[mcgriff]

Well, the trainer is on her way. I skipped my Lantus this morning and I'll be up and running within an hour. I'm pretty nervous right now, but using MDI is like trying to drive a car with a flat tire. I just can't get steady control. Wish me luck!

[Jan B]

Lots of luck and congratulations! Let us know how you liked your trainer -- I hope you are excited!

[mortis505]

Congrats mate. Hope you are enjoying it. Its a bit of a change but I know I loved not having to carry around a bunch of syringes.

[notme]

Congratulations! I know you will enjoy the freedom of pumping insulin. Good luck!

[JJM335]

Congratulations!!!

I got my MM522 and had my first training session yesterday. I have to wait until 22nd July to go live. I can hardly wait!!!

I am planning a ceremonial bonfire for July 23rd. I am going to burn my Lantus pens! Yippeeeee.

Joel

[gettingby]

Good luck mcgriff. I'm so excited for you.

[Funnygrl]

Woot! Hope everything goes smoothly.

[mcgriff]

Well, so far so good. The trainer was very helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly. I am using Cleo 6mm and I hope they work as the insertion process was super easy. Also, I like being able to orient the tubing 360 at the site. The cozmo with the meter attached and in use with the case provided is rather bulky, but that really isn't a big deal yet. I can always try different things.

I can't speak to control issues yet. I had good numbers with MDI, but really bad consistency. When graphed, my sugars looked like an EKG strip. Hopefully, the pump will keep me from the big jumps and dips I had on MDI. One stupid thing I did was after I picked up my vials and new test strips I somehow refrigerated my strips and put the Novolog in the cabinet....duh. My lunch time bolus did sting a tiny bit at first. My Lantus stung BAD almost every time so I can live with the minor burn I felt with my bolus.

This site has been great in helping me gather information. I'll post some more as time progresses. First impressions are positive so far.

[pegasus]

Congrats, and best of everything.

It's been 4 months now, and I still, every now and then, say "I don't take shots anymore!!!" It's quite astounding after 40 years.

[Kat]

congrats mate!! that's fabulous! I started pumping in may and am still loving it! enjoy the freedom =D

[wastcougr]

Hey! Congrats on the pump! I know you said it went well, and that's great.

I got mine yesterday, as well. My appointment with the MiniMed trainer and various other people lasted 3 hours, but I feel very well prepared - except a couple of things that I didn't think about until after I left. BUT, I survived the first night of trying not to sleep on it, disconnecting it for a shower, etc. and things are going well. I used the OneTouch UltraLink meter with it for the first time (I have a 722) and it worked perfectly. THIS IS SOOOOO COOL!!!!

(Thank you to everyone who has answered my questions thus far. I'll be posting more of them in a few minutes.) )

[mcgriff]

It's been interesting so far. I think my next step is to set a pattern for my basal as the flat rate is causing some odd numbers. Also, I checked my BS 4 hours after lunch and I was 333!! That was the highest reading I've had since diagnosis. Well, I gave myself a 4 unit correction and checked 30 minutes later....125...uh oh. I rechecked on a back up meter and got 127. I ate 35 g of carbs (should have had 60). Just an hour ago I was having sweats and weakness and I knew I was hypo. Checked and I was an all time low of 31. I drank a whole can of Coke which brought me to 169 in 30 minutes.

I'm just going to pretend like today never happened it was so wild. I learned a hard lesson today. I'm pretty sure that 333 was a bad test as I really don't think I would have dropped 200 points in 30 minutes with a 4 unit correction. The wicked hypo I just had further backs up the thought that the 333 was a bad test. From now on I will always double test when I get an odd number with no symptoms.

As to setting a pattern I'm sure I will get tips from my trainer. I'm curious to hear what you guys and gals do for a general purpose basal pattern. The flat rate I'm on is causing lows. Also, I'm getting spike at the 2 hour mark after eating. This is unusual as on MDI I was usually in the 130s. 4 hours after eating I am near my target of 115 on the pump. It's only been a day and I can see this is like starting all over again.

[poodlebone]

Originally Posted by mcgriff

As to setting a pattern I'm sure I will get tips from my trainer. I'm curious to hear what you guys and gals do for a general purpose basal pattern. The flat rate I'm on is causing lows. Also, I'm getting spike at the 2 hour mark after eating. This is unusual as on MDI I was usually in the 130s. 4 hours after eating I am near my target of 115 on the pump. It's only been a day and I can see this is like starting all over again.

