Trial Pump for Carlye and me

[CarlyesHope]

So, i'm a little nervous....

Tomorrow the Cosmo rep comes to give us our trial pumps - - Yep, I am going to be diabetic for a week, I will do everything you guys and Carlye does. The rep offered to let me do it with her so that I would know how she feels, understand the processess etc. and I'm a little nervous.

Both of us will, of course, be running saline.

Any words of wisdom??? We have had no official training, and we are on our own after 1.5 hours tomorrow.

Kelly

[lgvincent]

Hope it goes well for you!

I was wondering, can you pump brownies directly into the body? If so, I could get more brownies without having to waste time chewing, although I do worry about the pecans stopping the line up.

I'm curious to know what it is like, although I know I'll never be able to afford one.

[Eri's mom]

Wow Kelly...that is so cool!!!
I know it will be a little scary, but it's awesome at the same time!!!
I would love to experience that...
wishing you and Carlye the best of luck!!!
Let us know how it goes :)
Robin

[Amanda_Jo22]

Kelly I think that is awesome! Best of luck to you are Carylee! I guess the only word of wisdom is to be patient with yourself. It took me some time to feel truely comfortable wearing it and changing the infusion sets and all that good stuff.

Good luck! Have fun with it :)

[bbardwell]

Good luck! Just remember, pumping saline is one thing... doing it for real is something else. I may be the odd one out but it did take me about a year to get the carb counting, adjustments to boluses as well as what type of boluses worked best for me, e.g. standard, combination or extended all of which are available with the Cozmo, all working with ease.

Just be patient. Invariably you will experience a site failure and a resulting high, or a miscalculation on carb content and a high. When my Cozmo works for me, I am able to resolve these issues without much trouble, but it did take me a little while to learn how. The Cozmo has a lot of neat features that others do not. :thumbsup:

As an FYI, my trainer advised me to not use the insulin on board(IOB) calculation but that was back in Jul 03. The reason given, at that time, was that many people reported highs and thought the calculation was off. I can't confirm if the calculation is right or not, but I know that if I use it for handling IOB at a 2hrPPD bolus for more food, I can get some very wild BS readings. Hopefully, your rep can answer any questions about that function... frankly, I like knowing what I have remaining as that has helped me to work around the Cozmo on dealing with IOB and doing a quick manual calculation for a bolus. ;)

[Dewey]

That's really cool that you will both be able to try out the pump! I think Bbardwell touched on some good points. All I can add, is just remember to try to take it one day at a time, and you should do fine. Also, try to be patient, as there's definitely a learning curve. As I Always say....."What may work for one..." Things will come up or mishaps will occur, but if you fall down, just dust yourself off, and try again. I think you'll Both do well!! :thumbsup: Congrats!! :)

[nantomsuethom]

Wow, that's awesome that they are giving you both a pump to try out.

The first night that Thomas has his pump with saline he pulled out his site. Not used to having attached to him. I went and bought 4" elastic and velcro and sewed on a piece of material to slip the pump in, to make a belt to hold his pump at night. He doesn't use the belt anymore (wears pants with pockets to bed) but he hasn't pulled out a site since.
Another scary thing for us was we couldn't hear the pump alarm from his room so we bought a monitor. His pump (almost) never alarms anymore so we don't use that anymore either.

Good luck. You will do fine.

[Zokes]

Good Luck!
My "word of wisdom" is: RELAX.

You really can't screw up using saline. The trial period is just to get you in "pump mode". That is, get the feeling of wearing it 24/7. Get used to counting carbs for everything you eat. Get accustomed to pushing the buttons and scrolling through menu screens. Seeing for yourself all the functions that are available. IMO, that is the only use of pumping saline and I think this is what people considering pumps should do.
You can't screw up because you'll never realize that you miscounted carbs (and therefor under/over bolused). Or that your sensitivity settings need adjustment, or your basals are off...

It is really cool that you are subjecting yourself to the same lifestyle you are setting up for your daughter. Although you'll never feel the effects of a low or a high, you're creating a bond that will last a lifetime. She's a lucky girl. :D

Will you be testing your bgs with her?

Good Luck .... RELAX

[Zokes]

:topic:



As an FYI, my trainer advised me to not use the insulin on board(IOB) calculation but that was back in Jul 03. The reason given, at that time, was that many people reported highs and thought the calculation was off. I can't confirm if the calculation is right or not, but I know that if I use it for handling IOB at a 2hrPPD bolus for more food, I can get some very wild BS readings. Hopefully, your rep can answer any questions about that function... frankly, I like knowing what I have remaining as that has helped me to work around the Cozmo on dealing with IOB and doing a quick manual calculation for a bolus. ;)


Is this still true with the Cozmo? Why are you still "working around the Cozmo"? Seems to me if this were a MM issue there would be 12 threads with 100s of posts complaining about poor product and lack of customer service. It's been 2 years since your trainer told you about a problem and you haven't heard from him since.

