Yep Christy it does.
I like the pretty colors you can get with it. Do you have to use the insertor with it or can it be manually inserted as well. I'd love to have a pink one, to go with my pink pump, lol.
I haven't found a way to untangle the tubing and just insert it myself. Infact there's no hope in doing it the way it's rigged up. I use the pink ones myself.
Well darn, lol!
Congratulations on your new success with the pinch method! If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?!
Nobody told me about manual insertion. My CDE started me with the inserter. In my experience, it doesn't hurt at all. So glad your #s are sweet!
Thanks Cindy
Yes Im back to loving my pump today. And happy my numbers are much better today too.
To be honest those inserters kinda scare me more than just inserting lol.
I did not do well at all on quick sets or any 90 degree sets including the Mio. I use angled insertion sets which for Minimed means Silhouettes. I insert them manually as was recommended by my original pump trainer. The advantage of manual insertion is that you can insert them at a very shallow angle. With straight-in sets such as Mio and quick sets, I had a lot of painful and poorly absorbing sites.
The insertion needle for Slhouettes is fairly daunting. I do use the short Silouettes and I have to remind myself that most of that needle really does not get insisted into my body. I very rarely have a site failure with Silouettes. They have a lower profile than Mios and Quick sets, so I very rarely pull them out accidentally. With Silouettes I have about 2-3 bad sites a year. With Mios and Quick sets, I have a failure/pain rate of about 20%. I am very thin and I think you need more fatty areas to have reliable results with the straight-in infusion sets.
Thanks for the information. Im getting some samples of the Silouettes. So far I've had now two good infusion sites since pinching up some skin with insertion.
I had to change my reservoir today and I was so nervous about changing the site too, because I finally got it working, but it was a success.
It all just depends on me where Im inserting. If im using my upper stomach area Im definately more lean, lol I have a persistent little lower tummy roll that no amount of dieting or exercising seems to get rid of, so I have a little more to work with there, and my legs are pretty lean too, so I might really do well with the Silouettes.
I've used the Silhouettes since I started pumping in 2000, after one week on a different kind that kept going bad on me.
I dont think I have had a crimped since. Never had a bad one, maybe a bleeder once but no other problems ever.
And you can get the shorter cannula length if you are thinp>
I think they are sending me the 6 mm canula one to try. Should get them in the next couple of days. Probably around the time for a set change. Perfect timing, lol!
christy...how long have you been using your MM Paradigm Revel? Do you have/use the CGM with it? I met with Medtronic Rep last week and meet again with my Endo next week, as that's the pump he's recommended for me and wants me to try and we're moving forward towards this. Was it a huge learning curve but worth it? I too am extremely insulin sensitive and he (my Endo) thinks this will help with the basal rates, etc.. I'm starting to get really nervous about this pump thing though and having second thoughts...are you still glad you're pumping. My thought, however, is...if I don't like it, I can always go back to MDI's. I have pretty good control...but I'd like to eat more and gain some weight too, think the pump may help with this, or my endo thinks so.
thanks!
Hi, I've been pumping a little over a month now and yes after those first fustrating days Im TOTALLY loving it. My % of hypo events BEFORE going on the pump were probably close to 50% of the time. I mean EVERY day several times a day. Now when I run my carelink reports Im below 60 maybe 5-6% of the time in the last month. Im staying in my target range close to 80% of the time so for me that is HUGE, the hypos are much easier to catch now and fix before I get TOO low.
My biggest problem was like my original post stated just infusion site issues. Im still using the Quick-Set 6mm infusion set, BUT after changing my technique, and pinching my skin up when inserting no more problems.
Im glad I've done it, I mean there are still days that are not GREAT, but they are so far and few in between. LOL occassionaly I still do something stupid, hahaha the other night I must have "accidently" suspended my pump messing with buttons in the dark, hahaha..geesh great way to start the morning at 252 simply because I was being an idiot. Oh well. I now use the lock key feature at night. Haha. It allows me to acces my CGM data but not anything else.
Give it some time when you start, as everyone has said there is a learning curve, BUT I think overall you will be very satisfied with it. I really wish I had done this YEARS ago now.
OK, thanks. I've read some of your posts and I just asked AR this too, you seem to stay flat all the time, at least that's what you post. Looks like you like to run your numbers really tight, i.e., the hypos?? So, I'll ask you too, do you not even spike 1 hour after meals..how is that possible? I always have a good 2 hr ppl but go up to typically like 140's sometimes higher 1 hour after I eat. My endo told me this is normal and not to even check 1 hour..but sometimes I go higher and sometimes I'll overbolus and start to go low..so, at this point, I'm still checking. I tend to get concerned because I read your posts and AR's too and it's like you two just stay flat. Even a non-diabetic's BG's will rise when they first eat????
Also, what fast acting are you pumping with?
THANKS!
Hi Type1Gal,
I do like to run my numbers tight. My endo and I have my target range set for 80-100 pre meals. Most of the time I do pretty good meating that goal. One thing in my favor I do not seem to have DP. I correct 1 unit for every 30 over 100 I am. Most times I don't really require much of a correction at all. Which is really nice with the pump it will average small corrections for you. So if Im like 112...it will average that out to whatever correction that would be.
