Thanks for the Support

[Oradev]

Hey guys, I just wanted to give you an update on how i've been doing. This past week, the pump worked as it should. It caused me to feel better than I have in a long time (5 + years). Don't get me wrong, the first two weeks were ****, and I was ready to give up. But thanks to you guys, my doctor, and Diana I stuck with it and am very glad that I did. If it wasn't for this sites support, I would of threw it away a long time ago. I was seriously ready to throw the thing away! I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm doing alot better, which is partly because of me, but mostly because of YOU! :thumbsup: I'm so glad that I found a place like this one that will stick with you even when times are really tough. I will always be here for you guys. Once again, thanks. A special shot out to Ducks, Dewey, gettingby, and meech.

A couple more questions:
The temp basil. How do you and when do you use it? If you do a little activity or alot do you change it based on what you do?
When you go to the beach, pool, what do you do? I have an Animas, so it is waterproof.
The people who put their sites on their thighs, hips. What infusion set do you use and where do you put it? Pics would be a great help. you can PM me if you want.

[gettingby]

Awwwww....
Adam you are gonna make me cry. No need for thanks here bud. That's what we are here for. If we can't give each other support and advice, what's the use in being here? Anytime you need to vent or a good kick in the pants, I'm here. LOL :D

[dixiepixie64]

The temp basil. How do you and when do you use it? If you do a little activity or alot do you change it based on what you do?

I use my temp. basal if I discover my BG is dropping lower than expected from a meal and I don't want to eat again. For instance, if I test and am below 90 and still have active insulin, I reduce my basal to 0% for the amount of time it would take to compensate for whatever I still have active, but no more than 30-60 minutes.

I also have used my temporary basal for exercising. I like to begin exercising about 140 so I will decrease my basal slightly an hour to an hour and a half before exercising to accomplish that. Depending on how long I plan to exercise, I will go back to normal basal rates when I start or halfway through. I think that is an individual thing everyone has to experiment with though to see what works best for them.

Glad to hear things have smoothed out for you. I knew it would get better - it just takes time to adjust.

[Zokes]

I use the temp basal when playing golf (the walking constitutes exercise :whistling ). Over the weekend I was doing some heavy yard work, so again I used the temp basal. The actual setting is a "feel" thing for me. I set it for 25% while golfing, and the 33% I set it to yesterday worked well for the yardwork.

I have had success running my sites up and down my inner and middle thighs. My CDE recommended outer thigh, but that doesn't seem right to me (no fat, all muscle). I'd include a photo, but people might be eating while reading this post. :eek:

Good luck. I agree about this forum. (and Dewey, Duck, & Meech).

[daddyo]

I have found using the temp basil is great when your suger gets way too low, and you need to treat it. Intsead of suspending your pump, set it for let's say 1 hour at 0 you can treat the severe low and you won't forget to turn your pump back on. Very handy for me at night, because I usualy will fall asleep after a bad low. They seem to realy wear me out.

[Dewey]

I wanted to give a very sincere thank you for both Adam and Zokes' comments. I'm deeply grateful, and wanted to say that I myself have learned a great deal from the wonderful members of this big family! :D I apologize for not replying sooner, but the wi-fi here (in NC) is pretty much non-existent, & the online at my hotel kept kicking me off (Cin & Statty can attest to that...:whistling ). But, no more excuses....

On temp basals, I usually use them when doing exercise or if my sugar is down & I just don't feel like eating (I use a lower rate at those times). If I have a sugar level that's up, of if snacking throughout the day, I'll increase the basal for a while. Each pumper may use them differently (these are just a few examples). On the infusion sets, I promise to post some pics when I get home (either tonight or tomorrow)...Hang in there, and glad to hear things are working better for you. :thumbsup:

[am1977]

You are very welcome :) That's what we are here for! ;)

[duck]

Dude, you're welcome--But you did all the heavy lifting. It's a life-changing event, maybe we here make it seem like its as simple as changing socks. Not really, but the effort is worth it.

Admittedly, I was a little worried about you. I even sat down after like the 10th page of your need 'help' thread, took out a sheet of paper, plotted your sugars, compared them to when you changed your carb ratios, etc., to try and figure out what was happening. I can see now why some docs are leery of the pump--you're a smart guy in a supportive environment, and it was still pretty touch-and-go for a little while. A "lesser" person would have probably given up.

Anyway, congrats on it all. At some point soon you'll marvel at how you ever lived without your pump!

[archimeech]

Well, I don't know about Duck, but I still have problems even changing socks every now and then. Glad it worked out for you, Adam. Pump isn't for everyone, but it does help a lot of us.