The Pump?

[bonnie690]

May sound silly, I live in London, England. Is the pump the inhaler? Its not available in the UK, apparently it cost too much money!! But i would love information on the inhaler if anyone has any! How does it work? How often do you have to take it? etc:marchmell

[JediSkipdogg]

The pump and the inhaler are two totally different items. A pump pumps insulin, which is what a type 1 diabetic needs to survive. It is about the size of a pager and has a tube that goes under the skin and continually pumps insulin in 24/7. Minimed, Animas, and Cozmo are the 3 pumps in the US, I think there may be one more available in Europe.

The inhaler is somehting that looks like a bong (honest opinion there.) I don't know about the UK, but I know in the US it is not allowed for type 1 diabetic treatment because the doses aren't exact enough and depending on your lungs you may need more or less different times of the year. The inhaler is made by Pfizer and the drug is called Exubera. Currently I haven't seen many reviews on anyone taking it long term. So I can't rate the quality of it yet.

[corwin]

No the pump and the inhaler are 2 different things. The pump is a gudget that is constantly attached to you and pump insulin to your blood, very common and many in the forum use it. The inhaler is a very new form of inhaled insulin, which I beleive replace the fast acting insulin, I think it is about to become available in the US very soon. However from what I heard the dosage is much harder to control with the inhaler, making it a bad alternative to MDI for good control.

The inhaler is called Exubra or it might be the company making it. You can easily find a lot of information about it in google.

Corwin.

[bonnie690]

Thanks. Sounds silly but i've diabetic for nearly 20 years and have been on injections the whole time, thinking about it i've heard of the pump, and its not for me!:cool:

[DeusXM]

You can also get insulin pumps on the NHS too. If you're having a lot of hypos and hypers despite trying everything, and you can prove that you know the exact relationship between your meals and your bolus doses, then you are eligible for a FREE insulin pump.

[spike]

Thanks. Sounds silly but i've diabetic for nearly 20 years and have been on injections the whole time, thinking about it i've heard of the pump, and its not for me!:cool:

I'm curious about your statement, "it's not for me". Is your control on MDI so excellent that you see no benefit to pumping? Can you not afford it? Are you sufficiently familar with the pros/cons of pumping?

[poodlebone]

Thanks. Sounds silly but i've diabetic for nearly 20 years and have been on injections the whole time, thinking about it i've heard of the pump, and its not for me!:cool:

Any thoughts about "it's not for me" quickly disappeared once I started pumping. I would hate to go back to injections. Some people say they feel tied down having something attached to them all the time, but those same people won't go anywhere without a cell phone glued to their ear. My pump stays out of sight and nobody could even tell I'm using one just by looking at me.

[playgtar]

I have to agree with Poodlebone. The pump is a good thing. I only did mdi for about two months. I'm actually filling my vials with the insulin from my left over pens. Anyway, I was excited to be getting a pump. I was dx'ed in Jan and received my pump 4/5. When it arrived I became kind of melancoly about it. The whole "I'm going to be tied to a machine." thing. I have a Minimed 715. You'd be amazed at how easy these things are to use. The bolus wizard caluclates for you. What I really like about it is it tells you how much insulin you have from your previous bolus. It's also really cool to just reach in my pocket and punch in a few buttons for what I need.

I pulled up a barstool one night next to a girl I'd know for a while. I hadn't been to a bar since 12/31. I was dx'ed in Jan. I decided I was going to have a couple beers. I'd done my research online about the carbs. I pulled out my pump and keyed in the info. She says, "That's the first thing I always do too, check my text messages before calling anyone." That certainly made me feel better than pulling out a pen and sticking myself in the arm, leg or stomach.

When I use the pump I occaisonally punch or have my wife punch me in the arm. It's our way of joking about weaning myself from the pain of the needle. For me it's putting in one set vs 12-15 shots over a three day period. I'll take that.

Also with the inhaled insulin, what happens if you have a cold, or sinus infection, bronchitis, or any breathing imparment. The pictures of the inhaler I've seen show it to be pretty big. Definately not going to fint into your pocket or bra, or wherever. My advice, go with a pump.

[bonnie690]

I don't like the idea of a needle being stuck in me!!

[jeggeman31]

I don't like the idea of a needle being stuck in me!!

Well I think you should sit down and educate yourself on the pump. You have more needles stuck in you on MDI than you do the pump. As you remove the needle once your site is in place. No needle what so ever stays inside you. The needle is removed and a plastic cannula is left. I don't have any links to photo's to show you maybe someone else does.

[bonnie690]

I will look into. all the years of going to hospital for check up and i've never been told about the pump, they just talk about injections and promoting 4 a day insulins. :star: