Soon to be pumper
Hi all,
Am getting a pump on 2/2/00 after 48 years if injections. Hve been reading
this page for past 4 week and wonder if anyone could answer a few questions
for me.
I am taking 7 days of work to get pump (3 for training and 4 to get things
working properly) is this long enough - I hope so cause that is all the time
they will give me. Also I have no fat at all on my thighs which most people
seem to say is best place for infusions - I had large dents that I could fit my
fists into in arms and legs by the time I was 18 from injections - dents have
gone but no fat - can I still put infusions there. Aslo find that insulin acts
much slower above the waist with injections because of injections for last 25 or
so years there. Does the same happen with the pump if infusions are put in a
well used site?
Any info would be appreciated.
Thanks
Sue
November 9th, 2003 at 3:03 pm
I would expect that a week should be adequate for training, assuming you
are under the supervision of a competent CDE. Also, your questions of
site sensitivity should be answered as part of a good training program.
I did my training in five days, at the Diabetes Clinic at UCSF in San
Francisco, and it worked just fine.
David
November 9th, 2003 at 11:29 pm
in response to your questions
we had the pump delivered on wed last week to learn how to use it and change
sites and boluses and change basal rates
that seems to have been enough time although i still need to use book occ
we are spending thur fri an sat in hospital to switch to insulin from saline
and i plan on her going to school that mon and me to work mon nite
hopefully this will happen
if injections won’t absorb neither will the infusion set
have you used your arms and butt?
sides of leg and sides of abd?
you don’t need much fat some needles are very short you should be given a few
to try out and see which ones work the best for you before you order the
supplies
this site help us a lot before we got my daughters pump and i have been
getting 3-mails for almost four months waiting for the cde to get her act
together
good luck pumping
kathy
November 10th, 2003 at 11:23 am
I did my training in one day. Did most of the reading at
home. Maybe this is why I have so many questions?!
Tracy
November 10th, 2003 at 7:30 pm
I did my training in one day. Did most of the reading at
home. Maybe this is why I have so many questions?!
Tracy
November 11th, 2003 at 9:38 am
I believe 7 days should be enough time for you to learn how to use your
pump. It may take up t0 a month or so to get your basil rates set
correctly.
Most people use the stomach for infusion insertion, it seems to be the best
absorbing area.
Frank
Ps. It is okay to ask as many questions that you may have that is what this
list was set up for =)
November 12th, 2003 at 2:18 pm
Mine lasted an hour and never involved the hospital, but I do a lot of reading
and have learned a lot in trial and error, as well as lots of good info on this
list. Thanks to you all!
I did my training in one day. Did most of the reading at
home. Maybe this is why I have so many questions?!
Tracy
November 18th, 2003 at 11:18 am
Hi Sue:
scuse any spelling errors had surg for carpal tunnel and i’m a to handed
typer…sounds like you’ve had a lot of lipodystrophy….loss of and
thickening of your subcutaneous layer (fat). it will definitely affect your
insulin absorpt. so might try the Rapids for infusiion sets. what pump are u
getting?
can ask for samples of the dif types of indusion sets..this way you can see
which ones work best for you..they interchange bet the two pumps..minimd and
disetronic…Joan:)
November 19th, 2003 at 7:49 pm
Hi Sue:
it will take you about 2 weeks to really get the hang of using the pump.
What I would suggest is to get the training manuals that come with your pump
and start reading.Next, hook up with your CDE so she/he can get you started
in learning how to handle the pump, trying out the infusion sets, the whole 9
yards. I found that doing the hands on by myself with the book in front of
my nose worked best for me, but then, being a nurse helps too!
Other thing is that wherever you can inject insulin, is just as likely a spot
for your infusion sets. So if you have tissue loss or lipodystrophy -
hardening/degeneration of the fatty tissue, then you need to consider which
infusion sets will work best for you. and being able to pinch an inch is a
good rule of thumb. Ask your pump supplier to send you a few samples of each
infusion set. Which pump are you getting? both pump manufacturers will send
a couple of samples.
there are the standard straight and bent needles, the Rapids (90* angle),
teflon catheters - Tenders/Comforts/Silhouettes, soft sets. If you have
limited body fat, then try the Rapids the needles come in 3 lengths - 6mm,
8mm, and 10 mm and depth can mean the difference in good infusion too. So,
start quizzing your CDE..great resource, and hope they’re certified pump
trainers too! Joan