By the way, Bard this is really not a rip on you. :o I'm just pointing out (sarcastically) that MM seems to be held to a different standard sometimes. My friend has a Cozmo and loves it, as do most cozmo pumpers here.

[CarlyesHope]

Will you be testing your bgs with her?



Yep, and counting my carb (thats the scary part, i have a terrible diet), I will be wearing it as long as she does, changing it when she does, and your right, I haven't experienced the highs, but I have been very shakey from not eating before, I don't if that is what it is like for you guys or not, but when I don't eat for an entire day (yes, I've done this, told you I have a terrible diet) come noon on the second day i'm a wreck, shaking like a leaf, I run, make tha wobble for the chocolate poptarts.

I think it is important I know how to address the issues carlye will face with the pump, how better to do so than to address them myself (at least some of them since it's just saline)

Thanks for the support everyone!! We'll keep you posted - literally.

[HeatherP]

Good luck on that you guys! Kelly, wow, I think it's really wonderful that you're going to do it with Carlye. I'm looking forward to hearing how you like the Cozmo. I'm kinda thinking if I do go to pumping I like the Cozmo so I'm very interested. (I'm nowhere near being ready to make the commitment yet)

[duck]

Yep, and counting my carb (thats the scary part, i have a terrible diet), I will be wearing it as long as she does, changing it when she does, and your right, I haven't experienced the highs, but I have been very shakey from not eating before, I don't if that is what it is like for you guys or not, but when I don't eat for an entire day (yes, I've done this, told you I have a terrible diet) come noon on the second day i'm a wreck, shaking like a leaf, I run, make tha wobble for the chocolate poptarts.

I think it is important I know how to address the issues carlye will face with the pump, how better to do so than to address them myself (at least some of them since it's just saline)

Thanks for the support everyone!! We'll keep you posted - literally.


Shaking like a leaf--Yup, that's an "insulin reaction". You could always give yourself a shot of fast-acting, THAT will make you have an insulin reaction, but I'm not quite sure that is legal either. :eek:

Have fun changing the insertion sets...I recommend lots of room and lots of light, especially initially. It's amazing how much trash you will develop when you do this. Also, keep the "sharps" container close. And get some water-proof medical tape (available at the drug store)--It comes in handy.

[dixiepixie64]

It's amazing how much trash you will develop when you do this.

Yep, it's A LOT of trash isn't it? Sometimes I have to make two trips to gather it all up and dispose of it.

Kelly, I think it is fantastic that you are pumping with your daughter. My pump trainer's son was a diabetic and she said she wore a pump for a day with saline too to see what it was like. Plus you will be a pro and a great help to Carlye. Belated congrats & best wishes too on your law school acceptance.

[Clint]

I fearful the first time I changed my set, but after the second time it was very easy and I wasnt fearful anymore. duck is right about the trash... man, I have a big pile after each time I change a set..

When I was first diagnosed, my CDE tried to get my wife to take saline shots when I took my insulin shots and my wife flat out refused. I commend you on doing this with your daughter... it will help both of you in the long run...

my family still doesnt understand what I go through... except my mom, both of her parents where type 1's dxd either as a teen or adult.

[CarlyesHope]

I'm not kidding when I say i'm nervous, who would voluntarily stick themselves? I guess mom's would...

I'm not worried about the trash, somehow our family seems to generate enough to warrent our own landfill anyway, what's one more bag a week when we'll be shipping it into space soon? (this was a joke, I'm agaist sending our trash into space) - okay, so it show's im nervous.

In the long run I hope to prevent the "you don't know what it's like to be a diabetic and to poke yourself, it's not normal..." which I have already heard enough to make me scream and she has only been diabetic for just short of 3 months....

I want to know what its like, that way there is total support! I think we will be wearing these things for a little over a week. Wednesday to the following Friday, we wanted to make sure we could change the sites often enough to get a feel for different places, and what it is like for Carlye at school, and when she is at her dad's for the weekend where things are lax.... We'll see for sure when the pump guy gets here.

[duck]

It's gonna hurt...It's gonna hurrrrrrrrrt...

[duck]

I'm kidding, you guys will be fine. :thumbsup:

[CarlyesHope]

It's gonna hurt...It's gonna hurrrrrrrrrt...


