Hi All,
I’ve been a diabetic type 1 for over 17 years now on 4 injections a day… and tomorrow I finally go to hospital to get fitted with my new MiniMed Paradigm 722 Insulin Pump.
Wanted to ask others who have been through the same experience, if you could give me any advice or tips on how to make the transition an easier process? So my question for the discussion is…
If you could jump into a time machine and give yourself 3 bits of advice when you first started on pump therapy… what would you say??
Thanks,
Bill.
Learn to count carbs, Have patience, and get the book Pumping Insulin by John Walsh
the book is d*** ccmplicated – - it has me confused
test, test, and test some more. I freaked my husband out the first few weeks on my pump…11 years ago. It’s good for a few reasons. Obviously, so you know how your body is reacting to the continuous flow of insulin. But, if you’re anything like the rest of us control freaks, it’s pretty cool to see how easy it is to control your blood sugars. The first time I tested pre-meal, bolused, ate, then tested post meal and my bg only went up by 3…holy crap I thought I was cured.
More than anything, enjoy your new toy. It really is a lot of fun to finally be in control of your life, not the other way around. And, enjoy your freedom.
Test a lot.
Get a carb counting book that has restaurant/fast food listings in it. It can be a great resource.
DON’T beat yourself up when things aren’t going the way they should be: wacky bloodsugars, bad infusion set sites, forgetting to re-connect after a shower…sometimes s*** just happens. Try not to lose patience.
Spend as much time as possible in the first months— I waited until a year after being on the pump to learn its value…
So test a lot. Do the fasting tests to check your basal. It’s well worth the time to ahve the basal set right. (OKay, here i should be listening to my own advice…)
But ENJOY it too! With all the extra work, I found it also gives me a new degree of flexibility!!!