I spike "SOME" after eating, I tend to average around 30-40 grams of carbs per meal. It works pretty good for me. Usually if I have significant spikes...its usually because of something "stupid" I've done. Yesterday all day I was just running on the low end, even with all the yummy carbs. So I cut my basal back from 1 unit an hour to .975 an hour and that seemed to help stabalize it a bit more. Well I forgot I had done that, this morning two hours after eating, I was 190...and Im like WTH, cause its just unusual for me to spike really significantly...got looking at my basal...it was still on .975 instead of the 1 unit...it just needed to be bumped back up today.
Usually 1 hour range I might be between 120-130...unfortunately not all the time...right before ovulating..and right before starting I tend to get a little more resistent. But most times 2 hours after eating Im back on the low side of the 100's again. I really don't know how to explain why or how it happens.
As far as rapid acting, Im using Humalog right now, but want to see about Apidra, I dont like waiting to eat for one, and never manage the 15 min or so they say you should give yourself for Humalog and I think the Humalog hangs around a little to long for me. And I know going lower carb would probably help some...but wow, I dont know if I could go to 30-40 grams per DAY.
From what I've read of AR's posts, I kinda think we think along the same way with our control...and seem to think we both dont mind dipping down into the 60's. I try to stay out of the 50's just cause it makes the Endo fuss. He doesnt mind too much the 60's just doesnt want me down in the 50's all the time. Oh well, get me a cure and I wont be, but until that happens such is life with D, it happens.
Thankfully much less though.
OK, thanks Christy! I'm doing like 40 carbs per DAY...but I am trying to eat more. I'm just really having such changes, quickly with all this stuff. Seems I can't keep up with my basal and bolus changes and increases...no more honeymoon and just full on type 1 now..ugh! I too am going to ask about Aprida (I'm using Novolog, which I heard was a bit faster then Humalog)..because, as you said, if I'm high before a meal (I correct or overbolus just a bit at 130 only with meals though), I'll correct and have to wait like an hour before I even see any movement with my blood sugars - it takes forever. I too have a hard time waiting when I'm hungry. Sometimes I think it takes 1 - 1.5 hours for the insulin to kick in, thus my spike. I've heard Aprida (especially with a pump) is faster and gets out of body quicker too. OH, we can only hope.
Well, sounds like you're doing a great job. I'm frustrated..ugh! I unit of insulin drops me 100 points, so I typically correct (with meals) if over 140 with 1/2 a unit. I don't know, that's probably not right now either...what worked last week doesn't seem to work the next week, ya know.. :(
OK, i'm pumped up for the pump (HA!) now. Hopefully it will help! THANKS!
Your So Welcome, I really hope it works well with you too. I know that's the fustrating thing with this. I had a couple of days and not sure WHAT was happening, wasn't dangerously high but much higher than normal, I'd correct would come down SOME but not much...the only thing I can think of. I think I cooked my insulin. Was sleeping with a heating pad, and yeah stupid thing number 1, lol diabetic and heating pad...and lol I think since I had that bad boy cranked up it was a little too close to my pump and it got hotter than I THOUGHT it would. Cause the first day was good with that site change...I changed it out early and it seemed to work a lot better. Note to self...turn the heat down on the heating pad, hahahha and dont use it so close to the pump.
cooked the insulin..ha! maybe (probably) true, like you said, who knows with stupid disease..hatin' it so much sometimes. sounds like (sometimes feels like it too) we're frickin heroin addicts...
Note to self, no heating pads if'/when pumping. Also, maybe the heat did something to the infusion site too..who knows? do you use the REVEL with the CGM, I've read/heard not good stuff about the Medtronic CGM but I really want one. Who decided your pump for you, your endo..you? I was also thinking about the Omnipod but my Endo really wants (for some reason) the Medtronic for me?
THANKS SO MUCH...keep on keepin on..that's the best we can do. :)
Yes I use the Revel with CGM, it has worked REALLY good for me. Most of the times what the CGM says is pretty close to the meter. The thing to remember about CGM though it is really more a tool...to show trending, if you are rising fast, dropping fast, or staying stable. I dont put a LOT of faith in the number its showing more if its staying stable. If that made sense. But overall I've had really good success with mine and it being fairly accurate too. The best thing I can recommend is calibrating when stable. Usually that means before eating or bolusing. I try to start off with a good number. Like if Im really low. I'll treat the low, wait till my BS stabalizes out and then calibrate. I kinda skipped the CDE training on that one, lol just didnt have time to spend two hours at the office. Just read the material and had at it.
I demo'd the Omnipod, but my Endo doesn't really care for them, and after researching and reading on her about the number of people with Pod failures, PLUS having to keep up with the PDM device, AND no integrated CGM, and I thought it was kinda bulky, I decided against that one. My Endo was really more for me to go with MM. I don't have any complaints about it, and find it pretty user friendly.
I had a lot of trouble with the quicksets as well, I had to change to the silohettes (spelling) because the canula always bent when I inserted. I could kind of control it a bit if I made my skin really taut during insertion but it wasn't always fool proof. I use the mio's now without a problem.
I know your frustration though, I called MM one morning and busted into tears when I was talking to the help lady, at least I got my point across! They should have fixed this problem a loooong time ago, that was at least 4 years ago that I did that. Keep your chin up and try another set.
Thanks, it's all going great now.