You are just Mean, you meanie, meanster!!

What you are supposed to say is "good for you, it will feel like a little pin, thats all, like lying in a bed of roses (without the thorns duck)"

[Clint]

I use a minimed 515 and with the quickserter I barely feel it.. I am not sure what the cozmo uses like the quickserter...

my wife is tired of hearing *you dont know what its like* also, but honestly, she doesnt because she isnt diabetic. She doesnt have to deal with the things that I do. But, she is alot more understanding now than she used to be.

[CarlyesHope]

Well, I've got my new pump on... Not so bad, saline is yummy!

were going until next wednesday on this. Carlye has already run through the programs a few times and in comfortable with the menus, the only thing she doesn't like is the additional testing. My first two test have left some nice bruises on my fingers - this isn't fun anymore....

[Funnygrl]

Actually, giving a shot of fast acting won't cause a low in a non-diabetic who doesn't normally have lows (ie, a non-diabetic, non-hypoglycemic) unless it is a fairly high dose, because the low-response mechanism is still there, so they will just make glucagon and come up. If it's a high dose then there won't be enough tine for them to recover before they go low, so they will go low. I know, I asked my endo :)

[duck]

Actually, giving a shot of fast acting won't cause a low in a non-diabetic who doesn't normally have lows (ie, a non-diabetic, non-hypoglycemic) unless it is a fairly high dose, because the low-response mechanism is still there, so they will just make glucagon and come up. If it's a high dose then there won't be enough tine for them to recover before they go low, so they will go low. I know, I asked my endo :)

There was some soap opera years ago where the hero was given a shot by the villain-woman, and he was told he had x-amount of hours to live, and only she had the antidote...Turned out she had shot him up with insulin, and all he needed was a coke and a smile. I think it was Falcon Crest...

Okay, back to our scheduled topic.

[Eri's mom]

Hi Kelly,
That's great :)

I've had my fingers poked a lot(experience lower readings myself)...and they do leave nice little bruises, huh? :)
It is so cool you get to do this w/ Carlye!!! I wish they'd let me try w/ Eri(I'll be positive and say WHEN they let her start the pump!!!)...
I was the lucky one who Eri always wanted to shoot saline into when she was practicing...(she got tired of the orange rather quickly...lol...so I guess mom was the next best thing!!!)

Let us know how it goes!!!:)

[CarlyesHope]

24 hours down and after some inital set backs - Carlye not realizing the pump must be worn 24/7 - - things are going very well.

I like the Cosmo pump, it seems very user friendly/ easy to maniulate thru the menus. I have done combos, corrections, no corrections, meal bolus ect.. the best part is the meter is attached so i don't have to input a BG number, the meter picks it up and asks if i want to correct or not to correct because i'm under target.

I have my favorite meals programed and so does carlye and when she eat her sausage McMuffin extra cheese with a hash brown she just pushes that button and all is done...

Personally, I think all parents should get this option, it is a great learning tool.
and, Carlye loves that I have to "live her life, even if it just for a little while"

Kelly

[Eri's mom]

That's wonderful Kelly :)

Eri starts the pump next month...she already has the minimed 515(has had it since December)...I wonder if they would let me try this with her as well?

Sounds like you are both adjusting well :) What an awesome mom you are!!!

[Clint]

glad things are going good... I wouldnt give up my pump for anything... its the best thing I have done in regards to my diabetes.

[CarlyesHope]

Well, the trial is over, and my fingers hurt (I am sure you are all crying rivers for me) but I am unsure of the outcome...

Carlye hated the attachement...Well duh darling what did you think???
She dropped it, twice, which she hated, duh again! We told her she could get a longer cord.
and she hated sleeping with it - - she didn't sleep well for that week.

When the rep showed up, he talked to her, and she did say she wanted it but i was suprised, i thought for sure she would say nope, no way, too restrictive.

Sadly, I think Carlye was looking for a cure, not a better way to manage her diabetes. She says no, but really do think she was. :(

So, at the end of the day, we are still getting the pump, pending final approval from her docs so I guess thats a good thing - - right?

[middnite03]

I have had my minimed for less then a month now, and sleeping was the hardest part. and it comes down to personal choice, but the best work around I found so far was this.. I bought a thigh strap for 14.99, when I go to bed, I lock the keys and just set the pump on the bottom or inside of my thigh, thats where it causes me the least problems, being a grown man this works for me, not sure how it will work for a little girl tho, figured i'd throw that out there and see if others out there have suggestions on sleeping with a pump...

