely get set problems these days (although they still take an age, up to a day, to start up properly... something that again the long acting is seriously helping out with) but I wish I've been mindful of this option when set issues were driving me crazy for days or weeks on end.
My reason is that I seem to feel sick with 24 hour novorapid in my system, a recent pump holiday showed I felt better when it was not constant (taking Levemir as a basal instead).
The levemir has been hard to pin down, and to be honest I don't know whether the better control I've now struck on over the past few days will hold, but it gives me an insight into the option many people who find that long acting can work quite well for them in basal control, have.
I used to think this approach was a bit silly or half baked, but am finding it very good in a number of ways when it comes to the practical experience.
1. If your set goes screwy, your basal is not screwed up nearly as much. You learn it's not working from a poor pp, and while that's a pain I would find it not nearly as bad as having no insulin in my system.
2. I still really appreciate (and really need) the pump for boluses. Injections just don't work well for me, even if I keep them small. I use dual and square boluses all the time to really good effect. A slow release correction works far better for me than an instant shot. In essence, for me at least the pump is still very much appreciated, it does not feel unnecessary.
3. I can take off my pump for bed. I wouldn't say that having the pump on is a huge problem for me, however I have really appreciated this as a change, and it feels completely natural to put it on in the morning when I wake. It gives me a natural break from the pump which I have enjoyed.
Just thought I'd mention that for those finding technical difficulties getting them down with the pump. This could be one way to have the security of long acting, and to get a little more breathing space between the pump and dependency.
I actually rarely get set problems these days (although they still take an age, up to a day, to start up properly... something that again the long acting is seriously helping out with) but I wish I've been mindful of this option when set issues were driving me crazy for days or weeks on end.