I’ve heard of people having an allergy to Teflon, which is what is used in most infusion set cannulas. It’s possible this is your problem. If so, the only option for you would be steel-needle sets. Lots of folks rave about Minimed’s Sure-T infusion set.
If you end up not getting into a groove with it, no big deal. You’re just not a pumper. It’s so YMMV. But I would highly suggest keeping the CGM - this thing is really the best piece of diabetic machinery ever invented.
Some who love this technology are zealots “evangelical” re: diabetic technologies… thankfully not all who use it are all that extreme. You are quite correct and reasonable in my humble view.
Stuart
Hey M- Welcome to the site here! I found a lot of information on TuD over the past 3 years since I started posting here. I’m type 1 for 12 years.
I have a few things to mention:
When I used to sleep nude, I just let the pump float in bed with me, and never had any problems – if I wanted to find the pump, I just followed the tubing.
HOWEVER, I had a cat who chewed through the tubing not once, not twice, but THREE times, so I started wearing pajamas with the pump on the waistband and coiling up the tubing in the pants.
Ya do what ya hafta!
The experience you’ve had & the reasons you list are why I don’t want a pump. I’ve been pressured by endos & never went back to my first endo because he insisted all his patients had to pump. My current doc brings up pumping at every appointment. I don’t find injections inconvenient & am not on a rigid eating schedule. I often skip lunch. I carry syringes & a vial in my meter case & have no issue with shooting up when needed. I’m not interested in tweaking basal constantly, though this is a decided advantage for many people.
Having diabetes is bad enough without fighting over treatment options! You stick to your guns!! 
I haven’t ever had a Pump. I can’t see how a line of tubes, clumbsy me, and having to make sure its with me is just one more thing I don’t want. And the mere thought of a Needle staying in me, to just cause be a Infection, Nah… And for goodness sake, were do you put it when your playing,Honey hold on, need to put the pump some where~~~ OH gosh, I can here him making a song for that~~~ I am not unhappy with needles, they have been my choice for since 1972.
Thanks, Natalie!
I know that most people remove the pump when “playing”. We have to remove our clothes anyway, my pump comes off then. It’s important to remember to reconnect though.
I’ve been T1 for exactly one year and I’ve been on the pump now for 9 days (Spirit). I had a terrible day yesterday morning insulin delivery failed (?), very high bgl and then I noticed bubbles in the tubing and replaced my infusion set still having high BGL and realised in the late afternoon the new crannula was not inserted and found insulin dripping out of infusion site. Replaced infusion set and good bgl by bedtime. I also found my test strips were contaminated. All in all a terrible day on the pump. Today has been better and I will battle on. I am committed to give this a good try for about 6 months. All the issues you talk about are completely understandable and exactly what I am thinking. Good luck!
Making sure its with you is not an issue - it’s always with you… always. The tubes are only an inconvenience when you are doing something that makes you take off your pants (or wherever you clip the pump): which is more than most people probably think: showering, changing, “playing,” using the bathroom. The tube part is pretty-easy to overcome though.
Granted, I started this thread, and I do currently dislike the pump. However, if I was having good results with it some of these things I dislike about it may be ignored.
I remember quite a few times when I was pumping that I’d be in the dressing room trying on new clothes in the store, and I’d forget to unhook the pump. Then, when I went to change my top (I kept my pump clipped in my bra), the pump would inadvertently fall out and dangle from me. Boy, that hurt when it just fell like that. haha. But, like you said, if it was working for me and control was better, I would ignore those minor inconveniences.
I didn’t even need to remove it. He was used to it being there, so it would just lay on the bed. Even if we moved around a lot, the pump was second nature to just come with me. I slept naked a lot too. Never really had an issue with that part of pumping.
I was diagnosed almost 9 years ago and I started the pump about 3. I have to admit…I wasn’t a fan either. It made me gain about 60 lbs, I had the infusion tube kink on me once before as well. Its not easy and is definitely an adjustment. However the pump ultimately just wasn’t for me. I’ve dropped 30lbs since April (that I’ve taken it off) and althought my sugars have NEVER been stable I feel much better. I just need help learning how to balance my levels and keep them under 200. I can’t go to sleep with it under 250 bc it always drops. I guess I’ve never mastered the art of “maintaining proper levels” but I definitely want to make that change. So if anyone has ideas…it would be a great help! Hope everything works out for you MPetrick
I think a large degree of your disappointment has to do with two main things:
Your expectations of pumping are dramatically different than the reality of pumping.