When I started pumping my CDE set only two, maybe 3, basal rates. I know for sure my afternoon rate was the lowest, and probably had the same rate on either side of that. I know that very soon after I set a higher rate for a few hours in the morning, because my BG rises once I get out of bed.

If you're getting lows at the same time each day, you should lower the rate around those times. If you're going high, raise them. I'm not sure if a basal rate change would be the remedy for a 2 hour post meal spike. You say you're back to your target by 4 hours, and 4 hours is a good average for how long a bolus lasts for many people. If you try to lower that 2 hour spike, you might end up too low at hours 3-4. On MDI, when you tested in the 130's after a meal did you then drop lower?

[mcgriff]

To answer your question, when on MDI 4 hours after eating I was usually in the low 100s. I think these odd lows are from my basal being too high and my 2 hour high tests from a wrong I:C ratio. I think tomorrow I will go to .7/hr basal and try a 1:12 ratio and see what happens. On MDI everything was "feel" and I got pretty good results. My reason for wanting the pump is to control basals on a daily basis. Can't do that with Lantus and an unpredictable lifestyle.

I did my first site change today. Everything went smooth I think. The old site was a little red and a bit tender, but I think that is not abnormal. The Cleo 6's seem to be working fine. When I feel brave I will try the Comfort shorts and see what happens. All in all I think the pump will be best. It's been a rocky start so far. However, it's worth it not having to have pens on me at all times.

[Subby]

Originally Posted by mcgriff

Also, I checked my BS 4 hours after lunch and I was 333!! That was the highest reading I've had since diagnosis. Well, I gave myself a 4 unit correction and checked 30 minutes later....125...uh oh. I rechecked on a back up meter and got 127. I ate 35 g of carbs (should have had 60). Just an hour ago I was having sweats and weakness and I knew I was hypo. Checked and I was an all time low of 31. I drank a whole can of Coke which brought me to 169 in 30 minutes.

I'm just going to pretend like today never happened it was so wild. I learned a hard lesson today.

The biggest lesson is that unless the pump has reasonably correct settings, it's going to be way worse than well-worn MDI. It sounds like the guesses your medical team for I:C, sensitivity, and basals, are pretty far out. Oh well, you just need to get right onto correcting those settings. But until you start adjusting, the rollercoaster will probably continue!

As to setting a pattern I'm sure I will get tips from my trainer. I'm curious to hear what you guys and gals do for a general purpose basal pattern. The flat rate I'm on is causing lows. Also, I'm getting spike at the 2 hour mark after eating. This is unusual as on MDI I was usually in the 130s. 4 hours after eating I am near my target of 115 on the pump. It's only been a day and I can see this is like starting all over again.

Sure is... it's like learning to drive after you've been riding a bicycle (and being the mechanic who tunes the car, too). A bit more complex to learn the ropes but once you get used to it, possibly a lot more effective at getting where you want to go.

Basal rates: Here are mine.

12am 1.80
2am 1.65
4am 1.70
6am 1.70
8am 1.80
10am 2.10
12pm 2.30
2pm 2.25
4pm 1.80
6pm 1.75
8pm 1.90
10pm 1.95

Looks like a fine mess right? On a line graph it's more a sinuous curve, having these 2 hour rates and those gradients for me has made a huge difference in avoiding lows and highs. Then again, I have a strange basal profile and I'm very variable through the day!

You might find that going to at least 4 or 5 will be effective: however the only real way to get down and dirty and get good rates is: Basal testing. That's how I discovered my strange basal curve. Look around and ask about it, it's a slightly involved but pretty straightforward way to discover an effective basal profile. It's the only way you can see what's really going on.

Even if you don't fully basal test at once, minimising your boluses for periods at a time will help reveal your basal profile and suggest basal changes in the meantime.

It's worth saying: until your basal rates are starting to "Get there", being on the pump's going to be a bit miserable, really. And it becomes important to move your emphasis away from I:C (ie, meals, boluses) for troubleshooting problems (unless really clear), until your basal, the foundation, is good. If you keep changing both Basal and I:C significantly, at the same time, you've just got two shifting elements that muddy and confuse things beyond belief.