[Bettyboop]

Hi

im looking for some information on the insulin pump. I have been told it help you keep good control of your readings easier?

can you tell me if it hurts to have something in you all the time?

does it get in you way having something there all the time?

i would be very interested in anything you can tell me please. im considering having an insulin pump.


Tanya

[morrisma]

Tanya,
I'll start, others will chime in no doubt.
I've been on the pump 6 years and love it. My A1c's decreased once I started using it.
It does not hurt to have it in all the time as long as I do not exceed the recommended time for each infusion set - about 3 days.
I does get in the way occasionally - door knobs, drawer pulls, my dogs and the like can grab the tubing. But this kind of thing happens very rarely.
If you can get the cgms option, that would be ideal so you can pump and test in one unit!

[UpNorth]

I've been pumping on and off for 3 years and i'm not a huge fan of pump actually I do love the freedom and flexibility and great control it can provide, and i don't mind being attached to something all the time, but i do mind the problems i've had with failing sets...

But no, it doesn't hurt to have a pump... the insertion doesn't hurt more than an injection really, even though the needle is quite a lot bigger... But sure, sometimes it hurts like a ************* son of a gun if hitting a nerve... But that's the same with injections so...

YES! It does get in the way, and in my case it gets in the way quite a lot! Doesn't matter where i put it, and how carefully i hide away the tubing. Doorknobs, drawers and everything else you can possibly think of LOVES my tubing! Today i had to go and do a set change at work, because my tubing got caught on a broken plastic box so the box got some kind of plastic hook on it instead of a smooth edge... It took my tubing, i didn't notice, turned around and felt i was stuck, looked and sure enough... tubing caught, and nearly cut off by the sharp plastic edge and the force of me turning around Luckily i did bring an extra set! I use as short tubing as i feel comfortable with... In my case 60 cm... Makes the tubing long enough to sleep well with the pump, and move the pump from belt/pocket and clip it to my bra instead etc...

[notme]

I have been pumping insulin for seven years. For me, the pump has been a God send. My A1C dropped dramatically and I felt a lot better.

I don't have a problem with sets. Well rarely. I have had one infected site that I cleared up with antibiotics and a few sites that have ended up sore. I don't seem to scar and don't have an issue with door knobs or drawers.

I honestly think you will never know 100% until you just give it a try. My suggestion would be for you to contact pump companies and try a few out with saline.

Personally, I would never go back to daily injections now that I have tried pumping. But.....we are all different.

[Gordonm]

I have been on the pump now for 1 1/2 years. It has given me so much more flexibility and ease of use. My A1C was in the 5.8 to 6.2 range and has stayed about the same on the pump. Just easier to use and I don't have to carry around suppplies everywhere.
Does it hurt, I forget it is in there most of the time. Every once in a while when inserting it pinches a little but it goes away in a few minutes.
It has not been a problem being in the way. Yes you have to be aware of it and I have bumped mine many times but the yare tough. I work around some pretty nasty big machinery and thought this would be a problem. I have yet to rip a set out. Every once in a while it snags something but no problems yet. I am on a short leash as I call it. 23 inch tubing. I never saw the need to go to the long leash so I don't have a ton of tubing dangling around.
I have had one or two sets go bad and I leave them in for 4 days. That is beyond the recomendation but through expirimenting this works for me.
Overall I highly recomend it. Not for everyone and I fought it for years but now I kick myself for not doing it sooner.

[Bettyboop]

thank you all for your information.

my diabetic control hasn't been good since i've had diabetes and i have had it for 7 years now!

i want to get my diabetes under control now as me and my partner are looking to start a family and i have been told the insulin pump will help me keep the diabetes under control and it will prevent too many problems during pregnancy.

Just another question, how do you insert the needle into your stomach, and where else can you put this or is the stomach the only place?

at the moment i am doing a 72 hour trace where i have a piece of plastic inserted to my stomach with a electrical device attached to it. Its a strange feeling having it on me, i keep worrying its going to fall out, although i have some clear plastic windows stuck over it. Does the tubbing or needle ever come out if you move or twist the wrong way?

Tanya

[UpNorth]

You can insert the infusionset pretty much anywhere where you can inject normally... I prefer my stomach while others put their sets on the hip or lower back or butt or leg or even arm...

[Gordonm]

Don't expect the pump to work a miracle. If you are not in control now the pump will not be the cure. You still have to count carbs and get yourself under control. I feel the pump is a better device but it won't do it for you.

Pregnancy is a whole different ball game also. It will really play havoc with your control. You must be very up on testing and carb counting and be willing to really work hard at it. Obviously I have never been through that but have read about it a lot. Good luck with it and work hard at it and it will reward you.

[Alice]

Remember that the pump requires carb counting...just like multiple daily injections. (MDI) If you aren't already taking MDI for meals then the pump will be a huge change for you...I recommend getting a good grasp of your meal bolus amount before going on the pump. While your pump will change your basal significantly, the meal doses will be the same or very similar.

[Funnygrl]

I put sets in my stomach, thighs, love handles, and arms occasionally.

[notme]

I have never tried my arms. One day I will have to do that. Is it a tangle when you do them Funnygrl?

[Funnygrl]

The last 2 times I wore an arm set, my friend put it in for me. I have done it successfully by myself a handful of times using a yoga-type maneuver where in I sit on the ground with my knees up, and reach my arm in between my knees, and use my knee to push up the "flab" on the back of my arm and use the other hand to slide it in. My friend taught me this. I've also heard of people pushing their arm against a wall or door.

Once it's in, I use long tubing, obviously, and thread the tubing under my bra strap and down my side, then put my pump on my jeans or scrub buttoms.

[MollyM15]

Originally Posted by Bettyboop

Just another question, how do you insert the needle into your stomach, and where else can you put this or is the stomach the only place?

Tanya

I put most of my sites in my arm because i get the best blood sugar numbers thier but you can also put them in your stomach, in your leg or lower back right above your pants line, or in your buttox.

[Lloyd]

A pump is just a tool. A da*n good tool, but you need to get good at using it, and you need to know going in that it will take a while, figure at least a month.

It's done wonders for me, fasting glucose down about 100 points and average down 48 points, but certainly not everyone gets results like that.

It can be really good at taking care of dawn phenomenon, especially.


-Lloyd

[norcal89]

To me using any method to take insulin bites, but i would say that the pump is the best way to go. For me it only hurts if i hit a blood vessel or if hit the muscle, but you just take it out and put a new one in. You can't feel that it's in there all the time because the tube is so small. I remember when i first got mine, i kinda felt like a human robot with this weird thing hooked to me, but im used to it now and i find it alot more convenient than taking shots or using the insulin pen. Hope this helped.