Insulin Pump Users

Good Morning!

I wanted to update everyone on the status of my pump start up. I had my
first training session on Tuesday morning and everything went well. We
got my preliminary basals and carb/insulin ratios set up. I go back in
about 2 weeks (4/3) for my official start. The CDE wants me to spend
these 2 weeks figuring my boluses for each meal and correction for
practice while still on shots. Last night I went ahead and refilled it
with saline (more practice) and decided to really get used to it by
wearing it with the tubing 24/7 instead of just carrying it around in my
pocket. I bent the cannula over and put a little bit of cotton under it
to catch the saline and taped it down before bed. It took a few minutes
to find a comfortable way to sleep. Finally decided that keeping the
pump attached to my PJs during the night wasn’t going to work. It
worked pretty good to just lay the pump on the bed beside me. With the
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Hello!  I am currently doing a project for school, on why people use an
insulin pump.   If possible can you please answer these questions on why you,
or someone you know on insulin pump, thanks.

What is your name?

.   How old are you?

Do you think that someone has to be responsible when going on a pump?

Did you have to do before you went on the pump?  Ex: did you have to
keep a record of your bg’s for your doctor, prove that you could count carbs,
or take classes for the pump, or diabetes related?

.   How long have you been on an insulin pump?
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Dear Pump group,
I have been watching and learning for a little while, I’m one of teh few
pump users in the UK and I have a disetronic pump, I was wondering, somebody
posted a message about pulling insulin back into the cartridge from the
infusion set and then using a syringe. I have used a syringe to take
insulin from a cartridge when I had problems with the insert (only once),
but i don’t know how you would get to those 20 units in the tubing. Could
someone fill me in? Plus I would like to say to new pump users, my pump
allowed me to carry out 3 months of field research in the very basic
environment of Vanuatu (south pacific) right out in the bush on islands
where there was no electricity, we often had no cooking facilities, we were
eating dinner and going straight to bed at 7 pm and then we were walking in
the bush all day doing bird surveys. Never once did I have a serious hypo
or a high blood sugar, all thanks to the pump, I would have done it on
shots, but I would not have enjoyed it half as much and I would definitely
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Frank, that’s a fun project — thanks for coming up with it. My husband
thinks I’m crazy because I love answering phone surveys, web surveys,
any kind of poll. (I think HE’s crazy because he loves running
marathons, but what can you do? <g>)

Connie, congratulations on getting your pump! You already know, right,
that this group is a wonderful source of support in getting through any
tough spots during the start-up?

Re static electricity, Phoenix is pretty dry year-round but I’ve never
noticed any problem with it. A few weeks ago, though, my 508 started
using up batteries at the rate of one battery-change every three hours.
This was at 2am and I had enough to last until morning but when I called
my CDE to ask for advice on using shots, she offered me a loaner
instead.
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I just got a call from MiniMed a few minutes ago….insurance approved
my pump!!!! IT WILL BE HERE MONDAY!!!!!!!!! I’m going to go crazy over

the weekend!!!!

Connie

Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the
Insulinpumpusers group:

How Many Years Have You Been Using An
Insulin Pump?

o 0 to 1 year
o 1 to 2 years
o 2 to 4 years
o 4 to 6 years
o Greater Then 6 years

To vote, please visit the following web page:

Thanks!

Connie Dot Hodges wrote:
>>>How does everyone cope with times when something happens and your pump
can’t be used for several hours to overnight? Do you use NPH to fill in the
extended time or just work around with multiple injections of Humalog? I’m
sure this isn’t something that has to be dealt with on a regular basis, but
being prepared for anything is important. >>>

Connie,
In 17.5 yrs. I have not had to *fill in* with anything. It isn’t a regular
occurence, however, don’t use a long-acting insulin for such an occasion. This
would overlap onto your Humalog when you’d start up again. Reg. insulin lasts
a little longer than H so 4-hr. injections of that would be better.

Also, I have learned to carry a syringe with me in case I haven’t noticed I
was out of insulin and couldn’t bolus. I could remove my site, draw the tubing
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Please change your address book.

Hope this finds you well!

Mary

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