[Dewey]

Hi Kelly,

I think Carlye may have disliked it cause she wasn't used to it....I bet if they gave her a longer while (and longer tubing...) to trial it, she'd probably become more comfortable. Truthfully, when I first started pump therapy, I had trouble sleeping, too. It seemed that I was even more aware and alert every time the pump made a sound (Especially with the clicking noise that the older MM models made). Over time, the initial concern does wear off, and she'll realize that the pump is pretty tough. It can handle all those tosses and turns. :D On the flip side, it's good to respond to BG or bolus alarms, and not let them go (like I sometimes do.... :whistling ).
Additionally, I use the longer infusion lines. If the pump's dropped, there Is some "leeway" to minimize concern of the set becoming dislodged.
By the way, which color did she/you opt for?? (Inquiring minds wanna know ;)). :D

I sure hope this helps Carlye and you, and please tell her to hang in there. The pump may not be for everyone, but given time, I think she'll adapt very well. :thumbsup:

[CarlyesHope]

I told Carlye it is an adjustment and that right now she is doing both MDI and the pump and it won't be that complicated, but explain that to a hormone ravaged, pre-teen girl working on limited sleep...UGH!

She is going for the black (slate gray). No girly colors for her!!

[HeatherP]

I've always thought that getting used to sleeping while attached to the pump would probably be the most difficult thing about pump therapy. That and getting the tubing caught on stuff.

I'm sure in a month or so it'll be better, then 6 months and then a year from now Carlye will probably almost forget she's attached. I hope that she likes her pump and is happy with her decision.

[duck]

I've always thought that getting used to sleeping while attached to the pump would probably be the most difficult thing about pump therapy. That and getting the tubing caught on stuff.

I'm sure in a month or so it'll be better, then 6 months and then a year from now Carlye will probably almost forget she's attached. I hope that she likes her pump and is happy with her decision.

The tubing doesn't ever really get caught on anything in my experience--it's always tucked in somewhere on me. I was used to sleeping with electronics attached to me since before I got the pump I was a junior admin (translate: "on call 24/7") for a software company and I had to have a text-pager on me as part of my respsonsibilities...The pump was actually smaller than that thing. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v151/educk/smilies/rofl.gif

[HeatherP]

That's good to know, thanks!

[ricardo]

I've always thought that getting used to sleeping while attached to the pump would probably be the most difficult thing about pump therapy. That and getting the tubing caught on stuff.

I'm sure in a month or so it'll be better, then 6 months and then a year from now Carlye will probably almost forget she's attached. I hope that she likes her pump and is happy with her decision.

When I'm careless about tucking in the tubing, it gets caught on the bedroom doorknob. :) Much of the time when I jump out of bed, the pump, not being secured to my waistband, typically falls onto the carpet, or nearly falls before I catch it. Never damaged a pump from such little "accidents". You don't want to bounce it off of concrete, though...

Ricardo

[Eri's mom]

I'm sure she'll get used to it...
I'm praying Eri doesn't have a hard time w/ it either...especially after all this waiting!!!

[duck]

I'm sure she'll get used to it...
I'm praying Eri doesn't have a hard time w/ it either...especially after all this waiting!!!

Might as well make her sleep with the pump now...It won't hurt anything.

[twocute64001]

I also had trouble at first with my old clicking mm pump. I would turn over and it was in the way. Finally I took a 4" wide piece of elastic and created a pouch with fabric with a draw string, then sewed the pouch to the elastic and made an ankle band that holds the pump. I slip the 42" line thru my pj's slide on my ankle band drop pump in pouch and its out of my way all night.

I also sewed a pouch inside several pairs of "shorts style" pj bottoms at the waist band in front. I used a 6" piece of softer elastic to fashion a loose fittin belt with a pouch for when I wear sundresses.

Just make sure none of the elastic is tight - just firm enough to keep pump from moving around.

[Cinnabon]

Props to you both!! As I am riding your same boat, lol. I will receive my MM 715. My Endo wanted the Cozmo but it didnt go through :( . I wish you the best and please let us know,,,, :thumbsup:

[soremom]

Kelly, I bought sleep/lounge pants with pockets and put it in there. The pump stays in most of the time. Though it is hard at times find ones with pockets. When I do, I stock up. I also try and find shorts that have pockets in for sleeping. I like nice loose clothing to sleep in so I try to stick to the lounge type of pants.

It did take a little time to get used to the sleeping with it and wondering if I pulled out the site or would hurt it, but now it is a piece of cake. I freak my husband out more, he goes beserk when it falls out of my pocket. Never have asked him why it bothers him (he gets to bed about 5 in the morning and I am not very coherent then lol). Will have to try and remember to ask him.

Kim