Insulin Pumps

morning...lol i was just about to ask you about the "sadness course" vickyp. In someways it is a good title. Nice to meet you Helen. Now i know why i couldn't use HelenP as my username......My first name is also Helen and my surname begins with P. Sorry to hear your not happy with your pump helen, how long have you had it ? With regards to the champagne bubbles - do you take your insulin out of the fridge for a little while prior to changing your cartridge ? Have you asked if anyone else is on an Animas and if so are they having the same problems

Hi Helen, Yep I do all the right things...take the insulin out of fridge at least 6 hours before anticipated use (usually when the alarm rings). Check for bubbles ...tap the pump base on the tabletop and always keep it "upright" and always prime 16 or more units.. The worst I have had is three in a row fail but I can also go 3 months without a problem. It is just when i need it to work I will run into issues. I am told "shit happens!".

Three can fail: the tube, the cartridge and the infusion set, something can go wrong with anyone of those things. It just shits me...

Helen

I use the Medtronic Veo and when I an filling the reservoir there are sometimes bubbles...the big ones I tap up to the top and push them back in thevial but I am still left with a small fizz...it doesn't cause any issues though....

just wait...I suspect it will happen at sometime, Novorapidboi!

If the small bubbles coalesce to form a larger bubble then it can block the tube and depending on the size you can end up with a "rush" if/when the bubble clears. That is why you are supposed to test at 2 hours and 4 hours.

Helen

I'm a pumper too - Accu-chek Combo for 15 months. I honestly couldn't think of life without it now, injections seem so historical and inflexible.

How different is the pump DAFNE to normal DAFNE? I did normal DAFNE and found the 'rules' weren't really working so went on the pump and now I can crack the basal with such fine tuning they do work very well.

I did normal DAFNE too Gemsa, still follow those 'rules' and am around 80% average in target. Not sure how pump DAFNE would be different? Interesting question

Part of recent post DAFNE discussions with my consultant was about the possibility of an insulin pump, as I m a shift worker, with, pre DAFNE, considerable control difficulties. As the only person I had met with a pump had recently had issues, I politely declined: its good to read that there's people out there without issues: I m still not convinced though: 42 years of injections at last seem to be working!

I did the DAFNE (when on multiple injections) about 7 yrs ago and have recently done the pump DAFNE. I found it very usefull.It was lovely to meet others on the pump as i know no one on a pump.Also some carb sizes have changed and for example, previously counted sweetcorn but no longer need to. It was also very informative and gave me the confidence to mak insuline changes.

Hi Neville, i can honestly say that going on a pump was the best decision i ever made. I was reluctant for about 2 yrs...little things like, how do i have a bath ? where do i attach it if wearing a dress or at night ? Since going on the pump 6 yrs ago i have had no admissions to hospital with DKA. I have had one site infection at the start which i felt got worse only as the gp ( not my usual) would not give me antibiotics. Initially the cannula i tried didn't suit so changed to a different type. You do have to put in a bit more effort but it is worth it. People i find if they see it think it is a pager. cuts down on multiple injections. It's finding the right pump to suit your needs. nothing is perfect and at times we will have issues with the pump but with support from your diabetes team and the pump careline you can get through these. If your team are suggesting the pump then i guess they think it will benefit you. Good luck whatever you decide x

Hi everyone
I'm considering going on to a pump and the Omnipod seems a good option could anyone provide some pros and cons of this device.

I love the omnipod...waterproof, tubeless, can be placed in lots of different areas. Cons: if don't use the minimum insulin required in the 3 days then it is wasted, PDM is difficult to read in bright sunlight.