Injections VS Pumps

[believer]

Hi All,

I am type 1 and on Lantus and Humalog.......what do you reckon about pumps? I have never got one for the fact I don't like the thought of having a tube in my stomach.....is it that bad as I have heard you get better control of your sugars....any help would be appreciated.....
Thanks

[fenagle]

About two years ago I was tired of the injections and I started looking into the pump. I didn't want a tube in my stomach either. A friend's son has the Omnipod and I started thinking, wow, now that is exactly what I would want, no injections and no tubing. Long story short. My insurance company would not pay anything for the pod. They recommended Animas. So, I "settled" for the pump with the tube. It took me all of about two weeks and I forgot all about the tube. I think it was about two or three months after I started pumping I got the tubing caught on a knob in the kitchen and the site was ripped out. That was the first and only time anything like that happened. It didn't hurt anything but my foolish pride, I just put a new site in and went on my merry way. Everything becomes second nature very quickly.

I will highly recommend pumping, with or without a tube, to all who ask. Good luck. I might also recommend the book Pumping Insulin by Walsh. I have heard it referred to as the pumper's bible. It has a ton of great information.

[RLK]

I love my pump! I've been pumping for almost 10 years now. There are definitely some inconveniences to pumping, but they are minor compared to the huge benefits. I now have the ability to tailor my basal insulin to my needs, hour by hour, and I have fewer hypos because of that. Working out is a lot easier now. Fewer highs too...

Maybe your doctor would let you wear a trial pump filled with saline? That would give you an opportunity to see how wearing a pump feels.

Good luck!

[Gordonm]

I did MDI for 33 years before switching to a pump. I had the same concerns as you and resisted it for years. Boy was Imistaken. As said above it all becomes second nature and the tubing is not even an issue. I have ripped one out in 3.5 years and I am very active with it. Much better control and you don't have to carry supplies with you everywhere. Eat and bolus without even thinking about it.

[mason330]

I dont know how they do it in australia but here the reps will fight each other to get you to try out their pump. And I am going with the omnipod.

[aktbar]

I'm going to join the chorus here and suggest you get the pump. I resisted for, oh, a decade or so because I was concerned about discomfort/tubing/being a cyborg ;-). Three months into having it my endo asked "How do you like it?" and I answered "They can take it from me when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers." With the pump, I was finally able, after 30 years (!) of trying, to get my AM blood sugars under control (though it took a lot of trial and error with the overnight basals to get it right).

I started with a new pump with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) three weeks ago, and with that I've been able to get my post-meal blood sugars in great shape (and quickly catch mistakes with carb counts). I told a friend during my second week with CGM "If you had told me I could control my post-meal blood sugars that well I would not have believed you."

----------------------------
Alan
Type 1 for 40+ years

[Subby]

Hi believer, I also think pumps can be extremely valuable and the good often outweighs the bad, but just a quick comment, I just wanted to check you were aware you need private health in Australia to get the actual pump subsidised, usually for the whole price. Otherwise you are looking at 8 - 10k. If you have insurance, check with your insurance company.

Pump supplies are provided subsidised by the NDSS. I'd estimate about $20-40 a month running costs, minus insulin.

[believer]

Thank you everyone for the advice......how does everyone get on for showering, sport, swimming (as I wear bikinis....can you hide it), sexual activities?? I am interested how you get on with everyday life with it....thanks

[Gordonm]

Thank you everyone for the advice......how does everyone get on for showering, sport, swimming (as I wear bikinis....can you hide it), sexual activities?? I am interested how you get on with everyday life with it....thanks

Showering just disconnect it
Sport, I ride my bike for hours and just leave it on and clip it to my bike shorts. Long rides I will usually lower my basal rates. Any other sport or activities just leave it on and go.
Swimming I take it off and swim.
Sex again just take it off. My wife sometimes tells me she can feel the set but it does not bother her or me. Not a problem.

Nothing you can think of can't be overcome. It might take a little expirimenting but it is well worth it.

[believer]

Thanks for your help .... )

[Ciara]

I myself am two weeks into the pump. I resisted my doctors suggestions for at least five years. I have no insurance and besides overcoming the thought of being hooked up 24/7 and feeling like a freak the enormous cost was a hinderance.

It was my mom who suggested that if it were one of my children I would already have them on it. Which is true, so I have bit the bullet, gone thru training and loving it!

As others have suggested, you forget very quickly about the tubing because you actually dont feel it! Its true. And still to this day, when I eat and dont have to pull out the whole needle procedure I am still saying wow - this is great.

I am still working on getting my basals set at the different times of day. I had no real understanding that this is what our bodies do and I am now convinced that it is not truly possible to manage Type 1 on multiple injections or at least not in my case. I can only say I wish I had started earlier as I have been through many a rough spot of lows going out in public that it started to affect me mentally.

So go for it - you will be pleasantly surprised!

[Timmy Mac]

I've been using MDI for 12 years. Part of me wants to get a pump but ..

they cost way too much, $1,200 even with our insurance for a device that my mom says "...has less technology than a Nintendo" and i would not want to do my sprinting events with that thing on (and i don't trust people in the lockerroom, so i can't take it off and keep it there) and the last thing is that i have hear stories from 2 people at my school about when they got it, they would roll over and bed, rip the tubing out, and wake up in a blood and insulin puddle. one of them even switched back to MDI because of it. It just seems like too much of a hassle to me.

[Subby]

I've been using MDI for 12 years. Part of me wants to get a pump but ..

they cost way too much, $1,200 even with our insurance for a device that my mom says "...has less technology than a Nintendo" and i would not want to do my sprinting events with that thing on (and i don't trust people in the lockerroom, so i can't take it off and keep it there) and the last thing is that i have hear stories from 2 people at my school about when they got it, they would roll over and bed, rip the tubing out, and wake up in a blood and insulin puddle. one of them even switched back to MDI because of it. It just seems like too much of a hassle to me.