Most of your problems have a lot to do with poor pump-management skills.
You can’t just translate what you know for MDI and expect things to work perfectly on a pump… without any long-acting basal insulin in your system, it just doesn’t translate… it’s both one of the biggest benefits, and largest drawbacks of pumping. You can adjust your insulin on the fly, based on your actual needs rather than adjusting your activity or food to the insulin you’ve already taken, but on the flip side, when something goes wrong, you have mere hours to fix it, or you end up in big trouble. The fact that you ended up in the hospital with DKA is clear evidence that you’ve tried to translate how things work on MDI to pumping, without really considering what makes a pump different, other than offering you a CGM in the same package… I’ve been pumping for 6 years of the 10 years I’ve had D, and I’ve never been in DKA once in that time. Why? I don’t “wait and see” with highs that don’t come down… I correct by injection (in fact I always correct via injection for anything over 300), and change out the set. It’s simple, and it’s obvious. I had a ton of trouble with infusion sets kinking in the beginning, and it’s frustrating, but there are a variety of infusion sets out there for a reason - everyone is different, and certain sets work better for each pumper than others.
If you can work through some of the problems, you might find you like pumping, or you may choose to go back to MDI. I went back to MDI for a while after pumping for several years - I don’t personally feel like my control is any better on the pump than MDI, but I do like the flexibility that pumping offers over MDI, which is really the biggest benefit for me.
I find this post somewhat condescending/accusatory in attitude, my apologies if I have misinterpreted it, but I will reply to a few points.
“Your expectations of pumping are dramatically different than the reality of pumping.”
“Most of your problems have a lot to do with poor pump-management skills.”
“The fact that you ended up in the hospital with DKA is clear evidence that you've tried to translate how things work on MDI to pumping, without really considering what makes a pump different, other than offering you a CGM in the same package.”
“I correct by injection (in fact I always correct via injection for anything over 300), and change out the set. It's simple, and it's obvious. “
“I had a ton of trouble with infusion sets kinking in the beginning, and it's frustrating, but there are a variety of infusion sets out there for a reason - everyone is different, and certain sets work better for each pumper than others.”
Basically sounds to me like you have your head on straight! It’s possible that you didn’t get adequate training, and that your pump trainer didn’t consider what set might be best for you – thin people have different needs than “fluffier” people! Also, I was told as part of my initial training to bolus with a syringe in case of high BG – don’t know why you weren’t told, but that’s a big boo-boo on the part of your trainer! Makes me wonder if other important concepts were omitted! I was also told to call MiniMed at any hour if I was having trouble I couldn’t solve myself – only did it a couple of times, but it was very helpful. (I’ve been pumping 12 years)
Whether you stay on the pump, or go back to MDI, I just want for you to have as comfortable a life as possible, with minimum frustration!
I’m not sure, I do know I was never told about bolusing with a pen/needle for adjustments. My trainer himself wears the same Paradigm pump that I was issued, perhaps his comfort with the pump made him overconfident in others abilities with it? I’ll ask him about that (bolusing for high BG without the pump) tomorrow. Thanks for your input!
M…You are right. And bottom line: Some love it and some don’t. I’ve had the pump 10 yrs and can’t help but roll my eyes when people eagerly ask “Oh, is that the pump? Has it changed your life for the better and made your diabetes easier?” I can’t help but burst their bubble and simply say, “Uh…no”. The hype is baloney. There are some benefits to wearing it but there are drawbacks as well.
I correct a high with my pump and check in about 1.5 hours to know the direction of my blood sugar. If it has not decreased, THEN I bolus with a syringe/pen and change my infusion set.
I also was taught this at my training. You should recommend that your trainer emphasizes this with all new pumpers. It is a pain to carry around extra insulin and an extra infusion set, but I think it is part of the deal. I have a small 9 by 3 inch pack that I throw in my bag, but I take a bag with me almost everywhere. I know for guys it can be a bigger inconvenience.
If I have an extreme high, I will check for ketones. If I see ketones, then that is a sign that I have not been getting insulin via the pump and I change the infusion set (and usually the insulin) immediately. If I don’t have ketones, then I correct with the pump.