Usually there is a grain of truth in many stories, but for some of these, it's pretty shaky how much that grain is a fair assertion. Most pumpers will know better, but you seem to be raising objections for prospective pumpers to think about, so I think a counterargument or two is fitting.

Cost. Sure, it's a huge factor for many people.

Nintendo comment. Huh? Nintendos are not made to deliver micro units of life giving hormones 24/7 365 in a subtle and variable manner while being bashed and knocked repeatedly on the body. If you mom is referring to the computer power, so what, you are buying a pump to provide delivery of insulin, not to play mario brothers in 4d.

Sprinting. I think you'd find you could easily use a pump when sprinting, never know until you try. It's true that times you want to take it off in public can be a hassle. I bet your school/club would provide a secure ability to hold it somewhere, if you did want to take it off.

"Waking in up pools of blood and insulin" - I've ripped out a set a couple of times, once or twice during the night, due to not doing my usually fixing routine. The idea that lets say 8 hours of basal insulin could constitute a "pool" is like calling a drop a glass of water. As for bleeding, I've had two or three bleeding sites over 2.5 years, a small trickle (although they can "gush"). With pumping, what can be said is that if there are issues, you are going to be in a better situation if you act like a troubleshooter. You friend from school sounds like they were repeating a mistake over and again. If there is repeated bleeding, it likely indicates a problem with set or site, and a change in either is likely to resolve the issue.

That said, pumping will certainly not suit everyone. It needs to be a personal choice based on your needs, and what is important for you. And there is certainly a degree of a leap of faith in trying it. Until you try it, you don't know how much if any improvement it's going to make with dealing with diabetes for you. You need to be prepared to accept that after all the cost and effort, there is a chance you may decide against it.

Hence, if you are dubious but still want to try it, getting demos and tests of whatever kind you might get, is indeed a great idea. Mind you, it's the potential control that it gives that is the best reason to have a pump, (I think), and you can't test that with saline....

[Paul Baker]

I too have a good pump story.

Apprehensive at the thought
My doctor suggested that I should try a pump. It took me 2 months to sum up the courage to do it. The thought of being attached to a piece of equipment seemed like admitting that you really are sick. I didn't want to do it.

After starting
My first impression on the pump was a huge relief. I cannot explain why exactly but I felt that my body was just less stressed. I hadn't even realized that it was stressed. I think that this is because the pump better models the pancreas. I just felt better on the pump.

Other benefits
With a pump you have a lot more freedom. You can skip a meal, are not as concerned with meal time. You can eat pizza without getting nervous. You can exercise and avoid the hypos quite easily.

No regrets - won't go back
If I had known how much better I would have felt, it would have been a much easier decision to make up front.

[Joeprep4820]

I've been using MDI for 12 years. Part of me wants to get a pump but ..

they cost way too much, $1,200 even with our insurance for a device that my mom says "...has less technology than a Nintendo" and i would not want to do my sprinting events with that thing on (and i don't trust people in the lockerroom, so i can't take it off and keep it there) and the last thing is that i have hear stories from 2 people at my school about when they got it, they would roll over and bed, rip the tubing out, and wake up in a blood and insulin puddle. one of them even switched back to MDI because of it. It just seems like too much of a hassle to me.

You seemed to be misinformed on a lot. Cost is a big issue, and thankfully I'm completely covered under my insurance for any new pump, and was completely covered by my parents' plan when I received my current. It has a lower or simpler rate of technology than that of a cell phone due to the fact that such simpler technology is simpler, thus making screw ups less frequent. It also makes them much simpler to use. It's one of the same reasons why computers used by the US Military as well as NASA, organizations with installations very close to you distance wise, still use computers and operating systems over 20 years old instead of upgrading to brand new systems.

Why would you not be capable of doing sprinting events? I don't sprint competitively, but I run several miles daily (did 13 yesterday) since the doctor okayed me to run again, and I have no problem. I also lift, fence, and play squash regularly, all with the pump. Fellow Hoya (still grieving their loss) Austin Freeman, recently diagnosed Diabetic and star point guard for the Georgetown Hoyas, is supposedly considering a pump in the near future, and I'm sure you cannot find many people with a stricter training regiment than that.

Why can you not trust anyone? Have you irked off enough people that share the same locker space that you can not trust to keep your gym back somewhere without them going through it? I assume you're in high school or college, and I think the level of trust would be a bit higher than somewhere like the YMCA or the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal. Plus, it's called a LOCKER ROOM for a reason.

As far as it ripping out whilst sleeping, your sense makes no sense. If it rips out while sleeping thus leaving a person awaking in a pool of blood and insulin, it would need to be ripped out pretty violently, and if not, it would need to take a good chunk of skin while this action takes place. Now I'm no light sleeper, but I'm pretty sure I would feel this upon contact, and I'll bet you my salary next year you would too, as would your chums telling you this lie. Now, a pool of insulin would be a lot of insulin, Timothy. I want you to take a 100 unit syringe, fill it with water, and inject that water into a shotglass, repeat 3 times total. This is how much MAX is in a pump. If you ask me, it's a pretty small pool - you probably drool more when sleeping. I've caught the tubing on doorknobs before, and while it hurts, the tubing is often somewhat elastic. It's ripped out this way before, no blood gushing everywhere, just a small drop that I used to test. I've had to ripped out during a night of rough sex, and no blood gush, just a slight drop. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you, Timothy, but your hassle really is only valid financially.